The moonlight remained as it was, illuminating the mountain path.
The evening breeze blew, disheveled Milli’s long hair and the hem of her clothes.
To uncover the truth as quickly as possible, Milli stole a horse… No, this was how the Goddess Church operated; it couldn’t be called stealing. It should be considered requisitioning, right?
She requisitioned a horse and rushed toward Gutram through the night.
Before leaving, she left a letter. If she didn’t leave something behind, Elena might very well kill the hostage, and then the child would be left without a mother!
The letter said she would be back tomorrow morning.
It told Elena to treat Felusa well and not let her suffer.
Then again, Elena was a pervert who even wanted to have a threesome; she probably wouldn’t resort to murder, right? However, I’m certainly not going to give you a threesome!
The distance between the two places wasn’t far, only about 18 kilometers.
If it were a carriage, the speed might be a bit slower.
But if one was riding a horse, they could arrive in about an hour.
This world was entirely composed of girls; even the animals and plants were the same. Although they appeared to have stamens and pistils, the pollen actually carried the chromosomes of the pistil.
The horse Milli rode was also a young mare.
She wasn’t very good at riding, but her body emitted waves of the light attribute, which easily attracted the affection of small animals, and horses were no exception.
After rushing all the way, she arrived at the gates of Gutram.
Leaving the horse outside the city, Milli disguised herself as a village girl. The guards didn’t suspect her; after all, it was an identity document prepared by the Pope herself.
Gutram at night looked a bit deserted.
It took quite a while to see any pedestrians, and they didn’t look like good people.
They had lewd smiles on their faces, swaying as they walked in a certain direction. Milli didn’t want to provoke trouble, so she tried her best to keep her distance.
Before long, she arrived at the Goddess Church branch.
Even at night, the temple in Gutram was brightly lit.
Many believers came and went, happy smiles hanging on their faces. Milli’s racing heart couldn’t help but settle down; it seemed everything was just Elena’s conspiracy.
In such a warm and cozy place, how could they possibly ignore someone in need of help?
She ascended the steps, brushing past the believers.
Idle gossip drifted into her ears: “The witch this time is quite cute, isn’t she?”
Milli stopped in her tracks, subconsciously turning her head to look. It was two older women walking down the stairs side-by-side. Their faces were flushed with a satisfied glow.
The witch is cute? What did that mean?
Aren’t witches all supposed to be the evil kind? Why call them cute? Besides, where did they encounter a witch?
Milli looked toward the temple of the Goddess Church.
Could it be that there was a witch inside the temple?
Without thinking further, Milli quickened her pace.
Entering the gates of the temple, a magnificent atmosphere washed over her.
The spacious hall was covered with a red carpet that stretched into the distance. At the end of the hall stood a grand statue of the Goddess.
Milli couldn’t help but reveal a bright smile.
She sped up, coming before the statue. She clasped her hands together and silently prayed to the Goddess. She hoped Felusa was safe and sound, and she hoped to find evidence of the witch’s crimes.
During her prayer, a Cardinal noticed her.
The hierarchy of the Goddess Church, from top to bottom, was: Pope, Archbishop, Cardinal, Bishop in Black, and Nun. In addition, there were ordinary believers.
However, believers weren’t considered insiders of the Goddess Church.
The Saint’s status was quite special, basically equivalent to an Archbishop.
As for Archbishops, they were generally the heads of branch churches. Cardinals were equivalent to directors of various departments, possessing high levels of both strength and authority.
The Cardinal’s gaze drifted over Milli’s chest.
With a greedy smile on her face, she slowly walked toward Milli.
Hearing footsteps, Milli opened her eyes and saw a Cardinal. She subconsciously took two steps back, and the Cardinal offered a slight smile.
“Little girl, is this your first time here?”
“Um, I suppose so,” Milli shifted her gaze guiltily. “I’m from the countryside. My village has a small chapel, but this is my first time coming to a big city.”
“I see. From the countryside, then?”
The Cardinal’s smile deepened. Admiring Milli’s face from a close distance, her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. She swallowed hard but didn’t let it show.
“You seem to be tainted with the aura of a witch.”
Milli gasped: Had she seen through it?
Previously, Milli had been in contact with Elena. Even if she hadn’t been pinned down by Elena, they had kissed, right?
If that were the case, she would definitely be tainted with a witch’s aura.
“Don’t worry,” the Cardinal smiled and waved her hand. “The contamination isn’t significant. Come with me; I will purify it for you.”
“Oh, oh! Thank you so much!”
She really hadn’t expected to encounter such a good person!
While Milli was very good at offensive magic, she knew nothing about purification magic. Even for a trace amount of infection, a Cardinal would be much more skilled than her.
The Cardinal led the way, and Milli followed behind her.
Glancing occasionally, she noticed the red robes the Cardinal wore looked exceptionally magnificent. They were sewn with gold thread and many glittering diamonds.
So wealthy? Could she be the daughter of a noble?
It wasn’t impossible for nobles to join the Goddess Church; it was just quite rare.
For example, Felusa—she was so rich, maybe she was related to the nobility as well?
Milli’s mind wandered as she followed the Cardinal into the confession room.
The Cardinal opened the door and smilingly invited Milli inside.
Milli nodded and stepped into the room. It was very dim inside, and a faint floral fragrance wafted toward her, making Milli feel a bit restless.
The Cardinal followed closely behind and locked the door tightly.
From the looks of it so far, there was nothing wrong with the process, and Milli didn’t pay it much mind until the Cardinal took Milli’s hand. Only then did Milli feel something was off.
“Wh-What are you doing!…”
“Treating you, of course?” The Cardinal was all smiles. “What, do you not trust me? I am a Cardinal, after all.”
“Uh, alright then…”
It was just holding hands; it was no big deal.
She wasn’t that prudish; didn’t doctors have to check a pulse too?
However, the Cardinal suddenly pinned Milli against the wall, reaching out her hand to touch Milli’s ample curves. Milli gasped and immediately blocked her hand.
“What are you trying to do!—”
“It’s just an examination. Relax and let me get a feel for things first.”
“So it’s an examination… Do you really think I’d say that!”
Milli stomped hard on the woman’s foot.
The Cardinal cried out in pain, clutching her foot and hopping backward on one leg.
Taking this chance, Milli hurried to twist the door lock.
She had long known that the Goddess Church branches were a mixed bag, but she hadn’t expected a Cardinal to take the lead in committing such improper acts. Once she returned to the Goddess Church headquarters, she would definitely report this!
However, the Cardinal waved her hand.
Golden light condensed into the shape of chains, directly binding Milli’s wrists. The Cardinal yanked the chains, and Milli stumbled.
“You little brat, you dare stomp on me!”
“You dead pervert, you’re the one I meant to stomp on!”
“Heh, such foul language,” the Cardinal said resentfully. “I see that you are an accomplice of the witches. Just let me give you a good purification!”
The Cardinal reached out and tore Milli’s clothes.
The move was so sudden that Milli didn’t have time to react. She screamed, subconsciously covering her chest. Her underwear hadn’t been torn yet, but her fair, tender skin was exposed.
“Truly a top-quality specimen. Just let me dote on you.”
“You!” Milli’s anger flared. “I’m going to report you to the Archbishop!”
“Heh, report me?” The Cardinal acted with utter impunity. “Punishing an accomplice of the witches is perfectly justified. Just how do you plan on reporting me?”
“Besides, you won’t have the chance anymore.”
“Once I’m done playing with you, I’ll lock you in a dark room.”
“You will stay there and help the believers vent their lust.”