The Corroded Wall Around Her Heart

Staring into the pitch-black cave, the priestess felt a wave of dizziness. Cold sweat clung to her thin clothes, making them stick tightly to her body, but she felt no discomfort. Therefore, at that moment, her focus was not on that issue at all.

(Why would I have such a dream...?)

Recalling her dream, the pastor blushed with shame. It was an experience she had never had before; the terrifying and licentious scenes in the dream were simply unimaginable to her. In the dream, she lay naked on a velvet bed, trembling with excitement, receiving caresses from a man. Although she desperately tried to control her body, she was completely out of control in the dream. A powerful force seemed to suppress her true abilities, preventing her from doing anything she desired. Moreover, the ambiguous, warm atmosphere of the dream prevented her from thinking as she usually did, even giving her the illusion that she was about to melt away completely.

(Cheer up! This must be an illusion, just a dream. Don't let it affect you!!)

The female priest patted her face vigorously, then stepped outside the cave. She used the cold snow to stimulate her nerves, trying to use external force to drive away the lingering heat within her. The icy wind immediately cleared her somewhat dazed mind, reminding her that this was not the time to daydream.

"You will get sick, Miss Priest."

Li Lin's voice suddenly came from behind the female pastor, startling her. The pastor reflexively turned around and warily stared at the man behind her.

"Mr. Li Lin, you..."

"I was on night watch, have you forgotten?"

Li Lin emerged from the shadow of the boulder, his expression calm. Surprisingly, although the female priest could feel his gaze, she didn't seem bothered. However, Li Lin's gaze only lingered politely on the female priest for a moment before turning back into the shadows beside him.

"Miss Pastor, you should get some rest, and... I don't want anything to happen to any of us."

"Ah..."

At Li Lin's gentle reminder, the female priest realized that she was only wearing a thin long robe underneath. Priests' clothing was not as simple as that of warriors. Even this kind of clothing, suitable for walking in the mountains and wilderness, was merely a robe with a widened hem and leather bindings to tighten the loose parts. Moreover, the female priest's outer robe, which had been covering her body, was now thrown aside, indicating that she hadn't noticed it was on without realizing it. Although the inner garment also followed the Temple's conservative style, for the female priest, even this level of exposure was too much for her.

I'm so sorry to have troubled you.

The pastor immediately turned around, went back to the fire, and put on her robe. Meanwhile, Geligao Li remained fast asleep, showing no signs of being disturbed.

You don't look well.

Li Lin's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the pastor's ears.

Did you have a nightmare?

"A little."

The female priest took a deep breath, realizing her body was covered in cold sweat, clinging uncomfortably to her skin. She immediately cast a spell to keep warm and prevent herself from falling ill. After all, in such frigid conditions, illness could easily occur if one wasn't careful. And for the three currently in a dangerous situation, any illness would be detrimental. Moreover, they didn't have enough time to recuperate. Their primary objective was to find and destroy the undead creatures' Manipulator, or at least uncover their purpose. Judging from the current situation, neither task would be easy. The creatures had clearly discovered their presence, and they hadn't yet found the Manipulator; this war of attrition was unsuitable for a prolonged battle.

"Mr. Li Lin, you also need to rest. After all, the injury to your hand is quite serious."

"Thanks to your divine magic, I'm almost fully recovered."

Li Lin raised his hand and waved twice at the female pastor.

"Compared to me, someone who went head-to-head with the giant bear should be more worried... I wonder if he'll be recovered by tomorrow."

Geligao Li was the most seriously injured of the three; the muscles in his wrist were torn, even affecting his joints. The bear's attack had also severely damaged his internal organs. He didn't possess Li Lin's superhuman physique, so Geligao Li remained asleep. Although the priestess had cast a healing spell on him, the healing effect of such spells was ultimately limited, and given the severity of Geligao Li's injuries, it was difficult to say he would recover overnight.

However, the three of them also understood that this place was definitely not a place to stay for long.

If they were blocked here by the undead, they wouldn't be able to hold out for long with no way out. However, the priestess wasn't a saint, and the divine spells she could use each day were extremely limited. As a priestess with rich adventure experience but not particularly high energy, she was under immense pressure. Especially in such an elite squad, if she couldn't keep up, the problem would become very serious.

"I also hope that Geligao Li can recover soon..."

The pastor looked at Geligao Li, her expression softening considerably. Li Lin, who had witnessed all of this, smiled slightly.

