I am the heroine's godfather!

but......

Lorraine glanced at Charlotte beside her.

It's best not to let Charlotte know about these less-than-pleasant things.

Charlotte heard Peter's words and quickly waved her hand, saying, "I only did something insignificant."

"Do not."

Peter's face turned serious: "Miss Charlotte, your character is as radiant as your beauty, and I swear by Peter Del that this is no lie."

Laura also expressed her gratitude, and Mary, holding Charlotte's hand, said, "Sister Charlotte, thank you so much! Mary will definitely repay you!"

"Well!"

Charlotte was a little flustered; she had never experienced anything like this before. Lorraine, however, smiled and said, "While humility is a good thing, being able to stand tall and accept truthful praise is also a sign of growth."

"Loran!"

Charlotte playfully complained about her guardian's meddling, but she couldn't hide the smile playing on her lips. Then, suddenly remembering something, Charlotte said anxiously to Lorraine, "Lorraine, look at Mr. Peter! He looks like...he looks like..."

"...It's nothing serious."

Peter scratched his head: "Haha, I acted on impulse. I guess I'm getting old and my body is getting weaker."

"Peter!"

Laura didn't believe Peter's evasive answer at all. Mary also noticed that her father was becoming weak and looked to Lorraine for help: "Uncle Lorraine, can you help my father?"

"Is it alright, Uncle Loran?"

"Lucifer, with his foul temper, joked in a high-pitched voice," he said. Loran rolled his eyes, completely ignoring the guy, and smiled at Mary, saying, "Don't worry, your father will be fine."

After saying that, he looked at Peter: "Hmm, burning blood and qi leads to a severe deficiency of blood and qi, that's easy to solve, it's just that the problem of lifespan depletion is a bit more troublesome..."

"Do you need help?"

Lucifer tilted her head. Having lived for a thousand years, she was practically a walking encyclopedia of magic. Although magic that could replenish lifespan was extremely rare, she knew about it.

"No need, I can tell you're up to no good."

Loran ignored the guy. Of course, there were magic spells that didn't last long, but they weren't good things. They were either sacrificial spells or spells that turned people into other races—and most of them turned people into inferior blood slaves.

Is using this kind of magic helping people or harming them?

Lucifer wasn't angry that her trick had been exposed; she hadn't intended to attack anyway. Demons were a race with extremely strong hierarchical concepts, and as the ruler of the royal court, she was on equal footing with the Demon King, only needing to obey his commands. As one of the highest-ranking beings among the demons, if it weren't for Loran, these people wouldn't even have the right to speak to her.

Charlotte naturally noticed the incredibly beautiful older sister, but with Mr. Peter's condition so dangerous, she didn't have the time to ask. Instead, she looked at Lorraine with a worried expression.

Loran pinched his chin. The methods to replenish lifespan were almost all divine magic, and he had never been very good at divine magic.

but......

A hint of embarrassment suddenly appeared on Loran's face. He glanced at Lucifer and cleared his throat: "Is there anything else?"

"uh-huh?"

Lucifer looked puzzled: "Are you in such a hurry to send them away?"

"..."

Knowing she couldn't shake off this guy anytime soon, Loran gritted her teeth. So what if she was being mocked? What was there to be afraid of!

"I've thought of a way to treat Peter."

"Really!"

Mary and Laura seemed very happy, but Charlotte keenly sensed that something was off about Lorraine's expression, so she asked, "Will it come at a great price?"

In her view, magic that helps people extend their lifespan is naturally very difficult and may require a considerable price to pay.

"There wasn't much of a cost."

Loran's face still showed some embarrassment, while Lucifer seemed to have remembered something, his expression turning strange.

"Ahem, I'll begin."

Lorraine walked up to Peter, made him kneel on one knee, and then placed his hand on Peter's head, emitting a faint, holy white light.

He began to pray: “Pure and great Son of Man, Messiah, you are the holiest of the holy, the walking of God among men. Your faithful follower prays that your merciful gaze may fall upon the lost lamb and guide him on his way.”

