The more they oppose, the more it shows that I am doing the right thing

The next day.

Warm sunlight spread evenly over the stained glass dome of the Church.

The incident that occurred last night was sealed off by the Church.

All records concerning Kavensis were thoroughly destroyed.

Such a top-tier scandal would affect not only the Kavensis family but potentially harm the reputation of the entire frontier Church.

Thanks to the Church's efforts to downplay the situation, the punishment for Agni was not so severe, and after her redeeming feat of hunting down a nest of the Esoteric Religion, she was only docked three months' salary.

But information cannot be completely contained.

The Dark Knight, the bane of the Esoteric Religion — Xianzong's fame began to spread, though only within a small circle, mysterious as an urban legend.

As for the gifts that inexplicably appeared at home,

What do the gifts Xianzong receives have to do with me, An Su?

Regardless, the night of the red moon came to a conclusive end.

One would have to wait until next year to strike it rich again.

An Su knelt before the statue of Holy Light, offering up his gains from the previous night and received the Goddess's reward.

His magic power reached a total of thirteen points.

After his prayers, he stood up and turned his head, getting a shock.

Luoja Faust had appeared behind him at some point, staring blankly at him with brilliant golden eyes that reflected An Su's face as if surveying a corpse.

"Yesterday," she stated tersely.

She was here to hold him accountable.

An Su knew exactly what Luoja was referring to.

Luoja had come to find him early that morning, but she encountered Kavensis returning, so An Su, not wanting to waste time, studied and read books on the side.

After reading for a while and seeing their conversation was not ending, he sneaked away on his own.

"...I'm sorry."

An Su apologized directly.

Luoja stared intensely at An Su for a long moment before she finally sighed helplessly, "Follow me."

Once they left the Church, An Su followed Luoja on the street, one behind the other.

Of course, at this very moment, An Su didn't care about these matters.

He watched Luoja, who walked ahead, trying to understand what the Little Holy Maiden's intention was.

The whole way they were silent, not speaking a word.

Luoja walked ahead of An Su, carrying a wooden box that prevented him from observing her expression.

The fresh sea breeze swept through the street, and the wind chimes tinkled alongside, Luoja's silver hair scattered in the wind, swaying gracefully. Sometimes a strand brushed past An Su's cheek, tickling him.

Was it last night's incident that was exposed?

An Su didn't think so, as he had been very discreet.

Besides, what has the person Xianzong killed to do with me, An Su Moningsta?

They walked along the street for a while.

Finally, Luoja turned her head, looking solemn and serious, her amber eyes staring directly at An Su, and her thin lips parted slightly — a very serious demeanor that made An Su become a bit nervous.

— But then she said earnestly,

"I'm hungry. Have breakfast?"

"You put on such a scary act just to eat?"

"Eating is a sacred act," Luoja said earnestly, her voice cool, "second only to the Goddess."

An Su had no choice but to reply,

"...All right, I'm hungry too."

This breakfast shop faced the sea, with delicious cakes and fresh milk, and their bread was exceptional.

They chose a seat by the window.

Outside the window were a water-blue sky and a sky-blue sea, each half occupying the windowpane. If not for the occasional sea breeze that stirred up the clouds and lifted a few waves, the whole world would appear as a still painting in blue, hanging between them on the window bars.

Luoja ordered a blueberry cake and a glass of fresh milk; she ate her cake gracefully, sitting up straight, lips slightly parted, and her eyes lightly closing as she chewed and savored, like a cat basking in the sun.

After enjoying her dessert, she held a cup of steaming fresh milk with both hands.

"What exactly did you want to see me for?" An Su, having quickly finished his portion of bread, didn't want to play any more guessing games with the Holy Maiden; it was an unpleasant feeling.

"You've already eaten two blueberry cakes, each costing ten copper coins, it's quite expensive and not even tasty," An Su said.

For An Su's household, twenty copper coins were insignificant, but he said this only because he didn't want to engage further with Luoja.

"The written examination for Saints is in four days," Luoja said, lifting her gaze to An Su, her white eyelids fluttering, "I've heard you come to the library every day to study and go home late."

"That's right," An Su said, "in fact, I don't go home at night either. I've found many sincere professional teachers to give me special coaching."

He wasn't lying.

Indeed, he'd sought many specialized teachers of the Esoteric Religion for private tutoring at night, though the only ones getting fed were the teachers themselves.

When the Mother Goddess dined, it was indeed a heart and soul experience, with blood about to splatter.

"You really want to join the Radiant Holy See..." Luoja paused, then said, "I'm happy about this."

"I have always been a faithful believer of the Goddess," An Su answered earnestly.

This statement was also true, and he wasn't afraid that Luoja would see through it.

After all, for the simple and honest An Su, he would faithfully believe in whoever offered him the most benefits.

"This might be of help to you," Luoja said, taking out a booklet from her bag and handing it to An Su.

An Su took it and just opened the first page, only to be astounded by what he saw.

Neat, organized handwriting, a clear logic throughout the content, interconnected knowledge points, detailed and precise definitions...

