The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　"It seems so." Dark couldn't help but feel admiration.

　Given so little information, it is truly awe-inspiring that Chris was able to capture a powerful mage so accurately in such a short time.

　But both Alvitt and Chris themselves seemed to be used to it.

　Arvit simply praised, "Well done. Tell me about this man's background."

　Chris then spoke up: "It's the Church of Knowledge."

　"The Cult of Knowledge?" Arvit frowned. "That's not an evil cult, is it?"

　Chris nodded slightly.

　Upon seeing this, Dark asked in confusion, "Wait, what exactly is the Church of Knowledge?"

　Claire then continued, "A sect that deifies 'knowledge,' a pure faith in knowledge. They emerged about three years ago, and their core members are all relatively senior mages, including some magicians. In these three years, they haven't shown any harm; they've even established schools in remote villages, teaching basic knowledge to poor children for free. Therefore, even the Holy Church can't classify them as heretics."

　"So this is the kind of sect it is?"

　Dark frowned, instinctively sensing how troublesome this sect was.

　Claire then made a "4" gesture to her chest and said, "This is their prayer sign. It's harder to recognize because it's similar to the strokes of a cross."

　Dark remembered this feature, then asked in confusion, "Then how did Chris find him?"

　Chris turned to look at him and said, "I went to the Gray Mist Forest as you suggested and found the ranger. But he knew nothing about me, so..."

　Dark asked curiously, "So?"

　Chris couldn't help but smile slightly: "So I knocked him out."

　Dark: "??"

　Chris pointed to her chest and said, "My 'Scorpion' weapon can fire poison needles, one type of which can control a person's mind. When he fainted, he lost the ability to resist, and I used the poison needle..."

　He entered his temple, briefly turning him into a puppet, forcing him to confess everything…

　As Chris recounted her story, Dark couldn't help but feel a chill.

　Read the full text for free here

　After being controlled by the poison needle, the forest ranger recounted in detail everything that had happened in the past few days.

　Based on this, Chris compiled all the suspicious points, conducted detailed analysis and speculation, and finally selected a total of thirteen suspicious individuals.

　Then, the "Scorpio Palace Maid Corps" she led split up to search, thoroughly investigating every clue about the thirteen suspicious individuals.

　After layers of screening, the suspects were finally narrowed down to just one.

　Then Chris took action directly.

　She didn't wait until nightfall, or even at midday when the sun was high in the sky, she emerged directly from the man's shadow and, with a speed that was completely impossible for him to react, inserted a needle...

　It went into the back of his neck!

　The sudden burst of toxins left the person completely unaware of what was happening around them, before they instantly collapsed to the ground.

　Then another maid dressed him in a restraint garment to confine his magic.

　Chris then used that terrifying poison needle that could control a person's mind, causing the person to blurt out all their innermost thoughts.

　The technique itself is actually not complicated.

　But what's terrifying is the Scorpio Maid Corps' efficiency and Chris's poison needles!

　Without prior protective measures, there are no secrets against such poisonous needles.

　This is similar to that kind of torture.

　The means of supplying it are completely different; it's terror in a different sense.

　But think about it carefully.

　Since this is the unique finishing move of the "Scorpio Armor" among the twelve Gold Saints, it's not surprising.

　Without such a powerful finishing move, it wouldn't deserve the name "Golden Armor".

　……

　After accepting this reality, Dark asked again, "If that's the case, there shouldn't be any need for further interrogation. So what exactly was his purpose?"

　But as he asked the question, he suddenly noticed a strange glint in Chris's eyes.

　This gave him a bad feeling.

　Chris then added, "This man's name is Ignaz Cooper. He's an archmage, but not from the academic school. He's been a member of the Cult of Knowledge for six years and is one of the original members of the cult."

　“Wait a minute,” Dark interrupted, “So, this Cult of Knowledge has actually been established for six years?”

　“That’s right,” Chris said. “It’s no secret. They founded the sect six years ago, initially focusing on the exchange of knowledge, but it gradually grew and began to operate three years ago. In the Church of Knowledge, there is no leader, only thirteen elders, and all decisions are made jointly by these thirteen elders. And this Mr. Ignaz Cooper is a disciple of one of these elders.”

　"So he has a pretty high status?" Dark said.

　Chris nodded: "It's not bad. Otherwise, the Church of Knowledge wouldn't have given him that task."

　Dark pressed further, "What mission?"

　Chris's eyes narrowed again as she spoke, but she couldn't help but smile, clearly wanting to laugh: "After six years of development, the Church of Knowledge probably felt that the sect's concentration was insufficient and needed a spiritual leader, so it planned to introduce a divine child."

　Dark hesitated and asked, "The Divine Child?"

　Chris nodded: "Yes, Divine Child!"

　She continued, "Each of the thirteen elders would nominate a candidate for the Divine Child, and then one would be chosen from these thirteen candidates to be the true Divine Child! And this Mr. Ignaz Cooper's teacher had his eye on the young master. However, after learning about the young master, Ignaz Cooper was slightly tempted."

　……

　[2-in-1 4000+]

　[86/233]

Chapter 472 Darkdemon Never Makes Things Difficult (8k)

　"Did you even feel a slight urge to be greedy?"

