Those who want Cai to stay and those who want Cai to leave, both express the same will.

Regardless of their motivations, the message conveyed is ultimately the same, that is, both are requesting Cai to stay.

These two drastically different ways of retention both come from the heart;

In normal circumstances, Cai is not likely to go against it;

However, this time, the situation faced by the Holy Maiden is somewhat different from the past.

Since she has spent a considerable amount of time in the Papal State, no one understands better than Cai:

"Bishop Violet is the Pope's confidant. Because of me, Lord Xiaole has a grudge against him, which indirectly makes an enemy of the Pope. This is definitely not a good thing..."

Cai's statement is not out of fear for the Pope;

After all, Cai is equally strong, even though she carries the title of "Holy Maiden," she may not necessarily be weaker than the Pope in a real fight.

What truly makes Cai cautious is the backing behind the Pope;

To be precise:

Ever since the current Pope came into this world, that support has already existed!

Since the "Church of the Supreme God" gained recognition from the heavens and began to rapidly expand its influence on the continent, an observation has been made by those who care about the current state of affairs.

Starting from the day the Pope's state, a derivative of the church, was established, up to this day, the territory of the empire has always expanded.

This situation does not occur because every generation of Popes is exceptionally talented, having the ability to further expand the empire's territory inherited from their predecessors.

Historically speaking, there have been Popes biased towards weakness in the past, and there have been several major powers that united to jointly attack the empire.

When the coalition army formed by the great powers appeared at the borders of the empire and officially launched an attack, a terrifying event occurred.

Thunder struck from the sky, carrying a vast divine power, bringing endless despair to the secular strong.

Under the unstoppable onslaught, the massive military force disintegrated completely in half a day, like crumbling earth fragmented into blood-stained parts on the ground!

This was a true divine punishment, an attack that took countless lives, carried out by one of the main gods of the heavens;

The soldiers of the empire defending the borders recorded the unforgettable scene of their lives with pen and paper, which later became part of the sung tales passed down through generations...

There was no suspense in the destruction of the great powers' military might, and before the tragedy occurred, the emperors of several nations should have anticipated this outcome;

Not for anything else, solely because a doctrine known throughout the continent clearly emphasizes:

Those who invade paradise shall be killed!

The emperors were well aware of this doctrine, but due to a sense of complacency or skepticism, they rashly launched wars;

The consequences of this hastiness shook the foundation of several empires.

The reason why the gods of the heavens protected the earthly Pope ultimately stems from:

The "Church of the Supreme God" to some extent carries out the will of the gods. As the head of the Church and the state, the Pope is the "messenger of the gods."

Because of these reasons, the territory of the Papal State is considered a "paradise on earth" in a religious sense, and practically, a "sacrosanct ground"!

Anyone, regardless of gender, status, or race, who dares to attack the territory of the Papal Kingdom or engage in harmful activities within the territory, will immediately attract the attention of the heavens.

At that moment, the heavens will consider the person who committed such acts as a direct declaration of war and will dispatch true gods to the mortal realm for "judgment" within half a day's time.

This "judgment" is actually just a formality for carrying out the "execution."

For the targets that are locked on, the heavens will not rest until their bodies and souls are completely destroyed!

Because of this high-stakes relationship, the pope in office is the most powerful person behind the scenes on this continent;

Due to the prohibition of attacks on the Papal Kingdom, in these years, there have only been instances of the kingdom annexing territories of other nations, and never of the kingdom's territory being absorbed.

Considering the events happening today, Cai still harbors concerns.

Cai believes:

The clone of the Purple-Clothed Bishop is definitely not a match for that great being; while conversing with her mistress, the clone must have suffered a complete defeat.

But Cai worries that after the clone's defeat, it may set up another malicious trap, such as:

'What if the clone, after losing, tells Master Xiaole: "I came to the Papal Kingdom to settle things," and the Master decides to accept it? That would be really bad.'

The cruel part of this trap is that:

The Purple-Clothed Bishop has no intention of engaging in a one-on-one duel with Wang Xiaole but merely plans to use the hands of the gods to eliminate him from the world!

It has been previously mentioned:

All nations, powers, and individuals that invade the Imperial Kingdom will be seen as targets by the heavens;

The term "invade" is crucial, encompassing both territorial annexation and the protection of "citizens" within the territory.

