Luojia: How Did I End Up Encouraging Him?

The Moninsta Family, also known as the Morningstar Family, was one of the newly risen families on the frontier—and the wealthiest.

In the central courtyard of Morningstar Manor.

Luojia waited quietly.

She lowered her head slightly, counting the fallen leaves on the ground. Beneath her silvery white eyelids lingered a trace of confusion.

A week had passed since the Sacrifice Incident.

Yet everything still felt as though it had happened yesterday—the blood, the cries, all vividly etched in her mind.

After parting ways with Ansu, she had returned to the Holy See. Bound by the oath she had made, she would not and could not report Ansu. Nor had she mentioned any details about the Mother God of Life Cult, merely saying that she had spent a few days visiting a friend.

Her days in the Holy See remained as uneventful as ever, as though nothing had happened. Luojia spent the week in anxious uncertainty.

Until today, when she finally made up her mind and came to the Morningstar Family estate.

If Ansu had truly been bewitched by the Mother God of Life, then she had to guide him and stop him.

It was her responsibility and duty.

The shadow of the Gothic dome fell across the ground, sharp as blades and swords. Rows of palm trees stood along both sides of the courtyard, scattered flecks of light flashing through layers of leaves, while the lush greenery seemed ready to drape down.

"Ah, a nun from the Radiant Holy See."

The maid at the gate nodded, surprise appearing on her face. As though uncertain, she asked again, "You really wish to visit Young Master Ansu? You are Young Master Ansu's... friend?"

"Yes. I am Ansu's friend."

Luojia raised her eyes and looked directly at the maid in front of her.

"May I?"

"Young Master Ansu has no friends." At the mention of that name, a trace of inexplicable disgust and fear flashed through the maid's eyes. She glanced around before lowering her voice. "You know—"

"The master's child is a cursed monster."

"A cursed monster?" Luojia's eyes widened slightly.

"From the moment he was born, he caused his own mother's death. He came into this world covered in his mother's blood."

The maid whispered, "Young Master Ansu possesses a rare dark talent, so Lord Patriarch has forbidden him from studying magic to this day. Don't lie to me. You definitely aren't his friend."

"No child is willing to be friends with him—let alone a nun of the Radiant Holy See."

The Radiant Holy See was one of Narak's seven orthodox churches.

Only the most devout and noble children of the Lord could join the Radiant Holy See.

No one held any hopes for the young master of the Morningstar Family.

Hearing of Ansu's past, Luojia fell silent.

She had always thought that the young master had been born into privilege and raised in comfort, but she had never expected such a history.

And this young master did not have a good reputation within his own home.

In that case, she had to persuade Ansu to turn back even more!

Luojia made up her mind.

She could not let him go further and further down the path of the Esoteric Cult.

"If you insist on visiting him." The maid curtsied. "I will go inform him."

Before long.

The maid returned and curtsied to Luojia again. "Please come with me."

Following Miss Maid deeper along the corridor, crossing the courtyard paved with the green shadows of palm trees, then continuing down a side path, Luojia noticed that the surroundings gradually became quieter and more dilapidated.

The enormous palm trees vanished, replaced by ivy climbing over the inner walls. Layer upon layer of vines and leaves blocked out the sunlight, and at the end of the ivy stood a small Gothic tower.

Gray and dilapidated.

A thick layer of fallen leaves had piled up before the entrance. It seemed that few people ever came to visit.

"I won't accompany you inside. You can walk the rest of the way yourself."

Miss Maid gazed at the Gray Tower with faint disgust as she spoke to Luojia.

With no one accompanying her, Luojia's feelings grew more and more complicated.

The image of that boy's madness as he blood-sacrificed twenty-one Esoteric Cultists that day was still deeply imprinted in Luojia's mind.

But Ansu had saved her.

The only thing Luojia knew was that Ansu had saved her.

Then Luojia had to help Ansu—to dissuade him, to keep him from continuing down the wrong path.

She knocked on the somewhat heavy door of the Gray Tower—

Before long, the boy's cool, crisp voice came from within.

"Come in, Miss Luojia."

Luojia pushed open the door and found the Young Master leaning against the Blinds, a thick volume in his hands. The afternoon breeze slipped through the gaps in the ivy, gently stirring Ansu's gray-white tousled hair.

He was different from how she had seen him that day—quiet and serene, like the afternoon sunlight.

But Luojia knew this was merely the boy's outward appearance.

Ansu set down his book and raised his eyes to look at Luojia, at this future saintess.

"What did you want to see me about?"

