After destroying the core, the girl collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, unable to speak for a long time.
Linde, who was standing nearby, used his activated vision to take a look and saw that the girl had not been corrupted by evil, so he was completely relieved.
If there is pollution, he plans to test the purification effect of the bright halo.
Leonis came up behind the girl and used the holy symbol to purify her from any possible contamination.
Linde then knelt down in front of her and asked:
"Child, what's your name?"
The girl wiped away her tears and said:
“My name is Koya…Reed Koya.”
"It's over, let's go back."
"……Um"
…………
The next morning, as the first rays of dawn shone into the fortified city, the people of Gross, who had been terrified all night, took to the streets, where horrific sights were everywhere.
Severed limbs and mutilated bodies were everywhere, and the city reeked of burnt flesh. Scattered bricks and cracked paving stones created a truly horrific scene.
"Holy God above, what exactly is going on?"
"Cultists! Cultists are everywhere!"
The crowd rushed toward the collapsed Viscount's Castle, eager to see what had happened.
Beneath the collapsed Viscount's castle, after a night's rest, the overflowing river had filled a pond, leaving only half of the castle spire standing firmly on the water's surface.
Just as everyone was whispering among themselves, a strong voice rang out in front of them.
"Citizens of the Fortified City! I am Viscount Lilens Vonn from the Vonn Territory. Listen to me!"
There stood Lillens with his soldiers, who had fought a bloody battle all night, before the ruins of the Viscount's castle.
The soldiers' armor was tattered, some of their weapons were only half intact, and some were stained with blood.
But they all looked triumphant, heads held high, their faces beaming with the joy of victory.
"Just last night, the evil heretics attacked our city. They burned and killed everywhere they went, leaving behind only ruins and corpses."
"But we did not give in!"
Li Luns raised his voice, his eyes filled with determination.
"Our soldiers fought a fierce battle against these evil forces and ultimately defeated them!"
As the people listened, hope gradually ignited in their eyes, and they began to cheer.
"These cultists were henchmen of the previous viscount here, Viscount Swift. He was corrupted by the cultists and ended up in the current state."
"but!"
"Please rest assured, everyone. As the newly appointed lord of Fortified City, I will lead you to rebuild Fortified City and restore its former glory..."
Watching Viscount Lillens deliver his impassioned speech, Linde couldn't help but feel a little impressed.
"This guy is quite capable, not too different from the nobleman I imagined."
"He'll probably be busy with the cleanup..."
…………
Time passed quickly, and it was already two days later when Lilens had arranged all the matters in the city.
A lot has happened in the last two days.
First, Rune, who was heading to her own territory, arrived at the Fortified City with Aster and a group of soldiers, where they met up with Lind.
After meeting, Rune learned that Father Reed had died fighting against the cultists, and she wept bitterly.
Later, upon learning that Ke Ya was still alive, the two, reunited after a long separation, embraced and wept.
Linde also extended an invitation, as his new church in his territory couldn't be without a single nun who could pray.
As a nominal priest, Leonis was merely a paladin of holy punishment, and her understanding of what a nun should know was only superficial.
Needless to say, Ke Ya now considers Lin De her benefactor after he helped her get revenge, and she keeps pestering him, hoping he will take her under his wing.
Although Linde repeatedly emphasized that he did not intend to take on a subordinate who was only 10 years old, the little girl was still persistent and stubborn.
In the end, Linde could only nominally take her under his wing, but in reality, he treated her as a sister or daughter.
After much consideration, Rune made a request to Lind.
They also moved their parents to Linde's territory.
Linde readily agreed without even thinking about it.
After dealing with these matters, Aster also brought the current status of the territory.
The stone bridge over the river to the east of the castle has been built, and the main structure of the castle has been completely demolished.
Raymond from the Blackstone Mine also sent a message saying that the small dock near the mine had been repaired and they were trying to build a small boat using the existing timber, and were testing its navigation.
There's also news about the town: the first batch of crops planted in the spring has sprouted, and old man Edmond says it's the best growth he's ever seen in his life.
The town construction in the entire territory has taken shape, and at least it is no longer impossible to see nothing from a distance.
Just now, Lillens sent over a document that clearly outlines the profit distribution previously agreed upon with Lind.
Linde looked at the document and nodded in satisfaction. With the support of the fortified city, his territory would develop even faster.
Just then, Nix rushed back from outside, carrying a wet bag in her hand.
On the day of the fierce battle with Linde and the others, this girl hid in Linde's shadow and refused to come out no matter what. Only after things calmed down did she finally emerge from the shadow.
When she came out, she complained to Lind that she saw scary things around Lind in the shadows, which made her very afraid.
But after Linde's intervention, the filth disappeared, and only then did she dare to come out.
To make up for Lind, she volunteered to give him a surprise.
Linde ignored her and let her be.
Unexpectedly, she gave Lind a surprise the following evening.
A small, wet, golden statue.
Linde recognized it at a glance; it was something from Viscount Swift's private treasury.
So Linde assigned her a task.
Before Linde leaves, he'll try to make as much money as he can.
So Linde quietly earned another sum of money, not much, but better than nothing.
"Meow, Master! Today, it's a gold coin meow!"
Nix happily grabbed the wet bag and shook it vigorously, the crisp sound of gold coins clinking inside being quite pleasant to hear.
Linde stepped forward, patted Nix's head, and praised her. Nix's tail wagged happily.
"Well done, this bag of gold coins is your reward. You can decide what to do with it as you see fit."
"Really? Master is so kind, meow!"
"But you'd better hurry if you want to buy anything, because we're going back to our territory tomorrow."
"Okay, meow."
Nix flew out of the room; if I'm not mistaken, she was heading straight to the place where she bought honey.
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