All those within the Imperial Kingdom's territory fall under the definition of "citizens" mentioned above;

It doesn't matter if it's a noble figure like a grand bishop or just an ordinary crusader; if anyone lays a hand on them within the kingdom's borders, they violate the inviolable prohibition.

In summary, the essence of this doctrine is:

Allowing the Imperial Kingdom to bully other nations but strictly forbidding retaliation from others;

On an individual level, it means:

Allowing the kingdom's citizens to bully others while absolutely forbidding anyone else to strike back!

This is an absolute constraint that leaves people with no recourse, even if they are aware of it.

For the gods of the heavens, as long as the church continues to spread "God's teachings" and the pope remains "God's spokesperson," this power will be absolutely protected.

After explaining these matters to Lucia, Cai, as if reaffirming her determination, lightly placed her right hand on her chest and stubbornly declared:

"I don't want Wang Xiaole to attract great calamity just because of personal caprice. I hope you understand this, Mother."

Objectively speaking, Cai's concerns are not entirely unfounded;

Indeed, once Wang Xiaole sparks conflict within the kingdom's territory, it is equivalent to declaring war on the entire heavenly realm.

But so what?

Lucia's expression at this moment explains the meaning of "fearlessness."

The sole reason she shows no concern or fear is so straightforward and understandable, just as she asked Cai:

"You speak so dramatically, but ultimately, aren't you treating the heavens and the gods as enemies? Is that really so terrifying?"

Fear does not exist for Lucia;

Apart from a lover's infidelity, ghosts and specters inexplicable by magic, and pillows that are too stiff to sleep on...

Beyond these, Lucia in this world is utterly fearless.

Not only is Lucia unafraid herself, but she also wants Cai to abandon all concerns, thus saying:

"You, little fox spirit, still haven't realized: the one you are entangled with is someone beloved by the great Demon King! Mere angels, mere deities, my dear wouldn't even bat an eye at such trash!"

Such arrogant words, such ignorant and audacious speech;

But precisely because of this, she is Lucia, she is the Demon King who fears neither heaven nor earth.

This fearless emotion, conveyed through Lucia's powerful comfort, effectively reached Cai's heart and had a certain impact.

In a brief moment, Cai's face underwent extremely intense changes.

Analyzing the changes subtly occurring in her lips;

Cai first tightly pressed her lips together, then clenched her teeth, pouted her lips, and finally curved them upwards;

The rapid changes in her lips confirmed the swift shift in Cai's mood.

Upon seeing this reaction, Lucia felt that her persuasion had taken effect, her duty fulfilled to a basic extent.

"Seeing the expression on the fox spirit's face, it seems to have altered her thoughts to a certain extent... That's enough, I will say no more to you."

Lucia recognized her role in this persuasion as not only playing a positive role but also ensuring that she did not usurp the key role belonging to the beloved.

Ultimately, the deciding factor that would influence Cai's current thoughts would undoubtedly be Wang Xiaole;

Until the crucial person returned, Lucia's persuasion would only go so far.

But ceasing her actions and words did not mean Cai would do the same.

"Madam..."

At the moment when Lucia turned away, waiting for Wang Xiaole's return, Cai suddenly spoke, grabbing her attention.

Lucia's body remained still, only tilting her face to one side;

In an instant, the shadow from her side moved towards her in a hugging posture.

Subsequent events proved that Lucia might have been caught off guard due to her preoccupation, which allowed the shadow to easily topple her.

The shadow, which was Cai, had no intention of pinning her to the ground in the first place;

The reason the two girls ended up head-to-head, bodies entwined, rolling on the grass was perhaps purely due to Cai's excessive force.

"What are you doing, what are you doing? Although I like beautiful girls, I have no interest in you in that way, you little fox spirit, don't get carried away!"

Uncharacteristically, Lucia appeared somewhat flustered when faced with the same gender.

In contrast, Cai's reaction was similar to usual, still smiling warmly.

"I only found out today: it was you, Madam, who fell in love with Lord Xiaole, this is really wonderful!"

The embrace was meant to express her current feelings, just as Wang Xiaole had embraced her before;

Now, Cai, still under Lucia's weight, used her side-tilted cheek to nuzzle against the other's face, conveying sincere joy.

The scene created by the two women was exceptionally beautiful on a tangible level.

At the next moment, there was a commotion in the passage.

Wang Xiaole leaped back into the real world and, as soon as he looked up, he saw the beautiful scenery before his eyes.