Chapter 227: Holy Light “Milk”(5)

“Nuns generally don’t have children.”

Ashina shook her head. “It’s obvious she’s been cursed—and the power of the curse far exceeds her own strength.”

“I see.”

For a moment, everyone looked at each other, unsure how to help.

A full ten minutes passed before Tisiana, who had been praying continuously, finally recovered from the negative state. She covered her face and began to sob softly.

“Don’t be upset.”

Draping the cloak over Tisiana to cover her radiant skin, Phield wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke gently, “Miss Nun, thank you for risking your life earlier. Could you tell us what exactly happened in the monastery? Maybe we can help.”

Tisiana looked up pitifully, her sorrowful eyes soft enough to melt hearts. Yet paired with her figure, it created a striking contrast that made one’s thoughts wander.

After waiting patiently for her to steady her emotions, she finally spoke.

“I don’t know.”

Holding her head, Tisiana winced. Whenever she tried to recall the past, a tearing pain surged through her mind.

“My name is Tisiana Ortiz. I used to live as a nun in a knightly order nation in the northern Empire—the Blood Knight Order. After awakening as a Divine Chosen, I was transferred to the Empire to guard a church branch. But… we encountered a terrible Demonic Descent.”

A knightly order nation was just a type of small state in this world—but that wasn’t the point.

“Demonic Descent?”

Phield and the two demi-humans exchanged glances. They had never heard of it.

“It’s a terrifying phenomenon that has only appeared recently. The earliest cases date back thirty years. A large number of Holy Light believers claimed that in their dreams, they were tempted by a powerful demon. At first, everyone dismissed it as mere nightmares. The church held exorcisms and paid it little mind.”

“But gradually, those people began to frequently witness demons in reality. Strange phenomena started appearing around them.”

Tisiana clenched her teeth. “Once their faith in the Holy Light truly wavers, they transform into those grotesque monsters.”

As she spoke, she pointed at the ghost nuns that had been slain earlier.

“A collapse of faith…” Phield rubbed his temples. “Then what about your situation?”

“While resisting the Demonic Descent, I was cursed by that demon. With no other choice, I used all my strength to fly here. But clearly… I’m the one who brought disaster upon them. The demon followed me to this monastery and cursed all the nuns.”

“It’s not necessarily your fault.”

Fearing her mental state might worsen, Phield patted her shoulder. “They lacked conviction. It’s not on you.”

At the touch, Tisiana let out a soft gasp, immediately biting her lower lip as sweat beaded across her body.

“P-please… don’t touch me when the curse is acting up. It puts a great strain on me.”

Blushing, she turned her head aside, swallowing repeatedly. Heat seemed to radiate faintly from her body.

After calming down, she continued.

“Quite a number of Holy Light Divine Chosen have already wavered because of the curse. It’s… defiling. I resist it, but I’m also confused. I can’t accept that something like this is happening.”

Phield quickly asked, “If a Divine Chosen’s faith collapses, will they completely fall and become monster Divine Chosen?”

“I don’t know. That’s beyond my knowledge. The higher-ups in the church handle those decisions.”

Tisiana clasped her hands together. “But I do know one thing—cursed Divine Chosen are confined in Iron Maidens, or… those machines. That way, they can still serve one final purpose in exorcism—producing purification potions and mist-dispelling lamps… until they break.”

She pointed at the machines in the basement.

“…What?”

Ashina suddenly understood, her expression turning solemn. “So those machines are meant to combat the Demonic Descent… that’s bizarre, but also worthy of respect. I respect you, human nun.”

Something felt off.

Phield instinctively doubted Tisiana’s words. He paced back and forth, thinking: This can’t be that simple.

The woman before him likely wasn’t lying.

But not lying didn’t mean she knew the truth.

“The only things capable of inflicting this level of damage on a Divine Chosen… are other Divine Chosen. Are you really certain this is the work of a demon? Don’t forget—the methods you take pride in for combating evil had no effect on those ghost nuns.”

Tisiana frowned, falling into deep thought.

After a moment, Phield’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Are you planning to return to the church? To be locked into those machines… turned into livestock? No offense, but those things would only shake your faith even more.”

“I… I do resist it. I don’t want to see the disgust and rejection in my companions’ eyes either.”

Lowering her gaze, Tisiana slumped to the ground. She turned to Phield. “Then… kill me. My divine artifact might be of use to you.”

“That’s true, your artifact is quite unique.”

Sylvia, as carefree as ever, actually walked over and squeezed Tisiana’s wings, marveling, “Hey, I remember now—this is like birdfolk or harpies!”

“Damn it, harpies? This is a mutation-type artifact—more specifically, an extremely rare external organ-type artifact. Wings aren’t something humans naturally have, so the fact that she manifested this means she’s incredibly lucky.”

Phield pushed up an imaginary pair of glasses. In his spare time, he had been studying knowledge about this world.

Mutation-type artifacts were relatively common—like Violet’s mutated blood.

But growing organs not belonging to the human species? That was exceedingly rare.

“Wow, then you’ve hit the jackpot.”

Sylvia said in amazement.

“Jackpot? I’m not going to kill her.” Phield laughed helplessly, then turned back to Tisiana. “Miss Tisiana, please pull yourself together. You’ve just become… a bit more ’productive,’ that’s all. It’s not a big deal. Let’s form a contract—I’m the Baron of Nightfall Domain.”

“…What?”

Tisiana froze. “No… I’m a sinner.”

“Cut it out with that ’sinner’ nonsense. I don’t buy into that. You didn’t break any laws.” Phield shrugged casually. “Only after forming a contract will you have a chance to advance—to gain the strength to resist the Demonic Descent.”

“I… but I’m a Holy Light Divine Chosen. While humans can form contracts, doctrine states that I can only contract with clergy.”

“Fine, then go get strapped to those machines. Here, I’ll help you. Once they’ve squeezed something out, I’ll take a cup—I happen to be thirsty.”

Phield rolled his eyes.

“Wait… no. That’s just a desperate measure against the Demonic Descent.” Tisiana gave a bitter smile. “Thank you… for being willing to contract with a cursed Divine Chosen.”

With that, she removed the cloak and dismissed her artifact. On her back, a sacred mark glowed softly. Energy gathered, forming the faint silhouette of a holy goddess.

“A wise choice.”

The moment the contract was accepted, Tisiana’s status panel appeared in Phield’s mind.

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