The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"I... couldn't save them, Father Fren."

Lulis lowered his head weakly, and the staff that he could hardly hold finally fell to the ground. The ether crystal at the tip of the staff rolled on the floor tiles, stained with dark red blood.

The young priest held his face with his shaking hands: "Oh God..."

The shelter where Lulis was located was the first batch to be transferred by Marina. At that time, Palad, who escorted the refugees out of the North with hope and said goodbye to them with tears in his eyes, never thought... that the situation in the North would develop into what it is now.

The glory of fulfilling God's will and successfully saving so many innocent lives only shone for a moment before being shattered in the ruthless war.

Except for the shelters that had not yet completed the evacuation of refugees, almost all priests responded to the call of His Excellency the Beast King and served as a third-party force to end this war that should not have happened.

Currently, there are only a few priests in the North who are native priests of the theocracy who crossed the Lost Sea. Most of them are imperial people who joined the church for various reasons, and the majority of them are from the North. Due to the customs of the North, most of them did not drag their feet in this war.

But it was precisely because they did not fall behind that most of the priests, including Lulis, felt more tired and even painful.

They are not the main force in this war. The main force is the etheric monsters commanded by Shitana, as well as the group of noble families and extraordinary people who have been there almost from the beginning to the end and have finally started to contribute. Judging from the surface strength comparison alone, their combat power has almost shown a crushing posture. It would not be difficult to completely annihilate the forces of the two grand dukes.

But their first priority is to protect the civilians who have suffered unexpected disasters. Under such conditions, the priests who should have been supporters are always active in the front line regardless of the damage; the extraordinary people who are completely indifferent to such orders and simply obey the orders of their superiors and family heads have retreated to the second line.

Therefore, both the intensity of the battle and the significance of the mission brought extremely heavy and difficult to resolve pressure to the priests.

More and more trauma, more and more sacrifices... If the forces under the Grey Tower and Iron Blade were not united, many people would have seen that the situation was not going well and chose to surrender. They would not know how much they would have to pay before they could see the dawn of an end.

Lulis, who was extremely tired, forced himself to cheer up and finished praying no less than twenty times a day during this period. He looked at Priest Fren who took off his helmet beside him and said with a forced smile:

"Pastor Furen... you are indeed a strong man who can kill a fourth-level monster alone. Without your help, today's war would probably be even more tragic."

In fact, although the church has established many shelters in the North, no matter how hard they try to hide, their foundation is there. At least in the empire, it is impossible for dozens or hundreds of high-level transcendents to suddenly appear overnight.

Priests often rush into the battlefield in the form of elite teams, and judge according to the situation whether to prioritize protecting civilians or complete beheading as quickly as possible to fundamentally end the war. Lulis is very lucky. After forming a team with this priest Fren, they have participated in the wars of five territorial cities. So far, only two people in the entire team have died.

Fren remained silent. His white armor was also stained with blood. There were old bloodstains that had not been cleaned in time, and there were also fresh bloodstains that had just been stained. They were intertwined and blended together. Some of them were stained into the cracks and grooves on the armor. There were also traces of blood dripping at the end of the cracks, all silently telling the battle that splashed on his body and the death that remained on the battlefield.

"May God rest in peace to the innocent."

The calm priest lowered his head and murmured in a low voice.

Lulis was stunned for a moment, then he lowered his head and made a prayer gesture again: "May God give the innocent rest in peace."

Whether it is protecting refugees or participating in wars, it is not the church's responsibility. It is the nobles and lords who abandoned them and despicably abandoned their duties.

When Lulis opened his eyes again, he stared at the broken limbs and flesh on the ground, and finally buried his head in pain and powerlessness. He felt that he would not have come this far if it were not for God's guidance and support.

If it were Hercules-sama, he would surely move forward more firmly than I do.

Lulis couldn't help but think of the young man who had never shown that he was a member of the church, but was regarded as a righteous man by the vast majority of priests and believers.

He was an eyewitness to Hercules' "awakening", a declaration that was apparently calm and slow, but deafening to Lulis. He has never forgotten it.

I heard that Lord Hercules is also running around to quell the war. He must have done more than me. He is worthy of being recognized by the Saint... a righteous man chosen by God.

Thinking that the righteous man must still be working hard to carry out God's will, the haze in Lulis's heart dissipated a lot. Having more or less recovered some strength, he grabbed the staff that had rolled to the side, supported his body, and looked up at the gray sky.

"Fortunately, the Warlock Tower in the city was not destroyed, and the people are still safe... Priest Fren, I will participate in the treatment work, and please have a good rest--"

Before Lulis could finish his words, Fren suddenly stood up and stopped him behind him with his strong arms.

"…Reverend Fren?"

The sturdy armored priest tightly grasped the dark red flail and stared at the sky: "Dangerous breath... Be careful."

After Fren's reminder, Lulis also sensed the breath coming from the sky. In just a moment, the chilly current penetrated his spine, making his brain unable to command his body to make any movements. He could only stand there like a puppet.

