25
I carried Selena to the temporary spot where the injured were being treated, and a group of elves immediately came over to help. Several elves surrounded Selena, bandaging her wounds and preparing recovery potions. I glanced around and then pulled Lily, who was bouncing around but not really helping, out of the crowd.
“What do you want?!” She was on high alert.
“Do you know healing magic?” I asked.
“…Are you injured again?” Lily’s dissatisfied expression vanished, and she reluctantly said, “Let me see… Hmph, just so you know, I’m only helping because you saved Lady Selena. Next time, I’m not healing you!”
I smiled at her, “Yes, I understand. Thank you.”
Lily: “…”
She suddenly stammered, “N-no need to thank me! Where are you hurt?”
I pulled aside the torn clothes and bandages to show her the hole.
Lily: “…………….”
I waited for a bit, but she just stood there in a daze, which confused me. “What’s wrong?”
“This is worse than last time… your heart is gone…” Lily muttered blankly, “Do you prefer a sky burial or a tree burial?”
Me: “…I think there’s still hope for me.”
Lily looked lost. “Spare me, I can’t save you this time…” She suddenly snapped back to reality and exclaimed, “Why aren’t you dead?!”
I didn’t want to tell her about the Dark God’s curse, but I couldn’t think of an explanation. Just then, Selena’s voice came through the elves’ circle—”Because he’s a ghost who eats little elves, so he can’t die!”
Lily clutched her face in terror, “Eeek!”
Me: “…”
Selena’s hoarse voice lowered, taking on a spooky tone that echoed through the forest—”Lily, if you can’t heal him, he’ll come for the little elves at night!”
Lily: “Eeek!!!”
Me: “…”
She quickly closed her eyes and raised her hand to cast a healing spell, completing the action smoothly. As my health bar filled up, the bleeding effect disappeared, and the damage textures on my model gradually faded away, leaving only a few minor ones that didn’t really affect my movement. I removed the broken bandages, then noticed that there were still three or four smaller damage textures on my chest, probably from the shadow arrows I blocked for Helier earlier, as well as some on my waist… I hadn’t expected the developers to be so meticulous, even syncing such details to my new model.
I had grown accustomed to the constant, faint pain in my model. After all, I couldn’t die, and as long as it didn’t hinder my ability to fight, it didn’t really matter…
A hand appeared in front of me, holding a fresh roll of bandages. I followed the arm up to see Selena, who had somehow reverted to her centaur form, watching me with exhaustion still lingering in her eyes.
“Healing magic doesn’t always work. Al…” She paused, then sighed, “…Don’t get hurt again.”
—In the game’s design, healing magic had a cumulative cooldown. The same character couldn’t rely on healing spells for unlimited recovery. Once it accumulated to a certain point, only slow but steady recovery potions could be effective, preventing players from simply healing their way through difficult boss fights.
Lily, who was standing in front of me, heard Selena’s voice and cautiously opened one eye, then the other. She stared at my chest for a few seconds before suddenly turning and throwing herself at Selena, clutching her foreleg with tearful eyes. “Lady Selena, I can’t heal him! You have to stop him from eating the little elves!”
Me: “…”
Selena turned her head away, “Pfft.”
Lily: “…”
Selena cleared her throat, patted Lily’s head, and sent her off to fetch a new set of clothes for me. She gathered up her wet hair and braided it, flashing me a smile. “Little Al, rest here for a bit. I’m going to check on things up front.”
I quickly stood up to follow her. “I’m coming too.”
—I didn’t feel like I needed to rest. The remaining damage textures weren’t affecting my mobility, and I could still handle low-level monsters. Rather than resting here, I was more eager to check the battlefield to ensure that the Savior was still seriously completing the main storyline, instead of wandering off to take pictures or pursue side quests…
Selena’s expression turned disapproving. “Do you want your teacher to knock you out?”
But I wouldn’t be affected by a stun debuff. I insisted, “I can still fight.”
Her gaze grew cold, and she firmly said, “No! I don’t care how you live in the Church of Light. In the Freedom Alliance, you have to listen to me!”
