"Uh, Your Majesty, may I have a chance to explain?" Bishop Flower Sepal began.
Upon hearing this, Queen Agatha's face remained as cold as ever. Then, the Flower Knights, who had been observing from the side, approached.
They stood behind the Queen, directing their gaze towards Bishop Flower Sepal and the followers behind him.
Sweat broke out on Bishop Flower Sepal's forehead.
He was a protagonist.
His protagonist cheat was the "Possession Cheat."
In other words, as long as the mind power of the other party was weaker than his, the protagonist could unconditionally possess them, replacing their soul with his own and taking control of their body.
Thus, the protagonist, who was born into an ordinary family in Rivenland, possessed his parents who were newspaper editors, then the newspaper owner, a court maid, and finally Bishop Flower Sepal.
This was the most revered identity the protagonist had possessed to date.
Bishop Flower Sepal's position in the Flower Church was second only to the Grand Bishop.
Of course, above him was the position of the Cardinal Bishop, which was often vacant because those eligible for this position required exceptional abilities and a personal appointment by the God of Flower.
Even though Bishop Flower Sepal held a high position in the Flower Church, it was still impossible for him to oppose the Queen.
Moreover, as the ruler of the nation and the host of the Ceremony of Divine Grace, Queen Agatha's status was arguably the highest among those present, second only to the deities.
The church and the royal court were meant to complement each other, but Bishop Flower Sepal, leading a group of clergymen to make a public spectacle, was an action that evidently smeared the entire sect.
It was a behavior scorned by the other clergymen of the Flower Church and the other two bishops.
Bishop Flower Sepal remembered that when they had previously proposed dealing with the paladins of Beaconburg, Queen Agatha did not directly reject their proposal.
Now, in the eyes of the protagonist, who was also Bishop Flower Sepal, the paladin general of Beaconburg should be considered an outsider, while he, a bishop of the church in Rivenland, should be one of their own.
Therefore, even though the Queen might reprimand him on the surface, he thought that she would actually protect him in the subsequent events.
With this in mind, Bishop Flower Sepal's thin and somewhat eerie face twisted as his eyes darted around. Then, an idea struck him.
He suddenly knelt before the Queen, smiling apologetically, and explained, "Your Majesty, the situation is like this.
Our Flower Church intended to share our exclusive fragrance with the foreign guests attending this Ceremony of Divine Grace."
"However, there was a mistake by someone in preparing the fragrance for our ceremony."
"The fragrance we intended to use was from the 'Mana Flower'.
We planned to create a virtual landscape of mana with this fragrance, turning it into flower-shaped particles floating in the air to decorate this street."
Then he turned to a clergyman behind him and said, "Duncan, what's going on? Weren't you careful enough when preparing the fragrance?"
"What is this about?"
As Bishop Flower Sepal turned to Duncan, he winked and gestured, signaling something only they understood.
Following this, Clergyman Duncan quickly nodded in understanding and said, "It's my fault, all my fault."
He then started to kowtow on the ground with such force that it seemed he might almost bleed from his forehead.
Meanwhile, the other clergymen who had just embarrassed themselves followed suit, kneeling and begging in front of the Queen.
At this moment, although Bishop Flower Sepal could not see the Queen's expression, he also did not hear her speak. He guessed that her mood couldn't possibly get any worse.
Since it was during the Ceremony of Divine Grace, it was generally understood that severe, blood-drawing punishments were not appropriate.
Therefore, Bishop Flower Sepal reasoned that the Queen, both emotionally and logically, should let them off the hook. At most, they might be taken away, but no harsher punishment was expected.
Even more, if Queen Agatha held their Flower Church in high regard, she might even speak on their behalf, or possibly even show bias towards them.
This was what Bishop Flower Sepal contemplated.
After a short while of not hearing a response from the Queen, Bishop Flower Sepal, puzzled, slowly lifted his head to glance at Queen Agatha's expression, trying to understand why she hadn't yet spoken.
However, just as Bishop Flower Sepal raised his head, he saw a group of Flower Knights approaching him, their eyes cold and unforgiving. Bishop Flower Sepal was stunned.
Logically, the Flower Knights should have been his subordinates. Why were they coming to apprehend him now?
The protagonist thought it might be because Queen Agatha's anger had not subsided.
Assuming that he had brought shame to Rivenland, being taken away seemed likely, but as for specific punishments, Bishop Flower Sepal did not believe he would suffer any.
But in the next moment, the Flower Knights began searching his person and quickly found some of the special fragrances Bishop Flower Sepal had prepared.
Among the fragrances found on Bishop Flower Sepal, there were several special ones besides the "Intoxicated Flower" scent.
These included the "Nightmare Flower," "Silent Grass," and "Dark Narcissus." The scents of these flowers were incredibly unique and more dangerous than the "Intoxicated Flower."
While they might not be much of a threat to paladins, they were not intended for them but for other antagonists.
Bishop Flower Sepal was sweating profusely, confused as to why the Queen did not give him any face and directly ordered a search on him.
This turn of events visibly worsened Bishop Flower Sepal's complexion.
"Your Majesty, please listen to my explanation!" Bishop Flower Sepal immediately cried out, his face a picture of despair as he reached towards the Queen's feet, attempting to grasp her ankles.
However, at this moment, a hint of a mocking smile appeared on the Queen's face. The playful smile disappeared in an instant, replaced by a cold expression.
"Guards!" she called out.
"Bishop Flower Sepal has attempted to act indecently towards me in public, his crime is escalated by one degree!" Queen Agatha declared.
Upon hearing these words, the people around were momentarily stunned, but none spoke out. Indeed, the Queen's statement wasn't wrong.
Given the Queen's esteemed status, even a bishop of the national religion, the Flower Church, should not have dared to reach out and touch her.
However, Bishop Flower Sepal had instinctively thought the Queen would side with their Flower Church. He was mistaken.
"Lord General Alan, I apologize for this spectacle," Queen Agatha said disdainfully, glancing at the dejected Bishop Flower Sepal on the ground before turning her attention to Alan.
"It's of no concern," Alan replied. "I believe Bishop Flower Sepal's recent actions were merely an accident, an unintentional mistake."
Hearing this, Bishop Flower Sepal was momentarily stunned and looked at Alan with a trace of gratitude.
However, his gratitude quickly faded as Alan continued, "However, to understand the situation better and clear up any misunderstandings between us, I've decided to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Bishop Flower Sepal."
"I believe only by resolving our differences can we truly become friends, don't you think so, Bishop Flower Sepal?" Alan said, looking towards Bishop Flower Sepal.
Upon hearing this, the brief smile of gratitude on Bishop Flower Sepal's face vanished, replaced by a cold gaze.
In Alan's eyes, he saw a strange, complex expression, like a predator amused at its prey caught in a trap.
This confirmed that the man claiming to be General Alan of the Beaconburg paladins was indeed the antagonist they had suspected!
Moreover, it seemed that Alan had figured out his protagonist identity. His talk of "heart-to-heart" and "resolving misunderstandings" was all nonsense!
This man clearly intended to harm him!
The fact that he had even felt gratitude towards him a moment ago made Bishop Flower Sepal feel utterly despondent.