—Reflecting Waters at Upper Lafra Monastery at Night
The Kingdom of Blacksol experiences a lot of rain, and tonight is no exception.
While other parts of the Zhuyuan Continent were already unbearably hot, the people of Yingshuize were still wearing spring clothes.
The monastery high on the cliff is inhabited by believers of God.
And, the patriarch of men.
They sat around the fire, listening to the raindrops falling on the stone roof of the monastery and then down the eaves into the courtyard.
"So, may I ask our Bishop, what would you like to discuss tonight?" Joshua sat casually and lazily, swinging his two white toes as he looked at Allen across the burning flames.
After thinking for a moment, Allen finally said respectfully, "Your Majesty, let us discuss 'love'."
"Huh?!" Joshua exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.
He stumbled, nearly falling off the round sleeper beneath him, but managed to sit up straight, forcing himself to remain calm. "Of course I'm willing. But, dear Allen, why do you want to discuss 'love' with me?"
His voice was still melodious and pleasant, but whenever he was with Allen, he would unconsciously lower it considerably.
Allen lowered his eyes, his mind in turmoil, and naturally did not notice his superior's unusual behavior.
“Actually…” He hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up his courage to say, “In fact, I have a lot of doubts about the Glory Codex.”
Such words are naturally highly disrespectful.
But Aaron Babylon still spoke.
He thought that lying was a far more unforgivable sin than lying.
He looked up at His Holiness the Pope, who was frowning, clearly urging him to continue.
“I’m sorry, perhaps I have overstepped my bounds,” Allen said sullenly. “Unlike His Majesty, I do not have the blessing of speaking with the Father God. It’s just that many of the words in the Holy Scripture do not seem to be spoken by the Father God.”
“I should have been ashamed of my doubts, but I did them anyway. I was patient and kind, but in the end I felt that I was further away from ‘love’.”
The scars on my face have long since healed, but the cracks in my heart remain.
It was deserted there.
It's making him almost lose the courage to 'love'.
Looking at the devout person before him, Joshua couldn't bring himself to make a joke.
He knew that the other person liked Alejandro.
He had heard it clearly countless times.
It was a feeling completely different from his love for God, which aroused his jealousy, yet he was helpless to change it.
But his position was awkward at the moment, so he could only try to comfort him by saying, "Perhaps those words in the Holy Scripture were not spoken by the Father God in the first place."
Aaron immediately looked up in confusion, then with a hint of surprise, "Is what you're saying true?"
He was completely unable to meet those bright eyes in his gaze.
Joshua touched his nose, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Think about it, during the War of Glory, Father God was only nineteen years old... At that age, well, he was focused on his studies and had never been in a relationship... Cough, even if he suddenly became a god, it's impossible for him to be an expert in this area without a teacher, right?"
"That's right," Joshua thought.
He was extremely uncomfortable; even his earlobes were frighteningly red. Fortunately, the night was gentle, and the firelight was also a deep red.
"As expected of Your Majesty, I'm convinced." Allen thought for a moment, then smiled with relief.
Those unique eyes were curved, like a crescent moon in the desert.
“However,” he added a piece of firewood to the campfire, “I still want to believe that the Father is all-knowing, all-powerful, and omnipotent.”
Allen was truly ashamed.
His Majesty Joshua is so wise.
He should never have been jealous, coveting the throne that the other person could stand before the Father.
Perhaps even standing before the Lord of Light, he would be so nervous that he wouldn't be able to utter a single word.
Thinking of this, he sadly twisted the wooden stick in his hand, and the flying sparks rose with the heat, eventually getting lost in the continuous rain curtain.
The cardinals of the Holy Church are the second most important figures after the pope, and are also the candidates for the next pope.
But this minor bishop named Allen was dressed in extremely simple linen clothes.
Joshua, or rather—
The Lord of Glory, Dilis, knew perfectly well that the other party's undergarments were even covered in patches.