Lucifer couldn't help but laugh.

In a distant, sacred city nestled among mountains, upon the holy throne, a saintess wearing a triple crown and holding a seven-ringed scepter opened her golden eyes.

The scepter lightly touches the ground, and divine grace flows as vast as the sea.

Peter, standing before Loran, had his white hair completely turned black, his face was full of healthy color, and even the hidden injuries in his body had been healed. Although his cultivation level had dropped to Bronze, his path forward was not completely cut off. If he cultivated diligently in the future, he might be able to reach the Silver rank.

This is the most supreme divine magic, the Saintess's Mercy. It is said that only beings of the cardinal rank can use it. And divine magic of Loran's purity is something even cardinals cannot wield.

Perhaps only the Holy Maiden herself can take action.

Peter opened his eyes, and Mary and Laura gathered around him, asking about his condition with concern. He looked at Loran, feeling the power within his body, and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Thank you."

"Easy to do."

Although he was inwardly mortified, and Lucifer's amused gaze only made him more uncomfortable, Loran maintained his enigmatic demeanor. He then inquired, "What are your plans after this?"

"Who knows... you can find food anywhere."

"That's it."

Loran nodded, then suddenly handed over a token engraved with a golden griffin: "Take this and go to the Antoya Merchant Guild in the Isnar Empire. They will give you a job."

Peter was stunned. The Antoya Merchant Guild—even he had heard of its reputation. It was the largest merchant guild in the Isnar Empire and one of the top merchant guilds on the continent. Although he, as a second-tier Bronze-level warrior, could find a decent job in any small country, his combat prowess alone was far from enough to enter the Antoya Merchant Guild.

"This is too expensive."

Peter wanted to decline, thinking that he was already very fortunate to have been cured, so how could he dare to hope for anything more?

Lorraine smiled and said, "Consider it a thank you for the delicious meals and warm accommodations you provided for Charlotte and me."

"......Thanks."

Peter finally accepted the token. Afterwards, the Del family said goodbye to Lorraine and the others, with Mary waving, "Sister Charlotte, you must come visit me!"

"Ok!"

Charlotte nodded, but in her heart she thought that she might never see him again.

Loran saw through Charlotte's thoughts and was somewhat puzzled: "How could you not see her? If you want to find Mary, you can just contact the Antoya Trading Company directly."

“...Loran.”

Charlotte paused for a moment before speaking softly, "Why didn't you ever tell me that your family had connections with the Antoya Trading Company?"

"Hmm, didn't I say that?"

"......No."

“Oh, I must have forgotten—this chamber of commerce has little to do with me, but my sister, your aunt, is a shareholder there.”

"...That's it."

Charlotte grew increasingly curious about this aunt she had never met.

"Oh my, I really didn't expect that you would have a child after so long."

Lucifer, who was standing to the side, suddenly smiled and asked, "Does 'that person' know?"

Loran rolled her eyes. Lucifer, as expected of the notoriously cunning and treacherous ruler of the royal court, saw through Loran's reluctance to reveal his relationship with Messiah, hence the use of "that person." However, Loran was determined not to take the blame for this, so she explained, "My friend's child."

"Oh~"

Whether Lucifer believed her or not was unclear, but his tone remained as irritating as ever. It was then that Charlotte remembered the incredibly beautiful woman beside her. Before this, the most beautiful person Charlotte had ever seen was the painter on the snowy mountaintop, but even the painter paled in comparison to this stunning black-haired woman.

How can there be such a beautiful person in the world!

Charlotte was momentarily stunned, then quietly moved a little closer to Loran: "Loran, this is...?"

"Hmm... a friend?"

Loran glanced at Lucifer and asked uncertainly. Lucifer turned his face away, wiping away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye: "So, in Loran's eyes, we can't even be considered friends? *crying*"

"hehe."

