"Welcome back, Your Highness!"
The paladins and nuns stationed at the temple stood in neat rows at the temple entrance to welcome the returning Holy Maiden of Light.
Maggie stepped down from the carriage, her gaze sweeping over the towering statue of the God of Light. Her expression remained calm, but then she smiled gently and nodded to the people who had come to greet her.
The doors of the nearby cathedral were open, and Father Barton stood in front of the altar.
Maggie walked through the crowd and into the depths of the cathedral, where the priest gave her a solemn nod, his voice deep and quiet.
"I've heard about what's happening on the frontier; they've done a good job."
The priest was old-fashioned, but he was never stingy with praise for his subordinates.
"It is my duty as a saint to protect the lives of believers for the temple."
Maggie lowered her head and nodded in response.
She knew that the priest was referring to the escape of Priest Shia, which had caused a crisis that threatened to destroy the border city.
She successfully resolved the matter, which is a great achievement.
"I heard that Shia has already been dealt with by the legion commander. If the saintess wants to pursue the matter, the temple can send another priest over."
Father Barton was always good at calming people down, and he was worried that Maggie might become disloyal to the temple, so he offered a solution that seemed reasonable.
Both sides knew perfectly well that since Maggie didn't choose to get involved in punishing Shia, it meant she felt it was unnecessary.
Moreover, Shia is likely dead now. If the priest sends people over, it will most likely be the Legion that holds him accountable, and Charles will also be implicated.
After all, Charles's failure to discipline his children was also partly his responsibility.
Maggie didn't want to be such an annoying person, so she refused without much thought.
"No need, I am very satisfied with the legion commander's handling of the matter."
Maggie shook her head. She was more concerned about how much of her strength she had revealed to the temple's intelligence network.
The unusual behavior she displayed in the border city was not something a useless saintess should possess.
"Can."
The priest nodded slightly. Saint Fey City was far from the border city, and sending people there would be a long journey and a troublesome matter. Since Maggie was unwilling, it saved him a lot of trouble.
"Logically speaking, the Holy Maiden has just returned and should rest more after her long journey, but His Holiness the Pope will be returning to the temple soon."
"If the Holy Maiden wants to stay in the temple for a long time, she needs to make more preparations."
His aged voice, carrying a profound meaning, echoed in the empty cathedral, causing an inexplicable unease.
Looking back, the church doors were closed at some point, leaving only Maggie and the priest.
The priest's words came abruptly, without any warning, making Maggie's heart nearly skip a beat.
But she quickly calmed down.
Father Barton is now on the opposite side of the Pope, essentially representing two opposing camps. If Barton asks her this question now, it's highly likely he's implying that the time has come for her to choose sides.
Given the priest's upright and rigid personality, I never expected him to ask her such a direct question.
It seems his situation at the temple is not good. He is one rank lower than the pope, and he has to carry out some of the pope's orders.
If there's anyone in the entire temple who needs to be won over and who can be of some help to him, then she's the only one left.
Now that she has demonstrated her true value, and with the Holy Knights backing her, she certainly seems like a very good candidate.
Thinking of this, Maggie stopped bowing her head and looked directly at the priest, speaking slowly but with great power.
"Thank you for the reminder, Father."
Although she couldn't explicitly express her willingness to take sides, she certainly wouldn't choose the Pope's side, otherwise she would be in conflict with Archbishop Ford...
Besides, the Pope is no good either. If she were the God of Light, she would have killed him the moment she awoke.
In the eyes of a priest, a person who desires eternal life but lacks sincerity of faith is no different from a traitor.
The priest looked at Maggie meaningfully, his gaze conveying a clear message.
He knew Maggie's special qualities, including the aggression and ambition hidden beneath her gentle exterior.
But as long as one is loyal and devout enough to the God of Light, that is his criterion for selecting people.
At least for now, Maggie appears to be a completely devoted and loyal believer.
"It's good to know."
He turned away, no longer speaking to Maggie, and the church doors reopened at some point.
The nuns outside remained calm and did not hear Maggie's conversation with the priest at all.
That brief moment felt like an illusion, or perhaps magic.
Maggie also chose to leave and return to her room, but in her heart she sighed that Barton was indeed a very cautious person.
He would never let anyone outside know the slightest bit about the internal strife within the temple, including his discord with the Pope.
If it were the original owner, they might never have had the chance to get involved and learn about the cracks hidden beneath the light.
Fortunately, Maggie finally got a chance to participate in the game.
...
To make up for the time she had lost, Maggie hurried back as fast as she could. If she hadn't been afraid of exhausting the horses, there might have been a scene of horses pulling the carriage across the plains.
The paladins were alright, but the nuns were definitely exhausted.
To appease the nuns who were exhausted from following her, Maggie gave them a considerable amount of material compensation.
Abbreviated as gold coin.
The accompanying team, who were initially slightly resentful, were all all smiles and didn't complain at all after receiving the overtime pay for the business trip paid out of Maggie's own pocket.
At times like these, money is the most effective way to win people's hearts.
Especially during the Middle Ages when resources were scarce.
I believe they will still be very willing to accompany Maggie on her next trip. No one dislikes a generous leader.
However, the return to the temple was much later than originally scheduled, but no one asked Maggie why.
It's hard to say whether Harlan was behind it, or whether the priest was trying to win her over with offers of benefits and bait.
However, Maggie didn't care at all right now. She was exhausted and just wanted to go to sleep.
Even the twins and Xiu noticed Maggie's exhaustion. They had originally planned to talk to her about something, but they only met briefly in the hallway before sending Maggie back to her room.
They stood there watching Maggie's departing figure, exchanged glances, and then heard the younger brother, Spur, mutter something under his breath before the three of them dispersed.
"Why does she seem so resentful? Was she like this before?"
The main problem is that Maggie's whole being screams, "I'm so tired, I'm so tired, don't come looking for me, or I'll cling to you."
As a result, no one dared to approach Maggie.
Maggie slept like a log, without a single dream, completely enveloped in darkness, her sleep quality comparable to that of a hibernating black bear.
Even if someone comes knocking on the door like crazy now, Maggie probably won't be able to hear it.
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