Bowen’s body fell heavily to the ground, his armor clashing with the earth and creating a loud sound.

However, in this deliberately guided dark alley, it was like a small pebble thrown into a vast ocean, failing to cause any ripples.

The man named Clatius, who killed him, silently wiped the warm blood from his sword. Golden flames ignited in his palm, burning the blood-stained cloth to ashes. He then picked up the still curled-up girl from the back of the holy knight, sheathed his sword, and spoke softly.

“Sorry, I’ll probably go to hell after I die, but for now… there’s something I must do. I will look after your family and siblings in your stead. Rest in peace, Holy knight Bowen.”

With a wave of his hand, the holy fire of faith-based magic engulfed the young holy knight, whose face still bore an expression of shock, his eyes wide open, not even realizing who had killed him.

Quickly, Bowen’s body, along with his armor, was set ablaze, turning into a burning fireball. Meanwhile, the figure of the Knights Templars’s captain and the demon girl in his arms had already disappeared into the depths of the dark alley.

Long after, probably when the flames had burned out, reducing the armor and bones to dust and disappearing completely from the world, a figure, barely discernible to the naked eye, gradually emerged from the depths of the alley.

It was a shrine maiden with black hair and white robes, her skin fairer than snow. Floating in the air like a spirit, she slowly descended, glanced at the charred ground that was now only ashes, and spoke to herself with a hint of sentiment.

“Oh wow… there’s nothing left… Clatius sure didn’t hold back. You really can’t judge a book by its cover…”

Feeling that something was off earlier, along with a bit of curiosity, Priestess Violet had sent an avatar to follow them.

However, she hadn’t expected that the seemingly righteous and devout captain of the Knights Templars would mercilessly kill his comrade. She had thought that, at most, he might knock him out temporarily or imprison him.

After all, in the teachings of the Goddess Church, backstabbing a comrade is a grave crime punishable by hanging and is considered an extreme blasphemy against the Goddess.

It seemed that Clatius had the intent to kill from the moment he asked Bowen if he was the only child in his family.

【Sigh, you really are unlucky to have gotten caught up in this. Well, since fate brought us together, I’ll lend you a hand. At least you should die knowing the truth…】

The ethereal girl extended her hand, and a holy staff, both tangible and intangible, materialized in her grasp.

A faint golden light sprinkled down, seemingly combining with something in the air, eventually coalescing into a vaguely human-shaped golden shadow hovering above the ashes.

【Hmm… it seems this might actually work.】

Holding the holy staff, the girl tilted her head as she observed the somewhat indistinct golden figure, not speaking but appearing to wait for something.

“Uh… what happened?”

A weak, intermittent voice slowly emanated from the golden figure, but Violet knew that it wasn’t a true physical sound wave, just a simple projection of thought.

In short, it was the figure’s current thoughts.

【Has your soul gathered together? How do you feel? Do you remember what happened before?】

It seemed that the girl’s clear and captivating voice, or perhaps the strange power and supreme holy aura contained in her “voice,” caught the attention of the golden figure.

The figure fluctuated violently a few times before suddenly bursting forth with a strong sense of shock and incredulity, mixed with devout reverence!

“G-Goddess!? Am I dreaming?”

【You’re not dreaming. To be precise, you’re already dead, Holy knight Bowen Bernard.】

“You-you know my name! Wait, I… died?”

After the sudden excitement, the golden shadow seemed to finally realize what had happened. Muttering in a low voice, it gradually returned to its previous demeanor, as if recalling memories from its life, and instinctively exclaimed again.

“Ah! No, I think we were attacked by an enemy! Was it a demon’s accomplice? What about Sir Clatius? Goddess, is he safe? And what about the demon now?”

Listening to Bowen’s still somewhat oblivious tone, the girl could only shake her head helplessly.

【I’m sorry to say, the one who killed you was the captain of the Knight Templar, Clatius. He has already left with that girl.】

“What…? This…”

Clearly, although Bowen was a bit naive, he wasn’t stupid. After looking around at the surroundings, he seemed to gradually piece together the events leading up to this moment.

After all, Clatius’ series of actions had been somewhat unusual. Although Bowen hadn’t doubted him much at the time due to his trust in the captain of the Knight Templar, upon calming down and thinking it through, coupled with his current situation, he finally came to a realization.

“How could this be? Even Sir Clatius… has betrayed the faith?”

【Even…?】

Noticing the implication in Bowen’s words, the white-robed girl raised an eyebrow slightly but maintained her calm demeanor.

【Holy knight Bowen, are there other followers who have also betrayed the Church?】

Seemingly convinced that the holy and noble girl before him was indeed the Goddess of Light, the golden shadow quickly responded reverently.

“Your Grace, recently, rumors have been spreading in Sacred Star City about demons infiltrating the city and the Church. It is said that some evil organizations have secretly gathered many demons. They have launched attacks in the eastern regions, and it seems they are plotting something in the west as well.”

“In fact, the Knights occasionally receive reports of demon traces, but every time the Knights Templars investigate, they find the place deserted or everyone there has been killed and dismembered.”

“Archbishop Harewood, a close friend of my father, once confided in him that some people within the Church might have already been secretly corrupted by demons. They have forsaken God’s teachings and joined the dark side, acting as undercover agents to shield those demons. But I never expected that even Sir Clatius… it’s truly unforgivable! Damn demons!”

Sensing the deep-seated hatred emanating from the soul before her, the white-robed girl remained silent, merely asking:

【Is it only Sacred Star City, or…】

Seeing the Goddess speaking, Bowen’s soul quickly adjusted its attitude and responded respectfully.

“Although I have only heard this secondhand, based on the direction and spread of the rumors, it seems this issue is not limited to Sacred Star City. Many people within the Church might have already been corrupted. Goddess, please bestow divine judgment upon those who have forsaken your grace!”

【Hmm…】

The white-robed girl appeared to ponder in silence, but secretly, she was “laughing” inwardly.

This guy named Bowen is really charmingly naive, so straightforward and single-minded. Not to mention that what he’s saying is just speculation, in the relationship between a deity and a follower, the latter doesn’t have the authority to demand anything of their divine object. It’s only about pleading and praying.

Though the relationship is mutually beneficial, this must be considered in the context of the vast number of believers. A single mortal among them is insignificant to a deity. If bishops heard this, they would probably be alarmed and accuse Bowen of presumption.

Of course, the priestess herself is merely a pretentious imposter. She was simply making use of this misunderstanding to gather some intelligence and had no intention of putting on any divine airs. It was just a matter of mutual exchange, as it were.