“Something seems…”
!?
What does this mean?
Seeing Muxuan’s dazed expression, the Goddess’s snickering laughter echoed in his mind.
“Relax, it has nothing to do with you~ My dear little Pope, do you want me to tell you some secrets~?”
Hearing the Goddess’s devious voice, Muxuan did not hesitate and refused decisively!
‘No way.’ Muxuan had her figured out by now; nothing good ever came from her approaching him on her own!
Besides, he had just learned from Luseqi that some knowledge carried Corruption. Who knew if this twisted Goddess was trying to screw him over again.
“Ugh~ My little Pope is actually unwilling? Waaah, I’m going to throw a tantrum!”
‘Damn it…’
“Huh?”
As if sensing something, the Goddess’s bewildered voice rang out in his mind.
“What is it?”
Muxuan was a bit surprised. He had not expected the Goddess to pop up suddenly, but he did not stop walking.
‘Damn, Mosen didn’t mention this prison had several underground floors!!!’
Gelifende had probably already reached the second basement level.
“…Drawn here because of my presence.”
‘She’s crazy!’
Listening to the Goddess’s voice in his head, Muxuan truly felt a headache coming on.
He had more important things to do right now. How could he listen to this twisted Goddess prattle on?
Just as he was about to block the Goddess’s voice, a playful voice drifted over a second later.
“My beloved Goddess, because her little Saintess is ignoring her, she’s crying and making a scene. Boo-hoo, how pitiful~”
“Why are you here!!!”
This time, the Goddess’s voice contained a trace of fear.
It was as if she had encountered someone she least wanted to see. And in fact, she had.
Qiansitelin jumped down from above Muxuan with a smile, her eyes shimmering with a dangerous light as she looked at the Crosier in his hand.
“Beloved Goddess, you wouldn’t want the Faithful to know about your crying and carrying on, would you?”
Muxuan could sense that after Qiansitelin said those words, the Goddess’s presence suddenly sank and eventually vanished.
“Ran away again~”
Sensing the Goddess’s presence disappear, Qiansitelin could not help but lick her lips, looking at Muxuan with a smile.
“Your Holiness, I’m not too late, am I?”
“No, but could you please step aside…”
He still had to check on Gelifende and the others. The Goddess’s antics were annoying enough, but now that she was gone, Qiansitelin was standing there blocking his path.
“Oh my~ Why is Your Holiness in such a rush~”
Although she put on a sad face, Qiansitelin still stepped aside. She understood which matters were more important right now.
However… was it just an illusion?
Passing Qiansitelin, Muxuan hurried inside. But there was a strange feeling in his heart… Her tone felt somewhat hollow.
And…
Looking back, Qiansitelin was following him at a steady pace, but Muxuan vaguely noticed that her condition seemed off. One of her arms looked as if it were heavily injured, making her unable to lift it.
“Qiansitelin, weren’t you going to the back mountain? Why are you here…”
Unable to suppress his doubt and worry, Muxuan asked anyway.
“This prison is on the back mountain.”
Qiansitelin had also wanted to ask why Muxuan was here; she had been pleasantly surprised to see him at first. But now, Qiansitelin also realized something was wrong. As expected, her strength had dropped too much. She could only slightly sense some abnormalities but could not analyze them.
“It should be that power…”
Qiansitelin reacted quickly, immediately thinking of a possible reason for the situation.
“Hmm?”
Qiansitelin’s reaction only confused Muxuan further.
“Your Holiness, Gelifende is just ahead. I’ll explain to you once we’re out.”
Shaking her head, Qiansitelin pointed ahead, then stopped and leaned against an iron railing. Muxuan had not noticed yet, but following her finger, he hurriedly stopped.
“Uuugh—”
Muxuan almost ran into a knight whose face was half-rotten, with countless maggots crawling in and out of his eye sockets. This was one of the knights Gelifende had brought in.
“Your Holiness!”
Muxuan’s Crosier suddenly erupted with golden light, and this radiance attracted the attention of the other knights. Upon seeing it was Muxuan, a knight immediately shouted.
As the knight before him was enveloped in golden light and the maggots writhed in the radiance before finally turning to dust and dispersing, Muxuan finally turned his gaze toward Gelifende.
“Your Holiness… it was my oversight.”
Pinning a struggling knight back down with force, a look of self-reproach appeared on Gelifende’s face. ‘It was all him… Even though His Holiness hadn’t given the order, he had insisted on bringing the knights inside on his own.’
So far, six knights had undergone this mutation.
“It’s not your fault.”
This really was not Gelifende’s fault. He did not have Deep Sea level strength; he could not possibly detect these maggots upon encountering them. Even if Gelifende had not entered this place, there was a possibility of being parasitized by these maggots while staying outside the village.
It could not be helped… After all, even Muxuan had not expected such a thing to exist.
“Hymn, Ensemble!”
Sighing, a holy aura then enveloped Muxuan’s body. Beams of light shot out and transformed into countless specks of brilliance, accurately striking the surrounding maggots. As for the mutated knights, the specks of light showed no mercy, directly piercing through their heads.
“Arrgh—”
Every scream made Muxuan’s heart twitch. ‘These were the foundation of the Church… and they were willing to follow me not because they wanted to die like this… but because they firmly believed I could lead them to bring light back to the world!’
If the mutation had only just begun, Muxuan would certainly save whomever he could. But these knights had been mutated for too long; the maggots had already burrowed deep into their brains. Muxuan was powerless to save them.
This world was dark and cruel, after all.
Feeling the strength in his hands suddenly slacken, Gelifende looked at Muxuan with a complex expression.
“I apologize to you all… It was I who placed you in this danger…”
“I couldn’t save them.”
Muxuan’s voice was heavy. The atmosphere in the entire prison instantly became oppressive to the extreme.
The knights also fell silent. People who were just talking to them a moment ago, who were mourning the scene here alongside them… mutated in the next instant and fell forever by their sides.
“Your Holiness, we followed you of our own free will!”
“Your Holiness doesn’t need to apologize! If not for you, we wouldn’t see any hope at all!”
Amidst the long silence, Gelifende was the first to speak. ‘Rather than waiting for death within the Black Mist, wasn’t it better to take a gamble by following His Holiness? Even if it meant sacrificing our lives.’
Looking at the resolute gazes of Gelifende and the remaining knights, Muxuan sighed once more.
“I understand. They are brave and fearless knights! The Goddess’s radiance will guide them to the divine kingdom! May their souls find eternal rest!”