Chapter 3: Children, I crashed.

“Is there really someone inside?”

A handsome man with golden messy hair stood there, dressed in white knight attire.
The golden cloak that seemed to symbolize his noble status fluttered slightly in the breeze.

Only now, his sharp, sword-like brows were furrowed, carrying considerable displeasure.

“There should be someone, right? Sister CocoLiss lives inside the church and basically never leaves for long periods. If she’s really not here, she should be back in a few minutes…”

The person who had been knocking earlier—the townsfolk who had apparently been dragged along to show the way—could only offer this explanation.

“You mean to tell me that the Bishop and I should waste our time waiting for this nun? Do you know how much territory the empire has recently lost to abyssal erosion? Do you know that the Abyss is desperately eager to completely destroy the Saintess who has appeared outside?”

The man made almost no movements, yet he continuously applied pressure on the local guide through his words and expression.

“Oh dear, oh dear, Lord Hero, we came here to search for traces of the wandering Saintess. Contacting the church personnel here is also to better understand the situation in this area, which will make it easier for us to find the Saintess.”

The old woman in red robes spoke in a gentle tone, slightly dissuading the golden-haired man who had been a bit too aggressive with his words.

“Bishop Zain…” The golden-haired man paused, said nothing more, and turned his gaze back to the townsfolk once again. “Keep knocking. If no one answers, we’ll go in ourselves.”

Thus, the knocking sounded once more.

“Sister CocoLiss, are you there?”

The girl inside could naturally hear it clearly.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, she immediately responded.

“I’m here. Please wait a moment.”
Her raised, girlish voice carried outward.

She herself quickly stood up and began trying to destroy the scene.

She couldn’t separate the two objects, nor could she move or hide the chair that was bearing the weight.

Meanwhile, the voices from outside continued to drift into the empty church.

“Still making us wait? Step aside. I’m going in directly.”
The clear male voice brought content that felt like a demon’s whisper.

Before CocoLiss could react, she heard a huge crash. The door lock, which could no longer withstand the force, had been directly destroyed.

The people outside had broken into private property.

Yet the panicked girl stood with her feet on the chair, gritting her teeth, but she still couldn’t pull it out like uprooting a willow tree.

The sound of footsteps drew steadily closer.
All that remained was a girl with a face full of despair, still gripping the pitch-black abyssal creation in her hand. Even now, she hadn’t been able to move it even an inch.

“The person is here.”

The voice came from outside the reception room door, followed by another loud crash as the second door lock was destroyed just like the first.

Clearly, CocoLiss’s cautious decision to lock both doors could not stop the arrival of disaster.

After the door opened, the ones who entered were a golden-haired man wearing white knight clothing and a kind-looking old woman in a long red robe. The townsfolk who had been responsible for leading the way earlier had already been sent back.

“Are you Sister CocoLiss?”
The kind old woman spoke to the only girl in the room.

The golden-haired man who had entered, however, furrowed his brows and stared fixedly at the girl.

Or rather, he was staring at the lower half beneath the girl’s skirt hem—at the chair covered by her long dress.

A moment later, his gaze turned into one of confusion, and his eyes shifted upward to that peerlessly beautiful face that was now flushed with red.

“It’s me.”
CocoLiss put on her usual dignified and gentle demeanor, though the slight blush on her already somewhat pale, sickly-white face became even more obvious. “May I ask who the two of you are?”

As she spoke, she pushed the intimate triangular piece of fabric she had hastily gathered up—and hadn’t had time to put on—even deeper into the pocket of her nun’s habit.

“I am Zain, one of the three great bishops of the church. The person beside me is the current Hero, Joshua Knight.”

CocoLiss’s brain crashed.

She felt that her identity as abyssal kin had probably been exposed.

But was she, a nameless nobody, really worth these two important figures coming in person?

Was it really necessary to use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken?

“Don’t be nervous, child. Your face is a little red. Did something happen?”

“Uh… I’ve had a bit of a cold recently.”

The kind old woman extended her hand. “Child, stretch out your hand. I can help treat you.”

CocoLiss wanted to extend her hand, but unfortunately her hand was currently not very convenient.

During the recent tug-of-war, she had gotten a handful of sticky, slippery fluid, and she hadn’t even had time to wash it off.

“Bishop Zain.”
When CocoLiss couldn’t come up with a reason, the golden-haired man beside her gave a light cough, reminding the kind old woman.

“I almost forgot the main matter.”
The red-robed bishop smiled at CocoLiss in front of her. “You should know that during the term of the current Hero—that is, Mr. Knight beside me—the church has found a Saintess.”

The girl’s ear feathers helped comb back the possibly disheveled hair by her ears. She also recalled the headline she had seen in the mailbox at the entrance.

So it wasn’t fake news after all.

“Fortunately, the Hero can sense the general location of the Saintess, which is how we found this place. However, for more precise details, we may need your help. After all, you should be more familiar with this area.”

As she spoke, the old bishop sat down, taking the seat opposite CocoLiss.

The golden-haired man also sat down.

“But I don’t know who the Saintess is either…”
Now that she knew they weren’t here to take her life, CocoLiss became a little more composed. “Is there any distinguishing feature or something I can use to identify her? I will do my best to help.”

“As the Saintess chosen by the Goddess of Light, she is often surrounded by a circle of protective blessing that can prevent attacks below mid-level magic and also guard against mental whispers and erosion.”
The great bishop produced a sheet of white paper out of thin air, and a quill appeared in her right hand.

She seemed to want to draw the magic array, but she stopped her pen halfway through.

“I’m getting old. I can’t quite remember the details.”

With furrowed brows, the old bishop who couldn’t recall the finer points raised her head and saw CocoLiss still standing in front of the chair.

“Child, don’t be nervous. Sit down and let’s talk slowly.”

The golden-haired man beside her also let his gaze fall on CocoLiss.

If she insisted on not sitting down now, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. She could only grit her teeth and sit.

Golden light suddenly burst forth.

It shone from her lower abdomen—a golden magic array beneath the golden light.

“Yes, this is it! This is exactly it!”
The red-robed great bishop, who had suddenly stood up, looked extremely excited. “This is the protective blessing on the Saintess!”