After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 106 - 18: The Person with the Radiant Brilliance_2
She hastily knelt down, her forehead tightly pressed against the ground.
Towards the Goddess of Life, she had always felt, due to her previous faith in the Creation Witch, that in terms of understanding life, the Goddess of Life was not as great as the Creation Witch she worshiped.
Now she no longer dared to think so.
And it was at this time.
"It’s not up to me to simply decide if they should be forgiven," a gentle voice emanated from the nun.
She approached Xi Mu, raising her hand to touch his head, as if a mother doting on her child, caressing her own child’s head.
A luminescent green light flowed between the nun’s fingers, mending Xi Mu’s wounded body and replenishing the life force he had lost.
Xi Mu looked up at the nun graced with divinity.
The nun, her gaze tender, explained to the handsome knight kneeling before her, "To forgive their sins, I need the permission of the Three Goddesses of Fate and the Goddess of Justice; otherwise, even I do not possess the authority to absolve them."
"Is that so," Xi Mu said, appearing somewhat disappointed as he lowered his head, while the nun, seeing this, smiled gently and took down the amulet from the altar.
She then handed it to Xi Mu, saying:
"I’ve received full authority from them to decide personally whether or not to forgive their sins."
"Then, Goddess, what is your choice?" Xi Mu inquired, but the Goddess of Life did not immediately answer; instead, she posed a question.
"Why do you choose to help them?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Because I want to curry your favor.
That’s what Xi Mu thought silently to himself, but the words he spoke differed greatly; with his head bowed low, he said:
"Perhaps out of pity."
"Is that so," the nun nodded faintly, her thoughts inscrutable, as she shifted her gaze to the Ghostly Queen.
She pondered, as if making a choice.
As for whether to forgive the sins of Doma City, the All Gods were not unanimous in their opinion; after all, in the high heavens, there were two goddesses who still thought of themselves as dogs of the Creation Witch, their minds not yet fully recovered, hence they held hostility towards everything related to the Creation Witch.
However, in the absence of the God of Omniscience, her influence among the gods had grown significantly, which is why she could seize the opportunity to advocate for the forgiveness of Doma City’s sins.
"The Creation Witch has not truly perished," she suddenly announced with a shocking revelation, maintaining a gentle and serious tone.
"Do you really not want to wait any longer?"
"..."
The Ghostly Queen fell silent, unaware if the words of the Goddess of Life were true or false, yet knowing that there was no room for hesitation now.
"Please absolve us of our sins; we have renounced our faith in the Creation Witch, we beseech your mercy."
The nun remained silent, giving no answer.
After a long while.
"Goddess, life and death are simply the natural order," Xi Mu spoke up, "To forcibly maintain a state neither living nor dead is no different from the actions of a witch."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the nun gazed deeply at the silver-garbed knight and sighed lightly:
"I hope that, in your next life, you no longer encounter the Creation Witch." With those words, the warm ambiance of the church seemed to be drained by some inexplicable force.
The chill of ghosts and the breath of curses once again swept in.
Xi Mu stood up and approached the altar, looking down at the amulet in his hands, feeling the divine favor upon it intensify.
"Lord Ahtal, you truly are one favored by the Goddess," the nun approached him, her smile warm but lacking the all-encompassing maternal grace.
Compared to before, she was now just an ordinary nun.
As the divine gaze retreated, naturally the nun could no longer maintain the state of divine possession and reverted to being an ordinary believer.
"Perhaps it’s because my life is fleeting," Xi Mu responded casually, despite starting as a useless person, but with his strength rapidly growing, attracting the gaze of the deities wasn’t so strange.
Believers, too, attract the attention of the deities in varying degrees, depending on the value they exhibit; the more stunning the prodigy, the more legendary the tales, the more likely they are to capture the gods’ eyes.
Whereas believers from the countryside who have not shown exceptional qualities are likely to go their whole lives without drawing the attention of the deities.
"Please don’t say that, being watched over by the Goddess is a sign of your own brilliant radiance," the nun gently shook her head, not believing Xi Mu’s humble words.
It is easy for the gods above in the high heavens to take notice of those with dazzling brilliance, just as the once Magic Queen attracted the attention of the Goddess of the Moon.
It’s also how Ahtal could draw the gaze of the Goddess of Life.
"Perhaps," Xi Mu responded indifferently before his gaze shifted to the increasingly blurred figure of the Ghostly Queen.
Sensing that Xi Mu did not intend to continue the conversation, the nun bowed slightly and then left the church.
"Ah~ Lord Ahtal, my deepest thanks," the Ghostly Queen lifted her hand, looking at her now translucent palm, then floated before Xi Mu and handed over a treasure map.
"This is the map to all the treasures of Doma City."
"..."
Xi Mu accepted the treasure map without a trace of excitement on his face, for he had no interest in so-called treasures. After all, to him, valuable things were altered tomes of magical teachings that could only add negative effects once studied.
On top of that, transporting treasures... was also a bit of a hassle.
Of course, there was a solution; by handing over the treasure map to his teacher, Hecate, after some time, he could go to her and exchange it for valuable knowledge.
"Treasures... They don’t excite you, do they?" the Ghostly Queen observed Xi Mu’s calm expression and then pursed her lips with a slight smile.
She leaned in close to Xi Mu’s cheek.
"Then I’ll give you a... kiss," her tempting red lips approached, and just before they could touch Xi Mu, she completely vanished into a shadowy wisp.
Did it touch him?
Unclear, as the spectral Ghostly Queen, having lost the ability to influence the world, could not possibly have any feedback.
Xi Mu touched his cheek then looked down at the treasure map, and after storing it away, he said to Jed:
"Let’s go."
"Yes." Jed nodded, catching up to Xi Mu’s figure, and together their silhouettes left the church, blending into the distant gloom.
...
...
Half an hour later.
In another church.
"Lord Ahetar, what brings you here?" Laila asked nervously as she watched the silver-clad knight stride in.
She was somewhat fearful of the man who had previously wreaked havoc, and since Ahetar was also a disciple of Hecate, he was without a doubt her superior.
It was thanks to Ahetar that she had been promoted to her current position as a teacher.
So it was natural for her to feel nervous and fearful.
If Ahetar took a dislike to her, just one word from him could demote her, or he might even go mad and cleave her with a single strike—it was all within the realm of possibility.
"Don’t look at me like I’m about to eat you," Xi Mu chuckled, stepping in front of Laila and pulling out a treasure map.
"Give this to my teacher, and tell her something for me," he leaned in close to Laila’s ear, "I heard with my own ears the Goddess of Life say the ’Creation Witch’ is not dead."
Laila: "..."
Suddenly feeling a chill, she wondered if their blatant excavation of relics might have angered the Creation Witch if she was indeed still alive.
Such actions could get them cursed, making life worse than death.
Wait, Lord Ahetar just said he personally heard the Goddess of Life mention the Creation Witch is not dead, could it mean the Goddess of Life recently descended?
No wonder the curse on this city was lifted so suddenly.
"Remember, you must deliver it directly to my teacher," Xi Mu stepped back, smiling at an ever more nervous Laila, and added, "My teacher knows your fate inside out, you can’t escape it." With that, he turned without hesitation and left.
Just how important is the thing you’ve entrusted me with?
Laila pressed her lips together, feeling slightly aggrieved, but still managed to react calmly, ordering all the students and knight guards present:
"Halt the exploration, return to the Magic Castle."
