The Back of the Letter

The Grand Cathedral was different at night; the endless stream of believers was gone. The occasional priest or knight hurrying through the corridors only made the place feel more serene, solemn, and heavy with an oppressive atmosphere.

Benjamin sat in the same confessional as before, clutching Michelle's letter in his hand, waiting for the bishop to arrive.

The Church's daily routine did not seem particularly busy, as the bishop soon arrived on the other side of the confessional. Of course, it was also possible that the Church placed great importance on Benjamin—no, rather, on Michelle—which was why he had come so quickly.

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

Through the thin veil, he heard the bishop speak slowly. There was no hint of reproach in his tone; it was likely just a suggestion for Benjamin to speak his mind and not waste time.

Benjamin did not beat around the bush. He spoke immediately, putting on a panicked expression:

"Bishop, her letter has come again."

As he spoke, he passed the envelope through the opening.

The bishop took the item and tore open the envelope to read it. His efficient movements stood in stark contrast to his earlier dismissive words.

The letter was short, so it did not take long to read. However, after finishing it, the bishop remained silent. He stared at the stationery, lost in thought, his deep silhouette cast against the veil of the confessional, his mood unreadable.

Benjamin waited quietly for a moment. When the bishop still did not speak, he had no choice but to break the silence himself:

"Bishop, what should I do? The Prison Ruins are such a chaotic place. If I go, I fear I will be held hostage by her again. Bishop..."

Benjamin was only halfway through his performance when the bishop waved a hand to interrupt him.

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

Benjamin replied immediately: "Bishop, I found it under my pillow in the bedroom. It is truly terrifying. I never saw a shadow of her; she slipped into our house without a sound. Bishop, you must protect us."

He wanted to secure some tangible protection from the Church. Even if they wouldn't help him break the curse, at least they could ensure he wouldn't be completely defenseless if Michelle suddenly appeared.

"God will protect you."

With a single sentence, the bishop blocked Benjamin's request. Before Benjamin could even feel disappointed, he heard the bishop continue: "Were there any anomalies when this letter appeared? Why didn't it spontaneously combust like the last one?"

Benjamin's heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, he had overlooked that.

Previously, to gain the bishop's trust, he had fabricated the "first letter" from Michelle, claiming it had spontaneously combusted after he finished reading it. However, this letter showed no signs of burning, which was indeed suspicious.

Why would the first letter burn but not the second?

This was no small issue. Benjamin regretted not thinking of it sooner.

Although the bishop's tone did not sound overly severe—as if he were just asking casually—Benjamin knew that if he didn't handle this well, it would surely arouse the bishop's suspicion. No one would trust someone who contradicted himself.

In that instant, countless thoughts raced through Benjamin's mind. He had to answer, and he couldn't show any hesitation. If the bishop sensed hesitation, it would be worse than giving a bad answer.

Therefore, with no time to think, he could only put on an ignorant, confused expression and replied:

"Uh... this, I don't know either. Why didn't it burn like the last time?"

It was not a well-reasoned answer. Benjamin knew it wasn't even an answer at all; he was just playing dumb. As soon as the words left his mouth, regret began to sprout. He regretted not being clever enough to handle the situation better...

However, the die was cast; regretting it now was useless.

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

On the other side of the confessional, the bishop held the letter and remained silent.

Benjamin couldn't help but grow nervous; he was so tense he felt as if his soul might leave his body. He felt that in the next second, the bishop might rip away the veil and shout at him, "You deceitful liar who mocks God! Go to hell!" and then burn him to ashes with Holy Light.

Benjamin had no idea what the bishop was thinking. Was he suspicious? Was he angry? Did he already know everything? Were there already Holy Knights surrounding the area, waiting for a single command to take him down?

It felt like the final judgment.

The bishop's silence lasted no more than twenty seconds, but to Benjamin, it felt as long as twenty years.

Finally, he spoke, and Benjamin had never found that dull voice so exhilarating:

"That is because she has discovered you are a loyal servant of God. She gave you this letter knowing you would bring it to me. She wants to use this to set a trap and carry out a shameless revenge against the Church."

Benjamin felt as if he had been granted a pardon.

He had been scared half to death.

Thank goodness... thank goodness that was what he thought. The worst-case scenario hadn't happened; the bishop had guessed Michelle's intent without becoming suspicious of Benjamin—at least, that was how it sounded.

He didn't know whether to say the bishop wasn't vigilant enough or that he himself was just too lucky.

Of course, perhaps the bishop had never once considered that Benjamin might have ulterior motives, so he never even went down that path; Benjamin had just been scaring himself.

Or perhaps, the bishop only had eyes for Michelle. Whether Benjamin had ulterior motives didn't matter to him. He only needed to deduce Michelle's intent and focus on dealing with her. He didn't consider a teenage boy like Benjamin worth his attention.

Let's hope so. Let's hope I am never worth the bishop's attention, Benjamin thought.

"Bishop, in five days, should I still go to the Lower District..." He didn't end his panicked performance, continuing to probe the bishop's thoughts.

"No need. This is her trap; you will absolutely not find her there," the bishop replied calmly.

Hearing this, Benjamin felt a headache coming on.

Michelle's previous letter had said: "Give the second page to the bishop of St. Peter's Cathedral and convince him to believe the contents." Now, the bishop didn't suspect him, but he didn't believe the letter either. Benjamin didn't know if this outcome would satisfy Michelle.

