Hopeless Resistance: Part Seven

"... How boring."

Leaning against the window, gazing at the soft night outside, Angela couldn't help but purse her lips.

"Boring?"

Fina poured herself a cup of black tea and asked curiously.

"Miss Angela, haven't you been having a lot of fun lately? What's there to be bored about?"

Unlike Mina, Fina, having fully accepted her identity, is no longer as afraid of Angela as before. On the contrary, she even takes the initiative to speak to Angela, and of course, she also observes certain master-servant etiquette.

"I'm not referring to now."

Angela turned around, sat on the sofa, and idly swung her legs around.

"I was just thinking about what happened before, so I felt a little bored?"

"Before...?"

Fina tilted her head curiously, trying to recall the events. However, she couldn't recall anything particularly boring. Of course, the Hell training from Suoxiate was definitely not included.

"I was referring to the weapons."

Angela picked up the teacup, glanced at the black tea inside, and then put it back down. It wasn't that Fina had brewed it poorly; it was simply that she wasn't in the mood to taste it.

"Apart from Sister Nia, the other weapons are really rude!"

"Why?"

Hearing Angela's complaint, Fina was slightly taken aback. She quickly understood her thoughts. Although the sisters weren't from the Magic Empire, they had lived in Ringwraith City for quite some time and knew Li Lin and the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys fairly well. Fina and Mina were closest to Nia. While Suoxiate always wore a smile, anyone who spent a little time with her would realize it was just a mask, especially since Fina and Mina had received her "care" for so long; it was hard not to see her true colors. Nia, however, was different. She possessed a similar aura to Li Lin, making everyone unconsciously want to be close to her. Furthermore, like Li Lin, Nia was always gentle and rarely acted rashly, making her quite popular.

Having lived in Ringwraith City for a long time, Fina was quite familiar with the Arcane Mage and the seven weapons he created. In fact, Fina also held a deep respect for Nia. After all, although she was a weapon, she was still a woman. A woman wandering the world for a thousand years, waiting for her master's return, was undoubtedly a romantic story. After that, Nia and Li Lin were practically inseparable, a truly heartwarming relationship. However, the other weapons were clearly not like that. Suoxiate, as the head maid, rarely appeared before Li Lin. Kalin spent her days wandering around her forest with the elves, showing no regard for her master. And Yi Aier devoted all her energy to researching weapons—and perhaps, of course, harbored some fantasies.

This was clearly not something Angela should praise. She knew very little about the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys. Moreover, she herself was Li Lin's familiar. Now that her master had returned to this world and retrieved these weapons, only Nia was constantly by Li Lin's side. The other weapons seemed to completely disregard Li Lin master, and Li Lin remained unmoved. This greatly displeased Angela. Although she hadn't demanded that the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys be constantly by Li Lin's side, their current indifference towards their Angela filled her with resentment.

"The master is really something, why did he have to create such a boring thing?"

"I think you've been expecting too much, Miss Angela."

After understanding Angela's thoughts, Fina burst out laughing, and at the same time used her Burning Hands again to warm up the teacup that had gone cold.

"Sometimes, people's emotions aren't so obvious... Well, although I admit those ladies aren't human, I think maybe they're expressing their feelings in their own way."

Is that so?

Angela frowned slightly, but ultimately her expression did not soften.

"As my master's familiar, I don't want to say anything to those impolite weapons, but... I just dislike their attitude of not respecting their master."

"But I think the master knows them so well, perhaps he also understands..."

At this point, Fina suddenly shut her mouth, as if she were listening intently to something.

"Is it that guy?"

Angela's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Yes, please wait a moment, Miss Angela, I'll be right back."

Catherine had been living in this room for two days, and no one had come to see her. Apart from the three meals delivered by the priest, she hadn't seen a single person. As the saying goes, when one is well-fed and warm, one thinks of lust. In the past few days, Catherine had spent most of her time being disciplined by Angela, and even back in her cell, the rough food and cold floor left her no time to think about anything else. But now, living in such a comfortable room, with sumptuous meals, eating and drinking didn't take much time. Although Catherine had tried meditation and prayer, several prayers still went unanswered. If before it was due to a lack of strength or energy, now she had plenty of strength and had rested sufficiently, yet she still couldn't get a response from the gods.

Have the gods abandoned me?

Unlike before, with each prayer Catherine now prays, her despair deepens. And remarkably, for the first time in her life, she has even given up her morning prayers.

What should I do?

What will I become?

Could this also be a test from the gods?

Or have the gods already abandoned me?

Just as Catherine was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door.

"Your Highness, is there anything you need?"

"Ah, no. I..."

Hearing the sound, Catherine was startled. She had only been curious and wanted to test where the other person was. After all, it was just a small bell, and the sound it made was hard to hear even in a room. But she never expected that the other person would respond so quickly.

