Chapter 95 : The Price of a Loose Tongue

A new guard.

The footsteps were familiar.

Milly had a suspicion. When she heard the familiar voice, she knew trouble had arrived.

“Milly, can we talk?”

Hadn’t she made it clear enough? Three days of silence. She had practically written “I don’t want to talk” on her back.

And now, she wanted to talk again. There was nothing left to say.

Seeing no response, Tifna continued.

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

The purification ritual?

If it weren’t for yesterday, she might have laughed.

Because of yesterday’s ritual, not only had she experienced the pain of her entire body being corroded, but every time her healing ability kicked in, it was instantly nullified by the holy water.

She had been soaked in the holy water pool for nearly half a day. It was a miracle she hadn’t melted into a puddle of goo.

Anyone who had witnessed yesterday’s ritual would not believe the old fool’s words.

That wasn’t purification. It was torture.

“Milly, if you can be purified, maybe…”

Just then, she heard a sound from Milly for the first time. A soft laugh, as if she had heard something funny.

“That old fool’s words, Tifna, you…”

She swallowed the rest of her sentence. After all, Tifna had been indoctrinated with that theory since she was a child. She would believe the Pope over her.

In Tifna’s eyes, she was a demon full of lies. From the moment they met, she had woven a web of deceit.

Why wouldn’t she believe her own kind, an authority figure, over a demon who claimed he was lying?

Silence was the right choice. Had she finally broken?

“Milly…”

Milly finally responded. The moment she heard her voice, a complex emotion flickered in Tifna’s eyes.

When she was first brought to the prison, Tifna had tried to talk to her. Back then, she had been willing to talk, to answer her questions. After that conversation, she had understood that her brother was gone.

When the Fell God was annihilated, she had said her goodbyes to her brother.

Now, she only knew that a successful purification could turn Milly back into a human. If she could, then maybe…

“The Pope has ordered her to be taken to the sanctuary for purification.”

Xavier’s voice came from behind. Before Tifna could respond, he kicked away the food in front of the cage.

“Feeding a demon whelp is worse than feeding the rats in the sewer.”

The sound of a key in the lock was harsh in the dungeon. He opened the door but didn’t go in.

He waited for her to come out on her own.

“Whelp, still playing dead?” He struck the bars with the hilt of his sword. “You want me to drag you out myself?”

The figure in the cage stirred, but didn’t move. Xavier sneered and kicked her.

The iron boot hit her ribs with a dull thud.

“Ugh!”

Milly struggled, trying to bite him.

“You whelp, don’t even think about it.”

He grabbed her by the hair. His thick leather gloves did little to muffle the sensation of his fingers digging into her scalp. He dragged her out of the cage, out of the dungeon, up the stairs.

The courtyard of the sanctuary. She was dragged to the altar.

On the altar was a statue of the Fell God, a demon with the body of a god.

The sound of bones breaking was clear in the silent dungeon.

She stumbled, nearly falling.

To maintain her balance, Tifna watched her fumble, her hands reaching for the wall.

Why? Only then did Tifna notice that her crimson eyes were clouded, as if covered by a mist.

“Milly?”

Tifna supported the swaying girl. Compared to when she had first seen her, she seemed even smaller, more fragile.

She couldn’t see anything.

Tifna waved her hand in front of her face. No reaction.

The Pope had performed the purification ritual. Why were her eyes damaged? What kind of purification ritual harmed the eyes?

Was it because it was interrupted? Or was there something wrong with the ritual from the start?

“So concerned about a demon?” Xavier blocked her with his scabbard.

He wouldn’t touch such a filthy creature with his own hands. A sword was the most appropriate way to deal with demons.

If it weren’t for the Pope’s orders, this little whelp would have been burned at the stake.

“I advise you not to get too close. Nothing good comes from getting close to a demon whelp.”

“She’s blind.”

“So what?” Xavier said, as if he had heard a joke.

“Isn’t that a good thing? And you, so concerned about her. Have you forgotten how your brother died?”

“You!”

She suppressed the urge to draw her sword. She knew that if she started a fight now, Milly would suffer. And she would be accused of consorting with a demon.

She had to hold back.

“You also brought the Pope’s order. If something happens to her, the purification ritual will be affected.”

“As long as she’s alive, the ritual can be completed.” Xavier sneered. “So what if she’s blind? If she can’t walk, she can crawl. A demon whelp should crawl.”

“Making this whelp crawl would dirty the sanctuary’s floor…”

His words were cut short. He froze. Invisible threads seemed to have entered his helmet. The smell of blood filled the air.

Tifna pulled Milly away. The smell of blood vanished, as if it had been a hallucination.

But looking through the slit of his helmet, Tifna could see a dark shadow writhing inside.

She was stunned. As she was about to check on him, the Platinum Knight moved again.

He left the cage. Seeing Tifna still inside, he turned, his voice a broken machine.

“Go… to… the… sanctuary.”

What was happening?

He was like a different person.

She couldn’t take off his helmet to check. She could only support the blind Milly and follow him.

Milly’s hand gripped hers tightly, like a drowning person clinging to a piece of wood.

Her voice was a whisper, as if to herself, or to an unseen presence.

“…Thank you.”