The crowd parted on its own. This was Flora's first time seeing the boy. He wore a fluffy, snow-white fox fur coat and gently brushed aside the knights blocking his path, descending before her like God Himself.
Flora stood frozen, staring blankly at his face, completely spellbound. He was so pure, so holy, and breathtakingly beautiful.
“Is that child sick?”
Only when the boy spoke again did Flora suddenly snap out of it, remembering that Inez was hanging by a thread.
“Please, I beg you, save her! It's all my fault, all my fault...” She put the girl down, holding her tightly in her arms.
The knight frowned slightly. Remembering the warnings the Cardinal had given them before they came, she couldn't help but feel a surge of vigilance.
It was too coincidental. Why did this girl happen to fall ill the exact moment His Holiness arrived?
She sheathed her longsword, staying on guard against any possible sudden attacks as she stepped forward to examine the girl's condition.
“Your Holiness, she is beyond saving,” the knight concluded after checking her breath.
And it was indeed the truth. Had she received immediate medical attention, there might have been a slim chance of survival, but starting treatment now was simply too late.
“No! Inez...” Hearing the terrible news, Flora could no longer hold back her tears and wept aloud.
Lu Li couldn't help but sigh softly as he watched. It wasn't that he was being overly kind, but seeing these children was like looking at his past self.
“Can you let me take a look at her?” he asked.
Before Flora could answer, the knight stepped forward to block him. “Your Holiness, what if they are...”
“They are not,” Lu Li interrupted, shaking his head. He said softly, “They are just two poor children.”
“But...”
“Step down, Xiawei.”
The knight wanted to say more, but Anthelia spoke up. Hearing her, the knight glanced at the Commander standing beside His Holiness, silently shut her mouth, and stepped aside.
Anthelia knew very well that while Lu Li seemed gentle-tempered, he was actually incredibly stubborn. If he weren't, he wouldn't have insisted on staying in Gargo back then, refusing to return no matter what.
Hearing those two words, Flora was not only stunned, but her crying also came to an abrupt halt.
Your Holiness...?
He... he is the Pope?
The tyrant who started the war?
The boy squatted down in front of her, solemnly observing the girl's condition, seemingly completely unaware of her complex gaze.
“She's bleeding a lot. Did she hit her head? But there should still be a chance to save her.”
Lu Li had never been a doctor, but he still possessed basic judgment. In a situation like this, where her breathing had already stopped, ordinary means would definitely not save her life.
Therefore, he needed to try another method.
“Are... are you telling the truth?”
“Please save her!”
Hearing this, Flora felt as if she were grabbing onto a lifesaving straw, and she knelt straight down before him.
No matter what he was—a tyrant or a devil—as long as he could bring Inez back to life, she would pray earnestly every single day from now on.
“Alright, alright, there's no need for this. I will do my best.”
Feeling a bit helpless, Lu Li reached out his hand toward the girl on the ground and tried to activate his authority.
The moment the holy light bloomed, time suddenly froze. The world fell into stillness; all people and objects, including that brilliant light, were frozen in place.
“Again?” Lu Li could guess what was happening even with his eyes closed.
As expected, it was that woman again.
Morningstar walked through the parted crowd and stopped right in front of Lu Li.
Looking down at the boy from above, she said in an indifferent voice, “Do you really think of yourself as a savior?”
“Huh?” Lu Li looked up at her, finding it completely baffling.
“Death is a path determined by fate. Have you ever thought about what kind of price you will pay for saving her?” Morningstar asked.
“What exactly are you trying to say?” Lu Li raised an eyebrow.
What on earth was she rambling about?
He wanted to save her, so he would. It was that simple. Was there a problem with that?
“I thought someone like you wouldn't do anything without getting some benefit from it.” Morningstar paused, then continued, “It seems I misjudged you.”
Lu Li's expression grew a bit more solemn upon hearing this. Judging by her tone, had this woman been peeping on him this entire time?
Thinking back to the laughter he had heard in the royal palace of Northland that day, he couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine.
But soon, Lu Li let out a soft laugh. “Who said there's no benefit?”
Morningstar's expression froze slightly, and she immediately wore an expression that invited him to elaborate.
“Think about it—” The boy stood up and paced in front of her. “While it's true I'm only saving one girl right now.”
Morningstar nodded, and Lu Li continued:
“But she won't stay a girl forever! Perhaps one day in the future, she will become a powerful knight, and maybe she'll even save my life?”
As his voice fell, Morningstar's lips couldn't help but twitch.
And here she thought it was something profound! It was nothing more than baseless fantasy.
“Have it your way,” she huffed, and then added, “I'm only here to remind you that bringing a dead person back to life is very different from healing a living one.”
Having said her piece, she stopped looking at Lu Li's reaction, turned, and walked back the way she came, her figure growing fainter and fainter until she vanished entirely.
Time began to flow once more, and the girl bathed in the holy light slowly opened her eyes.
“Flo... ra, what happened to me? Am... am I dead?”
The moment Inez spoke, Flora's tears gushed out once more, this time in sheer joy.
“You're not dead! You're not dead, you're alive! His Holiness the Pope saved you!” Flora said loudly, her eyes filled with immense gratitude as she looked up at the boy.
“His... Holiness?”
Inez's pupils dilated slightly, and she immediately struggled to climb up from the ground, but Flora quickly supported her.
“Your Holiness, did you really save me...? You took us in and gave us a place to stay, letting us eat our fill every day, and now you have saved my life... How... how can I ever repay you?”
Her words were filled with deep reverence. Without this benevolent Pope, they might still be wandering outside, living a precarious life.
Carried away by her emotions, the girl had blurted out her gratitude, but when she finally got a clear look at the boy's appearance, she hurriedly lowered her head in panic.
It was simply because the boy's radiance was too dazzling. Even just standing in front of him made Inez feel utterly ashamed of her own unworthiness.
Perhaps someone like herself didn't even have the right to repay His Holiness's kindness?
“If you want to repay me, then work hard to grow. I believe we will meet again one day.”
The boy's gentle voice rang out. Having given up on any expectations, Inez looked up in disbelief, her eyes meeting his clean, pure gaze.
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