Chapter 93: Chapter 85: Red Archbishop Antioch, Lady Alice, and the Assassin_1 Chapter 93: Chapter 85: Red Archbishop Antioch, Lady Alice, and the Assassin_1 Ivita found that they had at least two kinds of sacks, one filled with ordinary white bread and the other filled with bread mixed with milk and honey. The latter kind of bread had a special name: noble bread.

The noblewomen seemed to present this noble bread to the upper-middle-class merchants passing by.

One noblewoman stood out in particular, her slender figure dressed in a vibrant red, fluffy dress, making her look like a blooming rose. She also wore a shiny black vest.

She was a mature woman of lingering charm, her chestnut-brown hair tied under a hat adorned with swan feathers, her blue eyes exuded loyalty.

Ivita heard from another noblewoman nearby that she seemed to be called Lady Alice.

Ivita was confused.

Were the capitalists doing charitable deeds?

That didn’t seem right.

The people who came to this market, although many of them were idle wanderers, the majority were businessmen and shoppers.

“Lolita, what is happening?” he asked.

Lolita stood to one side, seemingly frightened of the city life, or perhaps of the people.

She whispered: “My lord, that is a unique welcoming ritual in Parviga.”

“Lady Alice, who stands there among the crowd, once suggested that every Monday, the noblewomen of various wealthy families in the city should come together to give out free bread to everyone entering the market.”

“Most of the time, their hired hands do this task.”

“But sometimes, these noblewomen would show up in person.”

“I’m not sure why they’re doing this.”

“I heard Lady Alice believes that preserving this tradition is a symbolic blessing, ensuring everyone who enters the Parviga market finds their piece of bread.”

“Ah, yes, Lady Alice is also the head of the Blacksmith Guild.”

Ivita paused for a moment and thought that this might be a way for them to unify their peers.

For instance, in his previous life on Earth, some of the middle and upper-class individuals would engage in some environmental volunteer work, charity galas, and such. Through these activities, they would contribute to society and meet like-minded friends, expanding their own networks.

In front of him right now, this seemingly meaningless act initiated by Lady Alice may just be her own club network.

Through these activities, she could swiftly establish a leading position among the noblewomen of her social class.

And that was what held the most significant meaning to her!

As Ivita was contemplating, a figure blocked his way. Reflexively, Ivita reached with his left hand to grip one of the two famous swords he was carrying on his back: the Broken Steel Sword.

He had previously tied up these two swords with cloth to prevent anyone from noticing anything unusual.

But Ivita quickly let go of the left hand.

Because when he looked up, he realized it was none other than Lady Alice, who had been distributing bread at the entrance of the market.

She was holding a piece of noble bread in her hand, offering it to Ivita.

Lady Alice had quickly noticed Ivita’s unique noble presence among the crowd.

People often say that if a nobleman were to take off his fine clothes and stand among the crowd, he would blend in, and no one would notice his distinctness.

But that wasn’t the case.

At least in this era, when the nobility and the military forces were heavily intertwined, a soldier standing in the crowd — regardless of his attire — couldn’t be ignored.

Ivita realized that this woman could potentially be his friend and long-term collaborator in the future, so he didn’t reject her kindness and accepted the bread from her hands.

“Thank you, my lady.”

Lady Alice was also secretly guessing Ivita’s identity.

Despite Ivita’s simple attire and seemingly ordinary horse showing signs of toiling in the fields, this young man’s skin was smooth and fair, his face handsome. He had the reliability of a mature man and the attractiveness of a young boy.

Lady Alice wondered, could Ivita possibly be a displaced young nobleman, or perhaps a merchant’s son?

Given the tumultuous times, Lady Alice couldn’t restrain herself from casting a few more glances at Ivita.

She smiled and said, “It seems like this is your first time in Parviga.”

“Someone like you, if I had seen before, I would never forget.”

“What brings you to Parviga?”

“Looking for someone,” Ivita responded tersely, after a pause, he added: “and also here to make friends.”

Lady Alice was amusingly taken aback by his concise wording, and she thought to herself: what an interesting young man.

