The Back of the Letter

The cathedral at night was different from the cathedral by day. The steady stream of worshippers was gone. A few priests or knights occasionally hurried through the corridors, making the place seem even more solemn and quiet, its oppressive atmosphere all the more palpable.

Benjamin sat in the same confessional as before, holding Michelle's letter and waiting for the bishop to arrive.

The Church's daily work didn't seem especially busy, and the bishop soon appeared on the other side of the confessional. Of course, it was also possible that the Church took Benjamin—or rather, Michelle—very seriously, which was why he had come so quickly.

"Sir Riser, night is not a good time for confession."

The bishop spoke slowly from behind the veil. There was no reproach in his tone. He was probably just hinting that Benjamin should get to the point instead of wasting time.

Benjamin didn't beat around the bush. He spoke at once, putting on a panicked expression.

"Your Excellency, her letter has come again."

As he spoke, he handed over the letter in his hand.

The bishop took it and opened the envelope, reading the letter. His brisk movements stood in stark contrast to his earlier evasive words.

The letter wasn't long, so it took little time to read. But after finishing, the bishop said nothing. He only stared at the paper, deep in thought, his sharply defined silhouette cast upon the confessional's veil by the lamplight, his emotions impossible to read.

Benjamin waited a while. When the bishop still didn't speak, he had no choice but to speak first.

"Your Excellency, what should I do? The Prison Ruins are such a chaotic place. If I go there, she'll probably take me hostage again. Your Excellency..."

Benjamin's act was only halfway through when the bishop raised a hand and cut him off.

After silencing Benjamin, the bishop pondered for a moment before finally asking, "How did this letter arrive?"

Benjamin answered immediately. "Your Excellency, I found it under my pillow in the bedroom. It's terrifying. I never saw her, but somehow she slipped into our house without anyone knowing. Your Excellency, you must protect us."

He wanted the Church to offer him some practical protection. He wasn't asking them to lift the curse, but at least he didn't want to be completely defenseless if Michelle suddenly appeared.

"God will protect you."

With those words, the bishop turned down Benjamin's request. Before Benjamin could feel disappointed, the bishop continued, "When this letter appeared, was there anything unusual? Why didn't it burn up like the last one?"

Benjamin's heart leapt.

Damn it, he'd overlooked that.

Earlier, to win the bishop's trust, he'd fabricated a "first letter" from Michelle, claiming that it had burst into flames after he read it. But this letter showed no sign of burning at all, which did look rather suspicious.

Why had the first letter burned, but not the second?

It was no small matter. Benjamin could only regret that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

The bishop hadn't sounded particularly stern, as if he were only asking casually. But Benjamin knew that if he didn't handle this well, he would arouse the bishop's suspicion. No one would believe someone who contradicted himself.

In that instant, countless thoughts raced through Benjamin's mind again and again. He had to answer the question without showing any hesitation. If the bishop noticed him wavering, that would be worse than giving a terrible answer.

So, without time to think, he could only put on a naïve, clueless expression and reply:

"Uh... I don't know either. Why didn't it burn up like the last one?"

It wasn't a reasoned answer. Benjamin knew it wasn't even really an answer; he was just playing dumb and dodging the question. The moment the words left his mouth, regret began to take root. He regretted not being clever enough to handle the situation better...

But what was done was done. There was no use regretting it now.

He had tried his best to make his tone sound genuine, but whether the bishop would believe him was now up to fate.

Yet on the other side of the confessional, the bishop held the letter and said nothing.

Benjamin couldn't help growing nervous. He was so anxious he felt his soul might leave his body. He could imagine the bishop tearing aside the veil the very next second and shouting, "You deceiver who has lied to God! Go to hell!" Then he would burn Benjamin to ashes with Holy Light.

Benjamin had no idea what the bishop was thinking. Did he suspect him? Was he angry? Did he already know everything? Were Paladins surrounding the place, waiting for the order to seize him?

