Chapter 67: Steadfast Forward

Suppressing the doubts in their hearts, Leo and Michelle walked out of the room.

After having breakfast, they followed Michelle to treat the injuries of the hunters.

There were only about thirty people in the hunting team, and all the adult men left in the village were here.

Each person had some injuries, more or less.

Several severely injured individuals lay on grass mats, their wives taking care of them. Upon seeing Michelle, their eyes were filled with hope.

“Our village has already lost several people while hunting outside, and they probably won’t survive the night,” the village chief said with regret and guilt on his face.

“I will heal them.”

Michelle approached the most severely injured individuals and began to chant softly.

“Great God of Life, full of love and compassion, please grant protection to your faithful followers, holy healing!”

Dots of white light entered the bodies of the injured, and their external wounds quickly healed, while their insides gradually filled with vitality.

The painful expressions on their faces disappeared, and they became peaceful, falling into a stable sleep.

“They’re fine for now. As long as they pay attention to nutrition, they can move normally in a week, and will fully recover in about ten days.”

“That’s great!” Several women cried tears of joy.

Then, Michelle treated the others one by one.

Except for the few severely injured individuals who took a bit of time, the others were quickly healed.

Watching their troubling injuries recover instantly, the faces of these people were filled with astonishment.

“The recovery speed is so fast, truly worthy of the great saint!”

“It seems even my long-standing ailment has been cured; my leg doesn’t hurt, and my back doesn’t ache anymore. Thank you, great saint!”

Their gazes towards Michelle were filled with gratitude.

“No need to thank me, it’s just a small effort.”

Michelle revealed a relaxed smile.

“Since you are all fine now, let’s hurry and take us to the bandit’s hideout; we are pressed for time.”

As soon as Leo said this, the smiles on the villagers’ faces instantly vanished.

The village chief hurriedly said, “Great saint, you are our benefactor. We cannot let you take risks for us. Our village is very poor, and the bandits do not look down on our broken land, so it’s fine.”

“I told you, we are very powerful,” Michelle said with a smile.

“Those bandits are also very powerful. Recently, many adventurer teams that came to hunt them down have not returned, including one or two A-class teams. Only an S-class team can handle them. Those three from yesterday might have already…”

The village chief did not continue, and the meaning of his words was very clear.

“S-class?”

Michelle frowned, looked at Leo, and then said, “I understand. We will not take risks; we will let the church send strong individuals to deal with them later.”

Although Leo had killed the S-class mage, Demon Face, the cost was very high, and Michelle did not want him to face S-class strong opponents again.

“No, absolutely not!”

The village chief’s expression changed instantly. “How can we trouble the knights of the church for matters in our small place?”

At this moment, even Michelle sensed that something was off, and the gentle expression on her face gradually disappeared.

“Are you being threatened by the bandits? Why are you stopping us?”

Her voice turned cold, no longer soft as before.

Upon hearing this, the village chief fell silent, his face darkening.

Around them, women pulled their children away from the scene, while those men who had been healed by Michelle subtly surrounded them.

Seeing this, Leo immediately moved closer to Michelle.

Although Michelle had experienced little, her intelligence quickly made her aware of the villagers’ unusual behavior.

“The bandits lurking nearby have a deep connection with you, or rather, you are the bandits. The disappearance of those three adventurers yesterday was also your doing. Why did you do this?”

These villagers must have a deep connection with the bandits; even if they were not bandits themselves, they were inextricably linked.

The village chief let out a long sigh, his already old face becoming even older.

The surrounding villagers also lowered their heads, and soon their expressions turned cold, no longer hiding it, as they approached with weapons.

At first, it was just suspicion, but now the situation was clear. Watching this scene, Michelle’s expression slightly darkened, carrying a hint of pain.

A layer of frost covered her pretty face. Although she was kind-hearted, she hated it when people took advantage of her kindness. Her cold gaze swept over the villagers, waiting for an explanation.

“Great saint, do you know that our village used to be an ordinary settlement? Back then, it wasn’t so dilapidated, and there were more people than now. Life was hard, but it was also happy, with some hope.

But you can see the current situation of our village; the land has become barren due to drought, the location is remote with no source of income, and the noble taxes have only increased. We have no food left, and many people in the village either leave or starve to death. Now only these people remain. If we don’t do something, we can only wait to die. I may be old, but the children in the village are still young; they have a long life ahead of them. We cannot let their future be cut short here.”

The village chief spoke slowly, his face filled with sorrow.

“So you chose to become bandits, robbing passing merchants, and when encountering adventurers coming to hunt bandits, you pretended to be ordinary villagers and then secretly killed them?”

“Indeed, it was us, but it was all out of necessity. Great saint, we are very grateful for what you have done for us, but please forget about this matter, as if nothing happened. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being rude.”

A hint of severity flashed across the village chief’s face, and the surrounding villagers tightened their encirclement.

After a long time, Michelle sighed slightly, “Go turn yourselves in while there is still time to avoid irreparable consequences.”

“We have already made up our minds; we cannot turn ourselves in. Great saint, if you insist on opposing us, then we will have to eliminate you.”

They had done this more than once; once they hardened their hearts, even if Michelle had helped them, they would not hold back.

“I understand.”

Michelle drew out her snow-white longsword, pointing the tip at the village chief, “I will eradicate you!”

“I don’t want to do this. I know you are in a difficult situation, but no matter how hard it is, it is not a reason to take away the lives of others. Just because you have been treated unfairly does not mean you can impose it on others. Don’t you think that’s too much? If you turn yourselves in, the innocent people in the village will not be implicated. I can guarantee that they will return to a normal life.”

“Great saint, you are still too naive. We cannot go back.”

The village chief’s eldest son held a sword and led others to charge forward.

“We are prepared to get our hands dirty; as long as we can survive, anything is worth it. Your healing magic is indeed powerful, but how strong is your combat ability? Facing so many of us, how long can you hold out?”

“Stop!”

Michelle swung her sword, and a white line of water cut through the air, instantly sending the eldest son flying, a line of blood appearing on his chest.

“I am stronger than any of you. If you persist, everyone will die. I will kill you.”

Michelle threatened, her displayed strength making her words very persuasive.

The other villagers who had rushed over immediately stopped, some filled with trepidation.

“Mom, I’m scared!”

In the distance, the village’s children huddled in their mother’s arms, the older ones looking at Michelle with hatred.

Michelle felt a bit of sadness in her heart; this was the second time she had been looked at by a child in such a way.

Even so, her conviction would not waver. Punishing evil deeds was her duty as a candidate for the saintess.

Being misunderstood and hated by others, she would accept it all. There was no need for others to bear the burden; even if it was a sin, she would take it on herself.

Standing on the side of righteousness, holding high the banner of justice, perhaps this was just her self-righteousness. It might be just like what that little girl she met at the cult’s base said; she was a hypocrite. But even so, she would accept it all.

Then, steadfast forward!

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