Chapter 16: First Encounter With the Holy Church

During the four-day journey arranged by Jack, the first day passed quickly amidst Coco and Yiluo’s playful interactions.

During the trip, Yiluo also asked Jack about distinctive cities and major industries in the surrounding countries.

“Yiluo, you don’t look very happy.”

“My master, you worry too much.

I’m simply not full.”

“Pfft, alright then.”

Yiluo slightly lifted the curtain of the carriage window.

The sky was gray and gloomy, thick clouds continuing to gather.

It looked like a storm was only a matter of time.

She didn’t know whether it would affect their journey.

She lowered the curtain and glanced at Coco sitting opposite her, watching her curiously.

Even though Coco seemed much more energetic than before, Yiluo’s mood today remained gloomy.

Never being full was one problem.

Another problem was the white over-knee socks on her legs constantly slipping down.

With her perfectionist tendencies, Yiluo had to repeatedly pull them back into place.

The silky texture of the socks, the smooth softness of her thighs, and the tingling pleasant sensation brushing past her fingertips — all of it dealt heavy psychological damage to Yiluo.

Touching them felt good, undeniably comfortable, and her own legs were perfect — Yiluo had to admit that.

But.

I used to be a man.
Why are my legs this perfect, and why does touching them feel this good?!

This was just too weird, too strange!

The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.

Her masculine dignity felt utterly denied.

She pouted.

Today was… not a good day.

As Yiluo brooded, the clouds above grew even thicker, yet still no rain fell, making the atmosphere more oppressive.

Around 4 PM, the carriage was finally forced to stop.

“There’s a battle ahead.

We’ll wait a bit.”

Jack opened the small window and spoke to the two inside.

Compared to his usual cheerful tone, his voice sounded heavier — clearly something was off.

Yiluo lifted the curtain.

In the distance, more than a hundred people were besieging a several-meters-tall magical beast.

Their outfits were relatively uniform.

Those at the front wore finely crafted white-steel armor and cloaks, their lances and swords wrapped in energy as they continuously stabbed into the beast, draining its life.

Dozens of meters behind them stood robed clergy members, holding magic orbs or staffs.

With chants, waves of radiant light illuminated the entire battlefield.

It was Yiluo’s first time witnessing such a massive coordinated siege in this world.

Her eyes widened, completely absorbed.

If she were surrounded like this… could she win?

She silently calculated.

“A juvenile Ice Leopard, peak fourth-rank magical beast.

Being surrounded by the Holy Church’s knight order — the battle will end soon.”

The Holy Church…

It seemed her past was deeply connected to them.

Yiluo had never liked organizations of religious fanatics worshiping deities.

Back when she worked as an agent, she infiltrated cults three times for assassination missions.

The bottomless insanity of zealous believers left her with unforgettable disgust.

She still didn’t know whether the Holy Church was good or evil, but she had no intention of approaching them.

Hearing Jack’s explanation, Yiluo instinctively touched the long sword wrapped in a cloak beside her.

She looked again at the three-meter-tall Ice Leopard, already beaten so badly it could barely fight back.

Every attempt to counterattack was blocked by shield knights, and its freezing aura was dispelled completely by the priests in the back.

“What rank is an adult Ice Leopard?”

“About mid fifth rank.

If it mutates, it could reach upper fifth rank.

But Ice Leopards are naturally strong with ice energy, so they rarely encounter equals.”

“Could it reach sixth rank?”

“Miss Yiluo, you must be joking.

That’s a heaven-earth boundary.

Reaching the Earth-Rank isn’t something so easy.”

“Can we go around them?”

“The knights have blocked the road ahead.

We can only wait.

The Holy Church always acts this domineeringly — they don’t care if passing merchants get caught in the crossfire.”

Yiluo could hear a faint bitterness in Jack’s tone but didn’t comment on it.

She looked across at Coco, who seemed nervous, even frightened.

Yiluo leaned over slightly, gently taking Coco’s trembling hand.

“I will protect you, my master.”

“Mm… I’m fine.”

Feeling the warmth of Yiluo’s hand, Coco looked up at her gentle eyes — full of certainty.

Her heartbeat settled.

Her cheeks grew warm and she lowered her gaze shyly.

She was relying on Yiluo more and more.

Trusting her more and more.

At that moment, the sky suddenly lit up.

Yiluo sensed a surge of energy — clearly stronger than any previous attack.

A dazzling golden beam shot out from the distant forest.

The Ice Leopard, completely unaware, was pierced from the back of its head straight through its face in an instant.

Bang—

The massive body collapsed into a pool of blood.

The surrounding knights and clergy immediately lined up neatly and shouted:

“May the Holy Light of Lord Kaos shine forever upon the land!”

From the forest rode out a young, handsome man in silver armor and a magnificent cloak, carrying a golden longbow on his back, mounted on a white stallion.

Behind him rode six beautiful young priestesses.

At his appearance, the knights and priests bowed in unison.

“Congratulations to Bishop Lombard for slaying the monster!”

Lombard smiled radiantly and waved.

“May the glory of our Lord shine eternal.”

“May the glory of our Lord shine eternal,” the knights and priests echoed.

Yiluo frowned and asked Jack,

“This guy is disgusting.

He waited until the Ice Leopard was already beaten half to death, then came out to land the finishing blow, and now the credit is all his.

Though… I admit the arrow was impressive.

Do you know him?”

Jack actually looked a bit relieved hearing her bluntness.

Suppressing a laugh, he replied,

“Miss Yiluo, saying that is fine in front of a faithless adventurer like me…

But don’t ever say it outside.

They’ll arrest you as a heretic.”

Yiluo smirked.

“Of course.

I’m not stupid.”

Jack: “Then you dare say it in front of me?

Does that mean Miss Yiluo already trusts me so much?

I’m honored.”

Yiluo waved her hand dismissively.

“You wouldn’t dare betray me.

And… you still want gold coins.”

“…”

Jack’s words died.

“Don’t be so sad.

Just consider it a sign of my trust in you.

You seem to know him — tell me about him.”

“Miss Yiluo, looks like we’ll have to discuss it later.”

“But… he pays extra attention to beautiful women.

Be careful.”

Following Jack’s warning, Yiluo looked outside.

Bishop Lombard was riding toward their carriage, accompanied by several knights and priestesses.