36
Due to my distraction, I didn’t pay attention to a word the Grand Druid Elder said. All I remembered was Selena asking, “What is the final effect of the curse?” and then the elder with his white beard and hair shaking his head and sighing. Even after Selena saw him off, I was still lost in thought, until I suddenly found myself in a warm embrace.
A berserker’s arms are strong and powerful, yet she held me gently, patting the back of my neck in a comforting manner. I realized she had transformed back into her human form, and my hands hovered awkwardly in the air for a while before lightly resting on her back.
The Selena who was always so invincible in my memories—turns out, I could hold her with just one hand.
But that didn’t diminish her imposing aura. After a brief moment of warmth, she gripped my shoulders, questioning me, “That dazed boy—what’s his true identity?”
“…”
She raised an eyebrow, “You don’t want to tell me? Let me guess… he’s ‘Light,’ right?”
I knew she had sensed something, but I didn’t expect her to guess so accurately.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, attempting a smile that didn’t quite succeed. “Don’t forget, I saw him knock you out with my own eyes. You should’ve seen how shocked little Hilly was… I thought you two had some major grudge, considering he could still laugh after seeing you get knocked out.”
I imagined that scene—it must have looked pretty odd to someone who didn’t know the full story.
The curse of the Dark God has three effects: [Weakness], [Undeath], and… [Wakefulness].
So, I can’t be knocked unconscious; I’m always awake.
—Taken individually, none of these effects seem too severe. But when combined, the malicious intent is clear. I didn’t think simply stealing a prophecy warranted such a heavy curse directly from the Dark God. Unfortunately, I have no memories of what happened at the Dark Church, so I still don’t know what transpired during those two months.
Only a god can temporarily suppress another god’s curse. When Luke knocked me out, Hillyer must have realized his true identity, and now Selena has too. But the player himself still doesn’t know what kind of future awaits him, and none of the NPCs are going to reveal it. No one knows how a god will return, so everyone who’s aware of the truth silently watches as the currently clueless “Savior” walks through the world.
I asked Selena, “If one day the Light God truly returns, will you…”
“It’s too late.” she interrupted.
—That rainy night twenty years ago, at the turning point of fate, the Light God did not descend. So, Selena abandoned her faith and her identity as a holy knight. That’s a past that can never be mended or reversed.
Selena smiled at me, “And what about you? When you retire, why not come back to your teacher? I’ll make you my deputy. How about that?”
“No need.” I declined her offer.
—We’ve already made our choices, and there’s no going back.
After a moment of silence, I said goodbye to her.
“Are you not going to care about your disciple anymore?” Selena asked, her tone carrying a hint of bitter self-mockery. “You’re abandoning him now, and you want him to return and clean up the mess you’ve left behind?”
“…I haven’t abandoned him.” I recalled Cooper’s tear-filled eyes before he ran away, and that suffocating sensation swelled in my chest once more. “I just… want him to know what choices he can make.”
I was an orphan raised by the Church of Light, trained as a holy knight from a young age. Even before I could read, I knew I had to embody humility, compassion, honesty, and justice. Later, when Selena chose me as her disciple, I joined the Holy Knights, starting as an apprentice, then becoming a full knight, then a squad leader, captain, vice-captain, and eventually the Captain of the Holy Knights. The Light raised me, so I must sacrifice for the Light. This was my destiny from the very beginning.
Cooper was a child rescued during a mission, growing up in the dark, hidden places of the world. I still remember the spark of light that exploded in his eyes when he first saw me—it was awe and admiration. He actively sought me out, begging me to teach him how to become a holy knight. I agreed, guiding his behavior and teaching him how to develop his talents. Cooper worked tirelessly to meet my expectations, suppressing his own nature to do so…
“I had no choice, but I want him to have one.”
That’s why, as his teacher, I sent him away from the Holy Knights, hoping he could see the world from another perspective. From there, he could choose to embrace his nature and remain the Chief Inquisitor, or he could choose self-discipline and become the Captain of the Holy Knights. Whatever decision he makes, this time it will be his own, not for the sake of someone else.