The other party would rather starve to the point of dizziness than not offer the nectar to the statue of the god Tilis.
To be honest, if it were me from 800 years ago, I wouldn't even think about it; I would just think the other person has lost their mind.
But he became the Lord of Glory.
His life was not easy after he became a god in such a hasty manner.
Most of the time, he was fleeing from the almost perverse Lord of the Abyss, a god named "Aromesh".
People say that His Holiness the Pope can speak directly with the Lord of Light.
In reality, he never gave anyone any response.
After all, those beliefs that conceal endless desires will only cause his injuries to worsen.
His well-disguised greed and desires made him feel disgusted and alienated from the world.
For eight hundred years, he had lived in a daze.
He lived like a walking corpse, fleeing for survival in the cracks of time and space, as if he were having a nightmare from which he could not wake up.
About fifty years ago, the owner of this body, Joshua Assassin, successfully usurped the papacy through various shameless means.
The other party not only secretly colluded with the Apostles of the Abyss, but also boldly desecrated his temple.
But the other party simply didn't take him seriously.
Shortly after heeding the abyss's instructions and brazenly issuing the decree of the "War of the Dead," the other party, to his own dismay, attempted to use the divine magic he had left behind.
The Great Prophecy, the Great Divine Invocation, and the Great Punishment are divine arts he left behind, which only the Pope can perform.
However, he left a trap on the sacred artifact that recorded these three divine spells.
If you harbor ill will towards him, then the incantations of the Great Divine Spell and the Great Punishment Spell will be reversed.
Only a genius magician like him would think of using divine script to write magical traps.
And so, in the end, he entered Joshua's body.
The other party truly lived up to their reputation as a descendant of the Assassins, embodying unforgivable evil.
Behind that beautiful face lies an insatiable, frenzied lust and an almost perverse desire for torture.
At that time, he was struggling to fight off the instincts that still lingered in his body.
Therefore, he was forced to fall into a deep sleep.
Until five years ago, in a nightmare where he was half asleep, he heard the voice of a believer.
The other person's voice was clearly timid, insignificant amidst the resounding, clamorous prayers and splendid praises that echoed throughout God's kingdom.
However, when the faith offered by the other party completely merged into his consciousness—
Dilis, who was struggling in boundless pain, was suddenly filled with indescribable joy.
He never knew that the faith of one person alone could be more condensed and pure than the prayers of billions of people combined.
This is absolutely insane.
How could anyone place their entire heart and soul on a self that has never appeared before?
But his own feelings are real.
The intense, mellow power of faith, as potent as fine wine, captivated him completely.
For the first time in eight hundred years, Dilis heard such a devout prayer.
It was also the first time I prayed for believers I had never met, and I was moved to tears.
But there's really only so much he can do.
He willingly succumbed to despair in his lucid state, and in that despair, he recovered from his severe injuries.
Gradually, he developed a good habit of listening to the heart of the believer named Allan Babylon.
The other person seems to be truly head over heels in love with him.
And he actually became addicted to it.
He abandoned his previous nonchalant demeanor and instead sat upright in his own divine realm, carrying a small stool, hoping to hear the other person's thoughts on time.
He had always thought that he, so arrogant and invincible, would dedicate his life to magic and would never fall in love with anyone.
After realizing this, he was filled with extreme regret.
He should have arrived at the other person's side sooner, shielding them and protecting them.
He continued to listen to the blush-inducing confessions day after day, eagerly anticipating seeing the other person.
He had assumed that they were mutually in love.
Until, suddenly, he heard another man's name from the other person's mouth...
It turned out that everything was just wishful thinking on his part.
It turns out that even the other person's beliefs originated from the instructions of others.
The rain intensified.
Both of them were jolted out of their own thoughts.
It was at this moment that they realized that what suddenly became loud was not just the sorrowful night rain.
In the dead of night, the secluded Upper Lafra Monastery was suddenly filled with the sound of knocking.
