[Defeated the Envoy of Wrath. XP +15,317]
[Level: 38 → 40]
[Level 40 (7,922/10,000)]
Vivian looked at the panel in front of her with some surprise.
She had actually gone up two levels!
‘Lady Zaphira is truly great (clasps hands).’
However, leveling up did not seem to give her any particularly special experience.
If she had to say something, it felt like her strength had increased slightly.
Vivian pinched the soft muscle on her forearm.
Then, she took out the Zaphira statue that was still chattering away.
‘Slap!’
She gave the statue a harsh slap.
The face on the Zaphira statue instantly transformed into a crying expression, and it no longer dared to make a sound.
‘Phew, finally some peace and quiet…’
Vivian tied the statue to her waist.
She intended to take it back to the city and show it to Priest Derek; perhaps he would know how to handle this thing.
Then, Vivian searched the battlefield for a while longer.
Finally, she found a primitive-looking dagger.
It was the weapon Carlyle had used to try and assassinate her.
She had not expected it to remain perfectly intact.
She had thought it would have been destroyed along with Carlyle’s body.
‘Hehe… now, it’s mine.’
It would be perfect for cutting vegetables…
Vivian tucked the dagger into her pocket.
She circled the area once more but found nothing else of value.
It seemed those were all the spoils of war for this trip.
A statue and a dagger.
“Why is there none of my favorite money…” she grumbled dissatisfaction, sounding just like Mr. Krabs from the cartoons of her previous life.
***
“Alright, you can walk on your own now, right, Blake?”
Vivian extinguished the red light in her hand and spoke to Blake.
“Barely. Although my whole body still feels terrible, walking back to Ma’en City shouldn’t be a problem,” Blake said, leaning weakly on his long blade as he struggled to stand.
“Then think more about the bread waiting for you in the city; maybe you’ll find some motivation.”
After teasing Blake, Vivian heaved the unconscious Nolan onto her back and began walking toward the caravan camp.
Because Vivian was a bit short, Nolan’s two legs dragged along the ground behind her.
However, she did not seem to notice.
After the two walked through the wilderness in silence for a while, the light from the caravan camp’s fires finally appeared.
The clamor of a crowd drifted from not far away.
Vivian and Blake could not help but quicken their pace.
Inside the caravan camp, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Two groups were facing off in the firelight.
“What do you have to say for yourselves now?”
A priest wearing gold-trimmed white robes stepped out of Carlyle’s carriage.
He threw the gray bundle in his hand onto the ground.
‘Clatter’
The contents of the bundle spilled everywhere, revealing three blood-stained wooden bowls.
Among the items, there was even a badge engraved with the symbol of the Advent Church.
Upon seeing this, the people of the caravan could not help but gasp, looking at one another in disbelief.
‘Is… is our vice chairman really a cultist?!’
“Arrest them all!”
The priest gave a large wave of his hand, and the row of Church Knights behind him moved in response.
None of the caravan members had the courage to defy the authority of the Church; they all lowered their weapons and surrendered without a fight.
Before long, everyone in the caravan had their hands and feet bound, and they were strung together by a long rope.
“Whoa! Isn’t this Priest Derek? What are you doing here!”
A soft, sweet voice came from behind the priest, giving him a start.
He turned his head quickly.
He saw a pair of red eyes glowing slightly in the dark of the night.
Vivian stood behind him, dragging Nolan along, with the Orc, Blake, following beside her.
A look of joy appeared in the depths of Derek’s eyes as he said, “It’s the middle of the night. Who would wander into this godforsaken place for no reason?”
“I was out here looking for the three of you!”
“I see. Thank you for the concern,” Vivian said, offering a friendly smile.
“Stop talking nonsense. Put him down and let me see.”
Derek impatiently moved behind Vivian and pulled Nolan off her back.
When he saw that Nolan was unconscious, his heart skipped a beat.
‘Don’t die on me, Brother Nolan. I’m still waiting for you to help me fix the church!’