I once told myself that I wouldn’t treat my disciple the way Selena did. I swore I’d never abandon him; I would guide him until he became someone better than me…
But in reality, I’ve done even worse than Selena.
37
When daylight broke for the second time, I had already reached the edge of the forest.
The direction Selena had pointed me to cut through the outskirts of Greenleaf Forest, leading to the lawless zone—Trador City. This city sits right on the border between the territories of the Light Church and the Dark Church, while also neighboring the Free Alliance. Its advantageous location has made it a hub for trade. In this city, all races and beliefs are treated equally—gold coins are the only currency that matters.
Beyond this city to the west lies the territory of the Dark Church.
My old clothes were already torn to shreds, and this new outfit with its distinct elven style wouldn’t stand out in Trador City. However, if I wanted to infiltrate the Dark Church, I would need a more ordinary set of clothes. I could also replenish my supplies in the city and gather information.
Trador City doesn’t have a true ruler; it’s controlled by a merchants’ guild. Compared to the Holy Capital of Kael’ya, this place is chaotic and disorganized, with streets mostly named after shops. I passed through [Adventurer’s Greatsword Street] and [Third Avenue of Leather Boots], and was walking down [Black Cloak and Drunkard Street] when I suddenly heard a commotion coming from a nearby tavern.
At this time of day, taverns usually only sell simple meals and aren’t nearly as lively as they are at night, so the noise was unusual.
The source of the disturbance was a man sitting in a wheelchair who looked to be in poor health. A burly woman, presumably the tavern owner, was standing in front of him, shouting and waving her arms, clearly agitated.
I stopped to listen for a bit and realized that the man was trying to buy a specialty brew made from malt and berries, but that particular recipe belonged to the previous owner. This tavern had changed hands months ago and no longer carried that drink, yet the man insisted on buying it, enraging the owner, who looked ready to throw hands.
—The tavern owner was just an ordinary NPC, with a level no higher than 10. The man was concealing his elemental power, but my instincts told me his level was at least 50. If a fight broke out, not only the tavern owner, but all the NPCs gathered outside to watch the commotion wouldn’t stand a chance against him combined.
I squeezed through the crowd just in time to catch the tavern owner’s hand before she could strike. She froze for a moment, then furiously demanded, “Who the hell do you think you are?!”
The man in the wheelchair lifted his head, two startlingly green eyes locking onto me. His lips parted slightly in surprise. Then, he quickly lowered his head, pulling a monocle from his sleeve and fitting it into his right eye, carefully examining me. The longer he looked, the higher his eyebrows climbed, shock evident on his face.
—[Reis]
My Saint Spirit was created during a Blessing Day several years ago, so it doesn’t contain any memories from after that time. But there was one particular line of dialogue that stood out—when a player asked me about my opinion of the Dark Church, I once said, “Although they are our enemies, there are some… rather interesting people among them.”
That “interesting person” referred to Reis.
“This gentleman is a friend of mine. I apologize for any trouble he’s caused you.” I turned to the tavern owner, speaking sincerely.
She shook off my hand, giving me a rough once-over before extending her palm with an air of entitlement.
I placed a silver coin in her hand.
Satisfied, she rolled her eyes at me. “Get out of here!”
I moved behind the wheelchair, pushing Reis out of the tavern.
Once the spectacle ended, the crowd quickly dispersed. I wheeled Reis to a less crowded corner of the street. The whole time, he kept glancing back at me, eyes wide with surprise, and an expression that was simultaneously deep in thought and comically perplexed.
“Are you hiding from your disciple again?” I asked him.
He absentmindedly hummed in agreement.
—Reis isn’t a card character, so he doesn’t have a profile story. He only appears in a section of my personal favorability storyline. He’s a dark follower, possibly a mage or alchemist, with a disciple who learns from him. But for various reasons, he’s always running away from that disciple, going as far as hiding in a Church of Light and asking the priest if they could lock him up in the dungeon.
