The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"Earlier..." Anser leaned forward slightly, his forehead almost touching Xin's. "Perhaps they had already taken action the moment the North declared independence."

"Ms. Xin, in this situation, would you choose to believe in the church's so-called 'salvation' for no other purpose?"

"……I do not believe."

Xin gave this answer subconsciously, and even forgot the purpose of asking the question in the first place, and instead thought about Anser's words.

From her perspective, the church must have done this just to protect innocent civilians in the North, because...

Xin's thoughts suddenly got stuck.

Because saving the innocent can undoubtedly spread God's mercy and glory, but... just like what Anser said just now.

For God, the most important thing is to maintain harmony and the balance of all things in the world. This is her duty as a saint and should also be the direction that the church should strive for.

But now, such a rescue...what is the significance for the maintenance of the assistant?

If salvation is done simply to promote God's mercy, then it is meaningless to God; if salvation is done out of human integrity and goodness, then it is equivalent to not doing what is truly right for the church and for God.

"What's wrong, Miss Xin?" the young man asked with great concern, "You seem to have thought of something terrible."

Now, Xin no longer needs Ansher to remind her anymore. She can perceive on her own the growing cracks in the world constructed by her cognition.

If it were the Xin of the past, this would simply be impossible, because she would only reflexively use the morbid logic of a fanatic to fill the gap at the first moment, instead of delving into what was in the crack.

…In fact, she is still doing so.

"Nothing." Xin shook his head. "It's just hard to imagine that the church has become what it is now."

It is still the church, just the church. Anyway, the problem is with the church, not God. No matter how absurd it is, it is not unacceptable to Xin.

Whether they harbor evil intentions or betray their duties to God, this is their problem and has nothing to do with God.

Xin didn't even show any sign of wavering. It seemed that Anser's words had no effect on her. She even looked at Anser calmly, staring straight into his eyes.

But of course she was hiding her emotions, and Anser knew that all too well.

"Mr. Hercules!"

Outside the church, the priest's shout interrupted their gaze. The young priest Myra pushed the door open and walked in with a delighted look on her face: "Two third-level priests will escort you to the first large shelter built, where nearly 40,000 northern civilians gather... They really need you to give them the faith to persevere."

The priest bowed deeply to Anser and said apologetically, "Please forgive me for having to stay in this church and not being able to go with you."

"If you really want to apologize, next time I come, don't just pour me a cup of hot water, make me some good tea."

Anser patted him on the shoulder and walked resolutely into the snow like a true righteous man.

【Mr. Devil】

【Um? 】

[Did you really not expect... that the North would be covered by this blizzard? ]

【…】

Ansel's response was delayed for a moment, and he knew that with this moment's delay, there was no need to reply, as Xin had already gotten the answer she wanted.

You didn't fall into the mental dilemma you just created, and you were even able to fight back against me?

Anser said that the church had foreseen the weakening of the Tower of Eternal Flame in advance, so they were so well prepared for this blizzard. Anser left himself ample room in this sentence - it was not that he did not expect that the flame would dissipate, but that he did not expect it to weaken so quickly.

But Xin still grasped this point. What she wanted was not a clear enough answer, but Ansel's attitude, so even if she could find out a little bit, it would be her victory.

That moment of stagnation was enough for Xin now, enough for her to judge many things.

——Hydra also anticipated that the fire of the Tower of Wild Flame would weaken due to some special reasons, and had already started planning for it earlier... This information is so precious to Xin now.

Ansel didn't look at Xin who was following closely behind him. The corners of his mouth raised slightly. The counterattack of the Saint Lady did not make him feel unhappy at all.

Very good, this is interesting. Although I don't want to make fun of you, it would be too boring if you just blindly obey discipline and let me control you, isn't it, Miss Saint?

And what about Xin? Xin didn't know what Anser was thinking at the moment, but she knew Anser's emotions very well.

Malice.

Just now, when Xin stared into those bottomless sea-blue eyes, he felt such deep and deep malice.

The malice that made her so intoxicated.

Yes, underneath that extremely calm face, underneath that indifference that seems to show no emotion at all, there is indeed something hidden.

But it was neither confusion nor fear, but a kind of joy and intoxication that was difficult to describe in words.

Just as Xin couldn't guess Anser's real secret, Anser also didn't expect... if it was just pure malice, it would not be able to crush Xin.

Not only will it fail to crush the enemy, but it will have the opposite effect of making it even more violent and dangerous.