"Have you been traveling together for a long time?"

"Yes, Mr. Li Lin."

The pastor, having put her robes back on, sat before the fire and sighed softly.

"Geligao Li was the first captain of an adventure party I met after leaving the Temple, and he was the one who accepted me into their group and let me travel with them. To be honest, traveling with these experienced adventurers was a very painful experience at first. They always prioritized their own lives, which was not easy for me to understand at the time. But Geligao Li helped me adapt to this harsh life of adventure... In a way, he was my teacher."

"It's obvious you like him a lot."

Li Lin leaned against the boulder, a half-smile on his face, watching the slightly flushed female pastor before him.

"You love him?"

"Why?"

Upon hearing Li Lin's question, the pastor's eyes widened in surprise. She looked at Li Lin as if she couldn't believe it, and after several seconds, she hurriedly waved her hand.

"No, it's not what you think, Mr. Li Lin. I only regard him as a respectable elder brother, not..."

"You like him, and it's in a romantic way."

The pastor's words did not escape Li Lin's notice; he had seen far too much of this kind of thing and was extremely experienced.

"Why not be honest with yourself? What kind of life do you think we live? Like today, if we had been even a little slower, you'd probably be confessing your feelings to him while lying in your grave. Or is it that you care more about your faith? I don't recall the God of Justice having a rule against his followers marrying."

"... That's not the case."

The pastor gently shook her head. Perhaps Li Lin's words touched her heartstrings, or perhaps some unknown force was pushing her; at this moment, she appeared exceptionally weak.

"I'm just scared... I don't know if I should tell him how I feel. Geligao Li has always treated me as a reliable companion; he hasn't seen me as a woman like other men do. I'm worried that maybe he doesn't feel that way at all. So, if I speak up but don't get a response, then..."

At this point, the female pastor brought her legs together and hugged herself tightly.

"I don't know if I should do this."

"That's exactly the kind of thing only a woman who's never experienced a man's touch would think about."

Angela looked at the illusion before her with disdain.

"What a naive woman! She's incredibly innocent. She should be stripped naked and thrown into the slums; I guarantee she'll change her naive mind in thirty seconds."

Why hasn't Master made a move yet?

Yi Aier stared anxiously at the scene inside the cave reflected in the illusion, clutching her skirt tightly.

"This woman's going to die sooner or later anyway. Why not just pounce on her and finish her off?"

"Our master is a proponent of refined manners."

Suoxiate gave her assessment with her usual smile.

"This little girl is no match for her owner. Why act so rudely? Politeness and elegance are the mark of a civilized person."

"Exactly, do you think every woman is like you, that you can just force yourself on her and have sex with anyone, you milk cow?"

Angela glared fiercely at Yi Aier.

"I really don't know how Master could create a 'weapon of lust' like you. No man wants a woman who's too eager, which is probably why Master hasn't even touched you yet. Look at the lewd things that are going on in your head."

"Nonsense! Our master values us, that's why he cherishes us. Unlike you, Miss Angela, you're more like toilet paper that the master uses and then throws away. He's already tired of you, and who knows, you might be abandoned someday..."

"... Want to die, you horny cow?"

"It's the nasty brat who needs to be taught a lesson!"

"Both of you, quiet down."

Despite the tense situation that was about to escalate, Suoxiate remained calm and composed.

"Master already has a next move in mind, huh?"

"Why?"

Both sides, who were already in a state of preparation for battle, immediately looked at the illusion in front of them upon hearing this. There, Li Lin had already stood up and walked to the female priest's side.

"I didn't originally intend to bring this up now."

Seeing the pastor's puzzled look, Li Lin sighed slightly and then spoke.

"Before we left, I received orders from Her Highness the Saint."

"Lady Catherine?"

Upon hearing Catherine's name, the priestess immediately tensed up. After all, Saint M. Hetushu. com. com was an idol to all clergy, and it was rare for her to behave this way.

"That's right. Her Highness told me that you are a very promising clergyman, but dark clouds loom ahead of you. She is worried that when you face important choices, you might lose your way due to the turmoil of your emotions."

"... Lady Catherine means..."

"I'm not sure about that. Her Highness wrote a letter asking me to give it to you at an appropriate time. I originally planned to give it to you later, but now it seems that giving it to you now... is a good choice."

