Chapter 156: Zombies Are People Too (3)
As the morning sun rose, Lien and I began tidying ourselves and preparing to part ways.
"So, was the letter just an excuse to spend the night together?"
"I wrote it, but I didn’t send it on my own. The letter was censored, so it wasn’t sent the way I originally intended..."
She seed like she had a lot to say, but instead, Lien placed her hand on my chest and swallowed her words.
Instead, she moved her lips silently, conveying her thoughts without making a sound.
Thanks to my skill in lip-reading, I could clearly make out what she was saying, even from a distance:
'The one who actually sent the letter is a friend I made here in the convent—the Holy Knight guarding the Saintess.'
Why would she send a letter?
If anything, isn’t the Saintess the one who usually wants to see , with the Holy Knight glaring at and ensuring I don’t go near her?
‘I don’t have any personal connection to her, so this must be about the Saintess…’
"Are you not allowed to tell about this?"
"Not right now. Everyone’s already suspicious."
It seed the Holy Knights who had gathered at the convent weren’t simply escorting custors here to buy wine. They were here to prevent sothing.
If it were a simple escort mission, a team of four Holy Knights would have sufficed. The fact that there were significantly more of them here indicated that sothing serious was going on.
‘Help her later.’
Who was the "her" that Lien was referring to?
The Saintess? Or her Holy Knight?
Lien said no more after that, keeping her lips sealed as she helped get dressed. She, too, tidied her nun’s habit, returning to her usual appearance—aside from her chest, which still defied the modesty expected of nuns.
Fearing that the noise might have reached the other nuns, we left the convent and crossed the courtyard to head back to my unit. Just as I was about to leave, Lien clapped her hands as if she’d just rembered sothing and stopped .
"Oh, I almost forgot. Sir Knight, take a bottle of wine with you."
"Are you sure that’s okay? From what I saw last night, they were selling out fast, and most of the stock seed reserved."
"Why wouldn’t it be? If we run out, we’ll just make more."
She fetched a small basket of grapes and began peeling them one by one, placing the fruit into a basin.
The convent had an abundance of grapes, so taking so wasn’t an issue. Once the basin was full, she removed her shoes and stepped onto the grapes.
"Could you hold my hand?"
I politely held her hand as if escorting a lady at a ball. Once again, Lien began stomping on the grapes, this ti making wine just for .
Hand in hand, she moved gracefully, her steps deliberate, as if we were dancing at a private ball.
"Does this look about right?"
I knelt and kissed the top of her grape-stained foot, then wiped it clean with a towel. Lien carefully filtered the juice through a clean cloth, producing a single bottle of wine.
"Now all that’s left is to add a label."
Lien’s Wine.
Handcrafted by the pure nun, Lien, who personally stomped the grapes...
‘She’s not exactly pure anymore, though...’
Well, she had been pure while alive, so that counted. Besides, a wine stomped by a mature woman who knows how to use her body should be worth more than one made by a virgin, shouldn’t it?
With that thought, I left the convent with a bottle of wine in hand.
"Well then, I’ll be off."
"Yes, Sir Knight. Take care. And if a letter ever arrives in my na…"
"I’ll co to offer my condolences."
We parted ways, joking about death.
In the end, I didn’t hear about the letter’s original purpose, nor did I get the chance to fulfill the request she hinted at. It might have seed like a wasted effort, but I didn’t mind.
Knowing she was doing well was enough for .
---
‘I told myself not to worry, but it’s hard not to think about it.’
As soon as I returned to my unit, I handed the wine to Dane, who was on duty at the entrance, and asked him to set it aside. Instead of reporting back imdiately, I decided to visit the nearby temple before anything else.
There was still so ti left, and the temple was close enough that it wouldn’t be a problem to stop by.
"What brings you here?"
"I’d like to see the Saintess."
"She’s busy. If you want to et her, you’ll need to make a formal request to the priests and undergo a thorough screening process."
That was the normal procedure.
During Holy Week, the Saintess occasionally appeared in public, but otherwise, she spent her ti deep within the temple, eting only those pre-approved by the high clergy to receive her blessings.
For an ordinary knight like , seeing her outside of official ceremonies—like the grand appointnt of knights—was nearly impossible.
‘Well… it’s probably nothing. Lien told not to worry, so maybe she’s just busy. It might be better to wait until Holy Week or another festival to see her.’
"Let him through."
Just as I was awkwardly nodding and preparing to leave, an unexpected voice granted permission to enter.
A Holy Knight, clad in shining silver armor and nearly as tall as , gazed at with a calm, serious expression. She relayed the command to the knight blocking the entrance.
"Let him in."
"But the clerics have forbidden external visitors from entering, especially those who wish to et the Saintess…"
"I’ll take responsibility."
This was the sa Holy Knight who had always glared at like she wanted to devour whenever I visited the Saintess. Yet now, she was unexpectedly helping .
"…Understood. But I will imdiately report this to the High Clerics."
With the stern warning of the middle-aged Holy Knight, I was granted entry into the temple. She motioned for to follow her, leading through the back door of the temple.
"Thank you. Truthfully, I should’ve formally requested the Saintess’ blessing and waited for approval before eting her..."
"You wouldn’t have gotten approval even if you had tried."
"Well, I figured that only noble elites or high-ranking clerics would have a chance."
"That’s not what I ant."
Her sharp response cut off as she looked at with a complex expression.
"The Saintess… is currently in a state of perfection as a ‘Saintess.’"
