Chapter 211: The Gardener Cultivating Redemption and the Doll

“Stop rushing me, stop rushing me, I get it… but there’s nothing I can do about it…”

As the maid named Little Seven brought up the matter, a wry smile of helplessness appeared on the face of Redeeming Saintess Philomina Lambert. She scratched her head awkwardly, completely lacking the gentleness and warmth she usually showed in public, resembling more of a carefree girl that matched her adorable appearance.

The girl with pink-gold hair raised her left arm and pulled up her dress sleeve covering her fair wrist, revealing a light golden bracelet that tightly adorned it.

It seemed to be made from some unknown metal, appearing translucent and pure like jade. Upon closer inspection, its texture bore a resemblance to the silky qualities of the Saintess’s pink-gold hair, as if both were crafted using similar techniques into two different exquisite masterpieces.

The bracelet was smooth like a mirror, with only a set of dense, symbol-like patterns intricately carved in the center.

There was no doubt that these were symbols or characters.

However, despite nearly a thousand years of attempts to reproduce and study them, no one had managed to comprehend the meaning behind these symbols. They could only speculate based on the limited logic they exhibited that it might represent a concrete summary of some kind of rules.

Philomina gestured for the maid to look at the circular ring on her wrist.

“The Ring of Salvation, an exclusive artifact passed down through generations of Redeeming Saintesses, is also the one among the three Holy Artifacts that has the lowest rigid requirements for its holder, but Little Seven, you probably aren’t aware of the ‘rules’ that come with the Ring of Salvation…”

“Your Highness Philomina, I believe this isn’t something you should casually share as a major secret. Although I am your personal guard and maid, the probability of betrayal can never be completely ruled out. So, it’s advisable that you don’t disclose it to me.”

“Who would say such things if they were planning to betray anyone…?”

With a helpless chuckle, the Saintess gently traced her fingers over the smooth, intricate lines of the ring and continued.

“Besides, even if I didn’t say anything, after being by my side all these years, Little Seven, you must have figured it out by now.”

“The Ring of Salvation is a very special artifact. Unlike the Arbiter’s Holy Sword or the Crown of Uncrowned, which have high requirements for its users but possess nearly unlimited divine power, the power of the Ring of Salvation needs the holder to help accumulate it.”

Lost in thought, Philomina shook her head again, her pink-gold hair swaying lightly in the air, exuding a faint, elegant fragrance.

“Calling it accumulation might not be entirely accurate.”

“Though I’m not quite sure why, the Ring of Salvation is inherently much weaker than the other two artifacts, and we, the holders of these artifacts— the Redeeming Saintess can enhance it by healing others, spreading kindness, and receiving gratitude.”

The Saintess offered a somewhat nuanced analogy.

“It’s like… a gardener.”

“I may not understand the principle, but my teacher once told me that the true rank and theoretical upper limit of the Ring of Salvation might actually exceed that of the other two artifacts. It’s just that, for some reason, it has lost most of its power.”

“As the only artifact among the three focused on healing, if we could extend this accumulation of time indefinitely, passing it down through generations and restoring its original brilliance, perhaps… it might truly possess the power of ‘salvation.'”

Philomina pulled the sleeves of her Saintess robes back down, hiding the pure golden ring on her wrist and chuckled lightly as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Haha… But frankly speaking, to me, it just sounds like a far-off dream. Even if this artifact could grow to some unbelievable level in the future, by then, I would have turned to dust and wouldn’t be able to see it.”

“However, as part of the nurturing responsibility of the Redeeming Saintess, the rules of this Ring of Salvation prevent the holder from turning a blind eye to those suffering. Otherwise, the backlash of karma will drastically diminish the power accumulated before. Now do you understand why I’ve wasted so much time along the way?”

Despite hearing such classified information, the maid named Little Seven, with her artfully refined features, still showed no extra expression. She maintained a dignified and respectful posture, lightly nodding with a somewhat impolite cold tone.

“Your Highness Philomina, I will keep this information with the highest level of confidentiality, but for similar content, you don’t need to specially inform me next time.”

“My only duty is to take care of your well-being, ensure your safety, and remind you of precautions when necessary. It’s just a simple reminder, without any meaning of urging or questioning… I am merely your maid, Your Highness Philomina.”

“Even if you say that, Little Seven…”

Philomina slightly raised her beautiful light-gold eyes and looked helplessly at the expressionless maid standing before her. Yet, she felt no dissatisfaction or resentment from her distant words; instead, she experienced a gentle warmth.

As the Redeeming Saintess, Philomina excelled in connecting with anyone who could communicate. Known for her healing, under the support of the artifact and her family’s deliberate nurturing, she undoubtedly stood as the pinnacle of affability among the three saintesses.

Philomina Lambert has many friends, a great many, so many that she could scarcely count them herself.

They weren’t those kinds of relationships based solely on mutual benefit and use, but genuinely strong friendships, especially those whom she had healed herself, had pure gratitude, trust, and even affection toward her.

Because of this, the Ring of Salvation could harness immense power through countless enhancements, possessing even more incredible healing abilities.

However, these friends were Philomina Lambert’s friends as the Redeeming Saintess, not as an ordinary girl.

Only Little Seven achieved that.

Little Seven was a gift from Philomina’s grandfather, the current Pope and head of the Lambert Family, Augustus Lambert, given to her when she took up the Ring of Salvation at the age of twelve, becoming the current Redeeming Saintess.

A combat magic doll with high intelligence and outstanding combat capabilities, able to obey her master’s commands without question.

Due to the nature of the Ring of Salvation, the rigid requirements for its holders were very low, thus leading to a much higher frequency of replacements compared to the other two saintesses. As a member of the Lambert family’s divine lineage, even becoming a Saintess at the age of twelve drew little opposition.

On the night she became a Saintess and donned the Ring of Salvation, Augustus brought Little Seven before Philomina and congratulated her on gaining the artifact’s recognition.

From that day forth, this doll, which was powered by magic and composed of metal yet looked no different from a living person, became the left and right hand of the 23rd Redeeming Saintess, her closest attendant.

Although Augustus told her that the doll’s official designation was actually… Combat Maid Specialized Model No. 00007, Philomina found it too cumbersome to say and simplified it to Little Seven.

Initially, Philomina tried to interact with Little Seven just like she did with everyone else, including her grandfather, as the Redeeming Saintess should.

But over time, the newly appointed Saintess realized it was a futile effort that only wasted her energy.

Little Seven was expressionless, or rather, being a doll, she likely didn’t possess the ability to form expressions, so no matter how Philomina treated her with different attitudes or actions, Little Seven’s responses would never change. She simply carried out every command from her master as efficiently as possible.

Maintaining the persona of the Saintess required energy, and after some time, if she occasionally let her guard down, Philomina would inadvertently reveal a “flaw” that Little Seven would see—the true face of the Redeeming Saintess.

Just an easygoing girl who enjoys complaining and can be a bit lazy.

After all, she truly was a very “ordinary” Saintess.

   

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