Chapter 87

A few hours earlier, at the "Rose Cross" Monastery in the early morning.

There were not many clergy members within the monastery. Apart from ten Temple Guards, the majority were "Monks" and "Nuns," totaling twenty-seven, and there were four "Priests." Additionally, there was one Father, and above them was the "Bishop" and "Monastery Abbot" Benjamin.

The nuns and monks were the earliest to rise each day. They had to cook, clean, and handle all the tedious tasks. After breakfast, they would pray with the priests led by the Father. In the afternoon, they had more free time, but mostly spent it studying doctrines or practicing divine magic under the guidance of the priests.

In the church, everyone's status was determined by their "clerical position" — it was a common sight for a duke's daughter to serve a priest or bishop from a commoner background, which might sound like a fairy tale, but it was a reality. Just like now, after a simple wash, Sally put on her habit and, carrying a bucket, went to clean the church floor with a few familiar nuns.

Sally's current status was that of a "Nun," but because she was directly nominated by Bishop Benjamin as a "Candidate Priest," her status among the nuns was the highest. If everything went well, after the "Rose Cross" Cathedral's Cardinal Bishop Council issued an official announcement, she would become a formal "Priest."

Because of this advantage, Sally was now very "popular" among the monks.

"Good morning, Sally."

Nun Christine smoothed her long hair, raised her hand to greet Sally, and then asked, "Yesterday, Bishop Benjamin asked why you didn't go to the church. Are you not feeling well?"

"No, it was just a minor issue. I feel better after a good night's sleep." Sally's eyes were slightly swollen, showing that she hadn't rested well. She smiled, put the bucket aside, and bent down to start cleaning the church floor with a brush. "By the way, I heard you talking about the bard's story yesterday. Could you tell me more about it?"

Life in the monastery was too monotonous, and for the young, the outside world was always fresh and full of temptation. The monks and nuns could go out in their habits, and sometimes they would return a bit late, but as long as they didn't do anything bad, the Father and Bishop wouldn't be too strict. So when Sally mentioned the bard, Christine's expression immediately became excited.

"I was just about to tell you! Buck went to listen again yesterday, in the city square... The stories are very exciting. It seems yesterday's story was about how a knight's squire became a king..."

The two chatted in low voices, but it was mostly Christine talking while Sally listened. Occasionally, when the story got exciting, Sally would join in with a surprised expression or a hearty laugh, but her mood seemed different from usual, and Christine noticed something was off.

"Sally, I've never seen you laugh so happily. Is there something good happening?"

"Huh? No, I just find the story very interesting."

"It's not that. Your lips keep curling. Could you be thinking of someone?" Christine lowered her voice mysteriously, her face full of curiosity. "Hey, come on! I've never dared to ask you before... Before you came to the cathedral, did you already have... a sweetheart?"

"What sweetheart?" Sally raised her eyebrows, her oval face tensing up, and she shook her head vigorously. "No... there's nothing like that!"

Christine looked at her, then quietly leaned in. "You hesitated, so you must be thinking of someone, right?"

"No, really!"

Sally continued to shake her head, then a helpless smile appeared on her lips. "Besides... once you enter the cathedral, what's the point of thinking about those things?"

"Hey, can't you just think about it? The gods are watching us, but we haven't done anything against the doctrines! Come on, tell me—"

Christine casually cited the doctrines, then looked up and saw a priest walking nearby, quickly lowering her head and diligently scrubbing the floor.

Sally shook her head, wanting to say something, but her lips involuntarily tightened.

Yes... she couldn't get married in this life. What was the point of thinking about those extra things?

Thinking about what she had just said to Christine, although her face showed no expression, her heart was somewhat uneasy and different—because the image of that person involuntarily appeared in her mind. However, because she hadn't seen him for a long time, Roddy's face in her memory seemed somewhat blurry. The only thing she could clearly remember was the comforting scent that made her feel at ease.

Thinking carefully, what was Roddy's original identity?

In the past few months, the intelligence organization Sally had set up had gathered a lot of information for her, including all the data on "Roddy," the unremarkable border scout. However, the information only made Sally more confused: a boy who hadn't left the kingdom's borders for twenty years, how could he be the powerful person in her memory who had wiped out a group of wolf riders and killed the Scorpion King?