Surging, violent, and frenzied... just like the ether raging in this bitter and cold land. But in this almost natural ruthlessness, there is a kind of confusion that will never appear in this world.

Lulis couldn't sense so much, he could only feel that something seemed to be ravaging his brain, his... soul!

Even though the aura was so violent that it could not be concealed at all, there was still no ether fluctuation, as if it had crossed all limits and acted directly on the soul against common sense. The increasingly intense pain had made Lulis unable to bear it and he fell to the ground. The veins on Priest Furen's neck and the back of his hands were bulging, and the trembling flail began to accumulate huge power. The experienced warrior who had experienced hundreds of battles was ready to counterattack at any time.

However, when Lulis supported himself with his staff and forced himself to raise his head, wanting to fight back, he fell into a trance after seeing the figure descending from the sky.

All the church members who looked up at the sky were also frozen in thought.

"Hercules... ahem... Your Excellency?"

It was such a familiar face and wings of light, but at this moment it seemed so strange.

Because that familiar face no longer had the usual gentleness, and the wings of light behind him flickered as if in pieces. This righteous man and hero no longer had the courage and determination to infect others and inspire their beliefs. There was only a cold and indifferent silence.

He descended from the gray sky, just like the messenger of the end who would bring God's wrath and destruction to the world in the church's apocalyptic psalms.

"You are... Lulis."

Half hanging in the air, Hercules looked down at Lulis with a nostalgic look in his eyes: "Long time no see."

Lulis forced a smile with great difficulty: "Sir Hercules... Well, long time no see."

Hercules suddenly touched his shoulder. It was unknown what he was trying to comfort him, but Lulis felt that the pain in his soul had quickly subsided. While he was relieved, this priest, who had some connection with the Righteous One, mustered up the courage to speak:

"Excuse me...Excuse me, what happened? Why did you——"

"Where's Roger?"

Hercules slowly landed on the ground. He first looked down at the dried blood on the ground, which proved the remains of a brutal battle that had just taken place. Then he raised his head and looked at Lulis: "Where is your friend, the one who was not very friendly to me at the beginning?"

"..."

Lulis's expression froze. It was unclear whether it was because he didn't expect Hercules to ask this question, or... he couldn't give an answer.

After a long, long time, Lulis replied in a hoarse voice: "He...sorry..."

Because his arms were shaking constantly, Lulis was unable to support his staff and almost fell down. He hunched over to steady his shaking body, as if he had lost all his strength in an instant.

"He died. He died in the first war we fought."

"That's it..."

Hercules nodded slightly, as if he was not surprised by this ending. He walked to Lulis, patted his shoulder, and then sat down at the foot of the wall, looking up at the sky: "I guessed it too."

As the pressure on his soul gradually eased, Lulis also panted and fell to sit beside Hercules, pulling the corners of his mouth: "Although we haven't been together for a long time, do you understand him?"

"Although I couldn't understand his hostility towards me at first...but later I realized that his vigilance was not without reason."

"Look, Lulis." Hercules pointed to the body of a transcendent not far away. "If this kind of person who can fight in a city full of civilians is put into the shelter, what will happen... In the final analysis, he is also doing this for the refugees in the shelter."

The righteous man, who didn't know what had happened but seemed to be carrying a heavy burden, comforted Lulis and other priests who were paying attention to the place softly:

"Just like you who are willing to risk your lives and participate in this war, Lulis. What do you think supports him and you to do this?"

"It's because of... faith in God, Mr. Hercules."

What else could have supported them to this day? What else could have made a transcendent who was clearly no longer in the same world as ordinary people and no longer the same species as ordinary people willing to sacrifice his life for something so absurd and foolish in the eyes of the extraordinary people in the empire, other than a belief that transcended himself?

"Mr. Hercules, Roger was once a non-commissioned officer under the command of Grand Duke Iron Blade."

Talking about faith and friends, Lulis couldn't help but talk about Roger's past: "In his own words, the cruel things he had done were sins that could not be redeemed even if he died ten thousand times."

"Oppression, exploitation, plunder, trampling... Roger could not tolerate that his power existed only for such despicable things, and he could not understand why his colleagues and his leader could do these things so comfortably. So he left, gave up his position and power, chose to accept God's guidance, and on that day... made the most correct choice for him."

Rogge's death was so vivid in Lulis's memory. He launched a surprise attack in the shadows with a scimitar in hand, but the opponent happened to have a precious counter-alchemical tool, which also created an opportunity for Fren and other priests to kill the opponent with one blow.

In fact, they could wait a little longer until the other party revealed a flaw, but Rogge didn't do that.

"If I wait one more second, I will bear the sin of watching innocent people die."

Lulis said softly: "He told me this. He said he felt that at the last moment of his life, he finally...realized his own cooperation."

In order to pay for the crimes that have been committed and to wash away the evil deeds of the past, one is willing to sacrifice one's life.

When death comes, for Roger, it may be the moment when he reaches the balance guided by the Assistant.

