Chapter 72: The Illusion Technique

Outside, a group of knights arrived in front of the church, surrounding Leo and the others. Their actions startled the nearby crowd, who gathered to watch the situation unfold.

“Hand over the young master.”

The leading knight drew his long sword, the cold blade emanating a chilling light.

The nobles looked at the knight captain with excitement, as if they had seen a savior, then turned their gaze to Leo and his group, filled with glee, as if to say, “You’re doomed.”

Dino and the others immediately drew their weapons, ready to fight.

Leo did not step forward but instead placed his sword against the noble’s neck, his indifferent gaze devoid of any emotion.

“Everyone, get lost!”

Threatened by his action, the knight captain immediately hesitated.

The noble’s expression changed to panic; the situation was completely beyond his expectations. He had been galloping down the street just like before, how could he suddenly encounter such a thing?

At that moment, Michelle walked out of the church, “Have your lord come here and give me an explanation.”

Her appearance silenced the scene, and everyone present turned to look at her.

The knight captain did not recognize her identity, but seeing her attire and that she had come out of the church, she might be an important figure, someone they couldn’t afford to offend. He immediately sent someone to report.

“Saintess, please spare him; he is the legitimate son of a noble, and we cannot afford to offend.”

After Michelle, the high priest also walked out of the church, sighing.

“Saintess?”

Upon hearing this, the crowd outside was shocked.

“What’s going on? Is she the recently missing candidate saint? How could she appear in our remote town?”

“So she is the candidate saint. If she finds out about the nobles’ actions here, I wonder what she will do.”

There was a hint of expectation in the crowd’s eyes; they had had enough of the nobles here and hoped Michelle could properly deal with them.

The high priest felt a headache coming on; he did not want Michelle’s identity to be exposed to the public.

A luxurious carriage rushed over and stopped in front of the church, from which a middle-aged, plump noble stepped down.

“Who dares to touch my son?”

His expression was cold, exuding an intimidating presence.

The knight captain immediately informed him of the situation.

The middle-aged noble’s face changed drastically; in the eyes of border nobles like them, the candidate saint held a status similar to that of a prince or princess, someone they could not afford to offend.

He quickly spotted the extraordinary Michelle and knelt before her, begging for mercy.

“Saintess, please forgive my son’s ignorance. If we have offended you, please give us a chance to atone.”

“He did not offend me. I hope you can educate him properly and not let him act recklessly outside, bringing shame to the nobility.”

Michelle said, believing that a certain punishment for the young noble would suffice. She planned to settle accounts with this group of nobles later.

“Yes, yes! I will definitely educate him well.”

The middle-aged noble wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; facing a girl much younger than him, he felt more embarrassed than ever.

Dino and the others, following Michelle’s instructions, released the young noble.

The middle-aged noble slapped him across the face, furious, “Why aren’t you apologizing to the Saintess!”

“Y-yes, I’m sorry.”

The young noble covered his reddened cheek, speaking with grievance.

“Saintess, if there is nothing else, we will take our leave.”

The middle-aged noble prepared to leave with his group.

“I will visit you later to discuss the situation in the town.”

Michelle’s cold words came from behind, causing the middle-aged noble to shudder, his expression changing slightly as he quickened his pace to leave.

“Saintess, you must be tired after such a long time. Do you need us to prepare a room for you?” the high priest asked, seizing the opportunity.

“No need. I am not accustomed to staying in such luxurious churches; it’s better to stay outside.”

Michelle’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

The high priest felt helpless; their branch church had left a very poor impression on her, and the reality was indeed so.

Michelle and Leo, along with the others, found an inn in the town to stay in. There were too many people, so the others had to squeeze into a room, while Leo and Michelle each had their own room.

After dinner, Leo, Michelle, Dino, and Jimmy stayed in one room to discuss matters.

The church here had deep ties with the nobles, and supporting the nobles was wrong; Michelle could not stop this for now.

The high priest’s claim that the magic teleportation array was broken might be a lie, as he did not want the headquarters church to come here and discover what was happening.

They needed to consider what to do next.

“I estimate that within the next few days, the headquarters church will find my whereabouts and send someone over soon.”

The church would not do nothing about Michelle’s disappearance; they would pay a certain price to find her, and she guessed the time was about right.

“In that case, we just need to wait patiently.”

Dino felt a bit complicated; once the headquarters church arrived, everything would be resolved, which meant they would lose their freedom forever. This was unavoidable and was a decision made by him and the others.

Michelle shook her head; she could not wait here wasting time. “This timing is uncertain. I don’t want to waste time here. Are there other towns nearby?”

“There are three more towns around. Although they are just rumors, the situation there is probably similar to here,” Dino said.

At this moment, Jimmy spoke up, “Actually, the town to the south, although the people there seem to live poorly, there have been no reports of nobles oppressing the commoners. The nobles there are like ordinary nobles; although proud, they do not bully others. The church there should be able to be an ally.”

Dino thought for a moment and said, “That is indeed possible. Should we go there?”

“I want to go, but if we leave, we might be stopped by the nobles. They might use force, and the risk is too great.”

Michelle expressed her concerns.

“Saintess, you don’t need to worry about us. You are our benefactor. We are sinners, and it is our honor to serve you temporarily.”

Dino noticed that Michelle’s hesitation was because of them. Although they had been thieves for a while, their strength was not particularly strong, and opposing the nobles would put them in danger.

But they were sinners; what did danger mean to them? Beside him, Jimmy agreed with his opinion.

Michelle hesitated a bit, looking at Leo, wanting to seek his opinion.

Leo said, “I don’t mind; you decide. Whatever you do, I will support you.”

Michelle nodded gently. She would not wait here in peace. The high priest here was not reliable, and the arrival time of the headquarters church was uncertain. She could not place her hopes on them; she could only rely on herself.

“Then let’s set off tonight; the sooner, the better.”

Michelle quickly made her decision.

Whether it was the three days left for the high priest or the visit she mentioned to the noble, it was all a smokescreen.

When dealing with these people, different methods must be used.

Leo nodded, and the others immediately packed their things, leaving under the cover of night.

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