The next morning, Lovene knelt before the altar once again.
Not a single patch of intact skin remained on her wrist. Old wounds had scabbed over, and new cuts were sliced right beside them, resembling crisscrossing cracks on a dried-up riverbed.
The blood dripped slowly; there was hardly anything left to flow from her body.
Mia knelt by her side, using a damp cloth to wipe her paper-pale face every few minutes. She did not speak, but every time Lovene's body swayed, her hand would tremble in response.
Along with the purification of the Holy Light within her blood, the dark mist shrouding the stone heart had dissipated significantly. In one more day at most, the stone heart would be completely purified.
As time passed, Lovene's eyelids began to grow heavy.
“Your Highness,” Mia's voice was very low. “That is enough.”
“Just a little more...” Lovene murmured softly.
“You have been letting your blood for an hour already. You said the same thing yesterday.”
Lovene did not reply. Her vision began to blur, and the stone heart on the altar split into three or four overlapping grayish-white shadows in her eyes.
She wanted to blink hard, but her eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
The next second, her body fell forward uncontrollably.
Mia caught her.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Lovene could no longer hear the words that followed. The world collapsed into a buzzing noise in her ears, like the chirping of cicadas in summer, or like someone weeping.
When she woke up, she was lying on a bed in a wooden cabin in the village.
It was already dark outside the window. The candle flame flickered wildly, buffeted by the wind squeezing through the cracks in the door. Mia was not in the room.
Lovene tried to sit up, bracing her arms against the wooden bedframe, but they gave out the moment she lifted herself.
Her body was incredibly weak at this moment.
Just then, the lame old man opened the door and walked in. He carried a wooden tray holding a bowl of steaming porridge and a few pieces of cured meat.
“Lady Saintess, you are awake?”
“Yes. What are these...?”
“We heard that you fainted in the cellar again, so we specially made this to help you recover. Please eat it while it is hot.”
“Thank you.”
The lame old man placed the wooden tray by the bedside. He glanced at Lovene a few times, seeming to have something to say, but in the end, he simply shook his head and slowly turned to leave the room.
His movements were subtle, but Lovene still saw through everything clearly.
This bowl of porridge was likely poisoned.
Logically, she should not eat this porridge, but...
Letting out a soft snort, Lovene waited until she had recovered a bit of her strength before picking up the bowl and taking two bites. Soon after, a wave of nausea washed over her stomach.
The poison had taken effect.
A sharp cramp seized her abdomen, as if something were twisting inside her. Then, a coldness surged from the depths of her bones, causing her pearly teeth to chatter slightly.
Lovene curled up, her fingers gripping the bedsheets tightly.
The poison in the porridge was most likely Harvey's doing, and it was highly unlikely to be fatal.
After all, his goal was not to poison her to death, but to make her unable to get out of bed, ensuring she could not complete the purification before the Inquisitor arrived.
Lovene closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. The moment her upper body lifted off the mattress, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Her vision went black, and she collapsed back down.
She could not even sit up anymore.
Then she might as well just lie down in peace.
As she thought this, the door was pushed open once again.
Mia walked in carrying some food. Upon seeing Lovene's curled-up posture and the flushed color on her face, she dropped the plate in her hands.
“Your Highness!”
She rushed to the bedside and reached out to feel Lovene's forehead, drawing her fingers back as if burned the moment they touched her skin.
“You have a fever! How can this be? You were perfectly fine when I left...”
Her gaze fell upon the touched bowl of porridge by the bedside, and her pupils constricted sharply.
She picked it up and sniffed it, her expression changing drastically.
“Someone poisoned you?!”
Mia slammed the bowl onto the ground and turned to walk out.
There was no need to guess who the poisoner was.
But at that moment, Lovene called out to stop her.
“Mia, do not... go.”
“He poisoned you!”
“If you go, you will play right into his hands.” Lovene's breath was rapid and burning hot. “What he wants is for us to clash with the villagers, turning everyone against the church...”
Mia clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
“Then what do we do? You have such a high fever that you can't even get out of bed. How are you going to purify it? The Inquisitor will be here very soon!”
Lovene stared at the ceiling, her lips moving slightly as she spoke in a faint voice.
“We must... stop the Inquisitor...”
...
On the morning of the fourth day, the Heresy Inquisitor from the Church of the Morning Light arrived at the village, much sooner than anyone had anticipated.
In the square, Harvey was leading a crowd of villagers gathered around Inquisitor Clement. His face was filled with wariness, as if he suspected this man was an ally summoned by Saintess Lovene.
“Who are you? What are you doing in our village?”
Clement stopped in his tracks, casting a condescending glance over him as he said coolly,
“Clement, Heresy Inquisitor of the Church of the Morning Light. I am here to investigate Saintess Lovene's progress on her mission.”
Harvey looked bewildered.
“Mission?”
“Are you the village chief of this settlement?”
Harvey puffed out his chest, raising his chin slightly. “Something like that.”
Clement nodded, his expression remaining completely unchanged.
“Then I shall be direct. His Holiness the Pope dispatched Saintess Lovene to contain the contaminant in your village. Today is the deadline, and I am here to investigate her progress.”
Harvey's eyes lit up. He took an excited step forward, lowering his voice as if he had finally seen a ray of hope.
“What if she failed the mission?”
“I will take her back to the Holy City of the church to face the Pope's punishment.”
The corners of Harvey's mouth finally stretched into an uncontrollable grin. He suddenly stood up straight, throwing his arms wide as his voice spiked into a near-frenzied pitch.
“I see! My Lord! You have finally arrived! That Saintess hasn't finished the mission at all! Please, My Lord, take her away immediately! We... we would be endlessly grateful!”
He turned and waved to the villagers behind him. Several who supported Harvey began to cheer, while a small minority kept their heads lowered, remaining silent.
Clement did not look at them.
“Words are not proof. Take me to where the contaminant is.”
Harvey quickly turned around, bowing low as he led him toward the depths of the cellar like a lapdog.
“Of course, right this way!”
He practically jogged ahead, his soles making squelching noises against the damp ground. Clement followed at a leisurely pace, and behind them, a crowd of curious villagers trailed along.
Arriving before the altar, Harvey gestured with his hand as if displaying a precious treasure.
“Right here, My Lord. This stone heart has not been completely purified. Lovene has definitely failed her mission. Please, My Lord, take her back to the Holy City at once to face punishment.”
Clement looked down at the stone heart on the altar. Its grayish-white surface was covered in cracks, and within those cracks were numerous dark red stains—all of which were Lovene's blood.
His gaze lingered on the bloodstains for a fraction of a second before shifting away.
“Purification?”
He raised an eyebrow, a trace of faint surprise in his tone.
Within the mission the Pope had given to the Saintess, there was absolutely no requirement to purify the contaminant.
Rate on N.U.
