Church.
Statue.
Nun.
Kidnapping.
Gagging.
Such embarrassing and heart-racing elements combined were enough to conjure up imaginative scenes in one's mind.
Unfortunately.
"Mmmph, help~" The nun's beautiful eyes widened as she struggled with all her might to pry off the hand covering her mouth, her slender legs kicked wildly, and her delicate face turned red from the inability to breathe.
She looked pleadingly at the statue of the Goddess, her body being dragged by her assailant toward the exit of the church.
Why was she being assaulted in the church of the small town?
Help, I'm about to be violated by a criminal!
The nun's eyes filled with tears of anxiety as she was pulled into the bushes in front of the church yard, where she saw a blonde girl in a blood-stained dress leaning against the wall, giving her an apologetic smile.
"Shh, dear Sister, we don't mean much harm," Letixia put a finger to her lips in front of her mouth.
"We just want to ask for help, could you please not scream in fear?"
"..."
The nun blinked, observing Letixia's benevolent smile, and gently nodded, then she felt the hand covering her mouth let go.
She let out a sigh of relief.
Xi Mu moved his wrist and looked at the pitiful nun before him, explaining, "I'm sorry, Sister."
He looked at the injured Letixia.
"My friend needs to heal and a safe place to rest temporarily, can we ask for your assistance?"
"If that's the case, could you not just kidnap me!" The nun pursed her lips and patted her chest in fear.
Then she caught the indifferent gaze of the knight in silver armor.
"Because you cannot be trusted," Xi Mu said succinctly, "Tonight I will be watching you the whole time. If you try to reveal our existence, I will immediately crush your throat."
Nun: "..."
If she were to cry out now, is it possible that she might be killed by the knight in silver armor on the spot, sending her soul to the high heavens to meet the Goddess of Life?
"I'm sorry, we have no other choice," Letixia said with a guilty smile, apologizing to the disheartened nun.
"We will leave by tomorrow."
"Understood, please follow me," the nun clasped her hands together, showing a tender smile, "I cannot ignore anyone who is injured."
"Good," Xi Mu lifted Letixia up, holding her in one arm, while his other hand drew the heavy broadsword from the ground, pressing it against the nun's neck.
"Let's go, take us to heal and rest."
"..." The nun struggled to maintain her gentle expression, but her body was very honest, obediently leading Xi Mu and Letixia to her room to rest.
She believed in the Goddess of Life and naturally held life in high regard, but compared to others' lives, she valued her own a bit more.
For her own safety, she would first choose to inform the village guards and temporarily control these unexpected guests. Only after confirming these guests posed no danger would she proceed with treatment.
But this was under the assumption that she wasn't threatened by the knight in silver armor, as she didn't want her throat crushed.
She'd better first assess the danger of these two people.
...
...
Inside the room.
Candlelight flickered, filling the dark room.
"The treatment was timely enough, and it's not a fatal wound," the nun said as she sat beside the bed, gently holding Letixia's wrist and examining the arrow wound on it.
"With my healing, it should heal in four to five days."
"I'm sorry, we can't stay for four to five days," Letixia shook her head and explained to the nun, "we are currently being pursued, staying too long will be dangerous."
"Pursued?" The nun's brow deeply furrowed, her first thought was not to feel pity for Letixia and the silver-clad knight.
Instead, she thought about the safety of the village and whether it would be affected, leading to the involvement of the villagers. As the only clergy in the village, she must take responsibility for the safety of her villagers—there's no way she would let the whole village be put in danger for the sake of strangers.
The kind of heroic story where a village nun helps strangers, only to see her family and friends fall into crisis, and with bad luck, a few relatives and friends might even die.
From her position and standpoint, that was simply madness.
"Letixia, she is the Crown Princess of the Iris Flower Kingdom, the heir to the Iris Flower Kingdom," Xi Mu said with crossed arms, jokingly to the nun.
"However, she went through a usurpation by her sister and is now being hunted by an assassin group. Wait until we retake the kingdom, and we'll give you a hundred million Gold Coins."
"I can't take out that much," Letixia whispered in explanation. Even if she reclaimed the kingdom, she couldn't possibly offer a hundred million Gold Coins as a reward.
"But I can offer thirty thousand Gold Coins."
"At least thirty thousand seems like a hopeful number to receive," the nun muttered under her breath, her hands still grasping Letixia's wrist as a luminescent green light emanated from her hands.
Seeing this, Xi Mu stopped talking and began to wait. This world abound with many gods, and the Goddess of Life was one of them. Moreover, among the many divine positions, aside from the God of Omniscience, who had the highest rank, she was a deity of supreme power.
In the beginning, the world was undifferentiated until the God of Omniscience descended and planted a tree. The monotonous world began to flow, and the paradox of opposition and unity was born.
The twin goddesses representing death and life also came into being.
Afterward, with the clash of opposition and contradiction, the world grew, and concepts hidden in the monochrome were revealed.
Knowledge, war, disease, wealth, contracts, beauty, arts, conspiracy, lies, and so on became recognizable as deities.
Among these many gods, the Goddess of Life was second only to the God of Omniscience.
A moment later.
The nun wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled weakly at Letixia, "Hold on, I'll go get the medicine."
She smoothed her skirt to stand up and as if heading outside, she found her shoulder was held by Xi Mu, their eyes locking.
"Let's go together."
"...It just so happens I need an assistant," the nun said reluctantly, leaving with Xi Mu towards the pharmacy.
She was not only responsible for managing the villagers' faith but also served as a... no, more accurately, any clergy belonging to the Goddess of Life were healers.
In this world, the concept of a doctor was highly associated with clergy to the people, virtually the same in their eyes.
...
..
Inside the pharmacy.
"By the way, Miss Nun," Xi Mu said, holding a large pile of herbs and looking at the nun who obviously intended to have him carry more things, asked.
"Can I learn the prayer for healing?"
"That's not possible. To learn the prayer," the nun hummed lightly, explaining to Xi Mu, "you must have enough devout faith."
"I have a deep faith in the Goddess of Life!" Xi Mu said earnestly, bluffing, while the nun, thinking it a joke, agreed to Xi Mu's request.
To learn the prayers, one must have firm faith and a certain understanding of the concept of life.
In the whole town, aside from her, no one could use the prayers related to the Goddess of Life.
However, before long.
"How... how is this possible!"
In the church hall, the nun covered her mouth in astonishment, watching the glowing green light emanate from Xi Mu's hand. Could this knight truly have such deep faith in the Goddess of Life?
Xi Mu lowered his hand and smiled at the nun, "It doesn't seem all that difficult."