I first encountered him at a small town’s Church of Light.
38
It was a snowy night, visibility reduced to mere steps ahead. Every door in town was tightly shut, and the only sound in the streets was the howling wind.
A group of people trudged through the snowstorm.
In such weather, even the best horses couldn’t run. The knights huddled low in their saddles, pulling their cloaks tighter, letting their horses carry them forward with difficulty. Occasionally, they would glance up at the orange lantern hanging from the saddle of the lead rider to make sure they weren’t straying off course.
They passed through the narrow streets of the town, climbed a steep hill, and finally saw the white church, almost camouflaged by the blizzard.
The lead knight dismounted, bracing against the wind as he walked to the church door and pounded on it forcefully.
The bell inside clanged loudly, and soon someone came to answer. It was a young priest, his face full of obvious unease. When the newcomer pulled back his hood to reveal his handsome face, with golden hair and blue eyes, the priest’s unease turned into outright fear.
Such a reaction made the newcomer suspect something was wrong. His gaze shifted past the priest to the interior of the church—it wasn’t large, and he could see the entire space at a glance. In front of the two rows of pews stood the emblem and statue of the Light, and aside from the priest, there was only one man with black hair sitting in the front row, his head bowed as if in prayer.
But the dark energy emanating from him was unmistakable.
“Captain Alvin, he… he’s not… he’s just here to take shelter from the snow…” The priest began to tremble, trying desperately to maintain his composure. “I’m sorry, I’ll make him leave right away…”
This reaction made the knight commander feel a bit absurd—it didn’t seem like the priest was being coerced by a dark follower. In fact, judging by his response, ‘he’ looked more like the one threatening the poor priest.
“The weather tonight isn’t suitable for traveling. If this gentleman means no harm, allow him to stay and rest,” Alvin said gently.
The priest wasn’t sure how to interpret his words, trembling even more.
The man with black hair sitting in front of the statue hadn’t made a sound the entire time, so Alvin handed off the task of speaking with the priest to his subordinate and walked past the rows of pews toward the man. As he got closer, he noticed more details—the man was sitting next to a wheelchair, covered with two thick blankets. His head wasn’t bowed in prayer; rather, he had fallen asleep in that uncomfortable position.
The knight commander, who had braved the storm to reach the church, felt a momentary sense of disbelief, wondering if he had wandered into a Dark Church by mistake—otherwise, how could he see a dark follower sleeping so peacefully inside a church?
He raised his hand and made a gesture, and his subordinate, still standing at the door, turned to call the rest of the group inside. Soon, a dozen holy knights filed into the church, sitting down on the benches near the door to rest. The entire front half of the church was left to the sleeping black-haired man and the knight commander, seated on the opposite bench.
The priest, nervous, kept glancing between the two groups, and when it became clear there wouldn’t be a fight, he hurried to the back to fetch clean towels that he had prepared in advance, distributing them to the knights. He handed the last one to Alvin, carefully watching his expression, and dryly repeated, “He’s just here to take shelter from the snow. He’ll be leaving soon…”
Alvin smiled at him.
He could tell the priest was lying, but he also sensed a protective instinct toward the man. He asked quietly, “What’s his name?”
“Reis.” the priest replied in a hushed voice, clearly on edge.
But the knight commander didn’t press further. He placed the sword he had taken from his back on his lap, quietly wiping away the snow and water from his armor.
The priest relaxed a little and offered, “The rooms and food are ready. Would you like to rest now?”
Alvin shook his head. “Please take my knights to rest first.”
The holy knights exchanged a few glances, but silently followed the instructions. The priest hesitated, stealing a few more glances at Reis before finally leading the knights to the back.
The church grew quieter, with only the sound of the wind and snow outside.
Alvin folded the towel neatly and placed it to the side, intertwining his fingers in prayer in the peaceful silence.
