After returning to the temple from the orphanage, Maggie had just settled Little Orange when news arrived that Harun had led a team to the final resting place of the remains of the past saintesses.
Just as Maggie stepped into the church, she was greeted by Ferrier, the vice-commander of the Holy Knights, who spoke with a slight hesitation.
"Your Highness, you...you'd better not go."
Ferrier had returned specifically to deliver a message to Maggie on the orders of the Knight Commander. He shouldn't have said much, but seeing the undisguised sorrow on Maggie's face, he couldn't help but say a few more words.
"What's wrong?"
Maggie asked, trying to soften her tone.
"The leader doesn't want you to go either, the scene is just too...unacceptable, and he's worried you'll be upset."
Ferrier sighed. Of course, Harlan hadn't said any of this; it was his own idea. He had simply seen through his commander's thoughts, so let's just say he was being nosy.
Maggie subconsciously glanced at Gloria beside her. Ever since receiving the news, Gloria's complexion had been no better than Maggie's, and was even paler.
My spirits, which had finally begun to recover over the past few days, have plummeted again because of this incident.
Her sister's remains might be among them.
"It's okay, let's go."
Maggie was determined to go. Even if their souls couldn't be reborn, she wanted to give their remains a proper resting place as a way of repaying the saints for saving her life.
"Gloria, keep up."
She turned and walked back towards the temple gate, but after walking several meters, there were no footsteps following her.
Maggie turned her head and saw Gloria standing there without reacting for a long time, so she spoke up again to remind her.
"I'm leaving now; I should say goodbye."
Her voice was soft, as if carried on the wind, bringing Gloria back to her senses.
Gloria looked up as if waking from a dream, and it took her a while to realize what Maggie had said. She forced a smile.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Her voice wasn't loud, and it was slightly hoarse.
Maggie didn't say anything more, but turned around and continued walking forward. She didn't know if Gloria wanted to go, but she thought she should take her, otherwise this might be the last time she saw her.
...
The carriage set off again, this time for a slightly longer journey. The destination was far from Santa Fe City, in an abandoned courtyard on the outskirts of Santa Fe.
This place once looked like the home of a nobleman, but for some reason it was abandoned and deserted.
It just so happens to be the place where the Pope hid the bodies of past saints.
When Maggie arrived, she saw Harlan standing not far away as soon as she got out of the car. He was walking towards her quickly, his brows furrowed with a hint of gloom, which was completely unlike his usual self.
For Harlan, who is usually very reserved, to reveal her emotions to this extent, it seems that the scene inside must have been extremely tragic.
"Your Highness, you've come after all."
Harlan looked helpless, as if it was expected, but he didn't want Maggie to actually see it.
"I'm taking Gloria in."
Maggie got straight to the point. She believed that having witnessed so many horrific scenes and remained unmoved by a pile of rotting flesh, nothing could possibly shake her resolve.
She's not some hothouse flower; there's no need for everyone to want to protect her.
"Commander, I did my best. Her Highness the Saintess couldn't stop her."
Ferrier rushed over from the back of the group, panting, to report to Harun.
"...Never mind, you can come in if you want."
Harlan rubbed his temples, looking slightly troubled, but finally stepped aside to let Maggie and Gloria go inside.
As they walked into the courtyard, they found it already surrounded by paladins who had come to investigate. In the center was the entrance to a basement. Upon seeing the saintess's arrival, all the paladins made way for her.
Looking inside from the entrance, it's dark and deep, making one feel inexplicably uneasy.
When Maggie and Gloria reached the entrance to the basement, they both stopped and looked at each other for a moment before going inside.
As soon as she entered, Maggie was stunned by the scene before her. She almost covered her mouth and couldn't catch her breath, so she vomited on the spot.
Inside were various instruments of torture, chains, and the remains of various young girls, their broken surfaces torn and tattered, looking as if they had been ripped off; there wasn't a single intact human body.
Each limb was pathologically wrapped in wax, yet it did not decay and still looked as fresh as it had at the beginning.
It felt as if the blood in my limbs was about to flow out at any moment.
But there was no unusual smell of blood in the basement.
Looking inside, one could see piles of young girls' heads, none of them rotten, remarkably lifelike, and one could still clearly see the expressions of terror and despair on their faces before they died.
These saints have been dead for a long time, yet they are preserved here in this way.
Maggie was stunned.
"...."
Gloria fell completely silent, her face ashen. She staggered toward the inside, but Maggie, the returning goddess, grabbed her arm.
"etc."
Maggie regretted it; she shouldn't have let Gloria in. Seeing such a scene would probably haunt her for the rest of her life.
What's more, her sister is still inside.
She was too hasty.
"No, my sister is still waiting for me, waiting for me to save her."
Gloria shook her head, her eyes empty and vacant. She didn't shed a tear, but Maggie felt that she was extremely sad, her voice as if she were talking to herself.
She wanted to go further in, so Maggie had no choice but to follow.
The deeper Maggie went, the more horrified she became. The number of torture instruments inside was astonishing; she couldn't even imagine the torment these saintly girls had endured in their lives.
As the two walked not far from the heads of many saintesses, they were blocked by a blurry, fluorescent figure.
She was small and short, not as tall as Maggie and Gloria, and looked like a little girl.
But as soon as Gloria saw her face clearly, tears streamed down her face without warning.
"elder sister...."
Her body seemed to go limp, and she collapsed to the ground, her eyes staring blankly at the blurry figure in front of her.
Upon hearing this, even Maggie, who was about to guess who the girl was, was stunned on the spot.
She carefully observed the little girl's form and found that she was indeed a spirit, but she looked like an ordinary soul that had not been tainted by the power of death, unusually clean.
"Is that Gloria? It seems like a long time has passed; you've grown taller than me now."
The little girl seemed a little surprised to hear Gloria address her, but she quickly calmed down, her tone gentle and tolerant, more like a saint than Maggie, and more like an older sister.
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