“Because the commander is a good person.”
Joen raised an eyebrow slightly.
“That’s not it.”
Scottie shrugged and couldn’t help but give a dry laugh.
“A good person is actually someone like me—doesn’t offend anyone, doesn’t get close to anyone. When you don’t know what to say, it’s better to say nothing at all.”
“I thought a good person was defined by doing good deeds.”
“If you want to do things, you’ll inevitably offend people. And once you offend someone, in some people’s eyes, you’re no longer a good person.”
Scottie pulled out a cashmere scarf and wiped his face.
Joen was speechless.
That night, he didn’t sleep very peacefully.
In his dreams, he always saw Lily.
Sometimes Lily was on his shoulder, sometimes she was in an indistinct fog.
Until many confused and blurry images flashed by, he dreamed of himself growing old, no longer a clean and fresh young man.
He grew rough stubble, lost his surging vitality, and sat in the magnificent mansion granted by His Majesty, which was like a cage, holding Lily, who had become human and was wearing a wedding dress, quietly combing her hair.
In the dream, he actually felt very happy.
In the morning, Joen opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind:
‘Will there be a day when I also grow old peacefully and quietly?’
During the small gathering before morning class, the four “incognito inspectors” gathered again to share the intelligence they had discovered the night before.
“After a whole day of visiting… I found that the food cooked by two of the cook nuns was especially delicious. The rest was pure messing around, wasting food.”
Ailita sat on a tree branch, licked her lips, and shared with Joen, still savoring the taste.
“Hey hey! We’re not here to inspect the cafeteria! You pig elf!”
Liya couldn’t hold back.
Fei Bi was dazed.
Yesterday’s experience was very hard to comment on, and also very difficult to speak about.
In short, after the “Newcomer’s Trial,” Head Nun Luo Yisi dragged her into doing a bunch of inexplicable things.
For example, flirting with a knight who had just finished training, his muscles wet and glistening.
Or another example, hearing visiting believers confess some insane experiences in the confession room.
“I confess, I killed a fish. That fish was then stewed into soup by my mother, and my sister praised the soup for its freshness. I kind of want to die now.”
“Merciful Goddess, today is my birthday. My husband, lover, gentle boyfriend, and best little darling… they all met.”
“Sister, my daughter and I accidentally developed an incestuous relationship. We are both remorseful yet unable to stop. But my wife told me yesterday that she actually had an affair early on, and my daughter is not biologically mine. How should I tell my daughter that I have decided to restore a normal father-daughter relationship?”
“Hey, sister, my big dragon is possessed by a demon. I heard you can exorcise here? Can you use your sweet holy water to wash away the evil dragon inside me?”
What made her even more confused was the Head Nun’s incessant persuasion.
Like the whispers of a demon, constantly leading her into the abyss of depravity.
“Using love to nurture all beings is the duty of us sisters in the Charity Hall. Whether they are believers or knight brothers, they all need our love to nourish them~”
“Don’t you also yearn for love and joy deep inside? Why suppress it? Love will accompany us for life, and it will also save those around us.”
“The Goddess will protect us. We are not doing lewd things; we are bestowing sweet rain on behalf of the Goddess. People adore the Goddess, and naturally the Goddess will also cherish everyone through our bodies.”
In a daze, everyone’s eyes turned to Fei Bi, waiting for her to share intelligence about the Charity Hall.
After a long silence, Fei Bi smiled bitterly and asked:
“Do I need to skip over some unspeakable horny and violent topics?”
Joen nodded.
“Well… the lunch at the Confession Hall is not bad. That’s it.”
Fei Bi said awkwardly.
“So aside from lunch, it’s all horny and violent content? What kind of church is this?! Is the Goddess of Light not the elder sister of the Pleasure Mother Goddess?!”
Liya couldn’t hold back again.
“Sometimes I think the Charity Hall is like a big brothel.”
Fei Bi sighed softly.
“As soon as morning class ends, the nuns all go date their lovers. And they have more than one lover. I also heard that a nun once moved in with the knights, being a public wife, and after three days she couldn’t even walk.”
“And then there was what I saw today in the Confession Hall—a man said he had never touched a woman’s chest and was so miserable he wanted to kill himself…”
“Alright, stop.”
Joen covered his forehead in headache.
“From the looks of it now, whether knights or nuns, they’re completely different from the image known to the outside world. I suspect the priests aren’t much better either.”
He also remembered what the Lord of Rossi said, and remembered Yuna facing Io, who had come back to life and would affect her ability to earn faith and people’s hearts, choosing to fabricate a charge and kill her directly.
Presumably, inside their church, they had long been accustomed to this attitude of acting with impunity.
What a world, absurd and pitch-black at a glance.
Joen sighed.
Even if he wanted to change something, at this moment he only felt powerless.
The existence of the Light Holy See had a long history, and it seemed the current situation had not only lasted for a day or two.
Even just the matter of Dry River Territory was enough to make him overwhelmed.
He couldn’t think of any way to solve the deep-rooted problems that plagued the entire Empire’s church.
After exchanging intelligence, on the way Joen suddenly noticed that the gold coins he had donated were moving.
He was slightly pleased in his heart, and also let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the gold coins were soon put to use; otherwise he was really afraid this batch of coins would stay in the church for several months, and by then everything would be cold.
“Lily, Lily.”
Joen poked Liya awake with a very light force.
“Mm~ What’s up? Friend?”
Liya rubbed her eyes, pretending she had just woken up.
Seeing Liya’s tired and languid appearance, Joen couldn’t help but chuckle.
He tickled Liya’s chin and teased:
“What’s up with you lately? You’re either sleeping or spacing out. Where’s your energy? Before, when you were on my chest, you were as mischievous as a little cat.”
“Annoying~ I’m not a cat~”
Liya pouted.
She thought for a moment, then made up a reasonable excuse to brush it off:
“Maybe it’s hibernation season. Lately I’ve always been sleepy, always feeling so tired.”
Joen rubbed Liya’s little head, his tone concerned:
“I can see that. Do you need me to give you a massage?”
“Sure. I’d love to… no, no, forget it.”
Liya had almost instinctively agreed, but after coming to her senses, her ears burned hot, and she quickly refused, realizing that her cheeks were flushed.
Before, it might have been fine.
Now, with two curses upon her, she really didn’t dare have any overly intimate contact with Joen.
Otherwise, Liya was really afraid that as Joen massaged her, she would burn up and say something weird that would embarrass her for a lifetime.
“You actually refused? I’m really a failed masseur, can’t even satisfy my own pet.”
Joen had also learned to joke.
He deliberately pretended to be disappointed, while extending his index finger to gently tickle Liya’s chin.
“Say yes, Lily, just say yes. As a masseur, you’re my last guest.”
He wanted to use this nagging way to pray for Liya’s agreement.
Liya’s face flushed bright red, and soon her head was spinning.
‘It must be because of the curse, right? Yes, it’s all the curse’s fault!’
She found a nice excuse for herself, so that she could agree without any psychological burden.
“O… okay.”
She agreed timidly.
His goal achieved, Joen laughed happily.
After laughing, he felt a little embarrassed, scratched Liya’s head, and said apologetically:
“After the massage, I’ll treat you to cake.”
“It’s a deal~”
“Mm.”
Amid the promise, Joen quietly sneaked into the church’s underground treasury.