“I’m not part of the Freedom Alliance.” I had no intention of switching factions. Judging by the way the surrounding elves were looking at me, my reputation in the Freedom Alliance was barely high enough for them not to attack me on sight.
Selena angrily planted her lance into the ground, her voice filled with bitter laughter. “What, do you still think you’re a member of the Church of Light?!”
“……”
For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond—indeed, given the current situation, I couldn’t go back.
Switching factions wasn’t difficult for players, but I was an NPC who had been set up as a paladin from the very beginning, and not just any paladin, but the captain of the Paladins. Leaving the Church of Light to join the Freedom Alliance seemed less fitting than simply meeting my end through the storyline…
Selena clenched her jaw, her chest heaving as she, too, fell into a sudden silence.
Just then, Lily returned, breaking the tense atmosphere between us. Selena was the first to relent, lowering her head to pull out her lance from the ground. She kept her gaze on the dirt beneath her hooves, avoiding my eyes.
I also shifted my focus away from Selena and picked up the new clothes to take a look.
—Clothing damage, of course, couldn’t be fixed by healing spells; it required repairs to restore durability. But after several instances of damage, the durability of my current outfit had dropped to zero, meaning it probably couldn’t be fixed.
Compared to the Church of Light’s knight uniforms, the elves’ clothing was much more relaxed. Probably designed with archers in mind, the fabric was light and barely protective, with most joints exposed—including… the waist.
I stared at the thin strip of fabric that barely connected to the waist, deep in thought. “…”
—Why is it like this? At least the Church of Light’s ceremonial armor sacrificed protection for aesthetics but still had uniforms underneath. But this Freedom Alliance outfit? The artist must’ve completely let loose.
I asked Lily, “…Is there any waist armor?”
“Waist armor restricts movement!” Lily asked in confusion, demonstrating an exaggerated waist-twisting move that no human could ever do to prove the outfit’s functionality.
I quickly glanced at the elf girl’s exposed, flexible waistline, mentally mapping it onto my adult male model… I forced down the uncomfortable feeling and patiently explained to her, “I’m a heavy swordsman, different from an archer. I need gear with more protective capabilities.”
Lily was even more puzzled. “But aren’t you using a light sword?”
“…” I stubbornly retorted, “Even if I am a light swordsman, I can’t wear this on the battlefield.”
“Oh…” Lily nodded, half-understanding. “Alright, then I—”
“No need.” Selena interrupted her.
A sense of foreboding washed over me.
Sure enough, Selena tilted her chin up and said with authority, “Al, either wear this and come with me to the battlefield, or stay here and rest!”
Me: “…”
I tried to argue, “You can’t just—”
Selena: “Hmm?”
I thought about the Savior with his questionable mindset, the flood of monsters, and the endless stream of injured guards being brought here, took a deep breath, and made a decision. “Fine, I—”
Selena sneered and turned to Lily, saying, “Get him a set of women’s clothing.”
Me: “…………”
26
I sat on a soft grassy mat, expressionless.
Lily was seriously reinforcing the vines with natural magic. I couldn’t even see my right hand, which had been tied to the bed frame; it was completely wrapped in layer upon layer of vines, forming a solid ball.
“You don’t have to go this far.” I tried to reason with her. “I won’t run.”
—After all, Selena had already taken my sword. Without the buffs from [Dawn], even a 10-level increase wouldn’t do me much good. Even Lily could easily pin me down.
“It’s nighttime! What if you sneak out and eat little elves? I won’t give you that chance!” Lily solemnly rubbed her hands together, then dramatically raised them, bringing them down toward my neck with a karate chop. “Hi-yah!”
Me: “…”
This move didn’t affect me, but I didn’t want to argue with this elf girl whose intelligence stat seemed questionable. So I closed my eyes and pretended to pass out.
Lily let out a satisfied hum but didn’t leave. She sat in a chair next to the grass mat, carrying out Selena’s order to “keep an eye on him without missing a moment” very thoroughly. I could feel her gaze fixed on my face even with my eyes closed.
