A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

The method of exorcising vengeful spirits is simple, and she has learned similar spells, but this matter has made her somewhat concerned. The vengeful spirit in the river does not seem to have any evil intentions, but rather seems to be asking her for help.

If the intention was truly to harm someone, then the attack from that hand should have been even more intense.

"Stop fooling around, come over here."

Saint Karina waved to her two companions who were playing in the water. Helo and Melissa were puzzled, but they stopped playing and slowly walked over.

"what happened?"

Helo was a little nervous because Saint Karina's expression was quite solemn, and whenever she showed that expression, it meant something was about to happen. The Saintess wasn't as good at hiding her emotions as Helo had imagined. Perhaps her abilities were too outstanding, and she didn't need to hide anything from others.

“There are many vengeful spirits in this river, right beneath our feet.”

"what?"

Melissa was alright, but Helo immediately jumped up in fright, leaving the river and standing on the bank, nervously looking around. The forest was quiet; there was no one else besides the three of them, and the vengeful spirit that Saint Karina had mentioned seemed nowhere to be seen. But soon, the calm river seemed to boil, the water surging and countless bubbles rising from below.

Many "figures" emerged from the riverbed.

The riverbed was crystal clear; it was hard to imagine why it could harbor so many vengeful spirits. These spirits were completely transparent; one could even see the pebbles at the bottom of the river through them. The figures, sensing Saint Karina's call, automatically emerged from the riverbed.

Surprisingly, all the vengeful spirits were young girls.

The one who grabbed Saint Karina's ankle just now seemed to be the leader of these vengeful spirits. She was wearing a white dress, barefoot, with long brown hair that reached her waist. Although she wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, she was still a beauty among beauties.

The other vengeful spirits were also quite good-looking, with appearances far above average.

Santa Karina looked around; there must have been dozens of girls. She was very curious about what had happened in this river to cause so many young women to die tragically.

"You have something to say, don't you?"

She looked at the shy girl, or rather, the girl's vengeful spirit. Her eyes were filled with tears, her expression sorrowful, as if she had a thousand words to say.

The others behind the girl also wore sorrowful expressions, seeing Saint Karina as if she were their savior. Perhaps it was a special power she possessed that gave these vengeful spirits hope.

It's not uncommon for people to help vengeful spirits find peace through chance encounters. Although Saint Karina doesn't fully remember what she experienced five hundred years ago, she frequently performs rituals to help vengeful spirits find peace.

She is also a clergy member, whose duties include performing rituals for the deceased, preparing funerals for the dead, and reciting eulogies. For now, she is just helping out as a side job.

"Um... Miss Sister, is it alright to address you like that?"

"It's alright, just call me that."

Saint Karina initially considered revealing herself as the Holy Maiden of the Lorian Empire, but worried that this identity might frighten them. In any case, the title of Holy Maiden was now a thing of the past; she was now a lone figurehead, and revealing her identity wouldn't benefit the investigation. It was best to conceal it and pretend to be an ordinary nun.

"We have plenty of time now, and I'd like to know what happened to you. Please tell me if you don't mind."

With "tears" in their eyes, the girls, temporarily in spirit form, sat around Saint Karina and the long-haired brown-haired girl. The scene was astonishing; an outsider would have thought they were at a huge party.

Hero and Melissa knew they shouldn't disturb Saint Karina while she was dealing with things, so they found a tree stump to sit on.

The leading vengeful spirit girl introduced herself first.

“My name is Alexia. I was a resident of Zimmerman, a small town at the foot of the mountain, but that was decades ago. That town was very conservative and closed off, and had many strange traditions. Every year on the day of the two moons, when the red and blue moons appeared in the sky at the same time, the town would choose two beautiful young girls to sacrifice to the Twin Moon Gods.”

"So, you are all sacrifices to the Twin Moon Goddesses?"

"Yes, we all are."

Alexia looked at the mountain in the distance.

"The altar was set up in a cave on that mountain, near the source of this river. During the sacrificial ceremony, the townspeople would place a chosen girl on the altar, then the priest would perform a divine initiation ritual. Afterward, the person possessed by the god would personally kill two girls and distribute their blood to the townspeople. Finally, the girls' bodies would be placed in metal coffins and thrown into the river. The priest said that the girls' souls had ascended to heaven and come to the side of the twin moon goddesses, becoming their messengers, while their bodies needed to remain at the bottom of the river to protect this town. Moreover, the priest would often demand money from the townspeople under various pretexts, and those who refused would suffer the same fate."

Saint Karina's brows gradually furrowed as she listened.

It's surprising that such an open country as the Lorian Empire still has such outdated customs. She had carried out a series of actions to eradicate these outdated customs hundreds of years ago. Although many people wanted her to step down, she also truly helped many citizens who were persecuted by these outdated customs.

However, during the centuries she slept, the number of people persecuted by these so-called "sacred rituals" did not decrease but continued to increase. Although she could not resurrect these dead girls, she could at least do something for them.