As he spoke, Li Lin reached into his robes and pulled out a letter, handing it over. The female priest took the letter and saw the bright red markings and the divine power emanating from it. Clearly, it was the handwriting of the Holy Maiden.

"My mission concludes here. I hope we can all succeed."

After saying this, Li Lin turned and walked back to the rock at the cave entrance to continue his guard duty. The pastor quickly opened the envelope, sat down by the fire, and carefully read the letter.

Li Lin didn't pay much attention to the female priest's expression, nor did he care about the letter. After all, it was at his behest that Catherine wrote it. In fact, Li Lin had already discovered the feelings between Geligao Li and the female priest, though they themselves hadn't yet realized the connection. This was a good start, and disrupting it wouldn't be difficult. In fact, after receiving Catherine's request for help, Li Lin changed his plan. He no longer needed Catherine to sow discord from within; after all, Catherine's status meant that even if she confronted the Temple directly, she wouldn't gain anything. Therefore, Li Lin needed to find a new leader who could confront the Temple directly and lead the people. Catherine's status as a saintess prevented her from posing a threat to the Temple, so someone needed to hate her, and consequently, the entire Temple. What Catherine needed to do was push the Temple and him step by step into the Abyss of antagonism.

Originally, Li Lin hadn't decided on a candidate, but after seeing Geligao Li, he felt he had found a very suitable one. He was intelligent, powerful, and prestigious. Moreover, he wasn't a devout believer in the Temple. All of this laid a good foundation for his opposition to the Temple. However, taking it a step further would be difficult because, although Geligao Li wasn't a believer in the Temple, the person he loved was a priest.

For a man to hate, it takes considerable power to destroy everything he loves.

Simply killing is useless; only by cleverly arranging everything can you get him to willingly and willingly enter the game.

No one knows what Catherine wrote in her letter, but when Geligao Li awoke the next morning, he could still vaguely sense a change in her. Although the pastor behaved as usual, performing healing and blessing on the two of them, Geligao Li noticed that the pastor seemed somewhat distant from him, and her eyes held a rather firm gaze, as if she had made a decision.

Geligao Li, of course, had no idea what had happened the previous night. The hypnotic spell Li Lin had secretly cast on him couldn't be awakened even if an elephant stood next to him. Therefore, Li Lin was able to carry out his plan with ease. He didn't intend to actively provoke or guide anyone. The priestess would make her own decision... whether it was what she hoped for or not. In the end, there was only one path they could take.

Just as Li Lin had predicted, even after a night's rest, Geligao Li's injuries were clearly not fully healed. Although he could now wield a sword, he couldn't exert much force to attack. Divine magic's healing power has its limits, and the female priest's abilities were not yet sufficient to use those high-level healing spells; therefore, they could only wait for him to recover naturally.

Fortunately, the undead creatures didn't seem to be looking for them, so the three decided to risk spending another night in the cave. Li Lin volunteered to go out and scout around, observing the surroundings. The priestess quickly agreed, and Geligao Li, though somewhat surprised, also agreed with Li Lin's suggestion. After all, he also needed some time alone with her to find out what had happened that caused the priestess's change in attitude towards him.

After leaving the cave, Li Lin quickly entered the nearby woods after confirming that no one was following him. He hadn't gone far when Li Lin discovered that he was surrounded by bright red eyes.

But unlike before, Li Lin felt no tension or fear at all. He clapped his hands lightly, and soon Li Lin felt a petite and soft body hug his neck from behind.

"Last night was really boring, Master."

Angela nibbled on Li Lin's ear, chuckling as she whispered something in his ear.

"Why didn't you seduce that woman? Are you so bored that she doesn't interest you? Even if you forced yourself on her then, she would have swallowed her anger for the sake of the bigger picture. Or perhaps you want me to help you act out a scene where the demon king manipulates the hero?"

"I'm not some red-haired virgin witch, and besides, I have a better way to relax."

As he spoke, Li Lin turned to look at Angela and the snowfield behind her.

"Between men and women... there is mutual trust, but not complete trust."

"Absolute trust comes at an absolute price."

Angela hugged Li Lin tightly.

"Does that woman and that man have the awareness that the price of going down a dark path is extremely heavy and dangerous?"

Who knows?

Li Lin's expression remained unchanged upon hearing Angela's words.

"We can get a general idea of what will happen next, but we can't see every single step clearly, which is exactly what makes it so interesting, isn't it?"