The dim flame of the oil lamp flickered gently, casting a warm glow. Lovene, who had been feigning sleep, opened her eyes to find a low wooden ceiling coming into view.
She tried to sit up, but her entire body was incredibly sore, as if she had been thoroughly beaten.
“Your Highness, you're awake?”
Mia's voice came from beside the bed as she stood up and approached Lovene.
At this moment, she had already removed her armor, wearing only a white undergarment.
Lovene propped herself up with her arms, attempting to sit, but a dull ache shot from the wound on her wrist. Mia quickly supported her and placed a pillow behind her back.
“...How are those people?”
“Please lie back down first.”
There was a hint of helplessness in Mia's tone. She had not expected that the very first thing her Saintess would do upon waking was ask about the villagers in the cellar.
“Those people are fine. Aside from the few you saved, the others were either already dead or can still be treated. There shouldn't be any major issues.”
She paused, her gaze falling upon Lovene's bandaged wrist, her brow furrowing involuntarily.
“You, on the other hand, are far too weak from losing so much blood. Right now, even getting out of bed is probably a struggle, isn't it?”
Lying in bed, Lovene murmured almost to herself, “It's good that they're safe...”
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Mia pursed her lips, seemingly weighing her words. Several times she opened her mouth to speak, only to swallow her words back down. Lovene, however, saw right through her.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
Taking a deep breath, Mia said, “Your Highness, the church gave us five days to resolve the contamination in this village. Counting today, two days have already passed. We only have three days left.”
“Three days to purify the stone heart on the altar seems... very tight.”
She used the word “seems,” but Lovene knew what she really meant was “completely impossible.”
In Mia's eyes, Lovene's method of purifying contamination was using her own blood.
But how much blood did she have? Even if she drained every single drop, she might not be able to purify the stone heart within three days.
And that stone heart was the source of the contamination. The entire village was connected to it, including the seemingly normal villagers above ground—their lifelines were likewise tied to that ash-gray stone.
If they were to forcibly contain it, everyone would die.
Only by completely purifying it before containment would the contamination be truly resolved.
But the church would not grant her that much time.
In three days, the Heresy Inquisitors would arrive in this village. If the stone heart had not been purified by then, the inquisitors would directly contain it.
Lovene's mission would then be deemed a failure. When that happened, she would be dragged back to the church headquarters to face the Pope's punishment.
Lovene closed her eyes. She could almost picture the scene: the Pope standing on the high platform, his scepter pointing at her forehead, those benevolent eyes reflecting the seal deep within her soul.
Once they saw through her rebellion, what awaited her would not be mere punishment, but utter destruction.
Thus, Mia's subtext was clear: abandon these villagers and prioritize herself.
Lovene opened her eyes.
She did not reply to Mia, but simply let her gaze fall toward the bedside.
There, many items had been placed.
There were fruits still glistening with morning dew, blackened smoked meat, and a bundle of wild flowers tied together with straw rope. Though the purple petals were slightly wilted, they had clearly been meticulously chosen.
Lovene stared at the bouquet of wild flowers for a long time.
“These are...” She reached out, her fingertips gently brushing against the petals.
“The villagers brought them,” Mia said softly. “They heard you collapsed from treating those people, so they brought some food to help you recover.”
Lovene picked up the bundle of wild flowers and brought them to her nose, taking a light breath.
The fragrance was very faint, carrying an earthy scent as if they had just been plucked from a hillside.
“Alvina brought these,” Mia added.
Alvina?
Lovene recalled the little girl, remembering the scene of her reunion with her mother.
That tear-stained face, weeping with joy, had been filled with hope for the future.
She gently set the wild flowers down by the head of the bed.
“Mia.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“I cannot abandon them.”
“Why?”
“Because they are good, kind people.”
The villagers here were people forgotten by the church. They hated the church, and they hated the clergy who did nothing but exploit them, but they felt differently about Lovene.
They saw her as their savior, and she naturally could not let down their expectations.
Mia's lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only managed to squeeze out, “But Your Highness, your own body...”
“I know.”
Lovene interrupted her.
“Regardless of whether three days is enough, I must try. Even if I have to submerge the stone heart in my own blood...”
“Your Highness,” Mia said in a heavy voice, “you will die.”
Lovene looked at her, the corners of her lips curving up into a dreamlike smile.
“If my sacrifice can save these villagers, then my coming to this world will have already been worth it.”
Mia remained silent for a long time. Before she could speak, Lovene continued, “Oh, and please keep the matter of the stone heart a secret from the villagers. I don't want them to worry too much about it.”
She blinked, looking somewhat playful.
Mia silently stared into Lovene's eyes. Gradually, she sensed the stubbornness and resolve within them, and she finally understood why the Church of the Morning Light had chosen her to be the Saintess of this generation.
Although the church was a bunch of bastards, their luck was truly remarkable.
The Lovene she protected was the most wonderful Saintess in the world.
Mia stood up, took Lovene's holy robes from the hanger, and draped them over her shoulders.
She supported her choice.
Seeing this, the smile on Lovene's face grew even brighter.
Not only that, but the magic power within her body was also steadily growing, showing signs of breaking through the late stage of Rank One and entering Rank Two.
Aside from the pity and affection provided by the villagers, even more of it came from Mia.
Mia's calm and indifferent facade was merely a disguise.
In her heart, she had long been deeply aching for her.
...
Inside a wooden cabin in the village, the air was thick with the scent of damp sawdust mixed with a hint of cheap tobacco.
“Harvey, don't be a fool.” A middle-aged man sitting on one end of a bench shook his head.
“That thing is clearly an ill omen. Didn't you see the state of the people in the cellar? Ash-gray skin, hollowed-out chests... Those on the verge of death still need Lady Lovene to save them.”
The young man named Harvey leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms and letting out a cold snort. “Lady Lovene? Since when did you start calling her 'Lady'?”
The few people sitting around exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
Harvey stepped forward and tapped his finger heavily against the edge of the table twice before saying coldly, “I admit, her stepping up to save those villagers shows she's kind-hearted, but that could very well be a mere facade!”
“You must realize their objective has been crystal clear from the very start—it's that stone heart! That is the sole reason they came here!”
“Keeping it in our village is far better than letting the church take it away. Its contamination can grant us power far beyond that of ordinary men. When the time comes, we can even stand up to the church!”
He clenched his fist, his gaze sweeping across every face in the room.
“Don't you forget how that damned church has exploited us! In their eyes, we are resources, we are food, but we could never be human beings!”
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