He couldn't say he didn't know; in fact, he was very clear that the bishop seeing through Michelle's plan would definitely make her angry. If Michelle was angry, he would be the one to suffer.

Moreover, this contradicted his own "bitter flesh" plan.

He had to find a way to convince the bishop... at least, Benjamin had to convince him to send someone to the Prison Ruins that day. Even if only one knight ended up battered and bruised alongside him, it should be enough to make Michelle feel he was still obedient.

After much deliberation, Benjamin had to bite the bullet and act as Michelle's "lobbyist":

"But, Bishop, are we just going to let her go? She wants to take revenge on the Church; she will surely leave traces there. We cannot just let her go. Bishop, the servants of God never fear those who have fallen to the devil's temptations!"

Being Michelle's lobbyist was not easy; Benjamin could only force out these words. They had to be persuasive without making the bishop suspicious, and he couldn't appear too clever. Benjamin weighed his words carefully before delivering this speech from a "theological" perspective.

"You are right; the servants of God never fear the devil's lackeys." However, when it came to discussing "theology," the bishop was ultimately more skilled. "But the devil is always cunning, and we cannot fall into their traps in vain. God is powerful and wise. God observes every loyal servant and would never demand a senseless 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 prowess was actually mediocre—she couldn't even beat a squad of Purifiers—but he held back. Don't forget, the Church had extracted his memories, and his memories of hiding from the Purifiers with Michelle were not among those the Church had taken.

He could only watch helplessly as Michelle brandished chips she didn't actually have, stealing the spotlight in her conflict with the Church.

To be honest, if Benjamin just helped the Church kill Michelle, the Church would naturally help him remove the curse. But the Church's actions were so restricted that Benjamin had no confidence they could actually finish her off.

If they couldn't kill Michelle, he would be the one to suffer. Thus, he could only sway between the two sides, feeling incredibly conflicted.

"In that case, Bishop, could you grant me more protection? This witch is so unscrupulous; I am very worried about the safety of my family and myself. She could put a letter under my pillow today; if she kidnaps me tomorrow, I won't be able to provide information to God anymore." After a brief hesitation, he shifted his goal and said this.

Swaying had its downsides, but of course, it had its benefits. Benjamin could only try his best to secure some advantages now.

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

Honestly, he felt this trip to the cathedral was much less successful than the last one. If he couldn't get some benefits from the bishop, he wouldn't be able to go on living like this; he might as well try banging his head against a pillar to see if he could transmigrate back.

"God naturally will not ignore any loyal believer." The bishop seemed to realize that it wouldn't be right to give Benjamin nothing. Therefore, after a brief silence, he passed a Cross Necklace to Benjamin through the veil. "This is a token infused with divine power. It can protect you from the encroachment of any demonic forces. However, be aware that the divine power within can only support three uses. After three times, it will lose its ability to repel witchcraft."

Ha! This was exactly what he wanted!

Benjamin's gloom vanished, and he joyfully accepted the cross.

With this, even though Michelle could still threaten him with the curse, at least she couldn't kidnap him again—it was impossible to kidnap him without a Binding Spell without him noticing, and he had a mouth; he would scream.

Moreover, this cross was something Michelle didn't know about. Therefore, it could become his trump card, just like last time, to turn the tables at a critical moment.

For someone as cunning as Michelle, she didn't fear those stronger than her; she feared what she didn't know.

"If you hold the cross in your hand and pray in your heart, you can also alert the nearest knight patrol. They will rush over to help you." Before Benjamin finished rejoicing, he heard the bishop add, "However, this function can also only be used three times, so do not use it unless your life is in danger."

Hearing this, Benjamin was even more excited, looking at the cross in his hand like a treasure.

In an online game, this would be god-tier gear! Not only could it provide magic immunity, but it could also summon powerful backup. Even without stat bonuses, it didn't take up an equipment slot!

This thing would be his "get out of jail free" card from now on!

"Thank you for God's grace." With an excited heart, Benjamin felt this sentence was a hundred times more sincere than usual.

"As long as you pray devoutly, God will protect you," the bishop said faintly. "Very well, your time for confession is sufficient. I will have a knight escort you back. Today's confession exists only in the memories of God, you, and me; no one else will ever know."

"Yes, Bishop." Benjamin said nothing more, nodding in agreement. He had done what he could and was ready to leave; the bishop's dismissal was exactly what he wanted.

Having obtained the goods, he had no other requests.

Benjamin stood up and walked out of the confessional. The bishop in the confessional did nothing, and a knight walked in, respectfully escorting Benjamin out of the cathedral.

Just like that, although things didn't go exactly as planned, Benjamin left the cathedral feeling relatively satisfied.

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

Another knight walked over, stood by the confessional, and called out softly: "Bishop."

The bishop waved his hand, signaling the knight to be silent.

The knight had no choice but to remain silent, standing in an eerie, wordless state alongside the bishop.

"What exactly is she trying to do?"

Suddenly, the bishop looked at the letter in his hand, his voice echoing from the confessional to the dome 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. Therefore, he chose to remain silent.

The bishop muttered to himself while raising his palm. Out of thin air, a ball of golden flame appeared in his palm, flickering, brilliant and holy.

With his other hand, he placed the stationery above the flame, quietly roasting it.

The knight stared at the stationery, curious but not daring to ask. As time passed, the firelight reflected on his face, revealing an expression that grew increasingly surprised.

"This is..." Ultimately, he couldn't help but speak in shock.

The bishop's voice remained as calm as a dead man's:

"A message from the fallen."

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