The carriage moved steadily along the official road, wheels rumbling rhythmically over the gravel.
“Why do you keep giving all the credit to that woman named Salia anyway? Don’t tell me you actually have feelings for her? You already have me!”
Sutis’s voice came from inside the carriage, laced with heartbreaking grievance.
Abel waved his hand dismissively. “What are you even talking about? I just happened to pass by each time, and she just happened to be there!”
“Every single time was a coincidence.”
“Seriously, every time was a coincidence.”
Abel replied casually.
Truth be told, his connection with Salia really was quite strange. He kept running into her everywhere.
He continued, “Do you really care that much about credit and glory?”
“Not really,” Sutis said. “I understand, I get it. If you took those achievements, your carefully hidden identity would get noticed again. Then the whole faking-your-death thing would be exposed, and one problem after another would come knocking.”
“If you already know that, why are you asking?!”
After saying this, Abel leaned back against the carriage shaft.
At that moment, a carrier pigeon flew over and landed precisely on Abel’s forearm. The pigeon had the clock emblem of the Chronos Church sprayed on its body.
He released the pigeon, holding the reins with one hand while unfolding the letter with the other.
The paper was high-quality parchment, stamped with the Chronos Church’s seal in the corners. It was written in Aiko’s familiar handwriting:
“Long time no see. As the Saintess, I’ve been assigned to the Northern Border Fortress as the regional supervisor. It shouldn’t be too far from where you’re currently active. You’ll come see me this time, right? — Your Aiko who misses you.”
At the end was a small hand-drawn heart.
The corners of Abel’s mouth lifted slightly. He folded the letter and tucked it into his chest.
“Looking at that woman’s letter again?” Sutis’s voice came from behind, carrying a hint of displeasure.
The little angel was leaning out of the carriage window, her sky-blue twin tails swaying with the carriage’s movement. Her small face was full of dissatisfaction.
The sky-blue was dyed, of course. Her original emerald-green hair was too eye-catching and would draw too much attention.
Abel had dyed his own hair as well.
“This is official business,” Abel said without turning his head.
“Official business?”
Sutis puffed out her cheeks, clearly unhappy.
“You always say it’s official business! Every time you meet, you talk for so long! And you never let me listen in!”
The corner of Abel’s mouth twitched.
Of course he couldn’t let her listen in.
Although their recent conversations had mostly revolved around “what is causing the divine disasters to occur again?”,
For the previous two years, their meetings had taken place inside a “confessional.” It was a private, one-on-one setting meant for sincere repentance to the gods—something definitely not suitable for a child to witness.
“Because you need to play with Lilisha,” he offered an excuse. “Don’t you two have a lot of fun together?”
“That was before!” Sutis complained. “Now Lilisha follows Aiko around every day. The moment I show up, she clings to me and wants to play. It’s so annoying!”
“Doesn’t that just mean you two get along well?”
“Getting along is one thing, but—” Sutis paused, her emerald eyes narrowing. “What exactly do you two talk about? Why do you always look weird after every meeting?”
Abel’s ears grew slightly warm.
“It’s nothing. We just discuss the divine disasters.”
“Liar!” Sutis leaned closer. “You’re blushing!”
“That’s from the wind.”
“Liar! The wind is cool, but your face is hot!”
“…”
Abel decided to drop the subject.
He recalled every meeting with Aiko—the small confessional, her figure behind the partition, her lowered voice, and those… things that definitely shouldn’t be done inside a confessional.
He should have held back more that day in the bathroom.
Now he was in trouble.
“Hey,” Sutis poked his back. “You don’t actually like her, do you?”
Abel fell silent for a moment.
Did he like her?
He wasn’t sure.
But he definitely didn’t dislike being with Aiko.
That girl had gone from her initial pure shyness, to bold initiative later on, and now she was… quite clingy.
Besides, he had promised her he would visit regularly.
A man should keep his word.
“We’re just friends,” he said.
Sutis clearly didn’t believe him, but she didn’t press further.
She leaned against the window, playing with the ends of her hair, and muttered softly:
“I just think you treat her differently from the others…”
Abel pretended not to hear.
The carriage continued onward, passing through forests, crossing streams, and following the winding official road north.
At this pace, they would reach the Northern Border Fortress in another three or four days.
He thought about the “progress on the divine disaster investigation” Aiko had mentioned in her letter, and his heart grew heavy.
Over the past six months, divine disasters had been occurring more and more frequently, and they were clearly organized and planned.
Someone was scheming in the shadows, and he knew nothing about it.
He needed to meet Aiko as soon as possible to learn the latest information. The Church’s intelligence network was still very reliable! As the Church’s Saintess, she had gradually taken real power.
By the way, Bishop Sephilia had already been successfully elected as the new Pope and had taken up residence in the Holy Capital.
Just as Abel was reflecting on Aiko’s growth over the past few years—
“Watch out ahead!”
Sutis’s expression changed drastically, her voice sharp.
Abel jerked his head up and saw a figure standing in the middle of the road just a dozen steps ahead.
It was a young girl.
She wore ordinary clothing, her water-blue hair fluttering in the wind.
She was waving at the carriage with a bright smile on her face—
“Uncle—!”
There was no time.
The warhorse neighed in fright, but the carriage’s momentum was unstoppable.
Thud!
A heavy impact.
The slender figure was sent flying, tracing an arc through the air, spinning high before crashing heavily onto the ground.
Another smack.
Like a ripe tomato splattering on the pavement.
Blood spread across the ground, staining the yellow earth of the official road red.
Abel yanked on the reins, his face turning pale in an instant.
He wasn’t driving fast, and he hadn’t been drinking! How did he send her flying so high?!
Sutis was also stunned, her little mouth forming a perfect O.
“We’re done for…” she muttered. “We killed someone. Should we just pretend we didn’t see anything?”
“Abel, it was her fault anyway. Why did she have to stand in the middle of the road to flag down a carriage? Look what happened!”
“…It’s a good idea, but we can’t do that.”
Abel let out a soft sigh, jumped down from the carriage, and rushed over with the medical kit he carried.
After years of adventuring, he always kept a medical kit on hand.
He was also quite skilled at treating external injuries! Even regular doctors might not be as proficient as him!
But after running only a couple of steps, the “corpse” moved.
“Ouch—” Salia got up from the ground, patted the dust off her clothes.
Blood was still gushing from the wound on her head, but she wore an embarrassed smile.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m fine! It was my fault for suddenly running into the middle of the road!”
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