Chapter 94 : They’re All Such Useful Pawns

“If it’s done, then Mil… that demon’s consciousness, what will happen to her?”

“She is a product of corruption. After purification, she will naturally be erased.”

The thud of a scepter on the floor. Tifna stood frozen.

To awaken her brother’s consciousness was the best outcome, but it meant that Milly’s existence would be erased. Her birth was an accident, but this was her fate.

When the Fell God was annihilated before her eyes, Tifna, having achieved her revenge, fell into an endless confusion. Having lost everything important to her, what would she live for now?

In that state, she met Milly again. After learning that the Fell God had been killed, she clearly felt that the seemingly weak girl who needed protection had, for the first time, shown her sharp fangs.

It wasn’t that she had revealed another side hidden beneath her fragile exterior.

That day, what she saw in Milly’s eyes was not ferocity. It was the despair of someone with nowhere to go. For Milly at that time, perhaps she had also lost something important, something that could support her to live on.

The night she returned to Starlight City, she had found Lillian and asked her to be assigned as a guard in the parish prison. That way, she could be close to Milly.

In the three days she had guarded Milly’s cage, she had tried to communicate with her, but Milly was like a dead soul, with no intention of communicating. She wouldn’t even touch the food she had prepared. After three sleepless days of trying, Milly had still refused to communicate. Tifna had to leave.

After a full day of rest, Tifna returned to the church to continue her duty of guarding Milly. Before heading to the dungeon, Oswell had found her with new information. If the purification ritual could revert the demonic Milly back to a human, then perhaps there was a chance for a turnaround.

But now, Oswell told her that a successful purification would awaken her brother’s consciousness, but also erase Milly’s.

A choice of two.

“As a creature of filth, her existence should be erased. Moreover, her birth itself is a ridiculous mistake.”

“Mistakes need to be corrected.”

Seeing Tifna hesitate, Oswell’s voice boomed, startling her.

“As a child of the Goddess, remember, you should not have pity for those filthy creatures. Only by eliminating them can we prevent the disasters of the past from recurring.”

“I… understand.”

Tifna looked up, the hesitation in her eyes gone.

“It’s good that you understand. The Goddess will not be angry with her children who are temporarily lost.”

“Your Holiness, my mission is?”

This was what Oswell had been waiting for. The scepter in his hand tapped the ground lightly. He sighed.

“Yesterday, during the purification ritual, we were interrupted by a follower of the Fell God who had infiltrated the sanctuary.”

It was held yesterday? And it was interrupted?

Tifna was stunned again. Now that he had told her this, she could guess what her next mission would be.

The Pope was short-staffed, so he needed her to find the infiltrator.

“I understand. I will find the suspect.”

“No,” Oswell suddenly denied her guess. “Since the crusade, the Saintess has not been well.”

“The Fell God’s followers may try to harm her. So, you need to protect her in secret.”

What?

Not to find the infiltrator, but to protect the Saintess?

Tifna was stunned again.

“Be careful. The Saintess does not like me assigning guards to her without her permission. So, do not expose yourself. Report any anomalies to me immediately.”

“I… understand.”

Tifna lowered her eyes, burying all her questions in the shadows.

She would have to spend less time guarding Milly. But she was also curious. If the Fell God’s followers had infiltrated the Church, their primary target should be… had he calculated that they might take the Saintess hostage?

A cold smile.

“She and her brother are the same. No, the Luminess family… they’re all such useful pawns.”

“With just a few simple words, they can be easily manipulated.”

“Just like Agnes. With just a few hints, he went to test the waters. Unsurprisingly, he led his team to their doom in the Fell God’s lair.”

“Their sacrifice was necessary for the final victory. It was an honor bestowed upon them by the Goddess.”

Everything was proceeding smoothly. The only unexpected thing was Milly’s appearance.

“Regarding that weak demon, the higher-ups have not given an explanation, only the instruction to keep her alive.”

“Your Holiness, I don’t understand.” After Tifna left, the Platinum Knight who had been waiting outside knelt on one knee. “Why do you have a Platinum Knight like me guard a half-dead demon whelp? Even an ordinary knight could do it.”

Oswell’s cold smile vanished, replaced by a gentle one. “Xavier, in the crusade against the Fell God, the Goddess lost many of her excellent children.”

The knight’s brow furrowed. “Then I should be doing more important things. You said that once it’s done, we won’t have to worry about the threat of other races.”

“But before that, we face a great crisis.” Oswell’s face turned grim. “Although we were victorious, we paid a heavy price.”

“But then, I should be there.”

“That weak demon.” Oswell interrupted him. “She holds the Fell God’s secrets. We can’t let her escape before we find them.”

After a moment of silence, Xavier seemed to understand.

“Your Holiness, I understand.”

Before he left, Oswell stopped him.

“This task won’t last long. Someone else will be assigned to guard her.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

…

Lillian was leading the morning prayer in the cathedral. Tifna noticed that she had been distracted several times.

This wasn’t like her.

Oswell was right. The Saintess might be unwell. Was it because she hadn’t been resting well?

After a few simple questions, she decided to prepare a calming herbal tea for Lillian.

Before that, she had to check on Milly. After so many days, the stubborn Milly should have chosen to eat.

Tifna prepared a tray and went to the dungeon. The two guards at the door suddenly stopped her.

“The Pope has ordered that no one is allowed to enter except those he has personally assigned.”

What was happening?

This new rule wasn’t here a day ago.

She had only been gone for a day. Not only had the Pope performed the purification ritual on Milly, but now there was a new rule to enter the dungeon.

What had happened on the day she was gone?

She took out the order Oswell had prepared for her. Seeing the Pope’s order, the two guards immediately opened the gate.

She went to the deepest cell. Milly was still curled up in a corner, her back to her, unchanged from when she had left.

“Milly, can we talk?”

Seeing no response, Tifna placed the tray at the edge of the cage, within Milly’s reach.

“I heard from the Pope. If the purification ritual is successful, you can become human again.”