Lady Alice said, “Parviga is indeed a good place to make friends. It’s crowded enough that you’re bound to find someone who shares your interests. I must take my leave now, but I hope to meet you again.”

Being one of the most influential figures in Parviga, she naturally wouldn’t spend much time on Ivita.

At this point, Alice only saw Ivita as the son of a minor noble. She had merely walked up to him and casually made small talk.

Lady Alice was planning to return to the group of noble ladies, leading the wives of the leaders of various guilds, to expand her influence through them.

Lady Alice considered this her advantage.

Because no male could build relationships with the wives of guild leaders through hosting tea parties and organizing events.

Those actions wouldn’t yield positive results; they would only lead to duels and vendettas.

But simply because she was female, she could easily achieve these things. However, there were downsides to her female identity too.

She was more easily overlooked and scorned in her own social class.

Although women of Ambros were not as lowly as those on the Southern Peninsula and the continent, her status undoubtedly limited her and several times prevented her from landing the position of Mayor of Parviga.

While Lady Alice was returning to her caravan, a significant commotion suddenly erupted nearby, causing numerous merchants to flee frantically from that direction.

The narrow street soon filled with throngs of people.

Chaos was everywhere.

Ivita looked up to see that five assassins had appeared on top of Lady Alice’s carriage.

These assassins had the power to control corpse puppets.

Ivita quickly recognized them. They were old acquaintances, the Small Brotherhood of Trustworthiness!

Meanwhile, in a teahouse on the second floor of an establishment on the same street, a man was standing, adorned with a red woolen robe embroidered with a gold pattern: the Arabic numeral ‘4’ within concentric circles. This expensive robe belonged to the Red Archbishop General from the Ferrara Duchy on the Southern Peninsula.

The Red Archbishop tsked, causing the priests beside him to shudder.

“I have brought the Pope’s Golden Seal Royal Decree, but it proved useless.”

“I desire peace, but peace seems distant from here.”

“Someone has hired the Small Brotherhood of Trustworthiness’s assassins.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“Haven’t you told me that most of the individuals who could influence the situation in Parviga have been identified, and you’ve given me their dossiers?”

“Then tell me, who is that youth whom Lady Alice gave the noble’s bread to? Did you see the magical items on his right hand hidden inside his sleeve?”

The Archbishop of Parviga, dressed in a white robe, immediately stood up, bowed and apologized to him, “Apologies, Lord Antioch.”

“We will verify his identity right away.”

“There’s no need to verify.” Archbishop Antioch laughed coldly. “You’re all being narrow-minded.”

“Can you understand the way our church works?”

“Our church doesn’t need to know anyone’s origin, because all people in the world are followers of the God of All Things. They can’t resist the summoning and commission of the Church. Furthermore, even a noble with no standing will immediately enter the vision of the game’s players once he steps into any of the major cities.”

The Red Archbishop General Antioch fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “I guess he is that new Baron Moro who repelled several monster groups.”

“A promising young man, younger than I expected.”

“If I hadn’t noticed the origins of the Broken Steel Sword on his back, I might have assumed him only a common noble child.”

The listeners around the Archbishop felt embarrassed.

Turns out, you had already guessed his identity, which is why you do not need our investigation.

Why on earth did you say all that in the first place?

The Archbishop of Parviga, an old man, asked hesitantly, “Are you planning to summon him to meet with you?”

“Perhaps, he could help the church quell the strife in Ambros.”

“Nevermind.” Antioch thought about it and felt uninterested. “He’s just a baron.”

“Let’s wait and see.”

“As a baron, he does not yet qualify to enter the chessboard of the Church.”

“Also, exposing him to the game’s players too early might harm him. There are some individuals in the Church… who aren’t exactly clean…”

“Let’s leave this place.”

Seeing the surprised looks from the priests, Antioch proclaimed, “Our Church needs only to continue observing.”

“This is how our Church operates.”

“I came here not to save Lady Alice, but to see how the lambs of the God of All Things will blaspheme faith.”

“I just want to watch what the noble factions of Parviga are up to.”

“But as shepherds of the God of All Things, we need not fight with the lambs.”

“The Lord will judge.”

So, the low-level priests hastily packed their things, preparing to leave.