"About the blood sacrifice," Luojia said softly. "I didn't mention it to the Church."

"I see." Ansu neither confirmed nor denied it.

Contracts sworn to a Goddess were protected by the divine.

"But regarding the blood sacrifice..." Luojia slowly let out a breath. "You cannot continue down this path."

"I know this was only your first time, and you did it to protect yourself. The ones you sacrificed were all evil people. You also saved my life, and I won't forget that."

Actually, it wasn't my first time. Ansu remained expressionless.

In the game, I'd farm the altar like it was a bank. Whenever I was short on money or skills, I'd grind through maps with tens of thousands of people.

Ansu had even affectionately called the Mother God of Life the "bank manager."

Her tone became earnest.

"Esoteric Cultists are terrifying. I've seen so many fallen people. After tasting the sweetness of their first time, they only go farther and farther down the wrong road. They sacrifice more and more people, even innocent civilians. You've already received Mother God's Blessing, haven't you? If the Church finds out, you'll be sent to the guillotine."

Ansu listened in silence. The shadow of the Window Lattice covered his face, hiding his expression.

"I'll pretend I never saw what happened this time."

Luojia spoke solemnly. "I'll find a way to cover things up with the Church. Please give up Mother God's Blessing and return to an ordinary life. The Mother God will not bless you. She is a very evil being."

Honestly, this Little Saintess was being quite decent.

The oath only said not to report him. It never required her to help conceal it.

"I know this is cruel. You'll hate me and think I'm repaying kindness with enmity—"

Luojia continued, but before she could finish, Ansu interrupted her.

"You're right."

"I know it'll be difficult for you to give up your faith in the Mother God. Sigh... Huh?"

Luojia blinked, as though doubting her own ears, then repeated herself. "What did you say?"

"You convinced me!"

Ansu stepped closer, leaning toward Luojia's face, his eyes brimming with sincerity.

"Throughout my life, what I have hated most are those Evil Heresy cultists. They bully men and women, run rampant, burn, kill, plunder, and commit every evil imaginable. They are beasts among beasts. After a week of reflection, I have completely come to my senses."

Huh?

I haven't even said anything yet.

Luojia instinctively clutched the prepared speech notes tucked into her collar: "Three Steps to Persuade Ansu to Turn Back."

They had only reached the first step of the Baptism Process: reasoning with him.

Under the usual Baptism Process, shouldn't Ansu have fiercely opposed her and driven her out of the estate? Then, over the next few days, she would persist without giving up, move him emotionally in the second step, and finally touch Ansu with her spirit until he reformed himself. In the third step, the Church would gain yet another tale of redemption.

How had it been settled so quickly?

More importantly, Luojia's heart told her that every word this boy said was true, spoken from the bottom of his heart.

"Those Esoteric Cultists are shameless, especially the Mother God of Life Cult. They are evil to the core!" Ansu said indignantly.

"Yes, exactly." Luojia nodded in agreement.

"They love massacring civilians."

"That's right." Luojia agreed.

"They also love snatching away civilians' children and stealing men's wives."

"That's right." Luojia nodded.

"They are utterly debauched. That Mother God of Life is nothing but a trained breeding sow, throwing orgies with Her archbishops every day!"

"That's right—" Luojia nodded, then immediately realized what she had just agreed to. Her eyes widened. "Huh? Is that right? The Mother God of Life Cult doesn't even have an archbishop yet, does it? H-Hey, is that really a thing?"

"That only proves how ignorant you are," Ansu said with certainty, adding silently, At least, that's how I played it.

Ansu felt no burden whatsoever in insulting the Mother God of Life.

This was territory ruled by orthodox gods. No matter how much he cursed her, the Mother God of Life could not hear him.

And even if she could, she would not care.

After all, tens of millions of people cursed her every day.

"I know I have committed unforgivable sins," Ansu confessed devoutly.

"It's not that serious..." Luojia's imposing aura deflated somewhat.

"I blood-sacrificed twenty-one living lives," tears Flashed in the youth's eyes.

"They were all evildoers, evildoers! And it was in self-defense—you're innocent!" Luojia blurted out, but then she realized something was wrong.

—Wasn't I here to stop this Esoteric Cultist? How had I ended up encouraging him instead?

"I know that nothing can ever atone for my sins. And so that I may be watched in the future, never again sacrificing innocent civilians, I swear to the Goddess!"

Ansu looked straight at Luojia and said solemnly, "Please let me join the Radiant Holy See and atone for my sins!"

"Huh?" Luojia was dumbfounded.