There was no chance of escape, and I couldn’t sleep, so I absentmindedly rubbed the vines while mentally reviewing the battle that had just taken place in the forest.
Despite his flamboyant appearance, the Dark Saint Asa was actually very cautious. He calculated every action carefully, using all available resources. If something changed, he would retreat immediately, never making unnecessary sacrifices. This made him hard to defeat and even harder to capture. It had already surprised me that he revealed himself during the last attack on the Church of Light. In the data I had on Asa, his image was vague—always cloaked in a large robe that concealed his entire body, showing only his pale chin and upturned lips, making it difficult to even guess his age.
—I could understand why he kept himself so well hidden. His outfit looked like it would be hard to get approved by censors. Even with the black mist as a filter, he would probably expose as little as possible.
So it was surprising to see him reveal his true face twice in a row.
And his actions before he fled…
I did have a scene in my files labeled [Alvin + Asa], but it had seemed irrelevant to Asa before. I used to think the developers had mixed up the scenes while working late, but now that I reconsidered, I realized that the scene wasn’t irrelevant to Asa at all—the other person in that scene was clearly Asa!
That part of the story began in a dark dungeon.
Though the Church of Light’s dungeon was underground as well, it was clean and well-lit with torches. In contrast, the dungeon of the Dark Church was cold, damp, and eerie, with rows of torture devices hanging on the walls. The sound of dripping water echoed in the dim space, mixed with ominous rustling noises.
Two guards came down from above, taking a cursory look around. One of them shouted at the lone prisoner in the dungeon, “Hey! Did anyone come down here just now?”
The only prisoner was a red-haired youth, curled up in a corner of the cell. Hearing the shout, he flinched and shook his head quickly in fear.
“Let’s go, let’s go! No way anyone would come here!” The other guard shoved him, grumbling, “Those ‘big shots’ just love bossing us around…”
“Yeah, serves them right for losing something!”
“Shhh…”
The two guards muttered as they left.
A while later, the youth finally lifted his head—he was actually past the age of being called a youth, but his thin frame and baggy prison clothes emphasized his frailty. Beneath his disheveled red hair, his eyes were covered with a wide black cloth, almost obscuring half his face. He faced the direction the guards had left, then carefully moved to the front of the cell, calling out softly, “They’re gone, you can come out now!”
From the unlocked cell opposite him, a pile of moldy straw suddenly shifted, and a hand reached out. The owner of the hand seemed injured, moving sluggishly as they struggled to crawl out of the straw.
The red-haired youth asked curiously, “I heard them say you stole something from the ‘big shots.’ What did you steal?” Then he quickly added, “It’s okay if you don’t want to say…”
The person who crawled out didn’t answer. Leaning against the straw pile, they took a moment to catch their breath before finally saying, “Thank you.”
The youth nodded slightly in his direction, his lips curving into a small smile. He lowered his head and timidly asked, “Sir, I helped you. Could you help me in return…”
“What do you need me to do?”
“It won’t trouble you! Just… just please let me out…” The youth’s voice grew quieter.
As he spoke, the other person raised their hand, a small white flame glowing in their palm, pressing it against their wound. They silently inhaled, then asked in a calm tone, “What crime did you commit?”
The youth flinched at the question, stammering, “I… I was a servant to the Pope… a slave. When I was serving him, I accidentally saw his face. He got very angry and had me…” He let out a sob and tried to hold it in. “The Pope ordered my execution, but those knights, they bribed the guards and secretly locked me up here. Every night, they come and… I…” He couldn’t continue, breaking down as he covered his face and sobbed, “Please, sir, just get me out of here! I’ll do anything, even serve you, as long as I’m not left here to be ruined by them…”
His words left the other person stunned, their movements pausing for a few seconds.
“…What’s your name?”