Speaking of the Gemini Moon Goddesses, if they can expose each other, this damned ritual should be completely broken, and the townspeople suffering in misery will be saved.

53. Night Raid

Saint Karina had no intention of going there herself; after noting the matter down, she planned to hand it over to the young emperor to send someone to handle it later.

However, she still helped with the exorcism of the earthbound spirit.

After another three days, she finally returned to the long-lost capital.

During this time, Melissa first took Helo to the places she wanted to visit and played until it got dark before letting Melissa drive the carriage into the palace.

On a dark and windy night, the dignified Holy Maiden of the Kingdom of Wei secretly sneaked into the bed of the current emperor of the Lorian Empire.

"who?"

Brenda is a light sleeper; the slightest noise will wake her up.

"Shh... Don't shout, Your Majesty, it's me."

Brenda would recognize Saint Karina's voice even if she were reduced to ashes.

At this moment, Saint Karina reached out and wrapped her arms around Brenda's waist from behind, her soft skin pressing against her back, and her warm breath blowing all over Brenda's ear as she spoke.

"Don't get so close."

The tingling heat made her want to lash out, feeling a bit annoyed.

However, the two were not on the same level in terms of strength, and she could not break free from Saint Karina's restraints by her own strength alone.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I feel very tired and urgently need to replenish the power of the direct bloodline of the Ernest family."

This was, of course, an excuse; the truth was that she simply wanted to see Brenda in a difficult position.

If she asked outsiders for help, rumors would spread that the emperor and the saintess were not on good terms, which would be detrimental to her politics. Therefore, no matter how much Brenda disliked Saint Karina's affections, she could not ask anyone for help.

"If it's just a hug, and nothing more..."

Brenda made concessions.

"No, I know what I'm doing..."

As she said this, Saint Karina slipped her hand under the hem of Brenda's dress, which was wrapped around her waist.

The pajamas were made of thin fabric, but Brenda's body was very hot. Her hand, which was pressed against the other person's flat stomach, was a little cold, which made Brenda shiver.

The low hand temperature was mainly because she had just come indoors from outside, and her body temperature was slightly lower than usual.

"Stop! I'm going to call for help!"

Brenda's anger seemed to have turned into something else, and she was so anxious that she was about to cry.

She was like an ant on a hot pan, biting her teeth lightly, looking extremely vulnerable.

"Call for help...who should we call? Your Majesty, are you the type that others find more appealing?"

"you!"

As she spoke, a lot of hot air blew into Brenda's ears.

Her body was trembling, she was holding her breath, feeling extremely uncomfortable, unable to breathe up or down.

Shh...don't be silly.

Even though it was Saint Karina who was causing trouble, she acted as if the other person was being unreasonable.

Her fingers twitched, and began to wander restlessly over Brenda's smooth belly again.

"Waaah... You're the one causing trouble, you bastard, I'm going to chop your head off."

Because of her anger, her small, high breasts were heaving wildly, and her slightly open neckline revealed glimpses of her inner beauty.

"You're so fierce, Your Majesty. I just wanted to get closer to you."

As St. Karina spoke, she was no longer content with just rubbing the belly; instead, she circled her fingers around the other person's navel.

While Brenda could tolerate her lower abdomen, her navel, a private area, was far too private.

But seeing her opponent suffer a setback, Saint Karina felt a sense of vengeful pleasure, and the little devilish chibi image in her mind laughed wickedly.

54. The Church of Eris

The next day, St. Karina, knowing she was in the wrong for what she had done the night before and having agreed to help, was sent by the enraged young emperor to deal with several recent cases involving cults in the capital, Partington.

There are always some people in the general public who secretly believe in religions that are explicitly prohibited by the government. These religions are not even legitimate religions. They are led by so-called clergy to lure ignorant people into joining, promising all sorts of seemingly wonderful things and futures.

Believers burdened by hardship and suffering believed the deceptive lies and joined without a second thought, becoming followers of an unknown cult. They worshipped the so-called deity, made offerings to Him, and even offered themselves as sacrifices in the hope of gaining His favor.

The cult is called the Church of Eris. It worships Eris, an evil god who was suppressed many years ago at the foot of the Grangemouth Mountains, the largest mountain range in the capital. This evil god once caused chaos and harm to mankind. In the end, he was defeated and suppressed by the first saint of the Church of Eternity and the clergy.

The power of the Eternal God Cult is not enough to completely kill this great evil god; it can only keep Him asleep for hundreds or thousands of years.

Saint Karina had recently inspected the seal. Although it was slightly loosened, the evil god's true form remained safely within the forbidden zone, inaccessible to outsiders. The current events likely indicate that a portion of Eris's will escaped from the seal's cracks, possessing individuals with strong desires and using them as hosts to manipulate the development of the Eris Cult's power.

