However, the so-called Saintess Code was only the one Mowan held in her stereotypical view, and it was also the common perception of such rules.
Like other Nuns, a Saintess dedicated her life and body to the Chief God, devoting her entire existence to the cause of the Church.
Nuns were not allowed to fall in love, they were not allowed to be too close to others, and they were not allowed to break their virginity.
The Church also clearly stipulated that if a Nun was discovered having a tryst with someone else, it would be regarded as a betrayal of their faith in the Chief God, punishable by death at the stake.
Historically, many Nuns had been executed for violating these Taboos of the Church.
But not a single Saintess had ever touched a Taboo.
At least, not according to the records, nor according to public rumor.
Therefore, the Saintess was a symbol of perfection in the eyes of the public and the most loyal believer of the Sun God.
But Mowan knew that Iserin… had already stepped halfway across the line of the Taboo.
Iserin would hide it from the Chief God and have trysts with her at sunset, and then kiss her.
The look in Iserin’s eyes when she gazed at her was filled with filthy emotions.
Iserin had already bestowed an unknown amount of favor upon her.
Mowan’s mind was a mess.
She left the Church.
Over the next two days.
Mowan was restless. Iserin had not told her if the Princess was going out to crusade against Monsters during these two days, or if she needed to protect the Princess.
She had been idle the entire time.
Mowan felt helpless.
She could only ask those around her about their opinions of Iserin.
Everyone praised Iserin as a perfect Saintess, and everyone lauded her kindness and greatness.
Iserin never refused to help a sincere believer.
That was what they said.
As long as one believed in the Sun, as long as one was loyal to Visa, the Saintess would unconditionally extend a helping hand to those in hardship, providing them with medical assistance and easing the exploitation of the Nobles.
Mowan also had some understanding of the national conditions of the Kingdom of Visa.
For nearly a hundred years, Visa had been very stable, the country was prosperous and the people were at peace, and they were able to strike back against the harassment of the Demon Race.
All of this was inseparable from the efforts of the Church.
Because of the Saintess’s existence, the people’s demands could be clearly conveyed to the ears of the Pope and the King, and they were given importance.
In contrast, over the past hundred years, due to the stagnation of the Demon Race’s expansion efforts, the drawbacks of the Imperial System had gradually become apparent.
Political problems of all sizes continued to emerge, and the common people of the Demon Race were full of grievances.
However, faced with these difficulties, Mowan was powerless.
She could not do as Iserin did and bring benefits to the masses of the Demon Race.
Any democratic suggestions she slightly proposed would be met with strong opposition from the Demon Elders.
In the eyes of those useless and incompetent ministers, the commoners of the Demon Race were merely tools to realize the Empire’s ambitions.
They never cared about the life and death of the lower-class demons.
Unconsciously, she thought of home again.
But if she didn’t think about her home, the matter with Iserin made her even more anxious.
Finally.
She waited until the morning two days later.
She arrived at the gates of the Church at the same time Iserin had left two days ago.
At this moment, the interior of the Church was already packed with a dense crowd of people.
“The Saintess is presiding over the memorial service for the Honorary Knight today,” the Nun at the door explained to Mowan.
“Can I go in to pay my respects as well?”
“Of course. The Church is not a forbidden place where ordinary people are not allowed to enter. It welcomes every devout believer. As long as your heart is sincere, the Chief God will bless every believer who comes to the Church to pray with all their heart.”
Mowan hesitated for a moment.
She eventually stepped forward and entered the Church.
There were no seats left inside the Church, so she could only stand against the wall, watching Iserin on the podium from a distance.
As usual, her cold figure seemed unreachable, yet her gaze was filled with mercy and love for all people.
Mowan did not try to get Iserin’s attention as she had done initially.
She simply remained a spectator, silently watching Iserin.
Iserin introduced every Knight who had sacrificed their life in the line of duty and bestowed upon them the title of Sacred Knight.
Their names would be engraved on the Church’s monument, and their families would receive compensation from the Church.
This included all the members of the Azure Crystal Party that Mowan was familiar with.
Many people at the scene wept silently, moved by Iserin’s speech.
“Let us deeply mourn them. May their souls be sublimated in heaven, may the Chief God grant them a happy afterlife, and may the future they paved no longer be filled with bloodshed and sacrifice.”
“May it be so.”
“…”
Everyone present simultaneously observed three minutes of silence.
Finally.
The believers who had come to the Church to mourn began to leave one after another.
Mowan stood in the Church for a long time, unwilling to move her feet.
Iserin also watched every believer leave with a gentle gaze, and she did not leave the stage early.
Until Mowan was the only one left in the Church.