It was just like the final judgment.

The bishop's silence lasted less than twenty seconds, but to Benjamin, it felt like twenty years.

At last, he spoke. Benjamin had never thought the bishop's dull voice could sound so heartening.

"That's because she realized you are a faithful servant of God. She gave you this letter knowing you would hand it to me. She wants to use it to set a trap and take shameless revenge on the Church."

Benjamin felt as if he'd been granted a pardon.

He'd nearly been scared half to death.

Thank goodness... Thank goodness that was what the bishop thought. The worst hadn't happened. The bishop had guessed Michelle's intentions, but he didn't seem to suspect Benjamin—at least, that was how it sounded.

Benjamin didn't know whether the bishop was insufficiently vigilant or he himself was simply lucky.

Of course, perhaps the bishop had never considered that Benjamin might have ulterior motives, so the thought had never crossed his mind. Maybe Benjamin had just frightened himself.

Or perhaps the bishop only had eyes for Michelle. Whether Benjamin harbored ulterior motives made no difference to him. He only needed to figure out Michelle's intentions and focus on dealing with her. Benjamin was just a kid in his teens, and the bishop didn't take him seriously at all.

Let's hope so. Let's hope the bishop never takes me seriously, Benjamin thought.

"Your Excellency, should I still go to the Lower District in five days?" He kept up his act of panic, testing the bishop's intentions.

"No need. It's her trap. We definitely won't find her there," the bishop replied calmly.

Hearing that, Benjamin found himself troubled again.

Michelle's previous letter had said, "Give the second page to the bishop of St. Peter's Cathedral and convince him to believe what it says." The bishop wasn't suspicious of Benjamin, but he no longer believed the letter. Benjamin didn't know whether Michelle would be satisfied with that.

He couldn't exactly say he didn't know. In truth, he understood perfectly well that the bishop seeing through Michelle's plan would make her angry. And if Michelle got angry, he would suffer for it.

Besides, this went against his own "playing the victim" plan.

He had to find a way to convince the bishop... At the very least, Benjamin had to persuade him to send people to the Prison Ruins that day. Even if just one knight went with Benjamin and got beaten black and blue, that should be enough to make Michelle think he was still obeying her.

After weighing it over and over, Benjamin had no choice but to steel himself and act as Michelle's "advocate."

"But, Your Excellency, are we really going to let her get away with this? She wants revenge on the Church. She must leave traces there. We can't just let her go. Your Excellency, God's servants have never feared the Fallen who are tempted by demons!"

It wasn't easy to advocate for Michelle, and Benjamin could only manage a few strained words. They had to be persuasive, but not make the bishop suspicious, and he couldn't seem too clever either. After much deliberation, Benjamin had finally come up with this argument from a "theological" angle.

"You're right. God's servants have never feared the demons' lackeys." But when it came to "theology," the bishop was still a cut above him. "However, demons have always been cunning. We cannot blunder into their trap for nothing. God is powerful and wise. He watches over every faithful servant and never allows a pointless sacrifice. Therefore, we should not put ourselves in danger."

Benjamin was speechless. Clearly, the bishop was still wary of Michelle's exaggerated strength.

He really wanted to tell the bishop that Michelle's magical abilities weren't all that impressive. She couldn't even beat a squad of Purifiers. But he held back. The Church had extracted his memories, and his memories of hiding from the Purifiers with Michelle weren't among those they had extracted.

All he could do was watch Michelle wave around her nonexistent leverage and steal the show in her struggle against the Church.

To be honest, as long as Benjamin helped the Church kill Michelle, the Church would naturally help him lift the curse. But the Church was being so cautious that Benjamin wasn't confident they could kill Michelle for good.

If they didn't kill her for good, he would be the one to suffer. So he could only waver between the two sides, torn and conflicted.

"In that case, Your Excellency, could you give me some more protection? This witch is so brazen. I'm very worried about my family's safety. Today, she could put a letter under my bedroom pillow. If she abducts me tomorrow, I won't be able to provide any more information to God." After hesitating briefly, he shifted his aim and said this instead.

