“I didn’t know she was a member of the Demon Race, Lady Saintess. What is going on? How could Mowan possibly be one of the Demon Race? There must be some kind of misunderstanding!”
Rosa could never have imagined that the quiet and kind Mowan she knew every day—the Mowan who had repeatedly saved people from danger—could ever be associated with the brutal Demon Race responsible for the rampage of Monsters.
“Do you think I am lying to you?”
“No, how could I? Lady Saintess, is she… is she really a member of the Demon Race? Then where is she now?”
“You are still thinking of helping her?”
“No… I truly didn’t know she was one of the Demon Race!”
Rosa was utterly at a loss for words.
She only wanted to show concern for Mowan, but in Iserin’s eyes, her concern must look like she was shielding her.
“I do not care whether you admit it or not. I only know that you have violated your Knight’s oath. However, in consideration of your contributions to Visa, I am granting you special permission to return to your home. From this day forward, you will no longer participate in the Knight’s journey.”
To put it bluntly.
Revoking her status as a Knight was essentially the same as cutting off Rosa’s path to becoming a Noble.
It meant she would remain a commoner for the rest of her life, never able to leave that village again.
Years of struggle turned into nothing but a pipe dream in an instant.
Rosa’s face turned deathly pale.
But immediately afterward, her thoughts turned to her best friend.
She found it hard to believe, yet she struggled to separate the concept of the Demon Race from Mowan.
“How… did you discover that Mowan was a member of the Demon Race?” Rosa asked, still unwilling to give up.
“I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Then what will happen to Mowan? How will you deal with her?”
Rosa raised her eyes to look at Iserin, her gaze brimming with tears.
Even now, she was still worried about what would happen to Mowan.
After a moment of shock, she had completely cast aside Mowan’s identity as a member of the Demon Race, caring for her just as she always had.
Iserin felt more and more that driving Rosa away was the right choice.
She was clearing away obstacles while simultaneously creating a psychological weakness for Mowan.
“She is a kind member of the Demon Race.”
Iserin’s tone was calm.
She took a shallow breath, and her expression softened slightly.
“She has not yet realized that I have seen through her identity.”
“I knew it, Mowan is special…”
Rosa had given up trying to defend the fact that she hadn’t known Mowan was a member of the Demon Race. In order to learn about Mowan’s current situation, she tacitly accepted the charge Iserin had pinned on her.
“But that does not mean I forgive her deception, or her sin of attempting to infiltrate The Church as a member of the Demon Race and defile the holy light.”
“But Mowan truly wouldn’t hurt anyone! Lady Saintess, please believe me.
Please let me… let me stay by her side.
I understand her.
I will definitely guide her well and make her devote her True Heart to the faith of Visa!”
“Visa does not need a believer from the Demon Race.”
Rosa bit her lower lip, looking at Iserin helplessly.
She did not doubt the truth of Iserin’s words, but she would not rashly judge Mowan as a bad person. In the collision between faith and friendship, she still leaned toward the latter.
She wanted to stay by Mowan’s side.
She wanted to tell Mowan that even if she were a member of the Demon Race, she wouldn’t care; they were still best friends.
“Lady Saintess, I beg of you. I can do it. Mowan will surely listen to me.”
Rosa knelt down before Iserin.
She clasped her hands together, pleading with Iserin from a position of humility.
Iserin rose from her chair and slowly crouched down in front of Rosa.
Adopting an equal posture, she spoke to Rosa in a gentle tone once more.
“Rosa, excessive emotions will cloud your judgment. When the racial conflict arrives, you will each face different choices. At that time, you will become her burden, and she will drag you into the abyss. Staying together is a choice that will only bring mutual torture. Leave her, and from this day on, do not see her again.”
Iserin gently took Rosa’s palms and helped her up.
“However, rest assured. Mowan is indeed very kind. Although she cannot truly join the Church, I will keep her by my side in the name of the Saintess. If her kindness remains consistent, I will watch over her until the end of her days.”
Rosa did not answer.
She lowered her head, weeping silently.
Since the Lady Saintess had made such a promise, did she still want to push her luck?
But she simply wasn’t reconciled to it.
The thought of never seeing Mowan again felt as if her heart were being carved by a knife.
“Go home. Your family misses you, and you miss them just as much. Go and stay with them. The conflicts of this world have nothing to do with you.”
“Yes, Lady Saintess. I… I accept your arrangement.”
Rosa’s eyes were filled with hot tears.
“I allow you to cry your heart out here with me. Then, put on a smile and set out on your journey home with the dignity of someone returning in honor.”
Rosa, of course, would not truly vent her emotions in Iserin’s office.
She continued to swallow the bitterness back into her heart.
Until finally, no more tears fell from her eyes.
She left the Church dejectedly, setting out on the road home alone in a state of utter defeat.
***
Iserin watched Rosa leave from the shadows.
Only after she had completely confirmed that Rosa had accepted her arrangement and had no thoughts of turning back did she return to the Holy City with peace of mind.
Walking toward Mowan’s house, Iserin bathed in the warm sunlight, feeling as if her soul were being healed.
The hidden danger that had previously made her uneasy had finally been uprooted.
From now on, she would be the only person close to Mowan.
Mowan’s love, friendship, and family ties—she would possess them all.
She would become Mowan’s only reliance.
She would make Mowan a pitiful person who would lose all hope without her.
“Sister Serin!”
Seeing Iserin walk through the door, Mowan’s eyes seemed to light up with a vibrant spark.
Iserin smiled slightly.
She placed her hands behind her back and closed the door to Mowan’s house.
Then, she stared intently at Mowan.
Mowan understood the unspoken signal and shifted into her Demon Race form.
“Sister Serin, you seem very happy. Did something good happen?”
Mowan rarely saw Iserin smile so naturally, like an ordinary person.
It was a very special kind of smile.
A smile that appeared particularly unique on Iserin’s face.
This was because Iserin’s smiles were usually for others to see.
It wasn’t a fake smile, but rather a soul-healing smile—the kind that hoped the other person would feel relaxed upon seeing it.
She possessed this temperament precisely because she was the Saintess.
But at this moment, the Saintess’s divine aura had completely faded.
She was smiling purely for herself.
In the past, even when they were alone, Iserin would still retain some of her Saintess attributes.
“It is nothing. I just felt very happy while thinking about seeing you on my way here.”
Iserin reached out and stroked Mowan’s face.
“Me too. Every day… I think about you coming to see me.”
Especially since she had just said goodbye to Rosa this morning, the thought of not being able to see Rosa for a while made Mowan look forward to Iserin’s arrival even more.
Only Iserin could fill the loneliness in her heart.
Mowan raised her arms, wanting to embrace Iserin.
She lowered her gaze, stealing a look at Iserin’s waist, which looked exceptionally slender cinched by her sash.
She really wanted to try and see what it would feel like to hold Iserin around the waist.
It… should be okay, right?
Iserin had touched her tail and her ears, and had even picked her up while she was naked in the bath.
Since Iserin had done such intimate things, what was wrong with her giving Iserin a hug?
She no longer hesitated.
Mowan boldly wrapped her arms behind Iserin, locking onto Iserin’s slender, willow-like waist.
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