Chapter 68: Wanting to Stand Shoulder to Shoulder with Him

Because, there are people she can rely on behind her.

Her expression was very firm, with a hint of stubbornness on her face, standing straight with her sword, her petite body seemed to support a whole world.

“Michelle, you are not suited for this kind of thing, leave it to me.”

Leo gently patted her shoulder and walked past her to the front.

“The saintess should maintain her perfection and purity, let me handle this dirty work, don’t get your hands dirty.”

Leo felt a bit heartbroken, sensing from his palm that Michelle’s body was very stiff; she was indeed trying to be strong.

“Leo!”

Michelle had already come to a realization, but this realization was easily shattered by Leo, staring blankly at his figure.

“Leave it to me.”

Leo turned his head and gave her a reassuring look.

Then he looked at the villagers, his gaze turning cold.

“I’m not like Michelle, I won’t show mercy. If you don’t surrender, I will truly cut you down.”

His eyes were icy to the extreme, exuding a chilling aura. In the eyes of the villagers, Leo, who was clearly just a boy much younger than them, made them feel a strong sense of oppression.

“Not just you, the old, the young, and the women, I won’t spare any of you. This is the bandit’s stronghold, everyone here is a bandit, deserving to die. If we are to do this, we must do it thoroughly. I won’t leave myself any hidden dangers; we must eradicate the roots.”

As he spoke, a killing intent was released from his body, as if stepping into a cold winter, with snowflakes flying and the temperature around plummeting.

The surrounding villagers deeply felt this, as if their souls were frozen.

Michelle stared at the figure in front of her in a daze; it was him who stood up to help her again. She suddenly realized that she seemed to have always relied on Leo.

When they were at the cultist’s stronghold, it was because Leo was there that they could successfully escape. Now, he wanted to bear all of this for her.

Although these villagers had committed robbery, they were once innocent villagers who had no choice but to take the wrong path to survive. Now, she had to personally kill these people who were forced to a dead end, yet Leo stopped her, not allowing her to get her hands dirty.

Michelle’s grip on the sword relaxed slightly, and Leo’s figure in front of her seemed to drift further away. The back that was clearly within reach looked so distant, as if it were unattainable, forever out of reach.

No, I can’t do this!

This is not right. Clearly, Leo is the same; why does he have to replace me? Why does he have to dirty his hands for me?

She didn’t want him to bear it alone.

In the next moment, a renewed belief ignited in her eyes, and she once again gripped the sword tightly.

Only now, even if it’s just for now, I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you.

Michelle’s eyes were filled with desire as she took the sword and stood beside Leo, shoulder to shoulder. “I won’t evade, nor will I let you bear it alone. This is my duty as a candidate saintess.”

Leo glanced at her and sighed slightly; it was clear that she could just leave it to him.

He admired Michelle’s courage but would not stop her from following her beliefs.

He looked at the villagers again, “Let’s have a gamble. Let’s bet on whether I can kill all of you. If I win, you will certainly die. If I lose, perhaps some of you can survive. So, how about it? Do you want to gamble?”

Such disregard for life made the villagers shiver. Even though they had been bandits for a while, they had never encountered someone so ruthless.

“Don’t believe in my strength?”

Leo swung his sword, accompanied by a killing intent that struck at the heart, a sword mark crossed out, splitting the village road in two.

The villagers were stunned by his action.

This person would really kill them.

The thought surged in the villagers’ minds, and their faces turned fearful.

Who would want to die? They had become bandits just to seek a chance to survive.

They were once just a group of ordinary villagers, able to kill the adventurers who came to subdue them only because those adventurers had let their guard down, taking advantage of their inattention to kill them by various means.

When faced with a strong person like Leo in a normal state, they were powerless.

“Look at the children behind you. What do you see in their eyes?” Leo pointed to a few children behind them.

The villagers followed Leo’s gaze, seeing the village’s children huddled in their mothers’ arms, some wide-eyed watching this scene, their eyes filled with fear and a hint of hatred.