Iserin’s gaze met Mowan’s.
Iserin nodded to her and then looked back toward the outside of the Church.
Mowan hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly took her leave and exited the Church.
Walking outside alone.
Mowan was in a daze.
She didn’t know when Iserin had returned, and why hadn’t she been told about such an important thing as the memorial service?
Suddenly.
Mowan’s shoulder was lightly touched.
Mowan turned around.
She found a person wearing a black hooded coat standing next to her.
The other person slightly lifted the hood, revealing a strand of silver-white hair.
“Se… sister?”
“Yes.”
The other person nodded and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
“After returning last night, I’ve been very busy.
The Nuns and I spent the whole night preparing for today’s memorial service, so I couldn’t notify you.”
“I see…”
“Come, somewhere where the Sun cannot see.”
Iserin took Mowan’s hand.
She led Mowan as they quietly slipped into the back of the Church.
Holding Mowan’s hand, Iserin jumped over the wall into her courtyard.
After arriving in Iserin’s room, Iserin raised her hand to fully push back the hood, and the black coat vanished from her body like white smoke.
She then extended both hands forward.
On the ring finger of her left hand, she wore a Spatial Ring identical to the one on Mowan’s middle finger.
Golden light particles emerged from the Ring, and a wooden staff with a blue Magic Stone set at the top appeared in Iserin’s hands.
“This is…”
“Rosa’s Staff.”
Mowan looked at Iserin with excitement.
“Sister Selin, did you… did you really go to avenge Rosa?”
“Yes.”
Iserin nodded.
“I’m sorry I didn’t take you with me, but I didn’t want you to act impulsively.”
Mowan took the staff from Iserin with both hands.
She looked at the staff, carefully examining every detail, every scratch, and the azure gem at the top.
It was indeed Rosa’s Staff.
“I’m the one who should say sorry, Sister Selin. I… I’ve taken up too much of your…”
Love.
Mowan couldn’t say that word.
“How could that be?”
Iserin reached out and took Mowan into her arms.
“Every Knight is a hero that the Church should deeply remember and cherish. Without their sacrifice, the people could not live and work in peace, and the Kingdom would have no security. They are heroes, heroes that all our Vissa People should respect.”
“Sister Selin…”
What comforted Mowan the most was that Iserin also cherished Rosa and the others.
“Let’s go, we’ll go together to sneak a look at the Church’s monument.”
“Okay.”
Mowan sniffled.
However, she was no longer crying.
The great vengeance had been avenged, and Rosa’s Staff had been brought back.
Rosa’s family would also receive favorable treatment from the Church.
Presumably, Rosa’s soul in heaven could finally be at peace, right?
—
“Achoo!”
Rosa sneezed just as she pushed open the door to her house.
“Rosa, did you catch a cold? I told you it was cold and asked you to wear more clothes to work.”
“No, Mother, my nose just suddenly felt itchy!”
Yesterday she had suddenly received a notification from the tailor shop to work urgent overtime to make clothes.
She hadn’t expected to work through the night and only be able to return this morning.
She glanced at the dining table in the living room.
She found that today’s breakfast was actually a roasted chicken!
“Mother, is it some kind of anniversary today?”
Her mother was smiling with a look of simple honesty.
“No, people from the Sun Church came yesterday. To commend you for your contribution to the Church, they gave us quite a bit of money.”
Rosa looked at her mother in shock.
“However, they said that since you’ve been discharged, they’d take that staff back to the Church as a memorial. I thought you wouldn’t need to fight anymore in the future, so I took it out and gave it to them.”
“What?!”
Rosa’s jaw almost dropped when she heard that.
“It’s fine to stay at home, Rosa. We have enough money for the rest of our lives, and you don’t have to risk your life every day anymore. In the village, you can also do your favorite tailoring work and wear the clothes you like.”
“But Mother, that… that was the staff that accompanied me for five years! How could you just give it away like that?”
Rosa stared at her mother, trembling with anger.
Although it wasn’t worth much money, that staff represented the most rich and colorful adventurous life in her memories.
That sentiment was priceless.
Rosa’s mother lowered her head and said nothing.
Compared to the Way of the Knight for future generations, she just wanted her daughter to live well.
She knew that her daughter still hadn’t given up on the path of a Knight after returning, so she simply took this opportunity to give away that piece of wood that had led her daughter astray, completely cutting off Rosa’s thoughts of returning to the Way of the Knight.
Looking at her mother’s stubborn appearance, Rosa’s heart softened again; she could understand her mother’s psychology.
But after cooling down, Rosa realized another thing was not quite right.
Out of the blue, why did the Church come to her house to ask for her staff?
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