Lovene took a step forward, her holy robe sweeping across the cold marble. Her smile was gentle and holy.
“I have always been very clear about this.”
She walked over to the slumped Morris and gently knelt down before him. Her warm fingertips almost brushed against his cheek, and her voice was so gentle it could melt stone:
“Everyone deserves a chance to turn over a new leaf, Morris. I forgive you, and I am willing to believe that you will become a better, more upright Church Knight.”
Morris looked up at her gentle eyes, an inexplicable surge of guilt and gratitude welling up inside him. He lowered his voice, whispering hoarsely:
“Lady Saintess...”
He had previously thought the Saintess was petty and insidious, but only now did he realize that he was the narrow-minded, selfish beast who repaid kindness with enmity!
He was wrong—terribly wrong!
The bishop sighed helplessly, unable to sway the Saintess's resolve after all.
“Even so, though he may be spared the death penalty, he cannot escape punishment! Knights, drag him to the dungeon! Sentence him to a flogging in accordance with Article 378 of the Fifth Volume of the Dogma. Only after he has suffered the pain of the flesh may he be welcomed back as a believer of the Church!”
Two silver-armored knights stepped forward, hoisting up the limp Morris and dragging him toward the depths of the dungeon.
In the cold dungeon, the sharp cracks of a whip tearing through the air echoed continuously. Strike after strike fell heavily upon his back. Soon, his skin was torn open and his flesh was laid bare, a bloody mess. The bleeding wounds clung to the shreds of his clothing, sending agonizing jolts of pain straight to his heart.
Yet, Morris did not make a single sound.
This was exactly what he deserved—his punishment for falsely accusing the Saintess.
No, it was not a punishment for falsely accusing her; it was the Saintess's grace.
If the Saintess had not spoken up to plead for him, he would have long since been reduced to a bloody smear offered to the Eye of Truth.
He did not know how much time had passed before the iron door of the dungeon was gently pushed open. Light footsteps approached from afar, carrying the faint, sweet fragrance of flowers and herbs.
At the same time, muffled voices drifted from the entrance.
“Your Highness, there is no need for you to visit the dungeon for someone like him. He is only getting what he deserves.”
“No, Mia. He is no different from us. The pain of losing a loved one is not something an ordinary person can easily bear.”
As the footsteps drew closer, Morris weakly looked up, his entire body trembling from the excruciating pain in his back.
“...Lady Saintess?”
Lovene stood before the cell door. The moonlight streaming through the iron-barred window draped over her, making her look like an angel descending upon the mortal realm.
She frowned as she gazed at the wounds on his back, her eyes filled with deep concern.
“Does it hurt terribly?”
In the past, Morris would have certainly thought she was mocking him, coming specifically to enjoy his misery. But at this moment, he only felt the sincerest care, filling his heart with a warm yet aching sensation.
And so, forcing himself to straighten his back, he gritted his teeth and put on a brave front:
“...I'm fine.”
Lovene walked in slowly and squatted down, looking at his paper-pale face. She shook her head gently.
“Do not be stubborn. You look absolutely dreadful... If you can still move, lean a bit closer.”
Enduring the intense pain, Morris shifted his body slightly, utterly bewildered. “What is it?”
Lovene raised her slender right hand, pale gold Holy Light swirling around her fingertips. Her voice was gentle:
“I know healing magic. I can treat your wounds.”
Morris was startled. He hurriedly shrank back, urgently trying to dissuade her:
“No! Lady Saintess, if you heal a dungeon prisoner without permission, the Church will punish you severely as well! This is all my fault. I was the one who offended you. There is no need to risk yourself for my sake...”
Lovene's Holy Light gently settled onto his bleeding wounds, the warmth instantly dispersing the excruciating pain.
“Anyone can make a mistake. If I refuse to heal you simply because you erred, I would be discriminating against those who have lost their way. If I did that, how could I ever be worthy of the title of Saintess?”
Hearing this, Morris bowed his head, guilt replacing his pain.
He silently accepted the warmth of the Holy Light from Lovene's hands, his heart filled with the deepest remorse. For a moment, he could not comprehend why he had ever believed that the murderer of his brother was this Saintess before him.
She was so gentle, so perfect. How could she ever ruthlessly take a life?
After a long while, he spoke slowly, giving voice to the guilt in his heart:
“Seth was my biological brother; we grew up together. His compatibility with mana was actually far superior to mine. If he had focused on his training, he might have become a world-renowned master swordsman...”
He paused, his voice growing deeper and more self-reproachful:
“It is just a pity that after he became a Church Knight, his mind was gradually corrupted by money and power. He even listened to the slander of a despicable person like Croy, seeking revenge and torturing you... I am truly sorry, Lady Saintess.”
After healing the wounds on Morris's back, Lovene withdrew her Holy Light and smiled faintly.
“There is no need to apologize to me. Those things are already in the past.”
She did not care in the slightest. To her, that torture had been nothing more than stepping stones to increase her strength.
Yet Morris shook his head, stubbornly repenting:
“No, an apology is necessary. Although he is dead, he was still my brother. It was my failure as an older brother to not guide him properly. And... perhaps there is no real difference between him and me...”
Seth coveted power, status, and beautiful women. Was he, Morris, any different?
It was just that compared to Seth, his offenses were slightly lighter. At the end of the day, he was utterly unworthy of the title of knight, let alone Knight Captain.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, his face paled dramatically. He struggled to push himself up, completely oblivious to the wounds on his back splitting open once more.
He urgently grabbed the iron bars of the cell, crying out in a panic:
“This is bad! Lady Saintess, can you temporarily let me out of prison? I have an extremely urgent matter that I must attend to! If I do not, the consequences will be catastrophic!”
Hearing this, Lovene looked somewhat troubled. “Temporarily leave prison? That violates the dogma. I am afraid...”
“It is a matter concerning your safety!”
Sweat beaded on Morris's forehead in his anxiety:
“The day before I summoned the Eye of Truth, fearing that if I failed, no one would be able to avenge my brother, I secretly contacted the most secretive assassin organization in the territory—the Jackals!”
“By now, they must know that I have failed. To fulfill the commission, they will definitely send someone to assassinate you immediately! I must get out of prison to cancel the commission and stop them!”
Sending assassins to kill her?
Lovene hesitated. Before she could say anything, in the next second, with a sharp clank, Mia's longsword unsheathed.
“Your Highness, move aside!”
“Mia?”
A cold gleam flashed as Mia swung her sword fiercely at the cell lock. With a loud crash, the heavy iron lock shattered, and the iron door holding Morris was instantly broken open!
Resting her longsword on the ground, she spoke to Morris in a deep voice:
“You... go and cancel the commission, quickly! I will take full responsibility for the consequences!”
Morris nodded heavily. He cast a grateful glance at Lovene, then clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth.
“Understood! Please, you must protect the Saintess! I will return as quickly as possible!”
With that, enduring the agonizing pain in his back, he stumbled out of the dungeon and rushed straight toward the assassin organization's stronghold.
After he left the dungeon, Mia looked deeply worried, seemingly extremely anxious about the impending assassination. What she failed to see, however, was Lovene standing beside her, subconsciously licking her lips.
Morris's emotions tasted incredibly delicious, boosting her mana strength by a significant margin.
However, if she wanted to advance to late Rank Three, she would still need a little more spice.
Rate on N.U.