Knowing what kind of person this was, Loran naturally wouldn't believe her. Perhaps also knowing this, Lucifer's acting was completely half-hearted. She immediately switched to a smiling face: "Hello, little Charlotte, I'm Lucy, nice to meet you."

"Hello, Sister Lucy, I am Charlotte Bernette."

"Why are you calling me 'sister'? You should call me 'auntie'."

Lorraine rolled her eyes. This woman was over a thousand years old, and she could call her "Auntie" without a problem, yet she wanted little Charlotte to call her "Sister." Lucifer ignored Lorraine and smiled as she took out a quill pen: "Oh, you're so sweet. Here, this is a gift from your sister."

Loran was somewhat surprised: "You're really willing to do that."

This quill pen is no ordinary object. Although it can't compare to the royal court's sacred artifacts, it's still a top-tier magical tool. Its raw material comes from the feathers of Lucifer, the ruler of the royal court, making it a first-rate spellcasting material. With this, Loran hardly needs to worry about preparing spellcasting materials for Charlotte later.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Lucy doesn't know. This is just an item that Lucy accidentally collected, I don't know what it is."

"......vomit."

Loran looked disgusted at the old woman's malicious attempts to act cute, but Lucifer didn't seem to care at all: "Consider it a thank you for treating me to a 'good show'~"

Loran's face darkened, and he naturally knew what kind of good show Lucifer was talking about—it must be the "Great Messiah, Your faithful follower" thing!

"Wow, I didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain on this trip. I must tell Lily and Lena when I get back!"

Lily and Lena refer to the other two rulers of the royal court, Lilith and Lesteen.

"...Let's make a deal, could you not tell anyone about this?"

"Hmm? Beg me then."

"Please."

Chapter 30 Loran returned to his loyal Enshia

After bidding farewell to Lucifer, Loran and Charlotte boarded the last carriage. Their next stop was the Isnar Empire, from where they could travel by water to the Water City of Enshia.

"Speaking of which, Loran, is there anything about the Isnar Empire that left a deep impression on you during your childhood?"

"Uh... battlefield?"

"?"

Charlotte looked puzzled. Loran coughed and took back the words that had slipped out of his mouth—after all, most of his childhood memories were from the battlefield, and he only had a few impressions of Enshiya City and that manor. But there was no need to tell Charlotte about this.

Loran pondered for a moment, then pointed to the Hiscana Mountains outside the carriage: "The highest peak of Hiscana is within the Empire. I've heard of it since I was a child, and later, when I grew up, I climbed it with my friends."

"Oh!"

Charlotte exclaimed, "Is it very high?"

"Hmm, it's much higher than the mountain we saw in Amitor."

"Oh!!"

Charlotte's eyes lit up with longing: "The view up there must be beautiful!"

"It's less about being beautiful and more about being magnificent."

That boundless sea of ​​clouds, that magnificent expanse where the world seems to lie at one's feet, is a sight that those who cannot fly will only see once in their lifetime. Even at the moment of death, as life flashes by like a revolving lantern, the image that will be frozen in time is that of a young self standing atop Hiscana, shouting to the heavens and the earth.

This is Hiscana, the highest peak.

But for Lorraine, the greatest gain from that trip was meeting the girl who would influence his entire life.

"Speaking of which, a giant dragon lives on the top of the mountain in Hiscana."

Loran smiled and said, "It's a very majestic dragon, a magnificent red dragon."

"Loran, don't lie to me!"

Charlotte pouted, "How could a red dragon live on a snow mountain?"

"My little Charlotte, the world is full of wonders."

"...Could such a thing really happen?"

"Hmm, the world is very big."

Time slipped away with the ticking of hooves, and after several sunrises and sunsets, Charlotte and Lorraine finally arrived at the foot of a city wall.

This is a small town on the border of the Isnar Empire. As a border town not bordering any other major powers, the city has few defensive measures, no towering city walls or guarded troops in sight, and even the soldiers guarding the city seem somewhat lazy.

After queuing to pay the city entrance fee, Lorraine and Charlotte rested in the small town for one night before setting off again the next day.