Recalling his curse of "eternal youth," Sally was somewhat skeptical—was he really thirty-seven years old?

Hmph... at thirty-seven, he's already a middle-aged man. How can he still not take care of girls?

Thinking about Roddy's various "rude behaviors" in the past, Sally found that she no longer felt embarrassed. Instead, she always felt a strange sense of humor—a very capable person, but completely clueless when it came to women, and always ended up making a fool of himself. It was really...

"Hey, I told you, Sally, you must be thinking of someone, right?"

Christine waved her hand in front of Sally's eyes, and Sally was startled, realizing she had been staring at the floor with the brush in her hand for a long time.

"Um... that—"

"No need to explain! Get back to work. After the prayer, I'll call Ellie and the others to interrogate you! By the way, we're going to the market today," she looked around and lowered her voice. "We'll spend the whole day there. Buck said he'll take us to the square to listen to the bard's story this afternoon. Are you coming, Sally?"

This suggestion made Sally hesitate for a moment, but she ultimately shook her head and softly declined.

Sally was well aware that Francis's people were watching her. If she went out casually, she might encounter some "accidents"—even though she had hired two mercenary groups from the mercenary guild, the funds she had left were not enough to keep the entire mercenary group guarding the monastery every day. So now, only two mercenaries were disguised as civilians "on duty" outside the monastery, and one of her subordinates was hiding nearby to relay orders.

However...

Thinking about Roddy coming to Holier City, she couldn't help but feel a bit excited—"No matter what... since he's here, he should at least come to see me."

Thinking this, Sally also understood a fact: Roddy and she were not as "close" as she imagined. To put it bluntly, that stubborn guy had probably always been "respectful but distant" towards her?

The sixteen-year-old girl was full of thoughts, troubled by the person who had left a deep impression on her life.

After finishing the floor cleaning, Sally went to help the old nuns in the monastery prepare breakfast. However, this meal was not peaceful, as several monks argued about the "bard" at the table—

"Buck, can you stop talking about that bard? It's fine for a day or two, but you've been talking about it for three or four days. I'm getting annoyed, and so are others."

The speaker was a boy named Ryan, only fourteen years old, from a baron's family, naturally with some young master's habits, straightforward and unreserved. He frowned, his words filled with impatience.

"The people in the stories are just stories. The bard's tales are just for entertainment. Do you really believe them? How can someone kill a group of wolf riders with a bow and arrow... it's ridiculous! Do you know how strong wolf riders are? Do you know how fast they charge?"

The atmosphere at the table was tense. Christine and Sally, along with a few other nuns, were eating there, so the male monks couldn't back down and had to maintain their pride. Buck, being criticized by Ryan, naturally felt embarrassed—

"So what about the wolf riders? Do you know how fast they are? Have you ever shot an arrow at a wolf rider head-on?"

"I haven't, but my grandfather has. He has a scar on his back from a wolf rider. Do you think that's enough?" Ryan was also angry, glaring at Buck. "I've shot arrows and hunted with my father. If the arrow doesn't hit a vital spot, it's not very effective against a wolf rider. Are you saying someone can hit the enemy's head with every arrow?"

"That's what the bard said!"

"So it's all fake! They just make up stories to get your copper coins."

"You... if you don't want to listen, you can stay away. You don't have to come to me and say these things!"

It was an argument, but they were all monks in the monastery, so their tempers were better than those of ordinary people. Ryan and Buck's voices were just a bit louder than usual, without any signs of a physical fight—after all, they were just a group of teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old, and such arguments were quite normal.

A few priests at the nearby table glanced over but didn't try to mediate. They just smiled and occasionally chatted with the Father, nodding and exchanging opinions. To them, this was also a way to test the children's understanding of the doctrines.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Buck, I asked you to tell stories. If it bothers you, we can change the place next time." Christine stepped in to smooth things over, sounding like she was giving in, but her words weren't very polite. This made Ryan very unhappy, and he muttered, "Just a bard who blows his own horn..."

Buck snorted, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by a gentle voice—

"Although the bard is just a bard, the orcs do exist, and there are brave warriors who fight them. His stories at least give us hope for the kingdom's army, don't they? Perhaps listening to this bard's stories will inspire many future famous generals and nobles."

Sally smiled at Ryan, calming the young monk who was about to continue arguing with Buck.

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