All the malice inflicted on this saint whose mind was gradually deviating and even twisted, which proved that Mr. Devil was trying every means to corrupt her, would only make her... willingly accept it.

*

The two priests escorting Anser were silent, and on the way to the shelter, there was only the sound of the endless whistling cold wind.

Hydra... No, Mr. Hercules was trying hard to play his role well, as an ordinary person with no power, under the protection of two third-level priests, trudging through the snow with difficulty.

But for some reason, his movements were getting slower and slower, and his face, which was originally slightly pale, was gradually turning blue. The coldness that buried the earth in deathly silence was seeping into his bones and blood, but the two priests escorting him were unaware of it, or... indifferent.

"Wait...wait, two priests...I seem to be unable to hold on any longer. Please help me."

But they just kept walking forward without saying a word.

The young man gasped with great difficulty, and the mist from his mouth turned into ice crystals in an instant: "Aren't you going to... aren't you going to take me to the shelter? Why... cough cough cough..."

thump--

His frozen joints could no longer support him in trudging through the thick snow, and Mr. Hercules, with a blue face, fell straight down, only able to utter a few weak shouts and a final curse.

After a few more minutes, the only sound around was the cold wind.

The two priests stopped.

"how is he?"

“…I have one last breath left.”

A priest came up to Mr. Hercules, who was almost as stiff as a stone due to the cold, and quickly put his arm around his shoulders and lifted him up.

Pure white light enveloped him, quickly turning his already pale face red, and the unconscious Mr. Hercules resumed his weak breathing.

The priest who rescued him heaved a sigh of relief, then complained: "Is it necessary to be so vigilant, Roger? What if he really dies? He might be a righteous man recognized by the saint!"

"Have you forgotten our initial assumption?" Priest Roger had a blank expression on his face. He did not seem to be afraid of treating a "righteous man" in this way, nor did he feel any guilt. "He is more likely a spy for the nobles."

"Although the symbol of the Saint has never been spread, it is not a huge secret that is difficult to know. It is impossible for ordinary people to remember the Saint after seeing her. They will soon forget her. If you want to remember her symbol, you must first be an extraordinary person."

He explained the reason why he watched Hercules walk towards his death indifferently: "We don't believe that a so-called righteous man has appeared in the North at this time. Don't take it too seriously, Lulis. This is a necessary test. Do you think that a righteous man who you don't know whether he is real or fake is more important than the safety of the entire shelter?"

Lulis glanced at Mr. Righteous, who was still unconscious, and sighed helplessly: "But he really almost died."

"If he was really an ordinary person, he couldn't have died."

If Hercules was really an ordinary person, his physical condition would not have been hidden from the eyes of the priests, and rescuing him would have been easy.

Lulis shook his head. He felt that it was not unreasonable for Roger to become a priest. Perhaps only the church in the world would accept someone like him.

"Have you ever thought about how to explain it to him when he wakes up?" he said teasingly. "Now he is a truly certified righteous man, right? You are going to tell him that we tried to test his background and almost killed him in order to ensure the safety of the shelter, but since what we did was so important, he, as a righteous man, will just let us go?"

"Wouldn't it be better to tell him that it was a hallucination he had before he fell into a coma?"

Roger glanced at Lulis and said, "If he is really kind enough to forgive you and me, it would be fine, but what if he doesn't? How big a conflict will it cause? Don't do unnecessary things, Lulis."

"Hey... okay, okay, I get it."

Compared to the young priest's great respect for Ansher, the two priests did not seem to be interested in his identity as a "righteous man". Even after receiving such confirmation, they still did not take it seriously.

"It seems that this identity is not as powerful as I thought, Miss Saint."

Mr. Hercules, who was unconscious and somewhat bored, could only chat with the saint: "Two third-level priests don't care about my life or death. Are the righteous people in your church so unrespectable?"

"Because they feel that the safety of the civilians in the sanctuary is more important than the righteous."

Xin responded calmly: "The doctrine does not require believers to have absolute reverence for the righteous. What they admire is always the character of the righteous, not the righteous themselves."

"Mr. Devil has not shown much character as a righteous man, and they have a preconceived notion that Mr. Devil is an undercover sent by the nobles, so of course they will ignore him."

"Is that so?" Anser asked in surprise, "I thought that as long as I had this identity, I would be able to move freely in the church."

