The villain's way to tame the protagonist

She turned to look at Anser: "Does the church really intend to use their saint to do this kind of thing?"

"How could that be?" Anser smiled and touched the back of Ming Fuluo's hand, soothing her softly, "Have you forgotten that even the redemption of a twisted soul, in Xin's opinion, is not something that everyone can get."

One must have cooperation to be worthy of salvation, otherwise all one will receive is judgment.

Ming Furo also remembered what Xin meant by the standard of "salvation", and her tense heartstrings relaxed a little, but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder, what on earth did the Church of the Holy Alliance want to do with this power?

Anser glanced at the pure white light flickering on Ming Fuluo's fingertips, smiled, took her hand, and stood up: "Okay, we've finished what we should watch today, let's go back."

"...Are you leaving now?" Ming Fuluo came back to her senses, "Is there anything else?"

Anser gently shook her hand: "Don't you want to go somewhere? For example, visit Miss Elalo, or condescendingly mock Ms. Lian De who is a loser?"

"You reminded me." A dangerous cold light flashed in the scholar sister's eyes, "I have to go and warn that idiot woman and make her behave herself."

"What if she doesn't behave herself?" Anser looked at Ming Fuluo with amusement, "Are you planning to kill her directly?"

Facing Anser's joking words, Ming Fuluo asked back expressionlessly: "Is it not possible?"

Ming Furo's goal is not to accept any cost, so she naturally will not accept any accidents. If Lian De really wants to go crazy... then she will most likely activate the unmanned mode of the mechanical angel to destroy her in one blow.

"Of course it's no problem! It's just that, um...even though I've already expressed my feelings once, I still can't help but say it again."

The devil held hands with his best friend, his sea-blue eyes filled with joy and satisfaction:

"You are really arrogant, Luo."

"Here we go again... Can you please tell me clearly, where am I arrogant?"

*

Xin knelt beneath the huge Ouroboros statue, not moving.

This is the Holy Prayer Cardinals' Palace of the Theocracy, a sacred place where only the twelve bishops can pray. It is known as the place closest to God in the Theocracy.

After leaving Anser and falling into unanswered self-doubt, Xin has been kneeling under the statue, maintaining a prayer posture, and until now even the corners of his clothes have not trembled.

She prayed to God to forgive her hesitation, to God to pardon her weakness, and to God... to give her an answer.

Pray to God to tell her that she did not believe in God for her own satisfaction, and did not neglect her duties because of this unnecessary greed.

But God remains silent; God has always been silent.

Du, du, du—

The sound of a cane hitting the ground was heard at the entrance of the hall, and an old woman in a white robe walked in with a cane, and the sound echoed slightly in the empty pure white hall.

She slowly walked towards Xin, who was like a sculpture. It took her a long time to reach Xin's side, and then she knelt down tremblingly and prayed.

About two minutes later, the old woman stood up and said softly, "Saint, did God give you an answer?"

This question lasted for three full hours.

Three hours later, Xin finally opened her eyes. Bewildered, she uttered the first words she had spoken since returning to the Church:

"I don't know, Bishop Ming."

Xin didn't know whether God had given her an answer, just as she didn't know why she had such contradictory beliefs.

God does not care about faith, so her belief in God is not a requirement of God, but a proactive one to maintain God’s glory.

Maintaining God’s glory is important, but God himself does not care. Therefore, what God cares about and the duties he bestows must be higher than maintaining his glory, that is, higher than faith.

Of course, even if it is not for the sake of maintaining the glory of God, even if it is for the sake of comfort and satisfaction from God, it does not matter. After all, God is tolerant, great, and supreme. How could He mind His believers making such insignificant requests? Even if Xin wants to get something, it does not matter.

But Xin clearly got nothing, and never expected to get anything. She just believed, a simple, useless belief.

She even made mistakes because of this vain belief. In order to uphold the glory of God, she was full of malice and rejection towards Ming Furo, and failed to put her own duties first.

Is this correct?

But if this is not correct, doesn’t that mean that her beliefs… are wrong?

"If possible." Bishop Ming gently held Xin's hand, "Can you tell me what is bothering you so much?"

Bishop Ming is the dean of the Holy Maidens' College and is Xin's closest and most important mentor in life.

