“What’s going on here? She was fine during the day, and in less than half a day, she ends up like this.”
Derek looked at Talia frozen in ice, frowned slightly, and turned to Vivian to ask about the situation.
“Well… it’s a long story. Simply put, she was attacked by a passing demon outside the city.”
Vivian stammered, hanging her head guiltily as she spoke, afraid Derek would see through her evasive expression.
“I feel like you’re hiding something important from me.”
Derek looked at the girl in front of him, who was poking her fingers, and said in a deep voice.
“No, absolutely not. That’s just your imagination.”
Vivian realized her lie had been seen through, quickly shook her head in denial, and puffed out her chest, pretending to be righteous.
“Really not?”
Derek squinted and stared at Vivian without blinking, making her scalp tingle.
“Really not.”
Just as Vivian and Derek were at a standoff, Nolan’s voice came from behind her, interrupting their conversation.
“Pastor Derek… Talia, can she still be saved?”
Nolan was bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily, looking like he was about to collapse.
He was already suffering from illness, and now he had run a long distance following Vivian.
“Hard to say. Let’s carry her into the church first.”
Derek shook his head, pushed open the door behind him, and waved for them to enter.
The new door was heavy, and the hinges let out a creaking groan.
There was no foyer behind it—
It led straight into the central hall.
A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling, shining like an artificial sun, illuminating the hall without leaving a single shadow.
On the raised platform at the front of the hall stood a brand-new marble statue.
It had wings on its back, wore a loose robe that fell to its ankles, and pressed its hands together in a devout prayer.
“Vivian, put Talia in front of the statue.”
“Okay.”
Vivian responded, lifted the large block of ice again, and walked toward the statue.
But as she passed through the doorway, the ice hit the door frame with a loud thunk.
“Oh.”
She froze.
Nolan, who was behind her, suffered the consequences.
A stone brick fell and hit him squarely on the head, producing a dull thud.
He gasped in pain.
The ice had knocked a brick loose.
“What now?”
Nolan asked, rubbing the back of his head.
“Just break it. If it’s damaged, we’ll fix it later.”
Derek waved dismissively.
“Clearance is wrong; it won’t fit.”
So, at the cost of smashing the door frame, they finally brought Talia inside.
Derek stood before the large block of ice, carefully studying the huge hole in her chest.
After a long moment, he deliberated and said:
“It can be healed, but it will take a long time.”
He paused, then added:
“But right now, I have something more important to do. Talia’s treatment will have to wait.”
Vivian and Nolan exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes.
“Disaster relief.”
Derek stretched out his finger, pointing at the swirling snow outside the door, his expression solemn.
“This sudden heavy snow might be the biggest disaster Ma’en City has faced this year.”
“No one expected winter to come so early. Most residents haven’t prepared for the cold.”
“If the church doesn’t provide aid in time, the square will be piled with frozen corpses tomorrow.”
“So I’m afraid Talia will have to stay in the ice for a little longer.”
As he said this, a flicker of grief crossed his face, and his fists clenched under his sleeves.
“You’re right, Pastor Derek. Let me join the relief efforts too.”
Nolan clenched one fist and pounded it against his chest, speaking with righteous conviction.
“Very well, Knight Nolan. I appoint you as the commander of the Ma’en City Disaster Relief Knight Corps, responsible for maintaining order and supervision during the relief operations.”
“Yes!”
“Since the church needs strength, I won’t hold back.”
“But… before that, we have to do something that goes against church doctrine. You won’t mind, Knight Nolan, will you?”
Derek changed the subject, lowered his voice, and leaned close to Nolan, speaking in a mysterious tone.
“Heh heh, of course not. I was thinking the same thing.”
“As long as no one sees us, who would know what we’ve done?”
Nolan also lowered his head, his face turning gloomy, and let out an evil, cold laugh.
The light from above cast a dark shadow on his face, making him look even more sinister.
Vivian, however, was completely confused by their mysterious behavior.
She tilted her head, blinking her big eyes in bewilderment.
It was as if a huge question mark made of blood had popped up above her head, dark red plasma flowing inside it, occasionally dripping a few drops.
‘What are these two men whispering about behind my back?’
‘Could it be some evil demon summoning ritual?’
‘Is it a rule of every world that the church, which seems so brilliant on the outside, is actually hiding filth?’
Just as Vivian was lost in her wild thoughts, Derek gripped the holy symbol and chanted a spell.
A beam of holy light shot from the symbol and enveloped Nolan.
“Thank you very much. I feel much better.”
After the chant ended, Nolan opened his eyes again, took a deep breath of air, and stretched his limbs.
His stuffy nose instantly cleared, giving him the same relief as finally emptying his bowels after five days of constipation.
The soft, weak muscles in his body once again burst with strong power, as if he could kill a giant-horned cow with one punch.
The discomfort from his cold vanished completely.
“What? It’s just curing a cold. Why did you have to be so mysterious about it?”
Vivian pouted in dissatisfaction.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Vivian.”
Derek explained to her:
“Diseases like the common cold, which can heal on their own and leave no serious aftereffects, are forbidden from being treated with divine arts in the church.”
“They say it would lead to misuse of divine arts and waste of resources.”
“I completely agree with that, but special times call for exceptions.”
After saying that, he clapped his hands and changed the subject.
“Alright, let’s discuss how to handle the disaster relief.”
“Wait, I have an objection!”
Vivian suddenly raised her hand, standing on tiptoes to make sure everyone could see her.
“Please, speak.”
“Actually… this cold disaster was caused by Talia and me.”
Her shoulders tensed, and guilt colored her voice.
She had wanted to tell the truth about the cold disaster ever since Derek brought it up.
But deep down, a heavy stone kept pressing on her heart, making her want to run away.
That urge to escape had kept her silent during the conversation.
With every second of silence, the stone grew heavier, until it became a mountain.
She knew that the longer she delayed, the harder it would be to speak.
After a fierce internal struggle, she finally gathered all her courage.
She bravely raised her hand and confessed the truth.
The moment the words left her mouth, she let out a long, relieved sigh.
‘What? Admitting a mistake isn’t that hard, is it?’
A relieved smile tugged at the corner of Vivian’s lips.
She chose to meet the gazes of the other two calmly, ready to face the judgment that was about to come.