Seeing this, a strange surge of jealousy welled up in Vera's heart.
“Hmph, the Saintess is only good to you because she wants something from you. The moment you're of no use to her, she won't care about you at all!”
The poor man looked up at her and said coldly, “We have absolutely nothing. What could she possibly want from us?”
“T-that...”
Vera was momentarily at a loss for words.
Indeed, these paupers had neither money nor connections. Why would the church's Saintess try to curry favor with them? What could she possibly want? Surely she didn't want their lives?
What would be the point of taking the lives of a bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled people?
Then... it couldn't possibly be for their faith, could it?
At that thought, she couldn't help but sneer to herself.
Let alone these people, even the believers within the Church of the Morning Light knew that the church's faith was a sham. Aside from helping the church amass wealth, it served absolutely no purpose.
So, the Saintess, Lovene, truly wanted to help these poor people?
Could there really be someone so kind in this world?
While she was lost in thought, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd. Someone pointed toward the entrance of the plaza. “It's the lord's wife! Lady Elena is here!”
Elena wore a dark blue gown, her hair swept up into a high bun, followed by two maids. She brought no guards and rode in no carriage, choosing instead to walk across the plaza herself.
She walked to the center of the plaza, stopped, and swept her gaze over the crowd.
“Heh, just watch. Watch your precious Saintess have her disguise ripped away and her true colors exposed! Lady Elena is going to kick her out of the Oswell territory!”
Sneering at the pauper, Vera quickly put on a flattering smile and scurried to Elena's side, asking with feigned surprise:
“My Lady, what brings you here in person? If there is anything you need, you could have just ordered a servant to do it...”
Elena did not even look at her. Her gaze bypassed Vera and landed somewhere behind the crowd.
“I am here to see the Saintess.”
The crowd parted automatically to form a path.
The smile on Vera's face froze for a split second, but she quickly and tactfully stepped aside, a look of anticipation appearing on her face.
She knew that Lady Elena was likely here to demand accountability.
Attempting to harm the lord's daughter would have resulted in a death sentence anywhere else. It was only because this woman was the church's Saintess and held an exalted status that Lady Elena had merely banished her from the territory.
Unfortunately, the church Saintess didn't seem to understand plain words and was still lingering in the territory.
She was practically begging for death!
Lovene stepped out from the crowd. She wore a snow-white holy robe, her face pale yet calm. Mia followed closely behind her, hand resting on her sword hilt, her cold gaze scanning everyone around them.
Elena took a step forward. Then, under Vera's utterly bewildered gaze, she bowed deeply to Lovene.
Everyone froze.
“Lady Saintess.”
Without straightening her back, Elena spoke clearly:
“I misunderstood you before, believing you wanted to harm my daughter Dorothy, and thus banished you from the lord's manor. That was my mistake. As the lady of this territory, I offer you my deepest apologies. I am sorry.”
She lifted her head, her eyes rimmed with red.
“You saved Dorothy and purged the contaminant from her. You are the great benefactor of the Oswell territory. Please forgive me and return with me to the lord's manor. I will do everything in my power to make it up to you.”
A dead silence fell over the plaza.
Everyone stared at the bowing lady of the territory and the pure young girl standing before her.
Vera stood frozen on the spot, completely unable to accept what was happening before her eyes. Her face was as pale as paper.
“No... Impossible... Wasn't she trying to harm...”
She mumbled to herself, her voice so quiet only she could hear it.
The others exchanged looks, seeing the sheer shock reflected in each other's eyes.
Lovene reached out and gently helped Elena up.
“My Lady, I have never blamed you. You only did what you did because you love your daughter so dearly.”
Hearing this, Elena couldn't help but sigh with relief, assuming Lovene was agreeing to return to the lord's manor. However, in the next second, she froze.
“But as for returning to the lord's manor, I am sorry, but I cannot agree.”
“Is it because of the recent rumors? That is my fault. I allowed those rumors to spread unchecked. But please rest assured, Lady Saintess, not only will I arrange for people to dispel the rumors, but I will also capture the culprit who started them!”
A cold gleam flashed in Lady Elena's eyes.
“Whoever is spreading such rumors will be severely punished by the territory!”
Upon hearing those words, all the color drained from Vera's face, and her slender body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Seeing this, the nurse beside her tugged at her hand in confusion and whispered, “What's wrong?” but Vera did not respond. She kept her head lowered in terror, utterly lost.
With the resources of the lord's manor, uncovering who had spread the rumors would be child's play. And once they found out it was her, her life would be over.
When that time came, being thrown into prison would be the least of her worries. For a crime like slandering the Saintess of the Church of the Morning Light, if any of the church's devout believers took it seriously, she could very well be sentenced to death!
The Church of the Morning Light was absolutely capable of doing such a thing!
At this thought, her back was already drenched in cold sweat. After thinking it over, Vera could bear it no longer. She spun around, broke away from the crowd, and fled down the alley.
The nurse who had come with her blinked, having no idea why she would suddenly run away.
Lovene, however, knew exactly why.
She cast a casual glance in the direction Vera had fled, the corner of her mouth curling up in a way no one noticed.
Though she had spent the last two or three days sitting in the slums treating patients, the amount of gossip and secrets she had gathered from their mouths was vast.
Naturally, not all of these secrets were related to the territory itself. A large portion concerned local prominent figures, and Vera was one of them.
Thus, she was well aware that the culprit behind the rumors was Vera.
However, exposing her to her face simply did not fit her persona.
As a gentle and kind Saintess, how could she stand by and watch this physician plunge into the lowest depths of her life? If she did that, the woman would feel nothing but hatred toward her.
And hatred could not help her increase her strength.
Over the past two days of treating illnesses in the slums, she had absorbed the pity and sympathy of these people, allowing her magic to steadily cross the threshold of Rank Two early stage and advance toward Rank Two mid stage.
If she could make Vera feel pity and heartache for her as well...
Hehe, such heartache would surely be exceptionally delicious, enough to truly push her into Rank Two mid stage!
Rank Two mid stage...
The Heresy Inquisitors and knights of the Church of the Morning Light generally only possessed Rank Three strength.
In other words, she would have a certain level of self-preservation capability in front of them!
Lovene turned around, her calm gaze sweeping over the nearby people who had once believed the rumors. Not a single one of them dared to meet her eyes.
She lowered her eyes slightly and shook her head under Elena's bewildered gaze, speaking in a soft, fragile voice:
“There is no need, My Lady. The person who spread the rumors must have done so unintentionally. I do not blame her. Besides, my reason for wanting to stay here has nothing to do with the rumors.”
Rate on N.U.
