The church of Sido territory sat atop a gentle slope on the edge of the domain. Its greyish-white stone walls were thoroughly soaked with moisture, leaving dark water stains of varying shades along the edges.
Deep within the church, Morris sat on a bench with his armor half-undone. The collar of his inner shirt hung open, revealing a thin, old scar just beneath his collarbone.
His breathing was slightly slower than usual, as if he had just been pulled back to the surface from some deep state of consciousness.
Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open.
“Dead? Seth is dead?!”
After a moment, he stood up straight, his face darkening as he looked at his subordinate knight and ordered, “Investigate! Go investigate! Find out what Seth has been doing lately and who he has been in contact with! Get to the bottom of this!”
“Yes, sir!”
The knight nodded and withdrew, only to reappear a short while later.
“Report, Captain. Lord Seth was recently assigned by the church to conduct the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony and traveled to Oswell territory. Meanwhile, Garnal, a knight under his command, has already returned to the church to report on his duties.”
Seth hadn't returned to the church's Holy City?
Morris fell silent for a moment.
“So, he died in Oswell territory?”
“Most likely.”
The news that the Saintess of the Church of the Morning Light was coming to Sido territory to contest the holy relic was known to every believer of the Church of the Morning Light within the domain.
Picking up his longsword from the side, Morris stroked the sharp edge and said coldly, “Hmph, then we shall await Her Highness the Saintess's arrival here. She must know something.”
...
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains. After several days of rest, Lovene's spirit, which had been thoroughly exhausted by the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony, had fully recovered to its peak state.
She sat leaning against the headboard for a while, listening to the soft rustle of branches swaying in the wind outside. Her gaze drifted to a patch of sunlight on the opposite wall that was slowly shifting with the passage of time.
She remembered what she had to do next.
Sido territory was just ahead. The church's orders were set in stone; there was no avoiding them.
As for the holy relic in Sido territory... the church hadn't said much, but it was likely a fragment or an artifact left behind by an ancient god or an outer god.
Anything involving ancient gods or outer gods possessed mysterious and unpredictable power, which was why even the Church of the Morning Light would flock to them like moths to a flame.
Furthermore, thanks to her performance during the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony a few days ago, the people of the territory had once again contributed a massive amount of emotion, boosting her mana level from early stage Rank Three straight to mid stage Rank Three.
This level was equivalent to that of many senior Church Knights.
And her ability to reach this height was all thanks to those Church Knights. If they hadn't tried to torture her, the commoners wouldn't have felt so much sympathy for her, and her strength wouldn't have advanced by leaps and bounds.
She turned to the side and looked toward the doorway.
Mia was standing by the threshold, her armor already neatly put on, looking as if she had been waiting there for quite some time.
“What about those Church Knights?” she asked thoughtfully.
They were her benefactors, after all. No matter what, she had to ask about their whereabouts.
At this, Mia's gaze drifted.
“They... went to investigate the source of the territory's anomaly.”
Lovene blinked. “Hasn't the territory's anomaly already ended?”
“Perhaps they felt it wasn't completely cleared yet, so they went to investigate.”
“I see. They've really worked hard.”
She sighed softly, as if deeply moved by their dedication.
She was lying. Lovene had actually already guessed that they were dead.
She was now the object of faith for all the commoners of Oswell territory, and among them were no shortage of truly fanatical believers. Seth and Croy publicly torturing her was undoubtedly a death wish.
When a deity bled for their people, they would only be loved all the more.
To not even understand this simple truth, those Church Knights were simply too arrogant.
Having resolved two troublesome Church Knights without doing a single thing herself, Lovene was in a much better mood. She climbed out of bed and patted down the non-existent dust on her holy robe.
“Then let's pack up. We are preparing to head to Sido territory.”
Mia asked, “So soon? Why not rest for a few more days?”
“No, time is of the essence. If we don't head over soon, that holy relic might fall into someone else's hands.”
A lie.
That wasn't the reason she wanted to leave Oswell territory at all.
She had harvested almost all the emotion she could from Oswell territory. If she stayed, her gains would only dwindle, and what remained wasn't worth trading more of her time for.
Her time was indeed very tight. Now that the Blood-Bestowal Ceremony was over, the final ritual to awaken the Lord of the Morning Light was not far off. Currently only at mid stage Rank Three, she was far from qualified to betray the church.
After leaving the bedroom, they entered the main hall of the lord's manor. Marcus seemed to have been waiting for them for a long time. He requested with some hesitation, “Your Highness, there is something... I must trouble you with.”
Saying this, he walked over to a sofa nearby.
Lovene followed his gaze and saw the manager of the lord's manor lying on the sofa. His face was pale, his lips chapped, and the thin blanket over him collapsed at the knees—it was empty.
Lovene stood by the sofa, her voice soft. “What happened?”
The manager's eyes flickered as he rasped in reply, “Uh, this... it's all my fault. I accidentally wandered into a knight's duel. They couldn't stop in time, so they cut off my legs.”
Losing his legs by wandering into a knight's duel?
Wasn't it more likely that they were severed by the Church Knights because of her?
Lovene instantly perceived the truth. Her gaze drifted from his face to his stumps, lingered for a moment, then returned to his face as she said softly, “Liar.”
The manager's hand curled slightly against the edge of the blanket.
He was somewhat afraid she would press for the truth.
However, reality allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Regardless of the truth, if you don't wish to speak of it, I won't pry.”
Lovene placed her hand in front of his knees. A gentle Holy Light coalesced in her palm. The flesh at the manager's stumps began to squirm, and gradually, a new pair of legs grew out.
“But once I am no longer in the territory, you must be extremely careful. Do not suffer such severe injuries again. With wounds like this, if the bleeding hadn't been stopped immediately, you would likely have died.”
The manager nodded, saying nothing.
His lips pressed together slightly, pretending to take Lovene's words to heart. But only he knew the truth: even if time were wound back and he had to do it all over again, he would still choose to poison that Church Knight.
Saintess Lovene was sacred and inviolable.
She might not mind the transgressions of those knights, but they, her believers, could not let it slide. She had protected them with her life and dignity, so they had to risk everything to protect her, even if doing so would displease her.
Light and shadow go hand in hand. The Saintess was the light, and they were the shadow.
All enemies would be dealt with by them.
They would never regret it.
Rate on N.U.
