Chapter 60: A Plan to Bait

"I am sorry, Arthur. But I will need to contact the headmistress about this. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Explain why I did this too. I will take care of his body."

After talking with Emilia when she returned from deactivating the barrier and fixing the tweak she had made with the revival chamber, I carried the unconscious Alexander like a sack on my shoulder. Somehow he had gone out cold without even me touching him.

I planned to carry him to the church, asking Sana to prison him and explaining the circumstances to her. Many eyes were watching me as I carried an unconscious person on my shoulder, but I proceeded without giving them any explanation.

Well, if possible, I'd like to use my authority as a Paladin to officially declare Alexander Bluerose a Sinner after talking with Sana. That way, Duke Bluerose would take this matter seriously and try to get revenge faster.

Let's see... The reason was him making a deal with a Devil. I wasn't lying, though.

The species that came from that place, whether it was a Succubus or a monster, would be called a devil. They also lived in the Sin Kingdom, and many people in the Virtue Kingdom especially harbored hatred to them because they tempted people to do sinful acts.

And I would add the sin of threatening and attempting murder of Paladin to Alexander's act. Maybe a kidnapping attempt too.

Anyway, I would just add as many crimes as possible to his list, including using his authority as a noble to try to force people to follow him. That wasn't allowed in the Virtue Kingdom.

People who lived and walked around the street of Castitas Church were already familiar with me, so they only greeted me without thinking too much about the person on my shoulder. I had carried Eliza before, so it wasn't too strange.

As usual, one of the church knights who saw me immediately ran down the stairs to greet me. From the knight's appearance and the fact that the dot belonging to that knight on my radar blinked blue, I knew that Sophia was the person who ran down the stairs to greet me.

Her hips were swaying as she ran down at full speed. She was still wearing a full-face helmet, making me curious about her face. But no matter, I would be able to see it when my knight squad was officially created.

Right when she arrived at the foot of the stairs, she stopped and saluted.

"Sir Paladin! Good afternoon!"

"Good afternoon, Sophia. It's sudden, but is the Archbishop inside?" I asked with a smile. "I have another business with her." Then I moved Alexander slightly, showing Sophia that my business was related to this thing.

"The Archbishop, is it? I believe she's in the office." Sophia replied as she lowered her hand. "Please allow me to guide you, Sir Paladin. Please, this way." She gestured for me to follow her with her hand.

"Thank you."

It was a bit strange that Sophia was immediately willing to guide me. Maybe it was because of Sana's order or because I asked about Sana? Either way, I was able to meet the busy Archbishop anytime I wanted because of my position as a Paladin, it seems.

I was taken inside, walking through the large hallway toward the inner area of the church. Sana's office was near the waiting room we had used twice. In fact, it was located only a few rooms from that one, adjacent in the same hallway.

Sophia retreated after we arrived in front of the office, returning to her duty of patrolling around the area. She bowed at me and left with a quite knightly gesture. I didn't dislike it, but she was too stiff. I might need to make some adjustments in the future.

Anyway, I didn't even need to knock on the door as it was opened from inside.

"My, Sir Arthur. Please come in."

Sana appeared with a smile and greeted me while bowing her head slightly. She was only wearing the white leotard part of her clothes; the cropped black cape that draped over her shoulders was nowhere to be seen.

It enhanced her curve, and she emphasized it pretty well by bending forward slightly, allowing her to make her breasts look bigger than what it was supposed to.

"Please excuse me."

I replied with a calm expression, not allowing her to have a chance to tease me. I knew what her intention was; it was as clear as day. However, this matter came first. After Alexander was taken care of, then it would be her turn.

"I need some guidance, so I visited you at this time, Sana. I hope I am not imposing anything." I continued as I entered the room.

"Of course not. You're welcome to meet me anytime, Sir Arthur."

My eyes naturally darted around to see the room layout as Sana walked to one of the couches in the middle.

The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with leather-bound volumes of books, some dating back centuries from their appearance.

The room was spacious, with high ceilings and large windows that let in a muted light that filtered through the stained-glass panels. The carpeted floor was soft under my feet, muffling my footsteps as I approached the couch opposite Sana's.

A desk was located at the end of the room. The desk itself was an imposing piece of furniture, made of dark wood. Sana's black cape was draped over the soft-looking chair's backrest.

A small altar stood in one corner, adorned with candles and flowers with a small statue of naked Goddess Teri between them, a place for prayer.

Overall, the office was really neat and fit for an Archbishop. I dropped Alexander beside the couch as I sat down, looking at Sana.

"Because this is something I decided without consulting with you, I understand if you refuse later, but hear me first," I spoke first with a serious tone as I hunched my back slightly.

Sana also put on a serious expression as she nodded, gesturing to me to continue.

"This guy here." I pointed at Alexander on the floor. "He made a deal with the Devil. And he also gained Sins even greater than his Virtues as the son of a Duke. Hence, I declared him as a Sinner of my own volition."

This time, Sana narrowed her eyes as she observed Alexander carefully.

"Blue hair... The son of Duke Bluerose?" She asked, a bit surprised. "And he indeed harbors more Sins than Virtues. If he really made a pact with the Devil then..." She stopped, turning toward me with a soft smile.

"I think you've done nothing wrong, Sir Arthur. Rather, thanks to your quick decision, no one is harmed other than him. Please allow the church to take care of him."

"About that." I cut her off by raising my hand. "You know that his father was the mastermind behind the attack two days ago?"

"Indeed." She nodded, confirming my words with a serious gaze. "His father, Duke Bluerose, will definitely face a punishment too. We will send him a letter with the notice and the declaration that his son is a Sinner. That was my plan, but... do you have a different plan in mind?"

"Yes." I nodded with a grin. "How about we do it like this..."

Then I told Sana about my plan. It was time to fish for the big fish.