### Chapter 33: The Soul of the Deceased

Bowen’s body heavily fell to the ground, the clanging of his armor against the earth echoing loudly, but in this deliberately guided dark alley, it fell like a small stone thrown into the vast sea, causing no ripples whatsoever.

The man who killed him, Kleisius, silently wiped the warm blood from his sword, the golden flame glowing in his palm reducing the blood-stained cloth to ashes. He then picked up the girl who was still curled up behind the Holy Knight and sheathed his sword.

“I’m sorry, I might end up in hell after death, but for now… there are still things I must do. I will take care of your family and younger siblings, so please rest in peace, Holy Knight Bowen.”

With a face still displaying shock and an obliviousness to who had killed him, the young Holy Knight’s wide eyes gradually closed. Kleisius unleashed a sacred flame of faith magic, and soon, Bowen’s body, armor and all, was ignited, turning into a burning fireball, while the figure of the Temple Knight leader and the demon girl in his arms had long since vanished into the depths of the dark alley.

After a long while, probably when the flames had burned out completely, turning the armor and bones to dust, a form that was imperceptible to the naked eye began to materialize deep within the alley.

It was a holy girl with black hair and white clothes, her skin as white as snow, floating like a spirit in the air. She slowly descended, glancing at the now charred ground, which had turned into nothing but ashes, murmuring with a hint of emotion.

“Wow… there really isn’t even a shred left… That Kleisius sure was ruthless, one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover…”

While she had sensed something was off before and her curiosity prompted the Priestess to follow, Miss Vilyric truly hadn’t expected that the seemingly righteous and pure-hearted leader of the Temple Knights would directly kill a colleague. Originally, she thought, if there was to be any action, it would at most be temporary incapacitation or imprisonment.

After all, according to the doctrine of the Church of the Goddess, stabbing a comrade in the back was a serious crime punishable by hanging, a great blasphemy against the faith in the Goddess.

Clearly, Kleisius had harbored murderous intent the moment he asked if Bowen was the only child in his family.

“Ah, you really are unfortunate, stumbling into such a situation for no reason. Alright, since fate has it that we crossed paths, let me lend you a hand, at least you should die with your eyes closed…”

The ethereal girl extended her hand, and a tangible yet insubstantial sacred staff appeared out of nowhere in her grasp. A faint golden light sprinkled down, as if merging with something that lingered in the air, ultimately condensing and floating over the ashes, forming a somewhat hazy human-shaped apparition.

“Hmm… it seems like this really might work.”

The girl held the staff, tilting her head to observe the somewhat indistinct golden silhouette before her, without speaking, as if waiting for something.

“Uh… what happened to me?”

A weak and somewhat intermittent voice slowly emanated from the golden figure, but Vilyric knew very well that this was not a true physical sound wave, merely a simple diffusion of thought.

In simpler terms, it was the other’s current mindset.

“Is the soul coming together? How do you feel, do you remember what happened before?”

It seemed that the pure and melodic voice of the girl, or perhaps the strange power and supreme holiness within her “voice” drew the other’s attention, as the golden figure surged wildly, bursting forth with a strong intent, mixed with shock and an incredulous reverence!

“Y-You, Lady Goddess!? I can’t be dreaming, right?!”

“No dream, you actually died, Holy Knight Bowen Bernard.”

“You, you even know my name! Wait, I… died?”

After an abrupt surge of excitement, the golden figure seemed to finally process this, murmuring in confusion, gradually regaining its previous demeanor, as if remembering the memories of being alive, and instinctively cried out again.

“Ah! No, wait, it seems we were attacked by an enemy! Was it a demon’s accomplice?! What about Lord Kleisius? Lady Goddess, is he safe?! What happened to the demon now?!”

Hearing Bowen’s still obliviously delayed tone, the girl could only shake her head helplessly.

“Sadly, the one who killed you was that Temple Knight leader Kleisius, and he has already left with that girl.”

“What…?! This…?”

Evidently, while Bowen was somewhat naive, he wasn’t foolish. After surveying his surroundings, he seemed to gradually put the pieces together.

After all, Kleisius’s series of abnormal actions were already suspicious; although Bowen hadn’t questioned it too much at the time due to his trust in the Temple Knight leader, once he calmed down to think carefully and combined with his current situation, he finally came to realize.

“How could this happen? Even Lord Kleisius… betrayed the faith?!”

“E-even…?!”

Noticing the implication in Bowen’s words, the white-clad girl raised an eyebrow but maintained her calm demeanor.

“Holy Knight Bowen, are there other worshippers who have also betrayed the church?”

It seemed that he truly regarded the holy and noble girl before him as the Light Goddess, for upon hearing this, the golden figure promptly answered respectfully.

“Your Grace, in fact, recently there has been a sudden rumor circulating in Holy Star City that demons are infiltrating the city and the church… It is said that certain evil organizations have secretly gathered many demons, and they are not only launching attacks in the eastern region but seem to be plotting some conspiracy in the west as well.”

“In fact, the Knights’ Order has occasionally received reports about traces of demons, but every time the Temple Knights got a lead to investigate, they found the place already deserted or everyone was simply killed, leaving no trace.”

“Archbishop Heilwood is a dear friend of my father, and he once revealed to him that given the current situation, some individuals within the church may have been secretly corrupted by demons, betraying the teachings of the Goddess, turning to the dark camp, and acting as insiders to cover for those demons. I never expected that even Lord Kleisius would… How detestable! Damn those demons!”

Feeling the deep hatred radiating from the soul before her, the white-clad girl fell silent but asked again.

“Is it just Holy Star City, or…?”

Seeing the Goddess speak, Bowen’s spirit promptly adjusted his attitude and replied respectfully.

“Though I only heard this second-hand, based on the direction and spread of the rumors, I’m afraid this is not merely an issue for Holy Star City. Many people within the church may have already been corrupted. Lady Goddess, please bestow divine punishment and give judgment to those who have turned their backs on your grace!”

“Hmm…”

The white-clad girl appeared contemplative on the surface but was secretly chuckling softly.

This guy named Bowen was indeed adorably foolish, so straightforward and naive. First of all, what he was saying was merely speculation; in the relationship between deities and their worshippers, the latter had no qualification to demand anything from their objects of faith. They could only plead and pray.

Although the two shared a mutually beneficial relationship, this applied to the vast multitude of worshippers as a whole; just one mere mortal among them held no significant weight in the eyes of a deity. If those bishops heard this, they would likely be shocked enough to accuse Bowen of overstepping his bounds.

Of course, the Priestess herself was merely a pretender, and she was only using this misunderstanding to gather some information without any intention of putting on any airs of divinity. Let’s just consider it a mutual exchange.

   

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