Milly collapsed onto the soft bed.
But her eyes had lost their focus, her spirit was listless, her long silver hair had dulled, and her pale skin was covered with bruises.
She could no longer remember how many times she had been humiliated by Filusha.
Milly had not surrendered. Even after being defiled countless times, she never once uttered a word of pleading. She wanted to conserve her strength and wait for an opportunity to escape.
In her daze, some color returned to Milly’s eyes.
She slowly sat up and gazed out the small window into the night sky.
Unconsciously, she felt the urge to cry.
But she could not cry, she could not extinguish her fighting spirit.
Boom!——
An explosion rocked the air, the dungeon shook, and countless fragments of rubble rained down from the ceiling.
“Ahhhhhhh!——”
Milly screamed, clutching her head and trembling with fear.
She had no magic now. If she was buried alive, there would be no way to survive.
However, there was only a single explosion, and after that, the sound of fighting.
Milly blinked, pricked up her ears, and didn’t forget to shield her chest. Even though the cell was empty, she still wanted to protect her privacy.
“Damn Church of the Goddess!”
“Retreat! If we don’t run now, it’ll be too late!”
The clashing of weapons, the occasional explosion of fireballs, and bursts of shaking reverberated through the air. Milly was stunned for a moment, then a joyful smile appeared on her face.
The Church of the Goddess had sent people to rescue her!
Of course, she was the Saintess—how could she be abandoned?
“Help, help!——”
As soon as she shouted, Milly covered her mouth.
The Church of the Goddess strictly forbade any contact with Witches. Any behavior above a kiss was treated as collusion and punished as a Witch’s accomplice. What’s more, Milly had been skin-to-skin with a Witch.
Even if it was forced, the Church of the Goddess would never forgive her.
At that point, it wouldn’t be a rescue, but an execution by Holy Pyre!
Milly hugged herself, trembling in the corner.
She could clearly be rescued, yet because of the doctrines of the Church of the Goddess, she’d have to be burned to death. She absolutely did not want that future—she had to hide what had happened to her!
She had to escape before the Church of the Goddess found this place!
Milly tore off the bedsheet and wrapped her battered body.
She searched the cell and found several bottles of Magical Potion, used by Filusha to restore her energy—once replenished, she would go back to tormenting Milly in every way.
Milly blushed a little, but quickly calmed herself.
She couldn’t carry them all, so she only took one bottle and tucked it into her chest. It felt a bit embarrassing, but there was no time to worry about that.
Ready, she tiptoed and pushed open the door.
Milly swallowed hard, her heart pounding wildly.
There was no one in the corridor, only the faint sounds of battle echoing in the distance. Under the dim lights, she crept forward along the corridor, as cautious as could be.
Footsteps approached from afar. Milly gasped softly.
There happened to be a door nearby. Without thinking, Milly turned the lock and slipped inside, shutting and locking the door tight. She pressed her ear to the door and listened.
Thud thud thud!——
The running footsteps drew closer. Milly held her breath.
She didn’t know how long she waited, but the footsteps eventually faded away. She didn’t know if they belonged to the Church of the Goddess or the Witches, but either way, she could not afford to be discovered.
The Church of the Goddess would tie her to the Holy Pyre.
The Witches would kill her out of spite.
The Witches were to be expected—there was no room for compromise between them. But she was the Saintess, and yet she had to hide from the Church of the Goddess.
It was so unfair, but she couldn’t cry.
After calming down, she realized she was in a storeroom. There was a window, and outside seemed to be the Dark Forest.
Milly hurried to the window in a few quick steps.
She wondered why the Witches hadn’t escaped through the window, but soon understood—outside, there was a Sanctuary Barrier that would stop anyone with Witch blood.
In that case, she should be fine, right?
Milly took a deep breath and opened the window.
The night breeze swept in, tossing Milly’s long hair. She clutched the sheet tightly around her, shivering from the cold, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
Carefully, she stepped over the sill and jumped out.
Her feet landed on soft earth, and the sense of freedom brought her to tears. Milly wiped her tears away and stumbled toward the barrier.
The golden Sanctuary Barrier shimmered with faint ripples.
Milly tried to touch it, but suddenly felt a jolt of electricity.
“Ahhh!——”
Milly screamed and jerked her hand back.
She was the Saintess—why was the barrier attacking her? Could it be that, during her violation, she had become tainted by Witch magic?
It was all that bastard’s fault, tormenting her day and night!
“There’s movement over there! Hurry and check it out!”
Milly gasped and stepped back two paces. The footsteps of Saint Disciples grew closer—she couldn’t let them see her like this.
No matter the pain, she had to get through the barrier!
Milly clenched her teeth and charged at the Sanctuary Barrier. Sparks crackled and the pain was unbearable, but Milly dared not scream—she couldn’t let the Saint Disciples hear her!
Maybe the taint wasn’t too deep yet.
She forced her way through the barrier, her steps faltering. Steam rose from her body, her hair was singed, but she couldn’t rest.
Milly tightened her fist and ran on with determination.
The forest terrain was complex, towering trees everywhere, and many fluffy bushes.
Milly forced down her pounding heart, her will to survive urging her forward.
She gathered up her skirt and ran desperately through the forest. As she ran, she kept looking back—no one was chasing her, neither Saint Disciples nor Witches.
She didn’t know how long she ran, but finally reached the depths of the forest.
Hiding behind a tree trunk, she panted for breath, but couldn’t hide the smile on her face: she had escaped! She had left the Witch’s lair, and hadn’t been found by the Church of the Goddess!
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
Looking at the rolling mountains in the distance, she began to plan her next move.
There should be a cave nearby—if she hid there and rested, she could recover her magic, then open her Dimensional Storage.
She could have a good bath, wash away the villain’s scent.
“Uu… uuu…”
Tears fell silently, and Milly could no longer hold back her sobs.
She started with quiet sobbing, then burst out crying. She kept wiping her tears, but they blurred her vision, like little pearls scattered in the grass.
All this time, she had never surrendered.
Now that she had escaped, her spirit relaxed at last.
She could no longer hold back her tears—she felt so wronged. Why did this have to happen to her? She was the Saintess, deserving of flowers and applause.
Instead, she was tortured every day, blindfolded, collared, shocked for disobedience—humiliated like a pet.
“Why did I have to be bullied by that bastard!…”
She wiped her tears again and again, but she just couldn’t stop.
Moonlight shone on her, making her silver hair shine bright. Leaning against the tree, her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, but there was no one to comfort her.
After crying for a long time, she finally calmed down a little.
She wrapped herself in the sheet, as if it could shield her from all harm.