　Dark turned to look at Ignaz Cooper in the cubicle, recalling the details of his dream within the magical motorcycle.

　Perhaps the other party was indeed only "slightly" tempted.

　But so what?

　From the moment he decided to take action, things were destined to end badly.

　As for the matter of recommending Dark as a candidate for the Divine Child, that is even more laughable.

　Who gave them the confidence to seduce a duke's son into joining a cult that was less than six years old?

　Do they really think that duke's son is a minor?

　Oh, it seems so.

　……

　Dark shook his head. Since the initial intention of the Cult of Knowledge was not malicious, and the subsequent events were merely the personal actions of Ignaz Cooper, there was no need to delve too deeply into it. It would be sufficient to simply punish Ignaz Cooper as he deserved.

　The Duke's mansion must also consider its own reputation and act in accordance with reason in all matters.

　I generally don't do things that are unreasonable.

　Unless it's an unusual situation.

　As for taking it to court for trial?

　Considering that this matter is not suitable for public disclosure, let's leave it at that.

　Dark said to Chris, "Then, you'll be in charge of handling this guy's matter from now on."

　Chris asked curiously, "Don't you want to chat with him for a bit?"

　Dark shook his head: "No."

　Nothing necessary.

　He's just an insignificant nobody.

　"By the way, how did his teacher choose me?"

　Before leaving, Dak suddenly remembered something and asked about it.

　Chris slowly explained, "It seems they witnessed the young master's brilliant performance at the Easter Duel Festival held at St. Marian Academy, and thus discovered that his magical spirit possessed an intelligence level exceeding 3.0. This kind of technology is something mages strive for their entire lives. Moreover, they worship the embodiment of 'knowledge.' They are extremely eager for such a means of imbuing intelligence. The young master, possessing this ability, naturally fits their definition of a divine child perfectly."

　Chris continued, "Moreover, in my opinion, it's impossible for the other twelve elders to find someone more suitable for the definition of a divine child than the young master. If the young master wants to, becoming the spiritual leader of this Church of Knowledge is a foregone conclusion."

　“I see.” Dark thought for a moment and said, “Then let them know that I have no intention of doing this. I hope they can understand my difficulties.”

　Chris smiled and said, "No problem."

　……

　Since even Dak himself had no intention of staying, Arvit naturally wouldn't stay in this cold storage either.

　She was completely at ease leaving everything else to Chris.

　As for the so-called "Knowledge Cult," they had indeed been doing things that benefited the people. Both factions turned a blind eye to them.

　But since they've crossed that line themselves, let's not be ruthless towards them.

　Although Arvit was very satisfied with her baby's peaceful state of mind, she was not going to give up so easily.

　……

　Not long after, the four returned to the ground.

　It was only at this point that Dak casually asked, "Since everyone thinks that the Church of Knowledge's initiative to set up schools is a good thing for the people, why don't we do it ourselves?"

　Alvette looked at him with some surprise, then couldn't help but grab her darling's arm and hug her, saying happily, "That's because the Holy Church has actually taken over part of this responsibility. Now every church in the kingdom teaches people to read. And it's free; people only need to go to church every Sunday for some services."

　"Is this a way to gather followers?" Dark asked curiously.

　Yalvie nodded and said, "This is indeed one of the subtle influences. After all, it's getting harder and harder to fool people these days. Only by actually doing something relevant can you make people believe in you and trust you."

　Dark said, "But as far as I know, the Holy Church only teaches the most basic reading and writing, and at most some simple arithmetic. That can't be called a school."

　“That’s right,” Arvit said. “There are many things to consider when it comes to truly universal education. Although we all know it’s beneficial to the people and can drive overall development, we also know that once there are more and more smart people, the concentration of power will cause problems. So we must have tremendous courage in making education universal.”

　“As an individual, the Church of Knowledge can do that. But as a political entity, we will not only seize the areas that the Church is involved in, but we will also inevitably face opposition from those stubborn nobles.”

　"However, the times are moving forward at a rapid pace. In order to ride the waves of this era, one must have the ability to see into the future."

　"I have always been in favor of establishing schools and promoting education. Once it begins, the Dimon family will give it their full support."

　"But I hope it's Eliza who brings it up herself."

　At this point, Arvitt added a hint of worry for Elizabeth.

　"What a thoughtful person."

　Dak's expression softened, and he moved slightly closer to Arvit.

　Read the full text for free here...

　Popularizing education is a major undertaking.

　Arvit had already had this idea.

　The eldest princess has most likely considered this as well.

　But to put it into practice, more than just great courage is needed.

　If successful, it would be a decisive advantage for her in the battle for inheritance.

　But if she fails, she may have to withdraw from this competition altogether.

　Times change, the future is uncertain, and no one can easily dispel the fog and make a choice.

　……

　That evening, Dak drew another 1.5 points of "Pride," which led to his interview.

　At 8:30 a.m., Dark was already seated in the first-floor reception room, with Alvit and Tailmon sitting next to him, and Claire beside him.

　Ollie and Trina stood on either side of Dark behind him.

　Lord Montilfali is not here.

　The three people and one animal behind the long table chatted and drank tea.