"These are the notes I took while studying," Luojia explained, "They might be useful to you... Of course, there's no need to throw them away either."

An Su remembered the setting in the game; Luojia had first place in the nationwide written exam scores.

In An Su's previous life, these were the notes of the top scholar.

He discreetly slipped them into his pocket.

"So," Luojia gazed at him, her attractive eyes blinked, and she cocked her head to the side, "how many blueberry cakes does this equate to?"

"How about I buy this store and give it to you?" An Su said casually, "It won't cost much anyway."

"I don't need that much, just one more piece would be enough."

Luojia really was a serious person; she even started explaining to An Su, "I can't eat any more cakes than that."

"Also, there's one more thing I want to give you." Luojia placed the wooden box she had been carrying on the table and opened it.

Inside was a very pretty piece of logwood with a faint glow coursing through it and even some fragmented leaves on the branches.

This was a magic wand.

Actually, one doesn't need a magic wand to cast spells, but using a magic wand offers certain bonuses.

[Glow Staff]

[Intermediate Stage - High-Rank Quality]

The "intermediate stage" refers to the level of magic it can use, and "high-rank" indicates its quality.

[Effect: A second-order magic wand blessed by deities, capable of casting intermediate stage and lower full-attribute spells. When using Holy Light magic, there is a 50% chance that magic power consumption will be halved.]

"This was my previous magic wand," Luojia said, "You might need it more."

This item was very valuable.

It was a wand issued by the Great Church Court to the prospective Holy Maiden.

Money couldn't buy it.

Even with his thick skin, An Su felt a bit overwhelmed and couldn't help but ask, "Then what will you use?"

"I don't need it," Luojia took a sip of hot milk, "The Church will issue me a new wand—a third-order wand."

A third-order wand, which signified that she had become a Third Order magician.

Only one possibility remained.

An Su's eyes shifted slightly, "You've awakened as the Holy Maiden?"

The Holy Maiden's leveling system was set apart from the Witch-Hunting Saint's path.

"Pretty much," Luojia replied, "I haven't told anyone else."

"You're the first one I'm telling."

After a moment of mild surprise, An Su regained his composure.

He wasn't surprised by this news; after all, according to the original storyline, Luojia had already become the Holy Maiden a month prior.

"Tomorrow, I'll probably have to leave the border city and head to the Great Church Court," said Luojia as her ordered cake arrived.

"Why give it to me?" An Su asked.

"Because you need it more... It's very difficult for the Child of the Curse to become a saint," Luojia earnestly looked into An Su's eyes, "Also, I owe you a favor."

"What favor?"

"You saved my life—that favor." She tasted a bite of cake.

Luojia Fast had her own pride.

"Haven't you already repaid it by recommending me to become an apprentice saint?" An Su said with a smile.

"...That's true," she frowned prettily, revealing a conflicted expression, "Indeed, it's been repaid."

She was a person who took things seriously.

"Then how about this," Luojia paused, coming up with a good idea, "You buy another piece of blueberry cake in exchange for this staff, and we'll call it even."

"Didn't you just say," An Su was puzzled, "that you can only eat one piece?"

Yet, An Su still did what she said, and the blueberry cake was quickly brought over.

"I won't eat it, you eat it."

Luojia flashed a smile, one that hinted at cunning success, with both mischievousness and radiance, as if she was getting back at An Su for the days he'd stood her up.

This was the first time An Su had seen her smile; she brushed her fine silver hair behind her ear, and the warm-toned sunlight fell upon her,

"I'm about to leave this city for the Seven Gods Hall in the imperial capital. Before I leave, I want to share my favorite flavor with you—you said the cake wasn't good just now, right?"

Was it because of this that Luojia had been waiting for him?

"The Church has many issues, so many, and I've always known...but I can't change them."

"For the Child of the Curse to become a saint...in the thousand years since the Church's establishment, no one has done it. I hope you can be the first, I hope you can bring new change."

"I hope to see you again in Farol, the imperial capital," Luojia said, "An Su Moningsta—even if the road ahead is hard, please allow me to look at you in a new light."

"You are going to regret this," An Su picked up his fork and took a bite of the cake, "but I assure you, I will definitely amaze you."

An Su was quite clear about himself; he was never a paragon of justice, nor did he ever claim to hold the moral high ground.

But indeed, he would climb up the Church's hierarchy step by step, from saint, to priest, to bishop, to archbishop, to cardinal, to pope—until he transformed the Church into a more suitable shape.

For his own sake.

However, An Su could guarantee that his way of doing things would indeed amaze Luojia.

"Is it like the promise of a knight, just like Kavensis?"

Luojia cocked her head and laughed teasingly.

"You're wrong," An Su bit into the cake, "this is the promise of a Child of the Curse."

The tangy flavor of blueberry spread faintly on the tongue, encompassed in the fresh sweetness.

Luojia also closed her eyes slightly, tasting her own slice of cake. Under the morning sun and the breeze from the sea, they chewed on the same subtly bitter sweetness.