Chapter 253: The Hero, A Man of Character
Even without the divine oracle, killing Qin Chu was Athena’s mission. Not just for the Hero Squad’s plan, but for the sake of Jie Luo’s remnant soul residing within Qin Chu. To ensure his complete resurrection, and minimize Qin Chu’s influence, she had to destroy Qin Chu’s soul.
She had never questioned this objective.
But now, she felt a strong resistance to the idea of killing him.
She didn’t want to see him die.
The conflicting emotions churning within her were agonizing.
She didn’t want to feel this way…
Saint Monique, with her sharp eyes, saw through Athena’s turmoil. She frowned.
“Athena,” she asked, “could it be that after spending so much time with him, you’ve… developed feelings for that man?”
“What?!” Athena’s head snapped up, her voice sharp, “Holy Maiden, what are you talking about? How could I possibly have feelings for Qin Chu? You know I only love one man: Jie Luo.”
Saint Monique’s eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing, making Athena feel as if all her secrets were laid bare.
After a moment, she looked away. “That’s good,” she said, “Jie Luo… was indeed a charismatic man. It’s a pity he died.”
You old hag, don’t tell me you’re also interested in Lord Jie Luo? Athena thought, Please, be honest about your age. You could be his grandmother!
But why would Saint Monique say that Jie Luo was charismatic?
It didn’t make sense.
Lord Jie Luo’s appearance was very ordinary…
Seeing Athena’s strange expression, Saint Monique was irritated. “Athena,” she said, “what are you thinking? Such disrespectful thoughts!”
“Of course not,” Athena quickly replied, “I would never think that you, at your age, are not a suitable match for Lord Jie Luo.”
Athena’s attitude angered Saint Monique.
She was the Holy Maiden!
Couldn’t she show a little respect?
But she decided not to pursue it. It would be a pointless argument.
She sighed. “Then tell me why. I can sense that you don’t want to kill Qin Chu…”
“More accurately, I don’t want to kill him now,” Athena corrected her cleverly.
“He’s the Hero, our hope. Although he’s not a good person, he led the Hero Squad to the front lines and won a great victory, boosting the morale of the Allied Forces.”
“What do you think would happen if he died now?”
“The human army would lose all hope, unable to withstand the Demon Beasts’ attacks.”
“Surely you can see that, Holy Maiden?”
Saint Monique nodded, signaling her to continue.
“And that so-called oracle… do you really believe it was from the Earth Mother Goddess? Just to extinguish the hope of the entire Heavenly Continent?”
“How long has it been since the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess received an oracle? Hundreds of years? A thousand?”
“With all due respect, does the Earth Mother Goddess even still exist? Was that oracle really from her, or from some other being?”
Saint Monique sighed. Only Athena would dare to say such things within the Church. If those radical believers heard her, they would call for her execution.
She paused for a moment. “Forget it,” she said, “don’t worry about assassinating the Hero for now. But I have another task for you.”
“Investigate Norma.”
“Norma?”
“Yes, that woman…” Saint Monique’s eyes narrowed, “When Karsus attacked the Imperial City, Norma used a Super-tier magic spell, the Wrath of the Earth Mother Goddess!”
“That’s a lost magic of our Church, only existing in records…”
“I want you to investigate her origins, why she can use this magic, and if there’s any connection between her and our Church.”
“As a member of the Hero Squad, you’re the most suitable person for this task.”
Athena nodded. This task was much easier than assassinating the Hero. “I understand,” she said, “but I’ll need some time. I have somewhere else to go first.”
After their conversation ended, Athena left.
Watching her go, a gentle smile still on her face, Saint Monique stroked the table thoughtfully.
Athena, oh Athena…
You’re right.
The Earth Mother Goddess hasn’t given an oracle in over a thousand years. Does she even still exist?
Was that oracle truly from her?
But… you don’t understand. For the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, does it really matter whether the oracle was truly from her?
What matters is that we have once again received divine attention, divine guidance.
Meanwhile, Athena, having left the Church, suddenly stopped, a confused look on her face. What had she come here for?
After a few seconds, she remembered, slapped her forehead, and turned back.
Damn it, she hadn’t even gotten the holy water!
…
At the front lines.
Qin Chu had to stay here until the Empire’s reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, if the Demon Beasts attacked again, the remaining seven thousand soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance.
As a reward for Ekaterina’s information, and for Angelica, Anastasia, Norma, and Violet’s help in maintaining the illusion of his presence, Qin Chu spent the next few days… rewarding… them.
Within his tent, days and nights were filled with pleasure, the Holy Light blooming.
