"Mrs. Melissa, is your son's leg any better?"
"Thanks to you, he can already get out of bed and walk around. It's been less than a week... Thank you so much, Miss Edith."
"It was just a scrape. I didn't do anything special."
The night had not completely lifted. Only a wisp of morning sunlight drifted in from the distance, and it was just barely getting light.
Grevia accompanied Edith as they walked along the streets of Kohl Town. Not long after leaving the church, they met a townsman greeting Edith just outside the courtyard.
Edith was wearing a long aquamarine dress, with lace and frills adorning the cuffs, collar, and hem. At first glance, she looked more like a noble lady on a countryside outing than a church lector.
According to her, dressing up nicely could help break the unfamiliarity and barriers with the townspeople more easily.
Grevia couldn't quite understand it, but in fact, Edith had really managed to do just that.
It had only been a little over a week since they followed Bertram to Kohl Town, yet Edith seemed to have already become very close with the townspeople. The children in the town were always pestering her to play games or asking her for candies, and everyone they met on the way would enthusiastically come up to greet Edith. She seemed to be quite popular.
"Mr. Vincent, goodbye. I hope you have a good catch today," Edith said just as she saw off an old gentleman who was about to go fishing by the river. She then tidied her dress and returned to Grevia's side.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, sister," the young girl took Grevia's cold hand again and smiled.
"You're more like a saint than I am," Grevia said suddenly.
Edith's expression froze for a moment, and then she laughed awkwardly."What are you talking about, sister? A saint must be the chosen one recognized by Lady Vanitaya. Me? Without Father, I might have starved to death in some deserted alley by now."
"That's just how I feel. Shouldn't a saint sincerely help others and be loved by the people like this? It shouldn't have anything to do with one's origin,"Grevia asked, looking quietly at Edith. "Is there anything wrong with my understanding? If there is, could Edith please point it out for me?"
Edith looked into Grevia's clear, mirror-like blue eyes and couldn't sense any ulterior motives or devious thoughts at all.
She let out a sigh of relief.
"Don't say such things casually again next time, or others might misunderstand. We have such a good relationship as sisters," Edith grasped Grevia's hand and shook it a couple of times, as if she were acting coquettishly. "As for being a saint or not, sister probably doesn't care that much, right? Just do what we should do. Everyone has their own responsibilities and there's no need to compare."
"Although I don't quite understand, I'll remember that," Grevia nodded.
There was a hint of helplessness in Edith's smile. "Really, what would sister do without Father and me in the future?"
"Will you disappear suddenly too? Like Godfather?"
"Just a hypothesis!" Edith stretched out her slender fingers and pressed them against Grevia's upper lip. "Besides, Father is just temporarily gone. He used to go on long trips without saying a word and only come back after a long time. It must be the same this time."
"I hope so," Grevia lowered her eyelids slightly.
The look of worry only lingered on Edith's face for a short while. Soon, she put on a gentle smile again. "Let's go. We need to change the dressing for Mr. Wright today. His arm was injured by a Beastman's arrow. Although it's a minor injury, it could get infected and worsen if we're not careful." Edith lifted the linen cloth covering the small basket in her hand, revealing the dark green ointment and rolls of gauze underneath.
"I thought they would come to the church to find you on their own. I didn't expect that you wouldCome to them on your own initiative.," Grevia glanced down and said softly.
"Everyone in the town is so busy. If they all lined up at the church entrance, the town would be in chaos," Edith giggled.
"Is your head still hurting?" Grevia suddenly remembered something.
"It seems that the headache gets lighter when I'm farther away from the church," Edith rubbed her temples.
"Is it related to the blood clan's induction?"
"Probably not," Edith shook her head. "Father said that my abilities are still immature. Last time when several blood clan members were placed in front of me, I didn't feel anything. I probably need more training and adaptation before I can put my abilities to use."
"Take care and rest. You're actually the busiest one among us," Grevia gently patted the back of Edith's hand.
"Care from sister. It sounds really nice," Edith joked. "Even just for this sentence, all the hard work is worth it."
Suddenly, there came a rush of hurried footsteps, as if someone was running.
In this small border town in the early morning, it was rare for anyone to be in such a rush. Edith and Grevia simultaneously turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound, and found that the panting young man was coming towards them.
"Who are you?" Edith didn't recognize him. He wasn't from the town.
"I'm from Oliver Village. I have an urgent matter to inform the people in the church. Excuse me, are you Her Highness the Saint?" Although the young man was out of breath, his speech was still clear. It could be seen that he was a representative sent by the villagers.
"Oliver Village is..." Edith didn't react right away. She had always been bad at directions.
"It's a village to the south, a subordinate village of Kohl Town," Grevia cut in. She stepped in front of Edith. "I'm the saint. Mr. Alvis and His Holiness the Pope are both away. For now, I'm in command of the Templar Knights remaining in the town. You can inform me of any urgent matters."
"Oh, sister, you're so reliable," Edith said with starry eyes.
"It's the Saint Mary's Religious Domain... It seems to be the Grand Lector? Their team was attacked by Beastmen on the way to Kohl Town," the young man said while gasping for breath, delivering news that shocked both young girls.
"Saint Mary's Religious Domain? I've heard Father mention it. The Grand Lector there should be Miss Elena. She had always planned to come to Kohl Town to investigate the movements of the undead," Edith recalled some of the things Bertram had told her. "How is she? Is she okay?"
The Grand Lector is a clergy position second only to the Archbishop in a religious domain. There are only two Grand Lectors in each religious domain.
For example, currently, with the Pope leading the expedition, the Sarentz Religious Domain is temporarily managed by the two Grand Lectors.
"Unfortunately, their entire team was wiped out. When the people in our village found the bodies, there were no survivors at the scene," the young man looked grim. "The elders in the town recognized their clothes and flags, so we could confirm that they were from Saint Mary's Religious Domain. Your Highness the Saint, do you think... those Beastmen will directly attack the village?"
"Dead? All of them?" Edith dropped the small basket in her hand, and the rolls of gauze rolled far away.
Grevia remained calm as always. She turned around and said to the trembling, frozen blonde girl, "Edith, you'd better focus on taking care of the wounded first. I'll go and get familiar with the situation first, and you can come later."
"Okay, okay," Edith swallowed hard to steady her emotions, then crouched down to pick up the small basket and the gauze.
"Take me there, now," the saint then said to the young man. Her tone was firm and brooked no argument. "The Templar Knights will provide protection for the village. You'll be okay."