This expression should not appear on a child’s face.

“You are bandits, and they are the descendants of bandits. Even if they survive, they will be blamed by countless people. Their lives will be ruined, and they will never return to a normal life. Or do you want them to become bandits, passing down the banditry from generation to generation, living in darkness forever?”

Leo’s words were like a morning bell and a dusk drum, ringing in their ears.

A strong sense of guilt and unwillingness surged in the hearts of the villagers.

Yes, they had ruined these children’s futures.

But if they could survive, who would want to dirty their hands?

“Give up your weapons and surrender. At least don’t let those innocent people be implicated.”

Michelle advised. Unless absolutely necessary, she really didn’t want to take action against these villagers, nor did she want Leo to do such things.

“We can’t go back. We have already been exposed. Just as you said, whether old, women, or children, there is only one way to die. The only thing we can do is fight to the end, kill you, and let the villagers go to the mountains. Even if the nobles send troops to subdue us, there will be room for maneuver.”

The eldest son’s resentment was evident, like a lone wolf driven to the brink, fighting for survival.

“As for the future, we will talk about it later. At least for now, we want to survive. There is no way back.”

He let out a powerless shout; no one could help them. Even if they chose not to become bandits, it would still be a dead end. Now, it was just prolonging their survival time, merely struggling to survive.

They understood that one day they would be hunted down, and no matter when, they would resist to the end.

“There is a way. At least the children will be saved. Innocent people will not be punished. As long as they haven’t killed anyone, only assisted, they will receive lighter punishment. There is still room for redemption.”

Michelle persuaded again; she really didn’t want to see the villagers reach the worst point.

“Useless. You are just an ordinary saintess. You have no idea what kind of punishment the nobles will impose on us.”

“I have the ability to stop them. I am the candidate saintess of the church, with the power to deal with criminals. I will investigate your matters thoroughly and give all of you an explanation.”

Michelle did not give up on persuading these villagers; convincing one was better than none.

“The candidate saintess of the church?”

Upon hearing this, the originally agitated villagers were stunned.

This identity was too significant. How could someone of such a class come to their remote little village?

They had never heard of such a thing. They looked at the village chief, who shook his head.

He said, “There were people from the church who came to the village before, saying that a candidate saintess had gone missing. If there was any news, we should inform them. I thought this matter had nothing to do with us. Now it seems that what she said is probably true. I just didn’t expect the candidate saintess to appear in this corner.”

The villagers’ eyes had already wavered. Michelle seized the opportunity to say again, “As long as you believe in me, I will ensure that the innocent people in the village are treated well. The children will not be discriminated against, and the elderly and women can live normally. Those who have not stained their hands with blood will receive lighter punishment and have the opportunity to return to the village to live a normal life.”

“What about those whose hands are already dirty?” someone asked.

“They won’t die, but they will lose their freedom forever.”

What these people did was unforgivable, but if they had a repentant heart, their punishment could be mitigated. However, losing their freedom was certain.

This was the limit of what Michelle could do, and it was also an explanation for those who had died.

“So, come with me to surrender. The remaining people in the village need not worry; I will arrange for the nearby church people to help you.”

“Is it really possible? Do we still have a chance to start over?”

“No problem. As the candidate saintess, I am not allowed to and will not deceive others.”

Michelle’s words successfully broke down the villagers’ last line of defense.

After becoming bandits, the villagers had blocked all paths, arbitrarily taking the lives of others, thinking they would fall into an irredeemable hell. Now, they saw hope.

Although some would lose their freedom forever, this was the punishment they should bear. At least others could return to a normal life.

The villagers had clearly wavered, lowering their heads with tears of regret streaming down their faces, their weapons slipping from their hands and falling to the ground.

The village chief was overwhelmed with gratitude, kneeling on the ground, crying out loud.

“If only we had met a noble like you earlier, we wouldn’t have had to walk this path.”

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