The Church and Purple Woman

"This is..."

Staring at the boy who had emerged in the distance, the middle-aged man couldn't help rubbing his eyes. He almost suspected that he was seeing things.

The horrors of the Lost Forest were known to everyone on the continent.

Terrifying things lurked within it. If ordinary people ventured inside, they would soon lose their way and be killed by the various dangers hidden there.

And now, a boy had emerged from this dangerous forest.

Maidel couldn't help wondering if he was seeing things.

So he looked closely.

This time, he saw more clearly.

In the distance, a boy walked out of the forest. He wore a white robe, and looked exceptionally handsome and elegant. His bearing and grace were unlike anything Maidel had ever seen in another person.

The boy walked toward them, heading straight out of the forest. Then his gaze gradually turned toward them, settling on Maidel.

Maidel jolted in alarm, nearly letting out a cry.

A moment later.

"Are you a cultivator from afar?"

A moment later, Maidel looked respectfully at Arthur and asked.

"Indeed."

Looking at Maidel, Arthur smiled and spoke softly. "I crossed this forest from a distant land and have only just arrived here. I'll be staying here for a while."

The words sounded casual, but the information they contained was enough to make anyone shudder.

Though he lived in this remote mountain village, Maidel knew that escaping the Lost Forest was no ordinary feat.

Moreover, from what the young cultivator was saying, he hadn't simply emerged from the Lost Forest. He had crossed a great distance, entered from somewhere else, and come out here.

The implications were terrifying.

"High Priest..."

Looking at Arthur, Maidel tensed up and reached a conclusion.

If what the young man said was true, then he was