“Now that Foreno is dead, he died trying to claim sole credit for discovering and capturing the Saintess, failing to report the situation to anyone else, and since dead men can’t talk, he’ll help keep our secret forever. Even if the Church grows suspicious, they can only suspect some unforeseen accident, like perhaps they played with fire and a demon ran amok.” Luna stared off into the distance.

“Demon??” Fanya looked greatly surprised.

“Indeed. Otherwise, how could a mere Priest like Foreno possibly cause such chaos? Creating such a complex and shifting disaster would be nothing short of delusional.” Luna explained. “He must have used some method to awaken forbidden power.”

“Shouldn’t you have sensed something too, Amisa?” Luna turned her gaze to Amisa. “Just moments ago.”

“Mmhm.” Amisa nodded thoughtfully in agreement.

Speaking of this matter,

Vanessa recalled the crimson demon she had seen right before fainting, and remembered the words that demon had spoken.

One last time helping her?

Medilia??

Who was Medilia? The name sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

“Of course, this is only my intuition and deduction. I don’t yet know exactly what they unleashed, but it must have been something terrible.” Luna speculated.

“The Church… would they really dare release a demon??” Fanya’s eyes widened.

“Fanya, you still know too little. Or rather, you’ve idealized the current Church of Radiance too much. The upper echelons of the Church are far more deranged than you can imagine.” Luna said meaningfully.

“So you understand why we’re so desperate to find descendants of Varelis now? The only ones capable of stopping the Church are the blood heirs of the goddess Varelis herself.”

“Has the Church really become like this??” Fanya stared in disbelief, still unable to accept that the Church she had believed in since childhood, the one she thought embodied absolute justice and fairness, was actually such a hideous, monstrous creature.

Willing to drag hundreds students and innocent people into this senseless disaster just to release a demon and assassinate the Radiance Saintess, who threatened their power and position.

Motivated purely by self-interest and greed, they have discarded any sense of morality or ethical standards.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg of their atrocities??

When did the pure and radiant Church of Radiance become so unfamiliar??

Fanya felt the sacred image she had held in her heart collapse completely in an instant.

As the heiress of the Horaleth family, one of the core members of the Church of Radiance’s power structure, Luna naturally knew many secrets Fanya could never access. Perhaps even some secrets unknown to the Horaleth family itself.

Logically speaking, as one of the beneficiaries, the Horaleth family had no reason to act against their own interests. Yet they still chose this path for only one possible reason: they still remember the goddess’s teachings, and in their eyes, the Church of Radiance had already rotted beyond redemption.

“Fanya, I can tell you’ve sensed it too, haven’t you? I can see it, you’ve experienced some things, yet you still hold onto illusions about the Church and the Pope.”

“The sooner those illusions shatter, the better. Don’t doubt me, I can tell you with full responsibility: Foreno wasn’t using the Pope as a scapegoat. It’s highly likely he was directly dispatched by the higher-ups to secretly eliminate the Saintess. As clergy within the Carillian Academy’s chapel, his position made him the perfect candidate. I don’t know how many intermediaries were involved, but this was undoubtedly a direct order from the Pope.” Luna continued.

“Yes, I understand, Miss Luna. You’re right. A Church like that wouldn’t stand a chance when the Demon gods attack.”

“Actually, it’s not just me, Amisa has told me a lot too.” Fanya herself composed and glanced at Amisa beside her.

“Amisa is indeed better at discerning right from wrong. But Amisa, you should be careful too. Relying too much on the [Flawless Eye] might one day mislead you as well.” Luna smiled, giving a gentle warning.

“Mmhm, thank you for the reminder, Miss Luna.” Amisa nodded, indicating she’d remember.

“Then we’re all on the same page, with the same goal. This isn’t a church, and since Vanessa hasn’t fully regained mobility, let’s postpone the oath for now.” Luna said to Amisa and Fanya.

Both Amisa and Fanya nodded in agreement.

“An oath?” Vanessa hesitated, watching the three girls.

“Naturally, it’s to swear allegiance to you, Saintess.” Luna explained with a smile.

“Miss Luna, isn’t this rather inappropriate?” Vanessa still couldn’t accept it, and couldn’t help but ask.

“What? Does something about it trouble you, Saintess? Didn’t you just decide that since the Church of Radiance left you no room to live, you’re forced to fight back?”

“If you’re going to resist, you must resist completely. Without the resolve to see it through, you’d never dare resist in the first place. If you won’t go all the way, you might as well not start.” Luna shook her head.

Vanessa understood the logic Luna was presenting.