“Saya! Sir, my name is Saya!” The youth quickly responded. He seemed to realize something, muttering in confusion, “You have the same name as the captain of the Paladins… but the captain of the Paladins wouldn’t steal anything… no, no, I’m not speaking ill of you! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Sir Alvin! I… I…”
Alvin lowered his gaze, staring at the hand that was pressed against his wound, and didn’t respond to Saya’s rambling apologies. After a while, he removed his hand and pulled out a roll of pre-prepared bandages, wrapping them tightly around the injury. After tending to the wound, he stood and walked to Saya’s cell, drawing a dagger from behind his waist.
Saya couldn’t see anything. Hearing Alvin’s approach, he moved closer to the front of the cell and eagerly said, “Sir Alvin, I know where the guards keep the keys. They’re just—”
“No need.” Alvin shook his head, raising the dagger.
Saya’s lips curved into a small smile.
But in the next moment, there was a loud clang.
The chain broke, and the severed lock clattered to the ground. Alvin pushed open the cell door and gave a command to the stunned youth, “I’ll draw the guards away. Once you’re out, run east and avoid the sentries.” He repeated, “Remember, run east. I’ll meet up with you and take you out.”
Saya lifted his head and said, “Thank you, but… but I’m blind. I can’t run…”
“…You’re not pretending to be blind?”
Saya: “…”
He almost choked on his words. Lowering his head, he softly apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to deceive you… but… I really can’t run. I’m just an ordinary person. I can’t even fight off a single guard…”
Alvin frowned. For a moment, Saya thought he was going to say, “You’re not ordinary.” but in the end, Alvin simply extended a hand to the youth on the ground. “Come with me.”
Now that his act of blindness had been exposed, Saya boldly took a few glances at Alvin through the black cloth, then reached out and grabbed his hand.
Having knelt for so long, he stumbled as he got up, falling into Alvin’s arms. Panicked, he tried to steady himself but ended up pressing his right hand against the bandage. He had used too much force, and the red blood instantly seeped through the bandage. Alvin stiffened slightly, showing no expression on his face as he helped the frightened, apologetic youth stand. Then he remained in place for a few moments, before turning and heading toward the stairs.
Saya stared at his back, rubbing his fingers together nervously, and hurried to follow.
The entrance to the dungeon had been locked by the guards from the outside and couldn’t be opened from within. Alvin checked the door, then turned and instructed, “The sound of me breaking down the door will alert the nearby guards. Stay inside until I return to get you.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to everything Sir Alvin says!”
Saya nodded obediently. He stood still, watching the captain of the Paladins break through the wooden door with a single strike and slip out of the dungeon. Shouts and fighting broke out outside, but it didn’t last long before falling silent. After a few more seconds, Alvin reappeared in the shattered doorway, unexpectedly handing Saya a pair of boots that were obviously taken from one of the guards.
The youth didn’t react immediately, slow to realize that his bare feet were on the stone steps. His expression turned strange, holding the boots awkwardly as he struggled to decide whether to put them on or not. After a moment of internal debate, he clenched his teeth and pulled them on.
Alvin didn’t notice Saya’s inner turmoil. He simply instructed, “Stay close to me.” before once again taking the lead. He was very experienced in evading guards, guiding Saya through twists and turns. It was only after a few minutes that they encountered a situation where they had to fight. Saya hid in the shadows of the wall, watching Alvin swiftly knock out a few guards with decisive movements, nervously twisting his fingers as if there should have been a ring to turn there. When Alvin finished hiding the unconscious guards behind the wall, Saya cautiously approached and anxiously asked, “Sir Alvin, aren’t you going to kill them?”
“…I don’t like killing.”
Saya lowered his head, frightened. “But if they wake up, we’ll be discovered!”
Alvin looked at him without saying a word, then turned and continued forward.
Although the Paladin captain chose routes that stayed in the guards’ blind spots, more and more guards were converging on their location. They had to keep changing directions, trying to break through, but every path was blocked by large groups of guards. After a few attempts, Alvin stopped, glancing at the church’s back wall across the courtyard and the guards setting up defenses in the secluded area. He let out a silent sigh, no longer trying to change positions, and instead began observing the guards’ movements.