Xin had nothing to hide from her. She described her fear and emptiness, and still asked the old bishop blankly: "If faith always has a reason and source, then my faith in God...what exactly does it come from, Bishop Ming?"

Bishop Ming, who was holding her hand, was silent for a long time, and finally let out a sigh.

It was not a sigh of blame or disappointment, but a sigh of relaxation and relief.

"You are not wrong, Your Excellency the Saint."

Although his face was old, the old bishop's eyes were bright. His voice was gentle but firm: "Whether it is the belief in God or the self-doubt at this moment, there is nothing wrong."

Xin was stunned. She looked at Bishop Ming in confusion: "Is... is that so? But I still don't know why I..."

“Why would you believe in God, huh?”

Bishop Ming laughed and said, "This proves your purity, Saint. You love and worship the glory of God so purely."

"Even so, I shouldn't let this matter affect my duties..."

"But what if your faith is born out of this responsibility?"

Xin was stunned.

Does faith...come from duty?

From the responsibility given to me by God to redeem and judge the world?

"As you perform this duty, you know that you are doing the right thing, and you know how great the God who makes you do these things is. That's why you believe in God, right?"

Bishop Ming stroked Xin's head lovingly and said, "When you became a saint, weren't you looking forward to fulfilling your duties?"

"Your Excellency, the Saint, you do not allow others to tarnish the glory of God. In essence, you are not giving up your duty because of something meaningless to God, but because others have tarnished the source of this faith, tarnished...your duty."

I see.

Yes, what I always value is duty, and my faith also comes from this duty, this correct duty that demonstrates God’s greatness.

At this moment, Xin suddenly realized.

Her faith in God was not empty; it came from a real sense of duty.

"So...faith is not important."

As if he had seen a new world, Xin murmured to himself: "What is important is the duty given to me by God."

Yes, most importantly, it's just duty.

This would explain why she wanted to stay with Mr. Devil so much.

As the only two bishops left in the theocracy, Bishop Ming nodded with great satisfaction:

"You are right. God doesn't care. You don't have to blindly pursue God's glory. Just focus on your duties. I think your transformation is about to come."

Xin, who had been kneeling for a long time, finally stood up. When he looked at the Ouroboros statue, he had a completely new understanding of God, faith, and himself.

Her faith was different from anyone else's, a faith that came from a sense of duty.

In essence, faith is nothing more than a part of fulfilling one's duty, so there is no need to lose composure because of unnecessary things, slander and tarnish that God does not care about.

Just like Mr. Devil said…just don’t care about God.

Because I don’t have to care about God, and God doesn’t want me to worry about these meaningless things. What I should care about is my own responsibilities.

"Thank you, Bishop Ming."

Xin gently hugged the old bishop: "I already know how to continue to fulfill God's will."

"This is the result of your enlightenment, Saint."

The old bishop also hugged Xin, and in her bright eyes there emerged a warmth that did not seem to be between clergymen, but more like the warmth between a teacher and a student.

"I thought it would take you longer to realize this, Saint, but I didn't expect that... in just over ten years, you have come to a deeper understanding of the relationship between God and you."

"Awakening, no, I just..."

Xin recalled Ansel's questioning to him, and the serious expression on Mr. Devil's face when he took great pains to make him reflect on the nature of this belief.

This is Mr. Devil, the Devil who even I can redeem even though he has not yet been redeemed.

"I just... met Mr. Devil."

Your Excellency the Saint, murmured this subconsciously.

"...Mr. Devil?"

"Ok!"

Xin smiled unconsciously: "He is the greatest sinner, a sinner that even God's power may not be able to redeem."

"It's me... the sinner who must be redeemed!"

Bishop Ming had never seen such a bright expression on Xin's face, and he unconsciously began to feel worried.

What is going on... a sinner that even the power of God cannot redeem? Who did the Saint meet in the Empire? Such vivid emotions... she shouldn't have them.

Because there was no way for the Theocracy and the Empire to communicate with each other through any means, the terrifying ether vortex of the Tiantu Mountains blocked everything, and there were no alchemical tools or spells that could be effective across the entire Lost Sea, so Bishop Ming naturally had no idea what Xin had done over there or who he had met.