The host's will will fall into slumber. As the slumber continues, the power of resistance gradually weakens, and eventually the soul will be completely lost, turning into a mindless zombie who only knows how to strive for the goals of the evil god, which is essentially equivalent to death.

Although the Church of the God of Order is currently the state religion, many people only superficially believe in it, harboring deep resentment towards the church's rule. The Church of the God of Order's oppression of the people is becoming increasingly severe, frequently using the pretext of strengthening faith and praying for divine protection to levy food and taxes on the people, and the amounts levied are constantly increasing.

Although Brenda was the king, he was powerless against the deeply entrenched Church of the Order.

Although she knew very well that the church was rotten inside and out, with her current negligible power, apart from commanding a small number of people and the maids in the palace, she was basically a puppet emperor.

Files and documents from various departments were piled up on the table. The ministers and nobles who held real power all advised her not to bother with these things, since who cares about the people's affairs anyway.

In today's chaotic world, who has the time or inclination to care about the lives of ordinary people?

These people are so selfish. Brenda wanted to govern this country, which was riddled with problems, and help the people escape their miserable lives, but unfortunately, she faced many obstacles and sometimes even had trouble protecting herself.

Even more outrageous, a minister with cerebral palsy once proposed that members of the royal family perform a sacrificial ceremony to pray for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest in the coming year. Brenda argued with him logically, and in the end, the proposal was not made.

She can't afford to offend anyone right now.

"So... I'll have to leave the matter of the Church of Eris to you, Saint Karina."

"So that's why you worked so hard last night, I understand."

Santa Karina held a naked girl in her arms, as did she. After returning from Ilparaso, the two drank all night, enjoying themselves immensely.

Once the emotions had built up to a certain point, Saint Karina expertly undressed the emperor. This wasn't the first time the two had done this; Saint Karina felt neither shame nor reservations.

She has long lost any sense of shame. After all, she is an ancient relic over five hundred years old. Ancient relic do not have a sense of shame; it has been completely worn away by the passage of time.

"Not entirely. But besides you, probably no one else can help me with this. Everyone is laughing at me, saying that I should just be a puppet emperor who only knows how to eat and wait to die, and that I don't need to worry about the affairs of the country. But... I really can't stay in the palace eating, drinking and having fun while the reports on disasters in various places pile up like mountains."

Brenda looked pained.

After spending some time together, Santa Karina also got to know her a little better.

From what she knew so far, Brenda had no ill intentions; at most, she was a little impatient. She worked very hard, studying and reading day and night, hoping to do something for the country, even if most of her efforts were in vain.

She was very much like that deeply hurtful Ernest VII. Not only did they look alike, but their ways of handling things were also very similar. St. Karina looked at Brenda's face, the words of refusal were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back in the end.

The matter concerning the Church of Eris has reached a point where it must be addressed. The Church of the God of Order is currently stalling, showing no intention of intervening, leaving Saint Karina to investigate on her own. The Great Evil God has awakened from his slumber, and He will undoubtedly seek revenge against the Eternal God Cult that sealed Him away.

Although Saint Karina didn't participate, she was one of the few remaining followers of the Eternal God Cult, and she probably wouldn't escape her fate either. She didn't have enough power to fight the evil god right now, and forcing herself to do it wouldn't work. It would be best to nip the evil god's evil plans in the bud before his influence completely spread to the capital.

"I understand. I'll handle this. You just need to prepare the funds for the investigation, and you don't need to worry about anything else."

"Um... I also thought of doing this investigation, could you take me with you?"

"Are you up to the task? Your swordsmanship is poor, and your magic skills are mediocre at best. It's hard for me to have any desire to take you out to investigate."

Saint Karina wasn't incapable of protecting Brenda; she simply felt that such messy matters shouldn't be left to an inexperienced young girl to investigate.

This is a mess; there's no need to let Brenda get involved.

"But I've been working very hard lately learning swordsmanship from the Knight Commander, and I've been practicing magic like crazy. You know why those teachers weren't willing to teach me properly before. Those ministers and nobles are worried that one day I'll become too powerful and threaten their positions, and then I won't be able to do anything I want..."

The girl in his arms trembled and suddenly began to sob.

Saint Karina understood her situation very well. The royal family has always been at the top of the food chain. When has it ever been so besieged on all sides and suppressed by others at all times?

Since that's the case, the only option is to seek change and a breakthrough on our own. Brenda's approach was correct; waiting to die would only lead to destruction.

"Alright, stop crying. It'll embarrass the Ernest royal family. Pull yourself together. We can take you with us on this investigation. Don't do anything rash, and listen to my instructions."

55. Conduct in-depth investigation

The investigation was conducted in a small town in a remote suburb outside the capital.

Among the numerous documents, Brenda found one reporting a significant increase in the number of deaths and missing persons in the town. It was sandwiched among many major events and seemed less important.

The town is nestled among mountains, so it's not surprising that landslides and other disasters occur there. The surrounding mountains are steep, and just walking along the mountain paths is enough to make one break out in a cold sweat.