These brief words contain emotions that can move believers. Only they, only believers who believe in God and firmly believe that they can have cooperation and can bring beauty to the world because of this cooperation, can experience such empathy.

"Is this the reason why you are willing to do this?"

"Yes, Mr. Hercules." Lulis answered without hesitation, "It is this kind of belief that allows Roger, and us... to overcome even the fear of death!"

As a righteous man, Hercules should also do the same.

"What a bunch of idiots."

The cold rebuke made the surroundings fall into silence. At the same time, the soul invasion, which had already weakened, inexplicably hit like a huge wave. However, their will was not the reefs on the seashore, but the fragile foam in the waves.

Lulis groaned and half-knelt on the ground. The pure pain from the soul made it difficult for him to utter a word. He just stared at Hercules who stood up expressionlessly with blank and painful eyes, and then collapsed to the ground.

"Why do you think God made you make this choice?"

"Rogge, Lulis, you, you guys... you are willing to fight for those civilians you have never met. Shouldn't it be just for a very simple reason?"

Hercules stared at Lulis, who couldn't help but groan in pain. His eyes were so disappointed and sad.

"Isn't it because of your conscience?"

conscience.

A distant word that seems within reach for most people, but is actually extremely far away.

This is even more true for extraordinary people.

The so-called conscience is to behave in accordance with or even exceed the moral consensus reached by society. However, most extraordinary people will actively or passively understand that they need to abide by such a consensus only when His Majesty the Emperor feels it is necessary. At other times, this consensus is meaningless to them, and the so-called conscience... is meaningless to them.

But just as no matter how perfect the education and system are, there will always be heinous maniacs, even if the nature of extraordinary people is absolutely superior to that of ordinary people, there will always be "aliens" with conscience.

"You made this choice because you don't want to see displaced refugees being frozen to death by the wind and snow, and you don't want to see completely innocent civilians being burned to ashes by the flames of war of extraordinary people. It's because you have the character of sympathizing with others and are willing to work hard for them... Does this have anything to do with God?"

"Mr. Hercules, why are you..."

Hercules made a stack of documents appear out of thin air in his hand and handed it to the only person who could still barely resist the soul shock.

"Fren Crawford. He is one of the few priests in the church who is currently closest to the bishop... right?"

He stuffed the document directly to Fren with an expressionless face. "It's you I'm looking for, but I didn't expect to run into Lulis, nor did I expect... to discuss this with you. Because I know I can't convince you, and it may not be possible."

"Then why on earth are you... Ugh!"

Fren felt that the soul shock became more violent. He could only ask with all his strength: "Why do you... say those disrespectful words to God? Sir Hercules, our conscience and our beliefs do not--"

"I just want you to know one thing."

Hercules interrupted Fren and said, "I have never believed in your god for a moment. It is not the god that gives me strength, but the saint."

After these words, the raging soul riot that unconditionally attacked everything finally subsided.

"All that I have done was never instructed by God. I received this power because I wanted to do this, not because I was born with the responsibilities and missions you mentioned! Assistant and... destiny!"

Hercules' furious roar, as if he was out of control, echoed over half of the city. He hated the priests so much for attributing their innate goodness to God's gift, and for regarding the suffering they were going through now... as a destiny to be met in order to achieve harmony!

“This is my life.”

Hercules' figure rose into the sky, he looked down at the priests who were either confused or frightened and angry, and uttered his last words.

“It is not created, nor is it arranged as a given.”

After Hercules disappeared, Lulis held up his forehead, which was still aching, and murmured in despair:

"Mr. Hercules... What on earth did he go through? Why is he so radical, so... Hey, Father Fren, what did Mr. Hercules show you--"

Lulis was stuck in his words because he saw that the hands of Priest Fren, who had been able to have a normal conversation with Hercules under the violent soul shock just now and whose will was beyond steel, were now shaking.

"Reverend F...Fren?"

"No."

Fren simply crushed the document and replied expressionlessly, "Nothing, Lulis."

It is unrealistic to try to convince the most devout believers with words and papers, and Anser knows this very well.

Ming Fuluo also knew that the evidence she provided was only intended to destroy Xin. As for the other church believers, Anser could deal with them even if they were not needed. He just didn't have time to take care of them now.

Rather, if this thing were really shown to the priests, they might do anything due to the collapse of their faith, which would be disadvantageous to the war situation.

But this does not mean that they are really worthless now, on the contrary... This is the last truth that the devil revealed to the saint gently before facing the bishop. She probably already knew it but was most afraid to face it.

The priests were deceived as well, but they were simply blinded; even without faith in God, their consciences would have supported them in making the same choice.

Hercules never fell into the trap of the church from the beginning. He always acted according to his own will and beliefs without any hesitation.

So...what about you, Miss Xin.

When faith crumbles, duty breaks down, and you face the moment when all this is an illusion...

Have you found a reason that, even if you throw all of this away, you can still bring salvation to others?

Have you found... this thing called self?

Chapter 175: Self