“It’s alright, I’ll go check. Your Majesty, you can just sit here. Perhaps someone has gotten lost in the mountains,” Aaron explained casually.
He can understand the fear and despair of being homeless.
So even when the ascetics are resting, he will habitually keep watch for a while to help lost hunters and adventurers.
This is certainly a good deed, but it has also caused His Holiness the Pope to stay up late.
But Joshua ignored him.
The other person simply turned their head to look at the dark doorway without saying a word.
At that moment, the sound of the metal ring striking the stone door rang out again.
Allen said no more. He skillfully took off the brown cloak from under the eaves and walked towards the gate, stepping through the raindrops.
This monastery has a long history and was also used as a military fortress during times of crisis at Ying Shui Ze.
Therefore, the stone gate is quite heavy.
"Phew, such heavy rain is indeed rare. You must have been terrified." Allen peeked out from behind the stone door, but when he saw the uninvited visitor, he froze on the spot.
The other person's blond hair was soaked through, sticking stickily to their forehead like damp straw.
Even in the darkness, he could still make out the sharp features of the person who approached.
Forever cold and aloof, like solid ice that can never be melted.
"Alejandro..."
Allen murmured the other person's name, forcing a sheepish smile, "Princess Ilinda has already retired for the night. You can wait until tomorrow morning—"
But before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly hugged by the other person.
Alejo was gripping him so tightly that his arms ached from the pressure. He couldn't see the other's expression, but suddenly he remembered the past.
Back then, they also embraced each other with all their might.
At that time, they depended on each other for survival.
He didn't know why the other person would appear here on such a rainy night.
It was clear that not long ago, the other party had made those harsh remarks to him.
The other party had ordered him not to appear in their presence, and he had been obeying the order perfectly.
He really can't repeat the same mistakes; he shouldn't continue to sink into this state. Allen thought to himself.
He wanted to push the other person away.
However, he then remembered that God had said he must be patient.
Finally, he recalled the teachings of His Majesty Joshua: what is recorded in the Holy Scriptures is not necessarily all the will of God.
Just then, the man in front of her suddenly spoke.
"Allen, Allen..."
The other party cried out in an extremely mournful voice.
"Why has the contract between us faded to the point where I can hardly feel it anymore..."
...
“We made this pact in the name of the goddess Kirhorna, and unfortunately, it seems she is nearing her end,” Allen explained briefly, in a language the other could understand.
Alejo finally calmed down.
The two returned to the campfire, but King Joshua had vanished.
Allen couldn't help but feel a little worried, but at the same time, he was also very relieved.
It was impossible for him to reveal to the other party that he was also a believer of another god.
Perhaps he had something on his mind, because his tone was somewhat perfunctory, and he seemed absent-minded.
Alai stared intently at the former little beggar.
The other person's dark skin was quite different from the snowy northern land, instead resembling the fertile crescent-shaped land where two rivers meet.
He had always thought that once she left him, the other person would have a hard time being happy.
But he was clearly wrong.
Allen seems to be truly without desires, and he remains at ease wherever he goes.
It was as if the other person possessed some kind of strange magic, because as soon as one got close to them, one's own turbulent inner world would calm down.
However, the strange magic seems to have lost its effectiveness.
The other person was right beside him, but his agitated mind not only failed to calm down, but instead became even more agitated.
He wanted to tie the other person up and take them back.
Thinking of this, Alejo blurted out, "Then let's draft a new one, in the name of another god, for example, the Radiant Lord you currently worship."
However, he waited and waited, but the other party still did not agree.
In the past, Allen would never have hesitated for so long.
Alejo grew increasingly anxious.
It's normal for Allen to be angry with him.
In reality, he didn't care whether Allen was angry with him or not.
Of course, he didn't understand why other people had such rich emotions, nor did he care to understand.
But then he suddenly realized something.
Alan Babylon, this eccentric little beggar, is different from everyone else, including Vivian.
Before he could figure things out, all he wanted was for the other person to stay obediently by his side.
