Chapter Seventy-Two
Lori opened her eyes again about ten minutes later. She had been held tightly in a hug, feeling Karl's body temperature through the blankets.
She roughly realized what embarrassing things she had just done, and her face turned as red as if she had a fever.
"Sorry, um, I..." Lori tried to say something to explain, but her head was ruffled. Her long, white hair cascaded down her shoulders in a disheveled manner, making her look like a sheltered rabbit.
“I want to know the reason,” Carl said simply. “I want to know why you would do such a thing.”
"I like you... Is that a valid reason?" Lori asked tentatively.
“If you like someone, at least you won’t be trembling with fear,” Carl said softly. “I can sense that you’re scared. I’ve seen people tremble with fear far too many times. So I’m pretty sure you’re scared, and I want to know what you’re scared of.”
He had indeed seen it. But don't overthink it; the reason wasn't him. It was simply because he had participated in a large-scale monster attack. Because wandering, mindless monsters might instinctively attack living people on a large scale.
That time was truly hell. In the seven days he held out in the city, nearly a third of the population died. People were terrified and filled with fear.
Just like this child, even after promising to protect him, he still fears being exposed to danger. This feeling was something that couldn't be resolved, so Karl didn't say much, only offering a hug to calm him down.
“But that doesn’t conflict with my liking you.” Lori suddenly laughed, looking at Karl and saying, “I’m sixteen years old, even though I look like this, I can still be considered an adult. Shouldn’t I like someone?”
At this point, she slowly lowered her head, looking at Karl somewhat shyly:
"If it's you, Carl, I'll accept whatever you do to me."
She said this, then slowly closed her eyes, waiting for Karl's reply, perhaps anticipating something.
“You’re scared, I can only feel your fear.” But that’s all he said.
“That’s not because what I said was false, it’s just not the whole truth.” As Lori spoke, she slowly lowered her head. “I’m really scared… I’m scared that you’ll leave me, really, terribly scared.”
She said this softly, then looked up into Karl's eyes:
"This is true. I don't know how to prove to you that I'm not lying."
Karl looked at her and shook his head. This meant he didn't know either, but since he had no reason not to believe it, he decided to assume he did.
He has always been very suspicious, after all, he has lived a long time and seen all sorts of strange things.
He's like a kind-hearted farmer who's been bitten many times, yet he'll still warm the snake with his own body. But he'll take ample precautions. If the snake really tries to bite him, he'll snap its neck without hesitation.
The same applies to Lori, especially now. His suspicion of a child is indeed growing stronger.
Back then, I didn't have time to think too much. There were so many things to do every day. If I didn't protect this child outside, she would disappear forever in just one day. Therefore, I didn't think about many things then, even if I wondered if the child was hiding herself, I wouldn't delve into it. Things would quickly be overshadowed by more urgent matters.
And now, he has suddenly brought the matter of protecting this child to the forefront, and all the dangers posed to her have disappeared.
In such a situation, when doubts about her arise again, there are no new events to disturb his wild thoughts.
Suddenly, the window was blown open by a gust of cold wind, which whipped her hair into the air. The chill made her instinctively shrink back, burying half her face in the blanket.
White hair, youthful skin, and a slightly smiling face.
Carl noticed this and returned a smile.
Even so, he felt his heart slowly begin to grow cold.
How much of what she says is credible? It doesn't depend on herself, or even on the child.
Karl got up and closed the window, giving her the time to free herself from being wrapped up in a ball. He then put on the sweater and fetched a blanket. He lay down beside her, letting her rest her head on his body. He casually held her arm while looking at the scripture in his hands.
Logically, such a scene should have a more interesting sequel, but it seems that after becoming a high-ranking priest, Karl's feelings for the opposite sex have become severely diminished.
The child fell asleep quickly, lying on his own body.
Karl slowly closed the book, looked at the child, and sighed softly.
She's right; she has no way of proving that what she said wasn't a lie.
She couldn't find anyone to vouch for her, and she had no physical evidence. Self-verification was naturally out of the question.
Therefore, Carl swallowed back the questions he wanted to ask.
Asking is pointless; he has no way of verifying the authenticity of the answer.
If lying is done to survive, how can it be considered wrong? Living is truly difficult, incredibly difficult. Especially for a demon, this child has experienced far too many things that others cannot imagine at a very young age.
Maybe this guy really did lie, so he could continue to protect her.
Even if that weren't the case, Karl would continue to protect the child. He had that intention.
So, what happened just now?
Do you want to solidify this relationship through love?
Carl frowned, a thought inexplicably bringing to mind the rabbit and the bear. If a rabbit wanted the bear's protection, then...
No, that line of thinking was wrong from the start. This guy isn't a rabbit.
Carl looked down at the child and took a deep breath to calm himself down.
He knew the child's abilities, and therefore understood perfectly why the child was being targeted for assassination.
Such a person shouldn't live in this world, even if he were to hold the reins of power over it. He doesn't believe such a child should live. He's far too dangerous and would seriously disrupt order.
