Chapter 69: Heading to the Town

The villagers were all immersed in regret and sorrow. Once their emotions stabilized, the village chief began to assist Michelle, pointing out the severity of the villagers’ wrongdoings.

There were also some people at the outpost, with the village chief’s second son staying there with a portion of them.

The village chief wrote a letter to inform them of the situation, and after a while, the second son arrived in the village with ten people.

Now everyone had gathered.

Among them, more than half had taken lives, while a few stayed in the village and the outpost, merely assisting without taking anyone’s life.

Michelle immediately decided to head to the church in the big town; she wanted to take these unforgivable sinners with her.

The remaining ones who had only committed minor offenses would stay in the village, and their punishment would be decided later. After all, it was too unsafe to leave only the elderly, children, and women; a portion of the labor force needed to be retained.

Barring any accidents, this farewell would be eternal for these people and their families. Michelle left them some time to say goodbye to their loved ones.

For a moment, the village was filled with cries; men held their wives and children, while the wives wept in their husbands’ arms.

Watching this scene, Michelle felt a pang of sympathy and turned to leave.

As noon approached, the sunlight gradually became blinding.

Michelle looked up at the sun in the sky, her face showing a hint of melancholy. Beneath such bright sunlight, how many hidden truths lay concealed? Only by stepping out could one witness more people and events.

The church’s teachings were correct, but how many truly executed them? If no one would do these things, then she would take it upon herself.

This was destined not to be a smooth road. Michelle’s cold figure appeared somewhat lonely, while Leo stood quietly beside her, not offering words of comfort but showing his steadfast support through his actions.

After lunch, Leo and Michelle arrived at the village entrance.

The village chief’s eldest and second sons were waiting there with those who were supposed to leave.

“Saintess, I am Dino, and this is my brother Jimmy. We will leave the rest to you.”

Dino, around forty years old, looked somewhat old, with many white hairs on his head. Beside him was a man who resembled him but appeared slightly frail.

During his time as a thief, Dino had endured a lot of pressure from killing those adventurers; it was likely that he felt terrible inside. Now, deciding to turn himself in with Michelle might be a form of liberation for him.

Jimmy had someone bring over a group of horses and said, “If you need to rush to the town, you can use these horses. Although they are ill-gotten gains, they will save time. During this time, if Saintess doesn’t mind, let us act as your guards. This is our small way of atonement, even though you may not need us.”

Michelle accepted their goodwill, “Then let’s set off quickly.”

With horses to ride, they could reach the town the day after tomorrow if they hurried.

“These two horses are the best, but they have a bit of a temper. They will get you there faster.”

Among a group of frail horses, Jimmy led out two strong black steeds, clearly robust, with fierce eyes.

Michelle mounted one of them, and the horse was not as wild as Jimmy had said, allowing her to ride it.

“Truly, Saintess, we haven’t tamed these horses; we can’t ride them.” Dino expressed his admiration.

“Leo, you should get on quickly too,” Michelle urged.

“I haven’t learned to ride yet, but…”

Leo’s gaze sharpened, “What can mere horses do to me?”

He leaped up and landed directly on another black steed.

The steed neighed, rearing back and jumping in place, trying to throw Leo off.

“Be quiet!”

As the cold, stern words left his mouth, a pressure descended upon the steed, causing it to stop immediately and stand obediently, allowing Leo to ride.

The other villagers also mounted their horses, but unlike Leo and Michelle’s steeds, theirs were frail yellow horses used for pulling goods.

Everyone rode off at a gallop, kicking up a cloud of dust that lingered for a long time. The villagers watched their figures for a long time, remaining in place even after they disappeared.

“Let’s go; we can’t let them down.”

The village chief led the remaining people away, as they had the duty to live well for those who bore the sins.

…

Everyone galloped along, finding a place to rest before sunset, camping there for the night.

Dino and Jimmy patrolled the surroundings, ensuring there was no danger before setting up camp, fulfilling their duty as guards.

They assigned some people to hunt and others to gather wild vegetables for the evening meal.

Michelle didn’t eat much, perhaps lacking an appetite or perhaps not wanting to eat too much in front of everyone.

By nightfall, the torches in the camp gradually extinguished, leaving some to keep watch.

Thanks to them, Leo didn’t have to frequently use his sword’s clarity to patrol the surroundings and could rest well.

He went outside as usual to practice his swordsmanship.

The moon at night was dutiful, never absent.

Under the moonlight, a strong figure continued to sweat profusely.

After training, Leo heard someone approaching; it was Michelle.

She sat down on a nearby rock and gently patted the spot beside her.

Leo understood her meaning and promptly sat down next to her.

The two sat quietly on the rock, gazing up at the moon in the sky.

The cool, bright moonlight cast its glow upon the earth, seemingly favoring Michelle alone, with more light pouring onto her. Her silver hair shimmered in the night, strands brushing past her bright eyes, which held a hint of disappointment and sadness, her beauty as dazzling as the moon above.

The two sat there quietly, neither speaking.

Suddenly, Michelle leaned against Leo.

Leo was taken aback, “Saintess, what are you doing?”

He looked over, and Michelle had her eyes closed, thinking she had fallen asleep.

Next to him was the soft touch of the Saintess and her sweet scent. Turning his head, he could see her perfect face and her eyelashes close enough to touch.

Leo instantly became flustered, his body stiffening, afraid that even the slightest movement would disturb her.

“Can I borrow your shoulder to lean on, just for a moment? Is that okay?”

Michelle opened her eyes, her melancholic gaze evoking sympathy, her pitiful look fixed on Leo, carrying a hint of a spoiled tone.

“Of course, you can. In fact, I hope you can keep doing this.” Leo replied immediately.

The strong and beautiful Saintess during the day was also very cute at night when she appeared vulnerable.

He selfishly wished that the Saintess could remain like this forever.

The soft and adorable Saintess, who could act spoiled, was a rare sight, cuteness overload!

“Not just my shoulder; I can lend you my chest too. If you’re sad, just cry it out in my arms. Come on, no one will see, so cry freely.”

Leo puffed out his chest, looking as if he was ready to lend it to her, clearly urging her to cry.

“I won’t cry! Do you really want to see me cry? That’s too mean. Even if I cry, I absolutely won’t let you see it.”

The Saintess placed her small hand on his waist, wanting to pinch him but then giving up.

“I don’t know why, even though what I did isn’t wrong, I still feel bad inside. Am I too heartless?”

The experiences of the day left Michelle feeling confused; she doubted whether she had handled things poorly and wondered if there were better ways to deal with it.

“Actually, you’ve done very well. Even if you had killed them directly, no one would blame you.”

Leo initially wanted to cheer her up, but it failed.

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