The Dark Messenger clenched his fists and cursed through gritted teeth, "Just you wait, Wilbur. I''m going to ruin you!"


    He returned to the basement and sat on Aiden''s throne. Half an hourter, a figure appeared in the basement. The sight of the Dark Messenger scared him to his knees, causing him to bow deeply as he said, "A-At your service, H-Honorable Dark M-Messenger."


    "Stefan, did the Pope tell you toe here?"


    "Y-Yes." Stefan trembled from head to toe, unable to look at the Dark Messenger as he said, "His Holiness told me to, uhh... toe and check on Aiden. I didn''t expect all of this to be your doing, Honorable Dark Messenger! I''m sure there''s been a mistake."


    "There have been no mistakes!"


    "Y-Yes, of c-course."


    The Dark Messenger was positively livid. "You imbecile, do you think I killed Aiden and Kino?"


    Stefan blinked. "Did... Did you not, sir?"


    The Dark Messenger huffed impatiently. "No. Wilbur Penn did this. He killed Buker, and then Aiden and Kino after that. I just got here. He was lucky enough to escape."


    "Honorable Dark Messenger, do you n to take care of this yourself?"


    "I don''t care about anything else, but Wilbur Penn is mine. Tell the Pope that he must not kill Wilbur Penn, no matter what happens. I want the man alive."


    "Yes, Honorable Dark Messenger... I''ll be sure to tell His Holiness."


    The Dark Messenger got up from the throne and walked past Stefan. Stefan scrambled to lower his head as he trembled, only getting to his feet after the Dark Messenger''s aura waspletely gone.


    Wilbur wandered around the streets, walking past the Cultivator Guild every now and then to spy on what was happening. The ce waspletely abandoned, and there were no guards stationed on patrol.


    Wilbur found this rather strange as Aiden and Kino were supposed to be the real people in charge of Ede. Their deaths should be a big enough deal to shock the nation.


    Everything was abnormally still. Wilbur figured that the Pope must have sent someone over already and did not announce it so as not to alert anyone.


    Wilbur was a careful man. He only walked past the Cultivator Guild every few hours, so no one noticed him.


    It was almost dark when Wilbur passed by the guild once more and happened to run right into the Dark Messenger. Their eyes met, and Wilbur felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He maintained a calm expression, but his mind was already racing.


    The Dark Messenger did not notice Wilbur but stopped in his tracks after they passed each other. He looked back before heading into the Cultivator Guild.


    A man in purple robes was on one knee in the basement as if waiting for someone


    to arrive. Purple robes were a symbol of utmost power in the Church of Holy Illuminati, and this man was none other than the new Pope, who had just seeded the previous one.


    The Dark Messenger walked up the steps to take a seat on the throne, and the Pope said at once, "At your service, Honorable Dark Messenger."


    The Dark Messenger nced at Holt, the Pope. Despite the fact that Holt had done enough in the past two years to warrant the Dark Messenger ughtering him a hundred times over, he was now of enormous use to the Dark Messenger and thus kept alive.


    "Look at me, Holt."


    "Yes, sir."