Volume Four: Withering in the Mortal World - Chapter 298: Prayer

"... Yes, Pope Holiness, we were even unable to retrieve Alan's body. We are truly sorry."

"I see... Sigh..."

The Pope, with a sorrowful expression, stroked his long, white beard and sighed repeatedly.

"To die a glorious death in the battle against the Blasphemers, it must be a good end for her... She remained steadfast in her post as Templar Knight until the very last moment, protecting the world as a messenger of God until her final second. Her spirit in heaven will forever be with the Supreme God... May she rest in peace..."

He couldn't continue speaking after that, two lines of tears streaming down his cheeks and into his beard, the grief causing the aging Pope to weep uncontrollably.

Opposite him, the young paladin who had come to deliver the message was also moved. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting magnificent colors into the ivory-white room. In this scene, an elderly man dressed in Pope robes prayed wholeheartedly for the fallen warriors. The scene was so sacred that even the young knight couldn't help but shed tears, almost prostrating himself on the ground to praise the Pope's holiness and mercy.

"Ah... I'm sorry, child, I'm an old man, I've been rambling on and on."

"No, no! How could that be? To be in the same room as His Holiness the Pope is the greatest honor of my life!"

"Good boy... hurry back to your post, and let me know immediately if anything important happens."

"Very well! Then I shall take my leave, Pope Holiness! Praise be to the Most High God!"

Praise be to the Most High God.

The young knight left the room respectfully, tears of emotion still on his face. He secretly vowed to remember this day forever and to serve the Supreme God better.

With a soft click, the door closed.

Then--

"That useless Alan!"

The sacred aura that had just surrounded the Pope vanished. He ripped off his top hat, a symbol of status and honor, and threw it to the ground, gritting his teeth.

"Before they went, they swore they would bring back the Rebel Army Leader's head, but they didn't even bring back their own corpse! They wasted a large number of elite troops! Useless! Utterly useless!"

Huff-huff-huff-huff—His chest heaved violently as he calmed down slightly. He had fought his way up from the lowest son of an ordinary nobleman to the position of Pope, and yet he had just unfortunately been caught in this period of the Rebel Army!

Seeing that he seemed to have calmed down a bit, the person who had been standing in the shadows approached.

This was a man in his fifties, dressed in a pure white robe. Although not as ornate and exquisite as the Pope robes, it was still very handsome and dignified. His eyes were very sharp, but his balding head and the wrinkles on his face made him look much older than his actual age.

"Getting angry won't help. Since things have already come to this, we should think about the next step."

"Man," Cardinal Archbishop Latran Carrel said softly, his tone very gentle.

"A solution... Hmph, easier said than done..."

The Pope murmured to himself, his anger subsiding, and began to think carefully.

"Something's not right—isn't it?" the Cardinal Archbishop asked.

"That's right, Latran ... Think about it carefully, the fall of Torres began with the ambush of the Paladin Heavy Armor Brigade, and the information that 'Heavy Armor Brigade troop would pass through there that day' should only have been known by people inside the Cathedral of the True God. How did those Rebel Army get that information?"

"You mean... there's a traitor?"

"That's right!"

The Pope slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth as he said, "Thinking back now, the deployment of the paladins' army after the incident, the hidden forces within Torres, the condition of the fortifications at several strategic locations—it seems the Rebel Army knew all of this from the very beginning! A traitor! There definitely was a traitor! And right inside the Cathedral of the True God!"

"Looking at it this way... it's all thanks to Alan being a madman whose movements are impossible for anyone to predict. His sudden action and proactive attack caught the Rebel Army completely off guard."

"Don't mention her to me!!! Putting that aside, do you even know who the mole is?"

"Of course not now, but I will order the College of Cardinals to increase internal oversight. But don't forget there are still Rebel Army outside. They must be planning their next move right now. The Bradwich siblings... and according to new information, they seem to have received new reinforcements, including the successor of that 'Bloody Saintess' from back then. How do you plan to deal with them?"

"Hmph... Although they are Rebel Army, it must be admitted that they are extremely brave and skilled in battle, and adept at using strategy. Defeating them on the front lines will inevitably consume a lot of our strength."

"You mean... wait, are you going to—"

"That's right, Latran, my old friend..."

The Pope gave a cruel smile.

"Summon the presiding judge; it's time to Sin Annihilation."

At this moment, the useless Goddess and the slovenly knight duo are attending a tea party.

"Here, please use this, Sister Ling."

"Thanks."

The spirit priest accepted the small teacup; its smooth, warm texture was incredibly comfortable to the touch, clearly indicating it was a high-end item. The beverage within was equally exquisite, a blend of various precious teas and spices mixed with the purest underground water. When heated, it released an invigorating aroma that would tempt anyone to take a sip.

"How is it? Is it too hot?"

"No, no~ Hmm~~ Prayer -chan's tea is getting better and better."

This is no flattery; Ji Ling genuinely loves this fragrant and delicious floral tea, but she certainly couldn't brew it herself.

"I'm glad Sister Jiling likes it."

The girl in front of me smiled faintly and poured tea into the empty teacup again, her movements were very skillful and elegant.

Dazzled by its beauty—this is the most direct impression the spirits of the sacrifice have of the Prayer.