"I..."

An embarrassed Catherine didn't know what to say. She couldn't very well say something like, "Sorry, I was just bored."

"I'd like to ask, I've been here for two days now, when will it start...?!"

For some reason, Catherine blurted out a question she thought she would never ask. Although she realized her change of heart at the end and quickly shut her mouth, the meaning behind her question was already very clear.

"That's up to Miss Angela."

Fina answered calmly, without saying much, but in fact, her feelings were somewhat complicated as she gazed at the saintess before her.

Regardless, they had all been clergy members before, and naturally had seen this saintess. Her holy beauty back then was still deeply etched in Fina's heart. But now... she had to admit, seeing this saintess make such a lewd gesture filled Fina with a mixture of disappointment and excitement.

That's right. Even the saintess couldn't resist Miss Angela; her choice was absolutely correct. Although the saintess herself hasn't realized it yet, she has already begun her descent into corruption.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

With that, Fina turned and left. At this moment, Suoxiate's teachings were clearly evident—as a maid, unless you are particularly close to someone, never ask for their thoughts; once your task is complete, leave immediately. It must be said that although Suoxiate's teachings were cruel, they were deeply ingrained in their very being, unforgettable.

"Ah..."

Seeing the other person leave, Catherine opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, she said nothing and let the other person go.

What should I do?

Should we continue to resist?

Or... give in?

Catherine stared blankly at the scenery outside the window; the firm resolve she had shown just days before was now beginning to crumble.

At that moment, Li Lin, who was in his study pondering how to deal with the "Pillar of Magic Essence," frowned deeply.

It was obvious that the remnants of this biological weapon were difficult to deal with. Although he had considered using methods similar to those on Earth, biological pollution was a global problem, and even on Earth, a contaminated environment couldn't be restored overnight. Moreover, the pollution from the "Pillar of Magic Essence" was quite insidious, unlike oil spills or air pollution, which were more obvious. Destruction was always the easiest thing to do, but restoration was extremely difficult.

Even with the Ghoul army proposed by Angela, Li Lin carefully inquired about the characteristics and dangers of Ghoul before making a decision. As for the Pillar of Magic Essence, which is even more dangerous than an army of Ghoul, Li Lin would rather destroy it than use it if he couldn't handle it properly.

"Failed again."

Looking at the lingering, shimmering dust in his hand, Li Lin sighed. The reason he hadn't returned to Ringwraith City these past few days, instead staying in this temporary "Demon King's Castle," was to find peace and quiet and see if there was a way to deal with the Pillar of Magic Essence. But he had failed once again. This substance would change upon contact with magical sediment, transforming the sediment into a potent poison. Li Lin's initial plan was to start with the antidote. If he could neutralize the toxin, he could create medicine that granted immunity to it. Then, by spreading it, the poison from the Pillar of Magic Essence could be eliminated.

However, this approach is completely unworkable. This poison is a potent toxin produced by the Pillar of Magic Essence drawing upon magical matter, meaning that to cure it, one would have to eliminate everything magical from the poisoned individual. This is something Li Lin absolutely cannot accept. The Magic Empire has gone to great lengths to create individuals with magical talent; if the potential to become a mage is also eliminated while curing the poison, it would be a huge loss.

However, when it doesn't come into contact with magical remnants, the substance emitted by the Pillar of Magic Essence is practically harmless; you could drink a whole bucket of it without any risk other than dying from overeating. What infuriated Li Lin even more was that it only reacted toxicly to magical remnants, showing absolutely no reaction to other substances. He even began to regret having the audacity to create such an annoying thing.

"If we can't handle it, we'll have to have Nia and Suoxiate destroy it completely when we get back."

After yet another failed experiment, Li Lin rubbed his throbbing forehead, stood up, walked to the window, and gazed silently at the beautiful night view outside.

What troubled him wasn't just the Pillar of Magic Essence; in some ways, the news Nia had brought him was even more troubling for Li Lin.

"I originally planned to go see her after this was over, but I didn't expect the little one to be even more anxious than me..."

Li Lin sighed and shook his head.

Nia clearly knew, and Li Lin naturally knew as well, that among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, only one person had managed to "fight" his way up.

"Anna... this little one is always causing us so much trouble."

Of course, Li Lin admitted that it was definitely a problem with his teaching methods, but it was hard to blame him entirely. No matter how human-like the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, they were ultimately just weapons. Even a gentle girl like Nia, or a lively girl like Yi Aier who loved to daydream, wouldn't react to seeing someone die in front of them. They were born to fight, so naturally they wouldn't have the same understanding of taking lives as humans. But this little guy's personality was quite troublesome even among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, not to mention that Angela was with him now.