“Saintess, I’m not asking you to rise up right now and publicly denounce the Church of Radiance and the Pope. I’m simply asking you to prepare. As long as we remain on the continent of Terraria, the Church of Radiance will forever oppose you, and us.”

“If we don’t resist those heartless Church elites, we’ll be killed. It’s that simple.” Of course, Vanessa’s hesitation was perfectly normal, Luna thought.

Until now, Vanessa had merely felt disgust and revulsion toward the Church of Radiance, never considering outright rebellion. This shift in mindset, from seeking peace to being ready for constant battle, wasn’t easy.

“If you wish to spend your life hiding in some forgotten corner, I won’t stop you. I’ll still protect you. But if, like your ancestors, you ignore injustice and evil, then I will fight for you.” With that, Luna placed one hand over her heart and knelt on one knee, giving Vanessa the highest ceremonial bow.

This gesture, the oath of allegiance from clergy to the Saintess, had been abolished for a hundred years.

“I, on behalf of my father, the head of the Horaleth family, and all members of the Horaleth clan, declare our will.”

“The Horaleth family pledges to fight for the Saintess, and for all living beings, until our very last breath.” Luna declared solemnly and resolutely.

“Saintess, we pledge the same!” Fanya and Amisa, seeing this, immediately followed suit, kneeling and bowing as Luna had done.

“I understand.” Vanessa replied after a long pause, her voice steady. “Rise, all of you. I know.”

“Then… What is your decision?” Luna gazed calmly at Vanessa, locking eyes. On the verge of receiving an answer, her heart couldn’t help but tighten with tension.

“I’ve never had any interest in the title of Saintess or the Church of Radiance. If their actions weren’t so monstrous, disregarding all life, repeatedly pushing me to the edge, even going to any lengths to kill me, I would never have chosen this path.” Vanessa paused, then slowly spoke. “All of this… they forced me into it. Since they won’t let me live in peace, then I have no choice but to fight back to the very end.” Her voice now carried only firmness and resolve.

“We welcome the Saintess.” Hearing this, Luna breathed a sigh of relief. If Vanessa had refused to take up the mantle, she truly wouldn’t have known how the Church, or humanity, could survive.

With Vanessa’s words, Luna knew she had truly made up her mind to oppose the Church of Radiance.

She had revealed everything, demonstrating the resolution of herself and the Horaleth family behind her. If Vanessa had remained indifferent and still chosen to flee, then their family, the Church, and even the continent of Terraria might truly face an apocalyptic fate.

She didn’t want the day to come when the Church of Radiance became nothing more than a breeding ground for demons and Pillars of Darkness.

While Vanessa spoke, the others reacted dramatically.

Fanya listened with overwhelming excitement, fists clenched, her face beaming like an adoring fangirl, whispering beside her, “Truly worthy of being the Saintess who bears the world’s suffering and upholds justice and fairness!”

Amisa’s eyes sparkled as she repeated the words over and over, as if trying to engrave them permanently in her mind. But then she felt it wasn’t enough, afraid she might forget even a single punctuation mark, she frantically searched her pockets and pulled out a small notebook, silently writing down Vanessa’s words as if they were golden scripture.

‘In the spring of the ninety-sixth year since the martyrdom of the previous Radiance Saintess, Sophia Varelis, her great-granddaughter, the unenthroned Radiance Saintess Lady Vanessa Varelis, originally had no desire for power, once stated: “After my great-grandmother, the absence of a Saintess in the Church of Radiance was history’s choice. If this is the will of all beings, I shall accept it, only praying that the god of peace forever dwells upon Terraria, that war never rises again, that bloodshed and suffering cease forever.”‘

‘Yet, after witnessing and experiencing the Pope’s and his accomplices’ heinous crimes that outraged both gods and men, Lady Vanessa Varelis saw clearly their wicked intentions and, unable to tolerate the Church’s overwhelming sins and rotten corruption, declared boldly: “The Church disregards life and is filled with evil. I am forced to stand forth and demand justice and accountability for all living beings!”‘

‘And thus, history took a turning point.’

Amisa scribbled these two passages into her notebook, her eyes still shining with stars.

“History shall record that after a century-long void, the Radiance Saintess has returned.” Luna said reverently. “I promise you, the name ‘Vanessa Varelis’ shall one day be immortalized.”

“More importantly, Miss Luna, what else do you know about the Church of Radiance’s actions?” Vanessa continued.

“The Pope doesn’t tell us everything.” Luna said. “But I can affirm that the [Bronze Blood] riot last semester, and the subsequent invasion by the Pillars of Darkness, are both connected to him.”