Prayer was a woman whose very appearance made one feel as if she were Goddess. With her long, pale golden hair, otherworldly beauty, perfectly proportioned figure, and a Goddess- like robe radiating a hazy glow, she was so perfect that words failed to describe her. She exuded an extremely holy aura; simply sitting there gave one the illusion of divine intervention. Even the most heinous criminals would involuntarily lay down their weapons and kneel in repentance upon seeing her—this was no exaggeration. When the previous Prayer Goddess went to preach in prisons, hundreds of prisoners voluntarily knelt before her, confessing and weeping bitterly.

As fellow Goddess, the sacrificial spirits were unaffected because they had inherited the power of their predecessors. However, Yang Yujie had once said, "This is truly... Don't mistake this for the effect of a sacred atmosphere. This has reached the level of a mental attack, the kind that strikes directly at the heart and is impossible to defend against..." Such words are truly worrying.

Thinking of this, Ji Ling couldn't help but glance at Yang Yujie, who was standing by—though "standing by" was just a figurehead—and saw him with a lecherous smile, his gaze sweeping over Qi Prayer and lingering on her chest for several seconds.

"...=_= #"

However, this bastard's body was covered in extremely well-trained muscles, making it impossible to pinch him. Helpless, the sacrificial spirit could only sulk, his cheeks puffed out.

"..."

A very dangerous aura emanated from the opposite side. The two Guardian Knights of the Prayer —Zanla Simon and Zane Simon— glared angrily at Yu Jie, their hands on the hilts of their swords. Yu Jie noticed them, but merely gave them a mocking smile, fiddled with the small cross hanging around his neck, and then ignored them.

Yu Jie's cross bears the number "I", while the two brothers' crosses bear the numbers "II" and "III", representing their ranks within the Templar Knight, indicating they are not at the same level.

The atmosphere was extremely tense; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was on the verge of war.

The spirit of the sacrifice panicked.

"Hey Yu Jie... at least be a little more polite to them..."

"Hmm? What's wrong? Is the tea not good?"

But there was someone completely oblivious to the atmosphere. Prayer tilted her head adorably, seemingly unaffected by the tense atmosphere. Influenced by her, the Brother Simon had no choice but to silently remove their hands from the hilts of their swords, and even Yu Jie became a little more reserved.

"No, Prayer- chan's tea-making skills are the best! I'm just waiting for it to cool down a bit!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but this kind of tea won't taste good if it's not brewed with boiling water..."

"It's okay, it's okay! By the way, anything interesting happened today?"

"Yes, this morning I baked cookies for the children at the Orphanage with the guards. We gave them to the patrol officers to deliver; I hope everyone liked them... It's so pitiful. Even though I pray every day, sad things still happen in the world, which is why there are orphans..."

"Well..."

"Could it be... because of the Rebel Army that are being talked about now? It's strange. Under the protection of the Supreme God, every person lives such a peaceful and happy life. Why do they have to rebel? If I could, I would really like to share the Supreme God's teachings with them."

"... snort."

Although the sound was very soft, the spirit still heard it.

Although it was only for a brief moment, Yu Jie did indeed let out a slightly disdainful snort.

The spirit offering did not understand.

This is understandable. Born into an ordinary noble family in Gloria City and living in the Cathedral of the True Saints, she would naturally have no idea what kind of lives the people outside lived.

Even so, the spirit could sense that the Prayer were a bit too naive.

The Prayer Goddess, born into a noble family, with generations of high-ranking Archbishop, was raised from childhood at the Cathedral of the True God as a potential Goddess. She grew up immersed in the Church's scriptures, never experiencing malice, never doing any dirty or strenuous work, and no one ever raised their voice at her. Unaware of the world's dangers, never having suffered hardship, knowing nothing of malice or pain, unconditionally trusting everyone, lacking any sense of danger, utterly innocent and pure—this is the Prayer Goddess.

This was clearly unusual, but it didn't stop the spirit from becoming good friends and sisters with her. She had to admit that spending time with the innocent and guileless Prayer was indeed very pleasant. Although she secretly Prayer Zhu for receiving far more care and attention than her, upon reflection, it didn't matter. She was living a carefree life anyway, so why make herself uncomfortable?

"They're leaving--"

"Goodbye, Sister Jiling! I'll make lots of desserts next time, you must come and try them!"

Of course~~

"Ah, and..."

Prayer suddenly became a little hesitant.

This was a very rare reaction for her.

"How?"

"Um... next time, Mr. Yu Jie, you should... come too, right?"

Prayer Zhu nervously kneaded the hem of her clothes, her eyes flickered, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"... oh."

Faced with such an endearing posture that could move hundreds of millions of believers to tears, Yu Jie merely responded with a faint murmur, his usual carefree attitude vanishing without a trace.

"...?"

The spirit priest turned back suspiciously, and for some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable.

"Hurry up, Yu Jie, it's almost dinnertime."

"They're here, they're here..."

Yu Jie quickly followed.

They remained silent the entire way.

West Saint Continent, West Coast --

A large, unremarkable ship was moored at the harbor. A young woman and a group of elderly people disembarked. They were all dressed in gray-black robes to conceal their presence, but they could not completely hide their aura of authority.

"Thank you all for your hard work. After a long voyage at sea, we have finally arrived at the West Saint Continent... Whether our Rakshasa Divine Sect can be revived depends on this moment!"

"But what if that mysterious villain who caused us such a disaster also came here—"

"Then let's fight to the death, at all costs! We have nothing left to lose anyway!"

"--Achoo!"

For some reason, I suddenly sneezed while I was visiting troops.

"Strange, is someone talking about me...?"

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A new month also marks the start of the new school year. Best wishes to all my fellow students still in school!