If that was the case, I didn’t see why there was an issue. Following behind her, I noticed that we weren’t heading to the Saintess’ sacred garden, where she usually resided, but to a private corridor deeper within the temple, toward her personal chambers.
‘Wait… isn’t this area normally off-limits?’
The situation was becoming stranger by the mont. Once I confird that there was no one else nearby, I decided to ask her directly.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"You requested to et the Saintess, didn’t you?"
"Are you the one who sent the letter?"
"If you’re looking for the one who sent it through Lady Lien, then yes, it was ."
"Why? We’re not exactly close enough to exchange letters."
"I don’t consider us close either. However…"
She paused briefly, carefully choosing her next words.
"This matter is that important."
The room she led to was secured by a heavy iron door with an overwhelming number of locks.
‘This seems a bit much, even for security…’
Even prisons holding the most heinous criminals didn’t have this level of fortification. While I understood the necessity of protecting the Saintess, the thought of a young girl being confined behind such asures left uncomfortable.
"You must not let anything we discuss here leak outside."
"What exactly is going on?"
"It’s better if you see for yourself."
The Holy Knight expertly unlocked over twenty locks and removed the heavy wooden bar bracing the door. With a strained creak, the iron door slowly swung open.
Thud... thud...
The door was so heavy that unless soone was strengthened with divine power or mana, opening it would’ve been impossible. The sight that greeted beyond the door was blinding.
Sunlight reflected off countless windows, flooding the room with an almost oppressive brightness. It was so intense that I couldn’t even make out who or what was inside.
"Sir Knight…?"
A voice called out to . It was the Saintess, but her tone was different—tired, unlike her usual bright and lively deanor.
Through the blinding light, she stepped forward, her figure faintly glowing with an ethereal radiance. Aside from her slightly weary expression, she looked just as she had during Holy Week.
"What brings you to the temple? It’s not Holy Week."
"Well, I…"
I intended to ntion the letter but felt compelled not to, deciding to change the subject instead.
"I just wanted to see you, Saintess. I might have been a bit insistent about it."
"Really?"
Her cheeks reddened as she smiled shyly, like the young girl she was. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. However, I couldn’t shake the strange feeling that sothing was off.
"Why are you staying here, Saintess? Isn’t it too bright to use as a personal space?"
"Is it? It doesn’t bother . Thanks to the Goddess’ blessing, I can handle darkness, so I never noticed."
True, with her body emitting light like that, it probably made no difference whether her surroundings were dark or bright.
"......"
What unsettled was the way her dark eyes stared at —not just looking, but as if they were piercing through , examining my soul. The intensity of her gaze made feel both vulnerable and uneasy.
"Why… are you looking at like that?"
"No reason. Sir Knight, you really are a good person!"
"You seem to have been working hard lately. Your hand looks burned."
"Oh, this? It’s an honorable wound, earned in the line of duty as a knight."
The burn was from my battle with Cassandra, though I’d treated it with potions and herbs. Still, faint scars remained.
"This could’ve been healed with proper treatnt—oh!"
Before I could react, the Saintess grabbed my hand. Anticipating a sudden surge of divine power, I squeezed my eyes shut.
"…Huh?"
To my surprise, nothing happened. Instead, I watched as the burn marks on my palm faded away, as though ti had reversed. When she released my hand, it was fully healed—even better than before.
"It didn’t hurt…?"
"I’ve practiced a lot. How was it?"
"Impressive. Truly remarkable."
Worried about her earlier exhaustion, I realized she had been diligently practicing to better control her divine power. Her hard work was evident.
"Thank you, Saintess."
As I had before, I kissed the back of her hand, exchanged a few lighthearted words, and left the temple feeling relieved.
---
"So the rumors were true. Sir Knight, you’ve kept yourself pure."
"Was that what you wanted to confirm?"
"Hehe… Well, it was just once, so I’m sure the Goddess will forgive ."
The Saintess had prayed to the Goddess of Love, seeking insight into whether I had soone I loved or if I was engaged in any improper relationships.
Despite knowing of the secret mistresses and depraved tendencies of the high-ranking clerics around her, the Saintess remained unaffected. Yet, she seed relieved to confirm that I had no one special in my life.
‘She’s already so far gone.’
The very air around the Saintess felt purified by her re presence, making it difficult to breathe. Her divine aura had grown so overwhelming that it was becoming unbearable for re mortals like myself.
Through my eyes as a knight, I could see that her body was no longer entirely human. What remained of her mortal form was almost nonexistent, as the Goddess’ power consud her.
What had once been a young girl blessed by the Goddess was now a being so divine that she was less a human channel for the Goddess’ will and more a physical manifestation of the Goddess herself.
Her human senses, her emotions, and even her desires as a mortal were fading. All that remained was the faint glimr of a girl’s final emotion—her affection.
Perhaps because she served the Goddess of Love, the only human emotion she was allowed to retain was this one.
It wasn’t true love but rather the simple adoration of a young girl. And in the end, her only remaining connection to humanity was her feelings for .
"Do you think, when I grow up, I’ll be able to hold a place in your heart?"
Her words betrayed a somber future—one the temple desired but one that the girl, who had once smiled so purely while sharing sweets, likely dreaded. Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to deny her.
"Yes, absolutely."
The Saintess didn’t know.
Because she was the Goddess of Love, she couldn’t see the won held in my heart. Nor did she understand why, even when I gazed at her, I seed montarily captivated but never truly saw her.
She was no longer human. She had beco far too much like a Goddess.
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