Nia and Suoxiate definitely knew this, which is why they were prepared not to interfere—truly in line with their personalities. However, this was a problem for Li Lin. Both sides were extremely possessive and ruthless in killing each other on sight. If they met under these circumstances, who knew what kind of bloodshed might ensue? But if Angela was warned beforehand, the little one certainly wouldn't listen, and when her rebellious streak kicked in, things might become even more complicated.

"This is such a headache..."

Li Lin shook his head again, but ultimately decided to leave it at that. Angela was powerful, but the little one was no match for her either. Plus, their methods of killing were similar, so even if they fought, it would be difficult to determine a winner quickly. Moreover, both little ones were immortal; even if they suffered minor cuts and blood loss...

Let them be.

Li Lin sighed helplessly, then sat back down at the table and resumed his research.

The cold wind was like a knife.

Bright moonlight spilled across the earth, illuminating the once-dark forest. At this moment, the paladins still held torches in the Black Forest, searching for traces of their companions.

"Captain, it's been so many days, and we still haven't been able to find him..."

"Stop talking!"

The leading paladin interrupted his subordinate.

"Keep searching, we won't give up! Keep searching, we're sure we'll find something, there are so many people, it's impossible to find nothing..."

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out, interrupting him.

"Captain! We've found signs of someone camping here!"

Hearing this, the paladin had no time to say anything more. He quickly gripped his longsword and strode towards the direction of the sound. Soon, they arrived at their destination, where the two paladins responsible for the search were showing excited expressions. Beneath their feet was indeed a patch of ground that had been deliberately prepared. Although some time had passed, anyone with a little adventure experience could tell from the way the ground was prepared and the stones were arranged that this was definitely not a natural arrangement. Moreover, paladins usually marked their campsites in the wild, and this was a mark they had found.

"Captain, this must have been left by them!"

"But how did they get here?"

"And judging from the number of people, there don't seem to be many at all?"

This was indeed very difficult for the paladins to understand. Their mission was to escort the saintess to the Holy Autonomous Territory; if they had gotten lost or disappeared, that would be one thing. But how could they have found traces of their camp deep in this forest? What was going on? If they had been attacked, why didn't they immediately retreat to the Holy Autonomous Territory?

"Could it be that the other side kidnapped the princess, and the rest of the people went after them?"

This is a perfectly reasonable guess. To be honest, even if these paladins in charge of the search were in the same position back then, they would never have just watched the princess be captured and retreated; they would have followed closely behind. However, in any case, such an important matter should have been reported back to the Holy Autonomous Territory. They couldn't possibly be so impulsive as to forget such a rule.

"Continue the search!!"

Thinking of this, the captain suddenly waved his hand.

"Look around, there must be something else left behind!"

"Yes!"

The other paladins immediately answered seriously, and then they turned to leave, but soon they stopped.

Before these paladins stood a petite girl dressed in black long robes. Her long, jet-black hair seemed to have absorbed even the darkness of night, and her overly long bangs covered her eyes. The girl was currently struggling intensely, breathing heavily, and appeared to be completely exhausted.

Who is it?!

Out of alert, the lead paladin immediately drew his longsword and took two steps back. How could they, with their strength, have failed to notice a little girl appearing behind them?!

"Cough... cough cough..."

However, when faced with their questions, the girl coughed violently. She gasped for breath several times before slowly straightening up, looking at the paladins, and asking them.

"Big brothers, have you seen Father?"

"Father?"

The paladins exchanged puzzled glances. Was she a lost child? But her appearance was far too strange.

"No...?"

Seeing that the other party did not answer, the girl sighed softly and asked again.

"So, is big brother a member of the Five-Nation Alliance?"

Although this question is also strange, it is much easier to answer than the previous one.

"No, we are paladins belonging to the Temple."

"Temple... Paladin..."

The girl's body kept swaying, and even though they were on the opposite side of her, the paladins worried that she might suddenly go limp and faint.

"God... Paladin... God's messenger... not the enemy... So, Anna is leaving. Goodbye, big brothers..."

As she spoke, the girl turned around unsteadily, about to leave. Just then, one of the paladins suddenly spoke up.

"Who are you! What is your relationship with the Five-Nation Alliance! Answer me immediately!"

"The Five-Nation Alliance... is an enemy... Father's enemy... is Anna's enemy..."

Upon hearing the girl's melodious reply, the paladins were all taken aback. They exchanged glances and immediately decided to take action.

"Well then, miss, it's so late, it would be dangerous for you to be alone in the forest. Why don't we..."

However, his words ended there. The paladin, still with his outstretched hand, collapsed to the ground with a thud. At that moment, the girl's figure had appeared beside the corpse without anyone noticing.

"Killing intent... Big brother wants to bully Anna... cough cough... Anna hates being bullied..."

Her petite body continued to tremble violently, like a withered leaf in a storm.

"Anyone who bullies Anna must die..."

With this emotionless statement, a massacre ensued.