After a while, the black-haired man, who seemed to be asleep, secretly opened one eye, peeking at the knight through the gap in his monocle. His previously quiet, brooding expression was quickly replaced by a more lively one, full of curiosity, like a child encountering something new. Seeing that the holy knight hadn’t reacted, he opened his other eye and boldly turned to stare at him.
A few seconds later, Alvin finished his prayer and asked, “Do you need something?”
Reis placed his hands on the blanket, leaning forward excitedly. “I heard that holy knights can’t lie!”
“That’s correct.” Alvin nodded.
Reis immediately asked, “Where’s the weak point in Kael’ya City’s defense array?”
Alvin: “…”
Faced with such direct probing, Alvin felt more embarrassed than anything. “Uh… holy knights cannot lie, but we can choose not to answer.”
“Oh, then never mind.” Reis said dejectedly, lowering his head.
“…” Alvin asked in confusion, “Is that why you’re here?”
Reis hummed in agreement, his fingers tracing patterns on the blanket as he earnestly and meticulously explained his plan: “I’m trying to find a way to get locked up in a Church of Light’s dungeon! I’ve done my research—the dungeons at the Church of Light not only provide meals but also medical care, and they issue new prisoner uniforms in winter and summer. It’s a great place to live! If I can sabotage Kael’ya City’s defense array, I should be able to stay there for years!”
“…”
This was the first time Alvin had encountered a dark follower who *wanted* to be imprisoned by the Church of Light, and his reasoning actually sounded quite convincing… His gaze swept over the finely crafted wheelchair next to the bench, and then back to Reis’s legs, covered by the blankets. “It seems you’re not lacking in wealth, so is it for medical treatment?”
Reis shook his head, gesturing animatedly as he spoke: “I’m not sick. I’m hiding from my disciple! He can’t enter the Church of Light. If I’m locked up in a Church of Light’s dungeon, he won’t be able to find me!” His eyes suddenly lit up as he cunningly proposed a trade: “If you lock me up in the Church of Light’s dungeon, I can lock you up in the Dark Church’s dungeon, so your disciple can’t find you either!”
“…I don’t think I need that.” Alvin said, stifling a laugh as he shook his head.
Rejected, Reis chewed on his finger as he sank into deep thought.
The Church of Light and the Dark Church weren’t absolute enemies; in many towns, both churches coexisted, and not all believers were hostile toward each other on sight. However, it was rare to see such open camaraderie, let alone a situation where someone felt comfortable enough to discuss their “family issues” with a follower from the opposing side. Alvin, having determined that Reis wasn’t a threat, stopped asking questions and tried to rest.
But Reis wasn’t about to let this “great opportunity” slip away. After thinking for a while, he suddenly asked, “If I attack the Captain of the Holy Knights, would that get me locked up for a long time?”
“…”
Alvin had no choice but to open his eyes again. He didn’t feel offended, just a bit exasperated: “Reis, that’s not a good idea.” He added, seeing that Reis wasn’t ready to give up, “Assaulting a holy knight is a crime, and the most severe punishment could be death.”
“Would a less severe assault get me locked up for a long time?” Reis stubbornly pressed on.
“…” Alvin rubbed his forehead. “If you don’t mind, could you tell me what issues you’re having with your disciple?”
Reis scrunched up his face, “He’s so annoying! He keeps interrupting me while I’m reading, and he won’t let me drink!”
Alvin summarized, “So, you enjoy reading and drinking?”
“Yes!”
“The Church of Light doesn’t allow prisoners to drink.”
Reis: “…”
He was stunned.
“Holy knights don’t lie.” Alvin reminded him, coughing lightly to cover his amusement. “Perhaps you should consider other options, Reis.”
Reis stared at him blankly, sinking into a deep melancholy.
Footsteps echoed from behind the altar. The priest, unable to suppress his worries, had returned to check on the situation. After seeing that the two hadn’t fought, he relaxed his pace. Then he noticed Reis, lost in thought, and audibly sucked in a breath, rushing over to Alvin and urgently whispering, “Captain Alvin, this gentleman… well, he’s not quite right in the head. If he says anything strange, please don’t take it seriously!”