So she didn't know that... on the other side of the continent, the bishops who had infiltrated the empire were planning to use the saint's fanaticism in God to keep her away from the devil who was dragging her into the abyss. Instead, they were happy that the saint, who was too obsessed with faith, finally realized the contradictory faith that they had deliberately created, and helped Xin point out the key.

Similarly, the bishops who were planning something big in the empire did not know that the current Saint was no longer the Saint they were familiar with. Although this was what they wanted to see, but... definitely not now.

But there is such a devil who is fighting against fate. He knows that the bishop who stays in the Theocracy is the bishop who is specifically responsible for educating the saint. He also knows that the bishops who have sneaked into the empire have developed a great fear of him, and he understands what the saint means to the church.

He made it all happen now, when he needed it.

He knew better than anyone that when the saint returned to him again, this ignorant lamb would become even more tender and delicious, and would be even more unable to resist the devil's teachings and the devil's... temptations.

Chapter 6: Study, Study (K)

Ming Fuluo's ability to take action is certainly no joke. She said she was going to warn Lian De, and the next morning she arrived at the gate of Grand Duke Shenlan's manor.

——It was mainly because Ansel still didn’t let her go yesterday, otherwise Ming Furo should have been done with that night.

If recklessly using detection spells on others is equivalent to provocation, then Ming Fuluo is like driving a dump truck recklessly on other people's territory.

Lian De, who happened to be staying in the mansion, was naturally startled by this friendly greeting and soon appeared in front of the scholar.

"I didn't expect Miss Zeger to come here. Would you like to come in and have a seat?"

Lian De bowed slightly, smiling so brightly that Ming Fuluo felt uncomfortable.

Because Lian De smiled as if something good had happened to her, but in the eyes of Ming Fuluo, who had a deep prejudice against her, good things for this woman... were definitely not good things.

However, no matter what happened, it would only make Ming Fuluo more determined to warn Lian De.

Iron-gray particles proliferated and dissipated, forming a faint armed force behind her. The abyss waves mixed with the breath of Hydra spread in all directions without reservation, causing almost all the extraordinary people in the Deep Blue Port City to shiver in fear.

Lian De, who was the first to be affected, also had a slightly changed expression, but still maintained the most basic decent smile: "What's wrong, Miss Zeger, are you... in a bad mood today?"

"I'm just giving you a warning."

Ming Furo expressionlessly raised her right hand, which was shaped like a gun, and aimed her index finger at Lian De's head. At the same time, the miniature chest cannon of the mechanical deity behind her was slowly condensing a destructive black light.

Without any unnecessary social etiquette or courtesy, he directed his undisguised cold murderous intent towards Lian De.

"Normally, it's not convenient for me to find a reason for whatever you want to do."

"But now, the woman from the Triumph family is the controller of East Port appointed by Anser, so I don't care what you want to do, as long as you dare to do anything to undermine the stability of East Port during the war..."

Ming Fuluo's index finger tilted slightly to the side, and a destructive black light blasted out silently, brushing against Lian De's cheek and blasting through her mansion diagonally, rushing towards the sky with undiminished momentum.

This is what Ming Furo learned from Xitana - although she doesn't like violence, it is undeniable that in most cases, violence is always one of the most effective means.

"..."

Lian De reached out and caught a strand of hair that fell from her ear. She stared at Ming Fuluo who was still looking down at her. After a brief silence, she smiled again.

"Why do you think I would do something so foolish and reckless, Miss Zeger?"

"I am under no obligation to answer your question."

Ming Fuluo didn't think Lian De would be completely obedient, but she also knew that there was no need to continue to put pressure on her. The majestic weapons automatically disintegrated, and her figure turned into particles and dissipated without a trace, leaving only a still cold warning:

"Since you know how stupid it is to do this, don't even think about being stupid again."

After Ming Fuluo left, Lian De stood at the gate of the manor for nearly half a minute. The corners of his mouth, which were slightly raised out of aristocratic etiquette, slowly drooped and turned into a straight and indifferent line.

"So... willful." She murmured softly, her eyes cold, "so willful that it makes people jealous."

"It must be wonderful to squander the favor of His Highness Anser, what do you think, Your Highness Susilen?"