The nun tied beneath the tree was simply too breathtaking.
Faust took just one simple glance, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Even with the Prince of Qingxi’s history of profligacy and having seen countless women, he couldn’t help but give a mental thumbs-up and sigh in admiration.
Truly a top-tier temptress!
Despite wearing the pious habit of a nun, her extremely lewd physique and aura transformed all that piety into pure blasphemy. If anything, it was more accurate to say her body itself was a form of sin.
The honey-haired beauty, upon seeing Faust, cried out impatiently:
"Kind benefactor, please save this pitiful person!"
Faust did not reply immediately. Instead, he steered his horse to observe the surroundings first.
No traps, no ambushes. Aside from that large tree, the surrounding woods were sparse and the field of vision was clear.
The nun trapped by the vines showed no signs of abnormality either. Faust could not sense any mystery trait on her, but the more this was the case, the more suspicious the prince became.
This was the border forest of the Midwinter Kingdom. Aside from smugglers like himself, there shouldn't be anyone else here. And a nun... regardless of which fairy sect she belonged to, she should have been able to enter Midwinter through official channels.
After all, any sect capable of establishing a faith around a fairy was never simple and possessed the authority to travel freely between nations.
"Mephistopheles, what do you say?"
When in doubt, Faust consulted his contractor. He used the fairy's seniority to compensate for his own lack of experience.
【Ho... I see. Hehehe...】
The fairy did not give a straight answer but instead let out a mischievous chuckle. Faust was all too familiar with this sound; Mephistopheles laughed like this whenever he wanted to tease him.
However, in a way, this was an answer in itself.
Faust urged his horse forward and asked:
"Sister, what difficulty have you encountered?"
The nun, looking as if she had stepped out of a high-quality adult game illustration, raised her pretty face, her voice mournful and melodious:
"Your Excellency, as you can see, I am a pilgrim. While passing through this place, I wished to perform a bout of ascetic practice by hanging myself upside down from this tree. But afterward, I found I could not undo these vines."
Ascetic practice... Faust was quite familiar with that.
In this fairy tale world, while there weren't standard tropes of practicing for a hundred years to gain a blessing and then beating up a celestial emperor, if your path allowed for asceticism, you really could gain experience from it.
Teacher Mystoria's path, the 【White Court martial saint】, was a classic path that specialized in ascetic practice.
And the 'monastic' series of paths were indeed related to asceticism, most commonly involving various forms of self-denial and self-flagellation.
Pilgrims would travel far and wide to visit sacred sites around the world, and if the mood struck them, they might engage in some ascetic play. It was a very normal phenomenon.
"Benefactor! Benefactor! Please help me!"
The nun continued to call out, her pitiful voice enough to stir the protective instincts of any man.
Faust thought for a moment before dismounting, drawing his longsword, and hacking through the thick vines.
"Thank you, Your Excellency! If you hadn't come to my aid, I truly don't know what would have happened..."
The nun began to sob as if still in shock, her eyes brimming with tears as she said:
"Also, could I trouble you to help me find my pack? It should have fallen somewhere nearby."
Upon hearing this, Faust walked around the tree and indeed found a bulging bag behind it.
Opening it, he saw it was filled with brilliant gold and gems, their radiance almost blinding.
Even as a prince of a kingdom, Faust had rarely seen such a quantity of exquisite precious metals.
Good grief. If nothing else, she was definitely not practicing 'poverty' asceticism.
Honestly, it was a bit too blatant.
Even without Mephistopheles's indirect hint, Faust could tell something was wrong by this point.
The Prince of Qingxi smiled, picked up the bag, and returned.
The nun, sitting sideways at the foot of the tree, was rubbing her ankle. Those pale, jade-like feet were marked with conspicuous crimson bloodstains from the thorns.
Seeing this, Faust asked:
"Sister, can you still walk?"
The nun’s slightly curved eyelashes fluttered. She clasped her hands together and pleaded with Faust:
"I'm afraid not. I have absolutely no strength left. Kind traveler, could I ask you to carry me for a while? I cannot ride a horse; it’s far too bumpy."
The Prince of Qingxi laughed. "It's no trouble at all. Lending a helping hand to a pilgrim is a traveler's principle. Come on up!"
Faust crouched down so the nun could lean against his back.
Although her waist was very slender, her heavy assets were no joke, so she did have some weight to her.
However, despite the intimate contact, Faust felt no lust in his heart and his steps remained steady.
The nun's honey-brown hair fell forward, occasionally brushing against the prince's cheek, and her weak, sweet voice sounded in his ear:
"Thank you again for saving my life. I truly have no way to repay you..."
Faust smiled warmly. "No repayment is necessary. It’s what I should do."
After another while, the nun bit her fingernail. "Actually... there is an ascetic practice I’ve wanted to perform but have never found the right opportunity for. Your Excellency, could you help me?"
"What kind of practice?"
The nun exhaled a fragrant breath:
"The Vow of Dedication. It involves losing all freedom and loyally serving a master. Before now, I couldn't find a suitable candidate. But you... Your Excellency saved my life, so you are undoubtedly trustworthy. I hope you will accept this request."
"Just think of it as helping me. That bag of jewels can be your reward. It is very important for me to progress further on my path of asceticism!"
With such a beauty wanting to become a slave or handmaiden, and even willing to pay for the privilege, there was likely no man who could resist being tempted.
But Faust replied without a second thought, "My apologies, but I must refuse. In my heart, there is only the desire to help you. Beyond that, I have no intention of using a favor to demand a reward!"
"Tsk..."
Faust wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he thought he heard a click of the tongue.
For the rest of the journey, the nun continued to chatter away, but no matter what she said or what temptations she offered, Faust blocked them all. He blocked everything!
He refused every word and remained as motionless as a statue in his actions, never laying a hand on her or overstepping the bounds of etiquette.
To someone who hadn't read what came before, they might have thought Faust was some kind of paragon of virtue who couldn't be stirred even with a beauty in his lap.
Just as Faust was about to carry the nun out of the forest, he suddenly felt his back lighten. The nun's weight vanished instantly without a trace.
This was followed by a frigid curse:
"Enough! Are you even a man?! I've never seen someone so capable of restraint!"
It was at this moment that Mephistopheles finally spoke, chuckling:
【Heh, she still loves her sting operations as much as ever.】
Faust: "She is?"
【The Lady of the Lake, Azure Maiden.】
Rate on N.U.