“It’s alright.”
—Rather than being mentally unsound, it seemed more like he simply didn’t interact with people often, leading to odd thought processes, an inability to hide his emotions, and a naive, straightforward way of thinking—like a child who believed everything they heard. Alvin mused. He might be an alchemist, with that sort of obsessive, unhealthy passion typical of those types.
But he couldn’t recall anyone like Reis among the higher ranks of the Dark Church.
At least now he understood why the priest had taken care of him—this town was small, and the priest was no more than the lowest-ranked mage, capable of basic light magic. He could tell that Reis was a dark follower, but he couldn’t gauge Reis’s true power. To the priest, this man was just a mentally unwell person who needed help. His fear stemmed only from having taken in a dark follower under the church’s roof without permission, not from any sinister plot.
To confirm, Alvin asked, “Do you know this man?”
“No, I only know his name.” the priest answered nervously. “He’s been coming here every day for the past few days, asking me to lock him up in the dungeon. I’ve sent him away every time, but today… the snow was so heavy, I thought… I thought I’d wait a bit longer, maybe it would stop…”
“Don’t worry, you did the right thing.” Alvin reassured him, “The Church of Light doesn’t turn away those in need, even dark followers.”
The priest breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, Reis suddenly threw off his blanket and stood up. He couldn’t put weight on one of his knees, so he hobbled awkwardly toward his wheelchair, almost stumbling several times along the way. The first thing he did after sitting down was to carefully tuck the blankets around himself again, wrapping up tightly before wheeling himself toward the door.
“Hey! Mr. Reis, where are you going? The snow hasn’t stopped yet!” The priest hurried over to block his way.
Reis looked up at him, pouting angrily. “I’m going to gather information on the Free Alliance’s dungeons!”
“…” The priest tried to reason with him, “Whatever you need to do, can’t you wait until the snow stops?”
“No!”
“But you’re not in the best condition to be moving around…”
Reis stubbornly repeated, “No!”
Behind them, the knight commander unclasped a flat flask from his belt and unscrewed the cap.
The wheelchair immediately spun around. Reis’s mismatched eyes, magnified by the monocle, locked onto the flask, confirming that his love for alcohol was indeed genuine.
But then, the cap was screwed back on.
Reis’s gaze lingered on the flask, full of longing, before slowly shifting to the face of the man holding it. Realization dawned on him, and he slapped the blankets with both hands, indignantly questioning, “I heard that holy knights aren’t allowed to drink! How can you break that… that rule?!”
“It’s a prohibition against drunkenness.” Alvin corrected him, tossing the flask his way.
Reis caught it eagerly, immediately lifting it to his nose for a sniff. His entire expression relaxed in an instant. He cradled the flask, sipping it slowly as he melted back into the blankets, adopting a posture of pure, lazy contentment.
Seeing his mood improve, the priest took the opportunity to say, “Mr. Reis, why not stay until tomorrow?”
“Mm.”
“Should I prepare a room for you to rest in?”
“Okay.”
“For dinner, we’ll have bread as the main course. Would you prefer vegetable soup or jam?”
“Either.”
The priest’s mouth twitched, both amused and exasperated. “I’ll prepare both for you, then…” he said, glancing at the knight commander. “Captain Alvin, would you like to join us for the meal?”
Alvin nodded. He looked at Reis, who was contentedly sipping the drink, and suddenly said, “Please drink sparingly. I only have this one flask.”
Reis’s eyes widened instantly, like a startled cat. He looked at the nearly empty flask in his hand, his eyebrows and mouth drooping in such a pitiful expression that Alvin couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle as he turned away.
Be my Patron ~ Buy me Ko-Fi
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨Buy me some Ko-FI | Paypal to support my effort✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
![After I Transmigrated as a Mermaid, I Transmigrated Back [GL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mermaidtransmigrate2.jpg "After I Transmigrated as a Mermaid, I Transmigrated Back [GL]")