“What?!” Both Fanya and Amisa were shocked.

They had thought the Church releasing a demon to kill the Saintess was already the peak of audacity, but now there was an even higher level, implicating the very appearance of the Pillars of Darkness.

Was this really possible?

Did that mean they had unknowingly been serving the greatest demon all along, acting as their accomplices?

“…” Vanessa merely furrowed her brows slightly upon hearing this, showing little surprise.

“Do they no longer consider even the Kingdom of Camella a threat?”

“Perhaps they truly no longer care whether a single human kingdom threatens them. As for other matters, without evidence, I’d rather not speculate.” At this, Luna fell silent, those who understood, understood.

“These… beasts in human clothing.” Vanessa rarely uses such harsh words, her voice dripping with disdain for the Church.

This was the most aggressive thing she had ever said.

“They even dared to lay hands on Mirexia.”

“Now, our best course is to avoid alerting the Church, growing steadily, and when the Saintess is ready to face them, we’ll rally the groundswell priests and nuns who are willing to follow you and believe in the goddess and the Saintess, to rebel against the Church.” Luna laid out her plan.

“Yes, this truly is the most appropriate approach now.” Any more radical method would see them wiped out in one sweep by the Church of Radiance.

“Mmhm, until then, we need to help the Saintess regain her strength first. Let me feed you~” With that, Luna resumed feeding Vanessa. “Come on, say ‘ah~’.”

“Miss Luna, please don’t.”

“But you can’t move right now. If we want to leave this place quickly, you need to recover quickly.” Luna tilted her head.

“I understand that, but could you not use that baby-talk tone with me?”

“Oh?~ The Saintess doesn’t like it?”

“Use your normal voice, please.” Vanessa averted her gaze slightly.

“Alright then, since the Saintess commands it, I shall obey~”

After feeding Vanessa, Fanya carried her on her back, and the four set off again, searching for a way out of the jungle.

“By the way, what happened to the other students?”

“Not sure. Probably, like us, they were randomly ejected when that dimension shattered.” Luna mused.

“By the way, Miss Luna, do you know the name Medilia?” Vanessa asked.

“Medi… lia?” Luna stopped, looking at Vanessa with confusion. “Saintess, why do you suddenly ask about this name?”

“Mmhm, I was just wondering. Do you know it?”

“Yes. Unless it’s a coincidence, that name should belong to the Twilight Demon Goddess.” Luna replied.

“Twilight Demon Goddess??”

“Exactly. Medilia, the Twilight Demon Goddess, was the most powerful of the ancient Demon pillar. Back then, the continent wasn’t even called Terraria, and everywhere was filled with worship of the Pillars, causing endless suffering and chaos. Then your ancestor, the Goddess of Radiance Varelis, rose to power, leading her to defeat the Twilight Demon Goddess Medilia. After that, the Church of Radiance was established, and Varelis became known by later generations as the first benevolent god who vowed to protect the lives of Terraria and humanity.” Luna explained.

“I remember now.” Prompted by Luna, Vanessa recalled.

She had heard this in history class last semester. The teacher had called on her to answer because she hadn’t been paying attention.

Medilia, why had that demon mentioned Medilia?

And “one last time helping her”, was that demon referring to Medilia??

Why would a demon help Varelis, whose true form was a Holy Angel??

Could that demon be a subordinate of Medilia??

That makes even less sense. The Goddess of Radiance Varelis was the sworn enemy of the Twilight Demon Goddess Medilia. Medilia was sealed by the goddess herself. How could her followers possibly aid a descendant of the goddess?

Putting aside everything else, the idea of a demon helping an angel was absurd.

Vanessa grew increasingly confused.

She recalled that when they arrived at Mount Kamov, the local guide mentioned a rumor, that Mount Kamov was formed from the corpse of a powerful demon.

Had Foreno awakened the lingering power of that demon?

Vanessa remembered another thing, back in the Mars Dungeon, King Cantarius of Mars had questioned her about her connection to the Twilight Demon Goddess.

Did she resemble the Twilight Demon Goddess? But how could that be possible??

Medilia was a Pillar of Darkness, a demon god, while Varelis was a Holy Angel. They were of different races, there was no way to equate them.

No matter how Vanessa thought about it, she couldn’t reach a conclusion. Ultimately, these were ancient events, too distant in time.

The authenticity of many historical records couldn’t be verified, after all, history was written by people, and people had subjective biases.

No one knew how much the recorded history differed from the truth.

And as information passed through time, details were inevitably lost, making the original truth ever more elusive.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep