Chapter 861 - Lecture

"…" Theo fell silent when he heard those words. He glanced at the pope to see his opinion about this matter.

But before they made eye contact, another Holy Knight stated, "He could avoid it, but he still agreed to protect you. I just want you to remember not to bite the hand that feeds you." 

"We won't kill anyone here no matter what. So, it's useless to kill with a borrowed knife. If you do something like that again, we won't hesitate to kill you." The last Holy Knight snorted.

All four Great Holy Knights were displeased with Theo's action. In fact, Enrica felt the same when they did a mission together. That was why Enrica kept mentioning not making a plan to play with their lives.

That was just a tiny piece of advice to remind Theo that he shouldn't turn his allies into enemies.

Theo sighed and nodded. "Alright. I won't do something like that again."

Theo didn't say a single word of blame because he knew the pope had worked hard enough to keep them safe. 

Seeing the situation had calmed down, the four Great Holy Knights descended and hid their presence again.

Meanwhile, Theo and the rest started flying away. Their action also forced the Griffith Family Experts to continue their journey.

Lorenzo teleported them to give the team some time to sort everything that happened earlier. Even he couldn't justify what Theo did earlier. 

It was true that Theo's plan was brilliant and had the chance to eliminate all the experts that were chasing after them. However, sacrificing the pope might be the last thing he wanted to do, especially when the latter had been protecting them for fifteen hours straight and would continue to do it for another half a day. 

So, Lorenzo didn't say anything regarding this matter, giving an opportunity for Theo and the pope to talk.

Theo's expression turned grim while the pope finally opened his eyes, showing his black eyes. But unlike normal eyes, there seemed to be a golden light in the middle of his eyes. 

This golden light was the result of his own training, so no one could replicate this golden light.

Looking at Theo, the pope put on a gentle smile and said, "I know that you didn't mean any harm. Even though you used me like that… The reason why I didn't push you away or something was due to your intention.

"When you utilized your Blink together, you had calculated everything. The Blink would take me there while the clone would bring me back. 

"And with the four Great Holy Knights, I wouldn't be injured in this place. That was why even though you did all that, you never planned to let me get injured."

The pope still showed his kindness and wisdom even though Theo endangered his life no matter what kind of plan he had in mind. 

He continued, "It's true that if you want to survive, you need to do everything necessary. But there is always a limit…

"I don't mean to be rude, but what will you do if you have an enemy and you want to deceive him. For example, Agata is currently your wife, who you love so much. And the only way to trick him is to have Agata seduce him.

"He will taint her because this is the only way. Will you be able to ask Agata to do it? I don't think so. Sometimes, it doesn't matter whether you're safe or not…

"After all, safe doesn't mean to be alive alone. You need to think about their mental state, feelings, and so on. 

"Even if you can save someone, what will you do if the person in question actually wants to die? You'll persuade them, sure. But that comes from you thinking about their mental state, feelings, and situation. You need to make everything right if you want to save him.

"That's why you shouldn't play with life too much because it will bite you in the future. I have told Enrica that we are not meant to be together as allies or friends because you and I are too different. So, I can only give you this piece of advice." The pope ended his lecture with another smile. 

Although Theo wasn't wrong, he simply wanted Theo to be a better person. Someone's character, action, thought could be easily influenced by the people around them. And Theo's case was similar. So, he just wanted Theo to sort this out to avoid future problems. 

Theo suddenly fell silent before he lowered his head. "I apologize… I didn't think it through."

"It's fine. You're a smart kid, so you should know about this too. But I guess, sometimes, there's a need for it to be put in words." The pope smiled and glanced at Agata. 

"…" Agata's expression turned grim as she understood what the pope meant.

Theo nodded. "Yes. Thank you very much."

"Good. A good child will get a present." The pope suddenly took out a small envelope and handed it to him. "Leonardo wants you to receive this letter. It seems to be his last gift for you."

Theo looked at the envelope with interest and received it with both hands. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The pope nodded with a smile. "He told me that you can open it when you think you're safe."

"Yes. I will keep that in mind."

Suddenly, they heard shouts coming from afar.

"There they are!"

"The barrier is still down."

"Pope Franz should be waiting for the skill."

"Attack Theo before this happens." 

With the experts from the Griffith Family coming toward them, the pope finally became serious as he looked at all of them with his eyes.

"Let me take care of this." The pope smiled. "I will show you that I can fulfill my promise."

Suddenly, the Magic Power fluctuated in the area as a huge black-colored eye appeared on top of the pope.

The light in the middle of the eye soon shone brightly and enveloped them in this golden light.

"God's Eye."