Chapter 97: What She Endured

“Your Holiness.”

As Lillian passed, the girl suddenly called out to her.

“Is there something?”

Lillian forced a smile, the same as always. Thankfully, her robes were loose enough to hide the trembling of her body.

“Is that… really purification?”

When she saw Lillian pour the holy water, Tifna had asked a nearby nun. She had learned that it was a special holy water, designed to purify the filth from demons.

When it touched the body, black smoke would rise. On the surface, it did look like the filth was being purified.

And if it was completely purified, perhaps, as the Pope had said, she could be reverted from a demon to a human.

But listening to Milly’s suppressed screams, watching her skin corrode, it felt more like torture than purification.

And now, they were going to submerge her entire body in the holy water pool. If it was just to purify the Fell God’s sigil, why her whole body?

This was clearly meant to kill her.

The nun had also told her that a demon who had once tried to infiltrate Starlight City had been captured and, upon being doused with holy water, had been completely purified, melting into a puddle of black water.

Would Milly also…

“What do you think?”

Lillian’s question left Tifna stunned. She had never expected her to ask that.

“It’s more like…”

Before she could finish, Lillian had vanished, as if the first half of her answer was enough.

Lillian rushed to the holy water pool. Two nuns were roughly throwing Milly into it. Tifna gritted her teeth, silent.

The purification ritual should have been more sacred, more solemn, accompanied by complex spells. A little pain, to purify the filth, but not this.

This wasn’t purification. This was torture. Who would just throw someone into a pool of holy water? And that special holy water was causing immense damage to Milly’s body.

Tifna’s fingers unconsciously clenched her robes. This was too cruel.

“Your Holiness…” Tifna approached Oswell, her voice hesitant. “Is this really a purification ritual?”

“You understand that the Fell God’s corruption is not ordinary filth, but a curse.”

Oswell pointed to Milly in the pool.

“She is deeply corrupted by the Fell God. An ordinary purification ritual is not enough. To completely purify her, we must use the purest holy water, continuously.”

“Of course, if she were willing to repent, to atone for her sins and reveal the location of the Fell God’s book, the Goddess’s forgiveness would purify her.”

Hearing his words, Tifna frowned. She shouldn’t question the Pope’s authority, but the scene before her made her bite her lip.

Milly was innocent. This was too cruel for her.

“Is there no other way?”

“No.” Oswell sighed, a hint of pity in his eyes. “The Goddess gave her a chance to atone, but she has been too deeply corrupted by the Fell God, her mind affected. She has refused the Goddess’s chance.”

“The purification is to wash away the Fell God’s filth, and to make her realize her mistake. It is to save her, to save a soul on the verge of falling into an inescapable abyss.”

“Tifna, do you understand?”

Tifna fell silent. The Pope’s words sounded reasonable, but something felt wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on it.

At the same time, Lillian had returned to the Confession Chamber. At this time, only she would be here. She wouldn’t be noticed.

The heavy stone door closed behind her, shutting out the light.

In the dim chamber, the candlelight flickered, casting distorted shadows on the cold stone walls.

She raised a barrier, cutting off the outside world. Lillian finally collapsed.

“Cough…”

Blood spilled from her lips, staining her immaculate robes, as if her holiness had been tainted.

Her body trembled, every inch of her skin burning. The holy water was more corrosive than she had expected. The pain seemed to pierce her very soul.

This body was much weaker than her own.

After touching the sigil on her neck, Lillian had tried to adjust the ratio of pain shared.

She couldn’t take it all, but she had set it to a one-to-nine ratio, with her taking the vast majority.

“So this is… what Little Milly feels…”

The burning sensation shot through her. Lillian gritted her teeth, cold sweat dripping down her pale face. Her vision blurred. Was this body reaching its limit?

If she were in her own body, she wouldn’t have been able to feel the same pain.

By taking on this unbearable pain, by feeling what Milly had endured, could she understand her a little better, get a little closer to her heart?

She didn’t know how long it had been, but the pain gradually subsided. She didn’t know if it was because it was over, or because her body had gone numb.

The image of Milly from the past flashed in her mind. Was this what she had felt?

She struggled to her feet, her numb body feeling disconnected from her.

She raised her hand. Invisible threads seemed to be attached to her fingertips.

At the other end, the controlled Platinum Knight was waiting outside the door.

With a flick of her finger, she pulled the threads, and the knight entered. She closed the door. The knight took off his helmet.

The sight was horrifying. His head was barely attached to his body.

Even so, he was still alive.

He stared at the Saintess, unable to understand why she would do this.

But he could no longer speak. His vision spun, and he could only watch as his body remained standing, a dark shadow writhing in his severed neck, reforming his head.

Tendrils shot from Lillian’s palm, piercing the rolling head.

She searched his memories. When she found what she needed, the head exploded like a watermelon.

Just ending it like that seemed too easy.

Lillian looked at the new “Xavier.” Her lips curled.

“From now on, just do as you usually do.”

“Yes.”

He put on his helmet and left.

The memories she had taken flashed in her mind. She had never thought that the old fool had a new plan, and it seemed to be for her.

Did he know she wasn’t dead?

A pity the knight only knew that much. He knew the Pope was preparing something, but not what it was.

But now, Xavier was hers. She just had to have him keep digging, and she would get the information she needed.

She cleaned up the mess with magic. When she was done, she stumbled, her vision blurring.

“Tch… it’s almost time.”

She would return the body to Lillian. And tonight, she would go to the cell and find her dear Little Milly, and heal her eyes.