Even with his stamina, after several days, Qin Chu was starting to feel the strain.
Lying in Violet’s arms, he felt dizzy.
At this rate, I’ll be a dried-up husk, he thought. He would have to collect more Moonflowers later.
“When will the Empire’s reinforcements arrive?” he asked, shifting to a more comfortable position in Violet’s embrace.
“They should be here soon, maybe today, definitely tomorrow,” Violet replied softly, twirling his hair around her finger like a playful toy.
Qin Chu felt slightly relieved.
Once the reinforcements arrived, he could return to the Imperial City.
Then he would have time to collect Moonflowers…
No, he would have time to deal with Athena.
Just as he was calculating the time, he heard a commotion from the camp, and he frowned, reluctantly leaving Violet’s embrace.
He stretched. “What’s going on outside?” he asked. “Let’s go take a look.”
Violet nodded gently.
In front of him, she was as gentle as water, completely unlike the powerful Storm Witch who had trampled O’Niens and slapped Inas.
They emerged from the tent and saw a large crowd gathered in the distance, their voices raised in a heated argument.
Between several tents, hundreds of clerics from the Holy See and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess had surrounded a group of girls, their expressions hostile.
Angelica and Anastasia stood on either side, protecting Heloise and Iyeta.
Although they possessed considerable strength, facing the hateful, disgusted gazes of the surrounding clerics, Heloise still trembled with fear.
Iyeta, however, frowned, seemingly deep in thought.
Morton, leading the Royal Guards, and Barnal, with the surviving soldiers, stood around them, unsure whether to intervene.
Among the clerics, Loseweisse was also present.
But she frowned and remained silent.
O’Niens, on the other hand, was practically jumping up and down, his face filled with a smug triumph, like a preening baboon.
He had finally caught Qin Chu red-handed.
“Princess Anastasia, Angelica,” he said, his voice dripping with malice, “step aside… Are you trying to protect these Demon Beasts?”
O’Niens was practically giddy.
He had wanted to take revenge on the Hero, but he wasn’t strong enough, and he couldn’t find any leverage against him.
Seeing those two beautiful girls that Qin Chu had somehow acquired, he had been consumed by jealousy.
But then he realized that they weren’t human, but Demon Beasts, a Snow Woman and a Blood Elf.
They carried the distinct aura of Demon Beasts, which might deceive ordinary people, but not clerics. The moment he realized their true identities, a vicious plan formed in his mind.
He immediately gathered the clerics of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, and, considering that their own forces might not be enough, he even called upon the ever-righteous clerics of the Holy See to bolster their numbers, surrounding the four girls.
Now, he held the moral high ground, righteous and triumphant.
He could condemn them without fear.
Although surrounded by enemies, Angelica wasn’t afraid. Her face was cold. “Saint Son,” she said, “Heloise and Miss Iyeta were brought here by Master. We’ll wait for him to decide how to deal with this.”
O’Niens’s face darkened. “A mere maid, you’re not qualified to speak to me. Get out of my way…”
He stepped forward, his hand raised to slap Angelica.
Unfortunately for him, O’Niens didn’t know that Angelica and Anastasia had been training with Violet and Anthea for many days. Although Angelica mainly focused on magic, she had also learned some martial skills from Anthea.
Her strength was no longer what it used to be. Not only had she recovered her full power, she had even surpassed it.
She didn’t take this pampered, potion-fueled “expert” seriously at all.
Seeing his hand approaching, Angelica’s eyes narrowed. She spun swiftly, her leg sweeping out.
With a crack, O’Niens was sent tumbling through the air, landing face-first in the sand.
“Good!”
Cheers erupted from the surrounding soldiers.
Whether or not Heloise and Iyeta were Demon Beasts, they were happy to see O’Niens get his comeuppance.
O’Niens’s head spun, and he clutched his face, pointing a trembling finger at Angelica, his voice muffled by the sand in his mouth, “You… you dare to hit me?!”
“Even my mother has never hit me…”
That was the scene Qin Chu saw when he arrived.
Barnal, noticing him, immediately pulled him aside, “My dear Hero, where did you find these two girls?”
“Didn’t you realize they’re Demon Beasts?”
“Huh? You knew?”
The Hero knew? Barnal was stunned, then filled with admiration.
Good heavens, it seemed that humans were no longer enough to satisfy the Hero.
When had he sneaked out to the Demon Beast territory and snatched these two? It was usually Demon Beasts capturing human women, he hadn’t expected the Hero to turn the tables.
This Hero was truly a man of character!
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