Holy Smite erupted through the air. A half-moon-shapped blade of pure white light, enveloped in golden surging flames that warped the very space around them, slammed ruthlessly into the Golem as it attempted to stand.
In an instant, holy power exploded. Golden light swept across its body, and a wretched wail, like that of a demon from hell, echoed through the Black Forest. Hundreds of crows perched in the ancient trees took flight in alarm.
The commotion of the strike faded, but the golden fire continued to burn everything on the Golem’s body without mercy. Under the searing heat, its massive frame slowly crumbled into ash and dissipated.
After the strike, Lintis released her grip, and the giant golden sword vanished along with it. She took a few steps back, separating her body from the one she had been pressed tightly against.
Only then did Lintis realize what she had just done… and her cheeks began to burn.
‘What… what am I doing!?’
‘I clearly made up my mind to keep my distance. Am I a pig?’
She quickly covered her reddening face with both hands, letting out a strange, involuntary sound. Fortunately, Mr. Shilo was still immersed in the power of that last strike and didn’t notice her.
Otherwise… she would truly have to consider using the Great Memory Erasing Technique (Physical).
Lintis took deep breaths, trying to calm her heart before Mr. Shilo could react.
Originally, she just thought Mr. Shilo’s straight-laced act was fun to tease, so she had acted on a whim to play with him. This was clearly something she shouldn’t have done, so why did she do it?
However, even though she questioned herself, the pleasure that swirled in her heart from seeing Mr. Shilo’s embarrassment was undeniably real…
Lintis fell silent… and began to doubt herself.
‘Am I… really a very, very bad Saintess?’
‘No! No way!’
Panicking, she shook her head repeatedly. her small head swayed like a rattle, looking quite adorable.
‘What kind of bad woman teases someone and then blushes herself!’
‘I must be a fake. Otherwise, wouldn’t I become the kind of person I hate most?’
The experience of being deceived by a bad woman in her past life was so deeply engraved in her heart…
‘Wait!’
‘Looking at it this way, was I also a straight-laced guy in my past life?’
Lintis rubbed her chin as she recalled her past life. The more she thought about it, the more her expression shifted. ‘So this is how that woman felt when she bullied me?’
‘No wonder… it actually feels so good…’
The moment the thought surfaced, Lintis froze.
‘Oh no, I really am a bad woman!’
‘I don’t want this…’
While the Saintess was busy with her internal drama, Shilo was still savoring the sensation from a moment ago.
There was the powerlessness of his body being drained in an instant, the comfort of swinging the sword, the satisfaction of seeing the attack hit, and the softness of the Saintess’s body…
Shilo: “…”
He raised his hand and slapped himself hard. The loud sound immediately drew the Saintess’s attention.
“Mr. Shilo? What are you doing?”
“It’s nothing.”
Shilo responded subconsciously, but he felt guilty and didn’t dare look at the Saintess.
“Hmm?” Lintis tilted her head, a faint, imperceptible blush still lingering on her cheeks.
She had convinced herself with the subtle reasoning that she couldn’t be a bad woman if she was the one blushing.
But why did Mr. Shilo seem a bit strange?
Just as Lintis was about to ask something else, Shilo pointed a finger.
“Saintess, it looks like something fell over there.”
Following the direction Shilo pointed, she saw the spot where the Golem had been.
In just a short time, the Golem’s body had been almost entirely consumed by the holy flames.
At the center of where the Golem had stood, a naked young girl was about to fall to the ground.
Startled, Lintis hurriedly channeled her magic. In the blink of an eye, she was beneath the girl, catching her firmly.
Shilo, who had run halfway toward them, slowed his pace and walked over.
“Saintess, could that be…”
Before he could finish, Lintis interrupted him.
“Yes… the core of a human-core Golem.”
The Saintess’s voice was calm, but Shilo could feel a suppressed rage hidden behind her steady words.
“Mr. Shilo.” Lintis turned to look at him, her expression incredibly serious. “Please tell me the truth. Are these human-core Golems common in Isol City?”
Shilo met her gaze and remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Saintess, I think you might have misunderstood something.”
“Although I said the Church hasn’t explicitly forbidden such things, as far as I know, there isn’t a single mage in Isol City capable of manipulating a Golem.”
As expected, the Saintess froze. The moment she caught the girl, anger had nearly boiled over, causing her to temporarily forget common sense.
Golems were not something just any mage could create or control; the minimum requirement was at least a high-level mage.
A high-level mage was as rare as a veteran knight. In Isol City, which had only produced a single knight in recent years, it was indeed hard to believe such a powerful mage existed.