Derek hurriedly pulled out his holy symbol and chanted a prayer.
A dazzling golden light flashed between the two of them.
Derek’s brow furrowed, and his expression became somewhat strange.
Seeing that Derek’s expression was off, Vivian leaned in as well.
She asked with some concern, “Is there a big problem, Priest Derek?”
Derek did not answer Vivian. Instead, he reached out and flipped Nolan over.
Four distinct bite marks on Nolan’s neck were revealed to the both of them.
Derek turned his head and stared at Vivian’s dark red eyes without saying a word.
“Uh…”
Vivian looked away awkwardly and began to whistle.
“After we get back, feed him something good.”
“Also, show some restraint in the future…”
After leaving those words, Derek turned and walked toward Blake.
He had thought the most seriously injured person was the unconscious Nolan, but it turned out he was just suffering from blood loss, making Derek worry for nothing.
Another flash of golden light followed.
The dense wounds all over Blake’s body were instantly restored to their original state.
Even the old scars from his past adventures had vanished.
“Is this the power of the God of Light? It really is miraculous.”
Blake moved his limbs slightly, feeling as if he had been given a new lease on life.
“It’s much better than Vivian’s half-baked healing.”
He could not help but complain about Vivian’s clumsy healing spells.
“You damn well dare to talk about me!”
Vivian elbowed Blake hard, swearing in dissatisfaction.
“1 gold coin, thank you for your business.”
Derek skillfully produced a donation box and held it out in front of Blake.
“Why is he so much more expensive than Vivian…” Blake muttered in a low voice.
A treatment from Vivian only cost fifty copper coins, and sometimes there were even discounts.
Yet this fellow Derek’s fee was actually hundreds of times more than Vivian’s; it was truly outrageous.
Even if Derek’s healing effect was significantly better…
With a crisp ‘clink’, a coin dropped in.
Derek’s face instantly bloomed like a blooming chrysanthemum, revealing a friendly smile.
“May Elios protect you, Mr. Blake.”
He clasped his hands together and offered a sincere blessing to Blake.
“Alright, let’s head back to Ma’en City.”
Derek waved to summon the Church Knights.
“Yay!”
Vivian agreed with both hands raised.
Afterward, she threw Nolan onto a carriage.
The group set off for Ma’en City.
There had only been three of them when Vivian and her companions arrived.
Now, they were returning with a massive procession.
Oh, and there was also a group of cultist suspects waiting for trial.
The group did not rest, setting off directly in the middle of the night.
On the road, Vivian began to chat idly with Derek.
“I say, old man, where did you get this troop of knights?”
“Our Ma’en City doesn’t have this level of power.”
“Even the city defense guards can’t scrape together a full set of armor for the whole team.”
Derek rolled his eyes at Vivian and said, “I heard there was a demon appearing.”
“So, I wrote a letter to the Archbishop of Mistport.”
“After a lot of crying and complaining about how miserable we were, I managed to borrow them.”
“But don’t get your hopes up. They are just well-trained ordinary humans.”
“They aren’t like Nolan, a Paladin who controls supernatural power.”
“They are mostly for maintaining order. Expecting them to defeat a demon is asking a bit too much.”
At this point, Derek suddenly lowered his voice and gestured for Vivian to lean in.
Vivian was somewhat confused, but she lowered her head to see what Derek had to say.
“The Archbishop’s reply mentioned something.”
Derek paused for a moment, keeping her in suspense.
“He said that traces of demon activity have also appeared over in Mistport.”
“Therefore, he couldn’t spare any powerful personnel to help us.”
“Among other things, the Archbishop specifically mentioned…”
Derek suddenly stopped again, playing coy.
“He said that a divine envoy of a Demon God is currently active within the Duchy of Orentia.”
“This divine envoy is incredibly cruel; it is said to be the most vicious demon in the demon legion.”
“He told us we must be extra careful!”
“If we encounter it, we must seek help from the Pope immediately!”
“Whatever you do, do not engage it!”