Xin Piao was standing nearby, looking at Ansel's face pretending to sleep. He didn't know what he was thinking. After a long while, he replied, "The righteous are just a special kind of people who deserve respect. They don't have any power in the church. You think too much, Mr. Devil."

"Besides... you are indeed lying. You don't have any evidence to prove that you actually met me."

Xin knew that Anther did not need her to remind him. He must be very clear that the suspicions of the two priests would not be completely dispelled simply because of his pretending to be dead. Mortals could not imprint the image of the saint in their minds, and Anther claimed that he still remembered her, which meant that there was something special about him. If he did not show this specialness, their suspicions would continue.

Miss Saint didn't know what Ansher wanted to do by sneaking into the church, but she knew that Ansher definitely didn't want to be suspected like this all the time.

"That's true. We have to think of a way. I've been thinking about this good identity for a long time. I can't just give it up without using it."

So, Mr. Devil, what do you want?

"Please help me, Miss Saint."

Xin saw Anser suddenly open his eyes and blink at her.

"You'll help me, right, Sin?"

This was the first time he addressed Miss Saint by her name, so sincerely, so meanly.

Chapter 5: Who is cuter? (K)

When Anser "woke up" from the bed, the priest named Lulis immediately helped him stand up and asked with great concern: "Mr. Hercules, are you okay?"

"I..." Mr. Hercules, who had entered the role as soon as he opened his eyes, held his forehead in confusion and pain, "What happened? Where am I?"

"We have arrived at the shelter. A very dangerous snowstorm suddenly hit just now. We were unable to protect you in the first place. We are very sorry."

Perhaps because he still felt somewhat guilty, Lulis's lies sounded like the truth. He lowered his head slightly and said with great shame, "If you are angry about this, we understand very well. If we can do something to make you feel better, please let us know."

"How come I remember it was you..."

Mr. Hercules was somewhat suspicious of his own experience. He stared at Lulis for several seconds with a look of hidden anger and doubt, but finally remained silent.

After all, he is just an ordinary young man and has been brought to someone else's base. What else can he do?

"...No, I'm fine." His eyes dimmed a little, "I'm very grateful...for taking you to a safe place."

Lulis saw the frustration and disappointment in his eyes and could only look away and not look at him: "In any case, this is our fault, Mr. Hercules."

Afterwards, the two fell into an awkward but reasonable silence - one was living under someone else's roof and could not express his dissatisfaction, while the other had a conscience and knew that what he had done was somewhat inhumane.

After a long time, it was finally Anser who broke the uncomfortable silence: "So what should I do next? The young priest told me to bring hope and courage to the civilians in the shelter, but how should I do it specifically?"

"Ah, about this... Roger and I will find a way to help you. We won't let you do anything difficult."

Lulis finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gently as if to encourage Anser: "It's just that this requires time to plan... You know, they have been trapped in this blizzard for too long, and the accumulated numbness and pain cannot be eliminated by a speech. I admire your determination and courage, but please wait a little longer, Mr. Hercules."

"Is there anything you need now? Are you feeling too cold?"

"No, I'm fine." Anser showed some resistance to continue contacting Lulis. He shook his head and said, "Then I'll wait for your news. As for your request... If it's okay, I'll drink a bowl of hot soup now."

"Okay, someone will bring it to you right away. If you need anything else, you can tell the nun or priest directly."

Lulis, who originally felt it was too awkward to be in the same room with Anser, let out a long sigh: "Then I'll leave first. Please have a good rest, Mr. Hercules."

The black-robed priest walked out of the warm little room, and Ansel lay down again and covered himself with the quilt.

"Ms. Xin, what do you think they should be doing now?"

Mr. Hercules muttered to himself with his eyes half closed.

Xin was sitting at the head of the bed. As long as Anser turned his head, he could see her round buttocks, which were tightly wrapped in white silk clothes and looked extremely exaggerated.

"Another priest, who should be watching Mr. Devil."

Xin turned his back to Anser and said calmly:

"He is still very wary of Mr. Devil and wants to determine Mr. Devil's identity through the conversation between him and the priest just now."

Anser smiled and asked, "Do you think I fooled him?"

The Saint Lady tilted her head slightly, and her long gray hair, which was softer and silkier than the clothes she was wearing, swayed along with it, brushing against her raised hip line, which was very tempting.

"If I hadn't known in advance that Mr. Devil was a liar, I would have been fooled."

Miss Xin, who is devoted to studying, is very serious: "I don't think he can tell that Mr. Devil is lying."

"Really? Then let's take a look."