“I’m sorry… but Mr. Shilo, please don’t come any closer. Are you really that curious about a young girl’s naked body?” Lintis used her body to deliberately shield the girl in her arms.
Blocking Mr. Shilo was one thing, but on the other hand… she felt miserable looking at the girl.
The naked girl appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. Her body was so soft it seemed as if she had lost her skeletal structure. Her limbs were bent backward at the joints, and her pale skin was covered in rotting wounds. It was hard to imagine what kind of treatment she had endured before being turned into a human core.
But that wasn’t the main reason she blocked Shilo. The real reason was the abnormality in the girl’s abdomen, where a massive gash had been torn open.
However, no blood flowed. The exposed internal organs were covered in patches of black tumors that pulsed with eerie vitality. It was an extremely grotesque sight.
The level of corruption in this girl was already too deep. Her body had undergone irreversible mutations, and she already had one foot in the grave of becoming a Wretch.
A Wretch was the final form of one infected by filth—a monster with a twisted body, a maddened soul, and an undying nature.
At this moment, the girl was only one step away from that state.
Lintis could clearly see that the girl’s body was still changing. Beneath the rotting wounds, black organisms like nematodes began to crawl out. The reversed joints protruded bit by bit, piercing the skin to reveal bone spikes.
One could say the girl was currently a mobile source of contamination. Any creature without the protection of holy power would be making a mistake by approaching her.
And for a half-baked person like Mr. Shilo, there was no telling what might happen. So, she could only do a disservice to his character for the time being.
“Saintess, do you enjoy thinking of me that way? I just wanted to check on her condition.”
Shilo’s voice came from behind her. He clearly didn’t accept Lintis’s explanation.
But Lintis still didn’t give in, reaching out a hand to stop his approach.
“Mr. Shilo, men being perverts isn’t something to be ashamed of. Just admit it honestly~”
“Saintess!” After being slandered repeatedly, Shilo was starting to get a bit angry.
“There, there. Fine~ stop throwing a tantrum. Mr. Shilo, do you have any clothes that can temporarily cover her body?”
It was happening again. Shilo was speechless. Whenever the Saintess was in the wrong, she always chose to brush it off.
However… clothes?
He thought about it carefully, and a strange idea came to mind.
In the next second, a blue and white dress suddenly appeared in his hand, and he handed it to the Saintess.
The Saintess clearly stiffened for a moment after taking the dress.
After waiting for a few seconds, her voice rang out.
“…Mr. Shilo, what a coincidence… I remember I used to have a dress in this exact style.”
Her tone was flat and natural, as if that were truly the case.
But Shilo knew she was faking.
Why? Because that dress had been taken directly from the Saintess’s own ring.
“Is that so? Then it really is a coincidence. Miss Sery forced this on me earlier. I suppose your tastes must be similar.”
Standing with her back to Shilo, Lintis’s mouth twitched, and her small fists clenched tight.
She never expected Mr. Shilo to expose himself in such a situation. Wasn’t he worried she would recognize it?
‘Is this guy an idiot?’
Lintis was speechless, but the current situation didn’t allow her to lose her temper. She had no choice but to continue pretending she didn’t know.
“I see! That must be it. Now, Mr. Shilo, please step away for a moment. A girl needs to change her clothes.”
With that, she waved her small hand at Shilo a couple of times as if shooing away something dirty.
Shilo didn’t mind. He turned and walked away. He hadn’t expected the Saintess to keep up the act even now.
But since she wanted to keep pretending, he would play along for a while to see what she was actually up to.
This question had bothered Shilo for a long time. Since a rare opportunity had presented itself, he planned to test her.
Seeing that Shilo had walked far enough away, Lintis breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head vigorously to dispel her stray thoughts.
Her gaze returned to the girl, and a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes. She gently took the girl’s hand.
“I’m sorry I didn’t find you before this happened. In the end, I can only do these insignificant things. I am truly sorry…”
As her voice trailed off, Lintis laid the girl flat on the ground and then actively hid the holy power that protected her body from corruption.
She then reached out, directly touching those disgusting tumors without any defense.
As she drew closer, the movement seemed to stimulate them, causing them to writhe violently. A small amount of acidic filth seeped from the cracks, carrying a nauseating stench.
Lintis frowned slightly. Her fair hand trembled in the air, but she gritted her teeth and reached straight in.
Along with the sticky, wet sensation came a faint burning feeling and a powerful suction.
The suction felt as if it wanted to pull her entire being inside, but it could only manage to envelop her arm.
Maintaining this posture, Lintis channeled her holy power. A massive amount surged from her body, but the target wasn’t herself—it was the girl lying on the ground.