Saya, who had been quiet the entire time, noticed the change in Alvin’s attitude and whispered, “Are you going to kill them now?”
Alvin glanced at him but didn’t answer. He leaned against the wall by the door, slowly regulating his breathing before finally asking, “Are you part of the Dark Church?”
Saya jumped back in shock, panicking as he stepped away. “No, I’m not! Please don’t kill me!”
“You’re part of the Dark Church.” Alvin repeated, this time with certainty.
Saya froze, then slowly lowered his hands after a few seconds. He hung his head and asked, “How did you know?”
Alvin calmly replied, “You have dark element energy on you, and you’ve been leaving traces for the guards all along.”
“…So you’ve known all along. Then why did you still bring me?” Saya chuckled and deliberately tugged at his loose collar, his tone suggestive. “What, do you want me to serve you?”
The Paladin captain hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “…Because you asked me for help.”
“…”
Saya stared at him, his fingers twitching slightly, unable to find words.
“Your goal has been achieved. The guards will be here soon. I’ll ask you one more time…” Alvin asked seriously, “…Do you want to leave the Dark Church?”
Saya froze, opening and closing his mouth. “I…”
In the darkness, Alvin’s clear blue eyes looked at him, patiently waiting for an answer.
As if hypnotized, Saya unconsciously took two steps toward him—just then, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard. More guards had arrived.
The red-haired youth snapped back to reality. Realizing he had almost nodded, he gasped and clenched his fingers tightly, unable to speak, only shaking his head in confusion.
Alvin didn’t say anything more. He turned and jumped out the window, taking advantage of the distraction caused by the guards verifying each other’s identities to knock out the two nearest guards. Moving like the wind, he quickly disarmed another guard, swiping his sword to deflect arrows shot by distant archers.
In less than ten seconds, he had crossed the courtyard and reached the wall. The white flames around his sword intensified as he took a deep breath, crouched, and leaped, slashing with all his might toward the air above—there was a crack, and the sword shattered as it broke through an invisible barrier. A dark barrier appeared at the top of the wall, shattering with white flames burning along its edges.
The disturbance had grown too large to hide. The Dark Pope, who had been fighting invaders at the front of the church, noticed the burst of light element energy and flew toward the corner like a shooting star. Meanwhile, the explosion of white flames forced the nearby guards to retreat. Alvin took advantage of the chaos to climb the wall, aiming to escape before the barrier could be restored—
A shrill scream suddenly echoed from the courtyard.
Saya was pinned to the ground by two guards, his thin frame crushed under their weight, unable to lift his head. His red hair spread across the ground like spilled blood. He desperately reached out to the Paladin captain, crying, “Sir Alvin, help me! Help me—”
“…”
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
Alvin closed his eyes, throwing something along with a torn scroll over the wall. A portal opened in midair, swallowing the object, and he turned back toward the courtyard, rushing toward Saya.
The bright white flames extinguished, and the dark barrier silently closed behind him.
It never opened again.
Notes from the Dark God (?): Almost had my little knight stolen away! Very petty.
Dark Saint Asa: Hmm? He didn’t recognize me, did he? Strange… Let’s try again! (removes cloak)
Some Extra Settings:
Regarding ages: To avoid breaking the fantasy, I won’t specify exact numbers.
Just assume magic can keep someone’s appearance fixed.
To summarize, Lily > Dark Pope > Selena > Alvin > Helier > Asa > Cooper > Light Saint, though if we converted to human years, Lily would actually be the youngest.
The Savior is currently similar in age to the Light Saint, in a youthful state.
Height-wise: Selena (centaur) > Alvin > Selena (human) > Helier > Dark Pope > Cooper > Asa > Light Saint > Luke > Lily—the Dark Church tends to be smaller in stature, but the Savior single-handedly lowers the average height of the Light faction.
Combat strength is harder to compare directly, as it involves factors like single-target/area-of-effect attacks, class, and combat skills. Taking into account overall “solo combat power” it’s Asa > Selena > Alvin = Dark Pope > Helier > Cooper > Lily > Luke > Light Saint.
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