Wavering had its downsides, but it could also have its benefits. For now, Benjamin could only try to get whatever he could.

As for whether Michelle would be unhappy if her plan failed, that wasn't something he could afford to consider right now. He couldn't persuade the bishop, and if he kept pushing, the bishop might start doubting his motives and loyalty.

Honestly, this visit to the cathedral felt like an even greater failure than the last one. If he couldn't get something out of the bishop this time, he couldn't go on living like this. He might as well try smashing his head against a pillar and see if he could get back to his own world.

"God will never overlook a single faithful believer." The bishop seemed to realize that he ought to give Benjamin something. After a brief silence, he passed a Cross Necklace to Benjamin through the veil. "This token has been imbued with divine power. It can protect you from any demonic force. But keep in mind that the divine power within it can only sustain three uses. After that, it will no longer be able to dispel witchcraft."

Ha! This was exactly what he wanted!

The gloom lifted from Benjamin's heart, and he eagerly accepted the Cross Necklace.

With this, Michelle could still threaten him with the curse, but at least she couldn't abduct him again—not without using a Binding Spell. There was no way she could tie him up without making a sound. He had a mouth, and he could shout.

Besides, Michelle didn't know about this necklace. That meant it could be his trump card, just like last time, letting him turn the tables at a critical moment.

With someone as cunning as Michelle, the real danger wasn't someone stronger than her, but something she didn't know about.

"If you hold the cross in your hand and pray, you can also alert the nearest knight patrol. They will come to help you," the bishop added before Benjamin had even finished celebrating. "But this function can only be used three times as well, so don't use it unless your life is in danger."

At that, Benjamin grew even more excited, gazing at the cross in his hand as if it were a treasure.

In an online game, this would be god-tier gear! It granted magic immunity and could summon powerful reinforcements. It didn't even take up an equipment slot, even without any stat bonuses!

This thing would be his get-out-of-death-free card from now on!

"Thank God for his grace." Overcome with excitement, Benjamin felt that he said it a hundred times more sincerely than he ever had before.

"As long as you pray devoutly, God will protect you," the bishop said mildly. "All right, you've spent enough time confessing. I'll have a knight escort you home. Today's confession will remain only in the memories of God, you, and me. No one else will ever know."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Benjamin said nothing more and nodded in agreement. He had done all he could and was ready to leave. The bishop's dismissal suited him just fine.

Now that he'd gotten something good, he had nothing else to ask for.

Benjamin stood and left the confessional. The bishop inside did nothing, but a knight soon entered and respectfully escorted Benjamin out of the cathedral.

And so, though things hadn't gone entirely according to plan, Benjamin left the cathedral reasonably satisfied.

As for the bishop, he remained seated in the confessional, motionless and silent, until Benjamin had left completely.

Another knight came over and stood beside the confessional, softly calling, "Your Excellency."

The bishop waved a hand, signaling the knight not to speak.

So the knight fell silent too, joining the bishop in their strange, wordless stillness.

"What is she trying to do?"

Suddenly, the bishop gazed at the letter in his hand, his voice echoing from the confessional to the vaulted ceiling of the hall.

A look of astonishment appeared on the knight's face. He wanted to answer, but quickly realized the bishop wasn't speaking to him. So he chose to remain silent.

As the bishop muttered to himself, he raised his palm. A golden flame appeared out of thin air in his hand, its light wavering, brilliant and holy.

With his other hand, he held the letter above the flame, letting it warm there in silence.

The knight stared at the letter, curious but not daring to ask. As time passed, the firelight fell across his face, and his expression grew more and more astonished.

"This is..." In the end, he was so shocked that he couldn't help speaking.

The bishop's voice remained as calm as a dead man's as he said,

"A message from the Fallen."

On the back of the letter, a line of text that hadn't been there before now silently appeared.