Benalu City, Champagne District.
Several fully armed Church clergy stood like stone statues before the main entrance of a quaint mansion, their sharp, vigilant gazes clashing with the atmosphere of the surrounding streets.
Such an unusual sight naturally drew the attention of passersby, and neighbors were full of speculation regarding the house under strict Church surveillance.
Those two poor children from Dr. Morris's family had only just moved back not long ago; why were they being targeted by the enforcers of the Church of Holy Light?
After all, that pair of beautiful, honest, and kind siblings certainly didn't seem like the type to do anything wrong...
By noon, the silence in front of the gate was suddenly shattered by a heated argument.
The clergy once again blocked the female demon hunter who was attempting to break in.
"When exactly is this damn restriction order going to end? You've kept her locked up for five whole days!"
Danielle, dressed in a black coat with a sword strapped to her waist, glared at the clergy in irritation.
"She's just a little girl still in school, a frail and innocent young lady! Does the Church of Holy Light really consider her some kind of dangerous element? What a joke!"
Those clergy remained as unmoved by her anger as before.
"Senior Danielle, do not come any closer!"
Although the lead guard captain used a respectful title, his tone was anything but polite.
"Until the restriction is lifted, Vera Morris is not permitted to leave this mansion, nor is she allowed contact with anyone! These are orders from above!"
Danielle's gaze swept coldly over the guard captain. "And what if I insist on going in?"
The expressions of the clergy immediately became wary, and the guard captain stepped directly in front of Danielle, the glow of Holy Light divine arts faintly shimmering.
Danielle let out a contemptuous laugh. "A few low-ranking monks dare to show off in front of me? When I was risking my life for the Church, you lot probably didn't even know how to write!"
As soon as she finished speaking—
A power of holy light far stronger than theirs suddenly erupted from her hands, instantly knocking aside all the clergy attempting to block her.
"Senior Danielle! What are you doing!" The disheveled guard captain was pale with shock. "Are you planning to openly betray the Church?"
"Whose Church am I betraying?" Danielle's gaze inadvertently flickered toward the courtyard of Ansu's home.
When she saw a translucent shadow ripple for a moment before vanishing into the shadows of the trees, she felt an immediate sense of relief.
She turned her gaze back to the guard captain, a hint of mockery curling at the corner of her mouth.
"Betrayal? You bunch of idiots don't even realize you're being used by the schemers who are truly endangering the Church! Who are you to talk to me about betrayal?"
The clergy naturally wouldn't stand by and watch Danielle force her way in; after scrambling to their feet, they immediately surrounded the former Church hero.
"Quick! Go call for reinforcements!" the guard captain instructed anxiously.
He stared intently at the female demon hunter, feeling both annoyed and helpless.
The Church had originally thought that Vera would be the easiest to guard; after all, she was just a little girl who, despite having some talent for Holy Light, had only been studying it for less than a month. Therefore, the Church hadn't assigned many people here.
But they hadn't expected...
That this retired female demon hunter would be so persistent, actually willing to openly defy the Church for her student.
"Why is the Church full of nothing but idiots now?" Danielle sneered again as they swarmed forward.
She suddenly stopped trying to force her way into the mansion and instead threw a punch at the captain's face.
Danielle knew that Ansu had already used Shadow Stealth to enter the mansion, so what she needed to do was distract the guards and buy some time for the siblings.
The guard captain let out a miserable howl, instantly losing his ability to act.
Yet Danielle still wouldn't let him go; relying on her overwhelming strength, she proceeded to beat the guard captain she had long found irritating.
...
Inside the mansion, Vera was standing on her tiptoes, peeking through a gap in the curtains.
The sight of Teacher Danielle not hesitating to clash with Church personnel for her sake left her both moved and worried; although her teacher was powerful, she was, after all, going against the behemoth that was the Church of Holy Light...
Vera sighed silently.
Since being placed under house arrest, she had been cut off from the outside world, feeling like a prisoner in a jail, anxiously awaiting the Church's final judgment...
She wondered how Big Sister Freya was doing; such a good person, yet why was she so hated by those in the Church? They had even slapped the label of 'heretic' on her...
Such a charge was incredibly serious within the Church.
Shrouded in helplessness, Vera unconsciously thought of her brother's face.
"Big Brother, what should I do? When are you coming back..."
"Haven't I already returned?"
A gentle voice right beside her gave Vera a start.
She quickly turned around to see her brother, whom she hadn't seen in half a month, standing behind her and watching her with a smile.
"Big Brother!" Vera's eyes widened in pleasant surprise, then she immediately realized something and covered her mouth, not daring to make too much noise.
Ansu stepped forward, distressed as he caressed Vera's somewhat thin face.
Vera stared fixedly at the face she had been longing for, and no longer able to suppress her excitement, she threw herself into her brother's arms.
"Big Brother, why did you only just get back? I missed you so much..."
Vera's hands tightly encircled his waist as she poured out all the grievances of these past days with reddened eyes, "Do you know how much trouble happened at home... if you hadn't come back soon, I might have been taken away and judged by the Church..."
"I'd like to see who dares to judge my Vera!" Ansu let out a cold snort, rubbing the top of his sister's soft head as he comforted her, "Don't worry anymore, I'm back. With me protecting you, no one will lay a hand on you."
"Mm." Vera naturally believed her brother; she gave a small nod and then asked, "Big Brother... now that you're back from your business trip, you won't be leaving again, right? Is your work all finished?"
Ansu thought of the sacrificed cultists and demon members, as well as the massive treasure he had acquired, and couldn't help but chuckle. "That's right, the work has been successfully completed."
"That's good..." Thinking that her brother wouldn't be leaving again, Vera finally broke into a smile, but then she remembered something and suddenly tilted her head curiously.
"Eh... Big Brother, did that female boss of yours not come back with you?"
"Her..." Ansu thought for a moment before explaining, "She still has things to handle, so I came back first."
"Oh...?" Vera studied her brother suspiciously, thinking to herself that the female boss had kept a very close eye on him... why didn't they come back together this time? Instead, she let him leave first by himself?
This wasn't quite normal; had some conflict arisen between the two?
Or perhaps... this journey had caused their relationship to deteriorate?
Hmm... the more Vera thought about it, the more she felt it might be the case; after all, this was what she looked forward to most in her heart.
"Haven't you had lunch yet?" Ansu smiled as he pulled out the exquisite bento he had prepared for Vera and walked toward the kitchen.
"Yeah!" Vera quickly followed him, muttering quite resentfully, "Those Church people won't let me go out to buy food at all! There aren't many ingredients left at home. If Teacher hadn't come every day to bring me food, I would have starved to death in the old house!"
Ansu frowned, his distaste for the Church of Holy Light's methods growing even stronger.
He sat down at the dining table, watching Vera eat voraciously, and instructed with a smile, "Eat slowly, eat slowly! Once you're finished, tell me everything that's happened over the last half-month."
Rate on N.U.