Fortunately, he didn't wield such power. He was merely a priest currently on the run, so as long as he didn't regret his actions, that was enough. He didn't need to think about anything too serious.
So, are we being used now?
Karl had this thought for no reason, but he quickly dismissed it.
I can't continue in this mental state.
He told himself this, but even he felt it was a bit far-fetched.
Why did he waver? Carl wondered what he had done wrong. Why did his once firm belief begin to falter?
An unease, a strange sense of unease, made it difficult for Carl to rest. He wanted to get up, but then suddenly remembered that the guy was still lying on top of him.
Looking at it this way, perhaps she really was being paranoid. She might genuinely be a little uneasy and trying to find a way to put her mind at ease. Although Carl certainly felt this method was rather inappropriate.
Suddenly, Karl's eye twitched; a question he hadn't considered before was now being confronted.
If what she said is true, does this child like her?
Karl was taken aback; he had been the first to overlook this very thing that she had been emphasizing.
But maybe this is all fake...
But what if it's true?
Karl rubbed his forehead, pondering his position not as a priest, but as a normal man.
Since becoming a priest, Karl has made no progress in matters of the opposite sex. Before becoming a priest, he had a nun he admired, but that nun had died, and he hadn't considered settling down since.
After all, his lifespan is infinite. This forces him to choose a partner from other high-ranking clergy. Otherwise, the effects of time would be far too cruel.
Because of these harsh conditions, Karl almost lost interest in normal women. Given enough time, these feelings were effectively suppressed. After all, he had plenty of time; he would have ample opportunity to reflect on these matters later.
His mind suddenly clicked, and he realized that this child was actually one of the few who met these stringent conditions.
After all, Karl's requirements were simple: first, the person had to have an infinite lifespan, and second, their age and appearance couldn't be too much older than his.
There aren't many other requirements, since very few people meet the first two criteria. We shouldn't expect too much from others.
But even with just these two things, the child lying in his arms seemed to be satisfied.
After all, she's a demon, and demons have infinite lifespans. As for her apparent age, Karl doesn't actually look very old. If you only look at her face, she'd probably be a teenager. But her tall stature and the weathered look she's experienced make her appear older.
The second one is barely acceptable, since Lori is a young girl and calling her a girl is a bit inappropriate.
Wait, wait, my idea is too dangerous, I'll get killed by Ketchum.
However, this child is indeed probably an adult. Can this even be considered a child?
Thinking about this problem only made his head ache more, so he stopped thinking about it.
But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to continue, because this line of thinking made him suddenly realize that he had overlooked too many things.
"That would be nice if it were true," Karl thought. "It has nothing to do with lust. I just want someone to be with me. After all, someone has to accompany me to the end of time."
If it's Lori, it's a really good result, provided that she's truly willing.
Thinking about this, Carl couldn't help but recall the scene from earlier. He rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache, hoping to banish these strange thoughts.
But it's really hard to do that, because even through two blankets and a sweater, you can still feel her softness pressing against you.
He had lost all interest in reading, Karl thought to himself, closing the book and lying there looking at the painting in front of him.
It's noon now, and he's not sleepy. After all, he hasn't done anything particularly strenuous, so he's just a little confused, nothing else.
Perhaps he should think about the child, and about being followed.
First, it's certain that the people following him knew his exact location—in this hotel. So instead of continuing the pursuit, they quietly surrounded him.
Let them be.
Carl reasoned that those guys were probably the city's guards. Many cities used this method to maintain their order. Therefore, he might be misunderstanding them as innocent people, so unless they came forward on their own, Carl didn't intend to use violence.
Of course, if they act foolishly and do something difficult for him, Karl wouldn't mind showing them why the Church is used as an institution of violence. They are patient, kind, and tolerant.
The premise is that the other party cooperates; if they do not cooperate, then the church operates on a completely different principle.
Karl didn't mind using a different approach. Although he was a priest, it was still easy for him to deal with a group of arrogant people who thought they were powerful.
It's really strange, though, is there only one priest in such a big city?
Carl remembered the guy named Connie, who claimed to be a spy sent by the church.
Is he the only one?
He had asked this question, but the answer he received was affirmative.
The fact that there was only a low-ranking clergyman acting as a watcher in such a large city was something that Karl found hard to understand, and it made him uneasy.
This decision is very likely made by the central church. There are two possible reasons for this: one is that they believe they are not worried even if the city rebels.
Another reason is that they also fear this city. They are well aware of the losses that would result from a forceful crackdown. Like the Land of Death, it is a place that can cripple the church.
In such places, although the church could win if it wanted to wage war, it didn't want to lose even a single high-ranking clergy member. Therefore, it would choose appeasement and patience unless absolutely necessary.
Could it be the latter? Is there something in this city that the church feels would result in significant losses if it attacked?
However, Karl didn't intend to figure it all out; he only had a week there. In any case, he wasn't entirely a member of the church anymore, so these guys had no reason to target him. It was just a matter of increasing vigilance; it wouldn't stop them from leaving.
However, there is another possibility besides the above. He glanced at the girl who was fast asleep in his arms and fell into deep thought.
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