During his recovery, he was completely immobile and couldn't help but recall his most vulnerable moments.
The only difference was that Allen wasn't by his side, and he felt empty inside.
It seems that in addition to anger and irritability, he has developed a new emotion.
An emotion called fear.
"I'm sorry, I can't agree."
Just then, Alejo heard the other person's reply.
He thought he had misheard and looked at the other person in disbelief.
When he finally spoke his true thoughts, Allen suddenly found immense courage. He then realized that he had always been afraid of the man in front of him.
“Alejo, I’m sorry, I can’t agree to that. My heart is too small; it’s already full of gods, and there’s no room for anyone else,” Allen explained earnestly.
However, Alejandro would certainly not accept such an explanation.
His lips twitched uncontrollably, finally squeezing out an incredibly ferocious smile. "Stop messing around, Allen. I apologize to you, okay? I apologize to you!"
He stepped directly across the raging flames and approached the priest on the other side.
"Keep away from evil spirits."
Allen could only chant softly.
A radiant membrane appeared in response, upon which countless dazzling white divine runes floated, like an insurmountable barrier standing between the two of them.
Alejo glared angrily at his opponent, slamming his fist into the surface of the divine barrier, but it didn't cause a ripple.
He couldn't believe that, instead of learning his lesson from his aloof punishment, Allen had become even more ruthless.
“Please leave, Alejo.” Allen gazed at Alejo with increasing calm. “You don’t need to apologize to me. Everything I did was in accordance with the will of God.”
This minor priest, who was able to stand out in a monastery inhabited by many fanatics and ascetics, must have some skill.
He was more devout than the average ascetic and more fanatical than the average believer.
For such a person, if he makes up his mind, all obstacles will become tests for him to get closer to the gods.
It was his love for the gods that made him let go of his obsession with Alejandro.
This allowed him to easily and personally bring everything to a close, marking the end of the story.
Hidden within the divine magic of the Lord of Light, Allen felt incredibly safe.
Great Dilis, great Lord of Glory, you are indeed my refuge. He instinctively clenched the cross on his chest.
That was given to him by Joshua.
This is clearly a sacred relic; he shouldn't have accepted it so easily.
The simple cross was made by crossing two sections of withered grapevines and binding them securely with strands of black hair.
Joshua said that it was the hair of Dilis himself.
So, God's hair color was exactly the same as his?
It turns out, his bloodline wasn't born burdened with an unforgivable sin...
...
The two remained deadlocked.
Just then, a woman in white suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.
The other person stood barefoot on the cold ground, their hair disheveled, and glared at Alejo with intense hatred, as if the two were mortal enemies.
"Bastard!" she suddenly bared her teeth and uttered the word sharply.
As if a switch had been flipped, she suddenly stumbled down the stairs, pointed at Alejo, and began to hurl insults.
The piercing curses echoed throughout the monastery in the rainy night, and lights came on in the small windows.
No one could have imagined that the hysterical woman in front of them was the former queen of the Kingdom of Blackthorn.
Ilinda Assassin Rose.
The chaotic scene that followed needs no further explanation.
With the help of a group of ascetics and fanatics, the unexpectedly arrived regent was sent back to the capital overnight, and Princess Elinda finally calmed down before dawn.
The junior bishop returned to his dormitory, naturally exhausted both physically and mentally.
Then he saw that His Holiness the Pope was still standing there.
The other person had their back to him, still looking out the dark window.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said softly, his expression incredibly complex.
Allen isn't stupid.
Princess Elinda's timely appearance was too suspicious; it must have been deliberately orchestrated.
There is only one suspect: His Majesty Joshua, who has suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Although he was grateful for His Holiness the Pope's help, it could not ultimately be called a righteous act.
However, the other party was, after all, the sect leader who was deeply favored by the Father God.
Since the Father is omniscient and omnipotent, he naturally has the power to make judgments.
Sure enough, he still needs to continuously improve his skills.
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