The Unyielding Saintess

Zane lunged from the edge of the crowd, shielding his sister. He spread his arms and shouted, “No!”

The steward's face paled instantly. He rushed to Zane's side and urgently whispered a warning, “Zane, Zane! Have you lost your mind? That's a lord knight's order! Get out of the way, quick!”

Zane turned pale upon hearing this, but he remained unmoved.

Croy raised an eyebrow. He clearly hadn't expected anyone to dare defy his orders after he revealed his identity, especially someone who looked like a mere slum dweller.

“Who are you?”

Zane's throat bobbed, his voice tight. “I'm her brother! Don't you dare lay a hand on my sister!”

“With just you?”

Croy sneered, then backhanded him with his left hand.

The crisp sound echoed across the plaza. Zane was sent flying to the side, his shoes scraping across the stone slabs before he crashed heavily to the ground. Blood and shattered teeth sprayed from his mouth.

“Brother!”

Terrified, his sister ran toward where Zane had fallen, but Croy was too fast. He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her in front of him.

“A mere peasant daring to stand in my way. You have a death wish.”

Ever since slapping Zane away, he hadn't spared him another glance. Hotheaded fools like Zane were a dime a dozen; since becoming a Church Knight, Croy had executed dozens, if not hundreds, of them.

They weren't worth his concern at all.

“Come with me!”

Before the words could fully leave his mouth, a sharp, sudden sting pricked his wrist, as if he had been jabbed by something small and sharp.

He looked down at the back of his hand. Several distinct bite marks remained.

“You filthy brat, you dare bite me?!”

Croy released the girl's wrist and raised his right hand to deliver a brutal slap. Seeing this, the surrounding onlookers turned their eyes away, unable to bear the sight.

Given the massive difference in physical strength between Croy and Zane's sister, a single slap from him would not only disfigure her, but likely claim her life.

“Stop!”

Fortunately, someone stopped him just in time.

The crowd parted as Lovene, clad in her white robes, hurried over while holding up her hem. Her breathing was much faster than usual. Only when she saw that Croy's hand hadn't struck the girl did she let out a soft sigh of relief.

But soon, her eyes fell upon Zane, who lay unconscious on the ground.

She quickly ran over. Sensing that he was still breathing, she channeled her Holy Light to heal his injuries. Then, she stood up and turned to Croy, her beautiful face uncharacteristically frosty.

“Croy, what do you think you're doing? Did the Church send you to the Oswell territory just to run wild?”

Croy shrugged and picked at his ear, completely indifferent to her presence.

“My Lady Saintess? You seem to be poking your nose where it doesn't belong.”

Mia took half a step forward, her longsword sliding slightly from its scabbard.

“Mind your manners.”

She had fully advanced to Rank Five over the past few days. As she spoke, the aura of a truly powerful warrior erupted from her. The once-arrogant Croy shuddered, taking an involuntary step back.

He was only a Rank Three knight. Faced with a Rank Five knight, her sheer presence alone was enough to crush him to the ground.

If he continued to speak insolently to the Saintess, he would likely suffer the consequences. Yet, backing down like this left a bitter taste in his mouth. After a brief moment of deliberation, he spoke up:

“My Lady Saintess, let me give you a friendly piece of advice. We came to this territory for two reasons. First, by order of the Church, you are required to travel to the Sido territory to contest for that legendary holy relic. Second, we are here to guide you through the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony.”

The Saintess was the Church of the Morning Light's most useful tool. Before she sacrificed her flesh and soul, the Church would naturally extract every ounce of utility from her, frequently issuing tasks and orders.

She could not resist.

Of course, Croy's focus wasn't on the former, but on the latter—the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony.

“If Your Ladyship enjoys meddling so much, this temperament of yours might cause you to suffer quite a bit during the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony.”

The Blood-Bestowal Ceremony was controlled by knights like them. There were various methods of bestowing blood, many of which were incredibly cruel and unbearable for an ordinary Saintess.

His implication was clear: if Lovene continued to meddle, he would choose one of those brutal methods to torture her during the ceremony.

Mia's eyes narrowed at his words. Her right hand quietly rested on her hilt, seemingly ready to cleave Croy in two, but Lovene raised a hand, signaling her to stop.

Her gaze never wavered from Croy as she declared firmly, “As long as I am here, you will not mistreat the people of this territory.”

“...Fine, fine, fine. Your Ladyship certainly has backbone. I only hope you won't regret this later.”

Realizing he could no longer seize the girl by force, Croy let out an angry laugh. With a sweep of his sleeve, he turned and stalked toward the exit of the plaza.

After he left, the elderly woman who had been shoved to the ground was helped up by the steward, who gave her a fresh loaf of bread. Although Zane remained unconscious, his physical injuries were completely healed.

Lovene walked over to the distribution table, picked up two loaves of bread, wrapped them in paper, and approached Zane's sister.

“Here. These are the ones you didn't get to receive earlier.”

Zane's sister looked up, her voice trembling slightly.

“...Are you the Lady Saintess?”

Lovene gave a soft hum of affirmation and placed the bread into her hands.

“Don't be afraid. As long as I am here, he won't dare bully you.”

“But... but won't the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony be very painful for you?”

Lovene blinked in surprise.

She hadn't expected this girl, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, to be observant enough to notice this, let alone worry about her well-being.

“P-Please, take the bread back. You don't actually need to protect me. My health has always been poor, and I might not live more than a few years anyway. You are the one who is truly important. Only with you here can everyone in the territory live in peace.”

Zane's sister pushed the bread back into Lovene's arms, whispering with her head lowered. Many of the onlookers felt a pang of pity, touched by how remarkably mature and selfless the young girl was.

In response, Lovene shook her head and pushed the bread back. She leaned down, gently stroking the girl's hair as she spoke softly:

“If I cannot even protect you, how can I protect everyone else? Besides, everyone is equal in my eyes. Your poor health is simply because you haven't eaten enough and lack nourishment.”

“Once your brother comes of age and your family is no longer poor, you will be able to eat more. Your body will grow strong, and you will live a very, very long life.”

“And you don't need to worry about those men making things difficult for me. After all, I am the Saintess of the Church. They are only Church Knights; how could they dare trouble me?”

Her words made the girl's eyes light up. Clasping the bread tightly to her chest, she asked instinctively:

“Really?”

“Of course it's true! Why would I lie to you?”

“Then... when the time comes... can I come watch the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony?”

The girl's eager anticipation caught Lovene off guard. Lowering her gaze, she gently pinched her cheek and said apologetically:

“I'm sorry, but the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony isn't usually open to the public. But once the ceremony is over, I will come visit you. After all, I have to prove to you that I'm perfectly fine, don't I?”