“Lady Veronica, the guest you invited has arrived.”
Following the nun's announcement, a calm yet solemn voice soon echoed from the room:
“Yes, let him in.”
Upon receiving the response, the nun at the door pushed open the room for Greg. Before he stepped inside, she pointedly glared at him and warned in a low voice:
“Mind your manners. That is our Saintess.”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you for the reminder.”
Greg was already well-accustomed to this nun's warnings, as this was already his third time coming to Veronica's room.
The first time was to be questioned, the second time was to plant a seed, and this time... he wasn't actually sure where things would lead.
The good news, however, was that thanks to his face-saving visits the first two times, the nun did not stay in the room to keep an eye on him after closing the door like she did the first time. Instead, she withdrew directly, leaving the space to the two of them.
“Hehe, looks like becoming a familiar face has its perks,” Greg teased softly, but he quickly wiped the smile from his face.
He straightened his collar, took a deep breath, and walked toward the main hall.
To be honest, he was still feeling somewhat anxious.
He and Veronica had not met alone since the previous incident ended.
As the current Saintess of the Church, she had to step forward to maintain order and comfort the believers after the chaos ended.
Meanwhile, he was just a student who had to participate in the reconstruction work organized by the academy, carrying bricks and hauling stones every day, exhausted like a pack mule.
Both of them were so busy that they had never found a suitable time to talk.
Thus, Greg was currently unsure what Veronica had associated with the previous incident and the seed he had planted beforehand.
The worst-case scenario was that, as someone in the know, she had already suspected him of being the Bishop of the Dark Night Order, since he was the one who had rescued Wendy, and she had stayed with him before her subsequent disappearance.
The best-case scenario was that she simply thought he was unlucky and had been caught up in the Dark Night Order's business.
Although Greg was indeed taking a gamble, it was all for his future happiness!
With an uneasy heart, Greg walked into the main hall.
Then, he froze.
Veronica was half-kneeling on the floor.
Her silky, platinum-blonde hair fell over her shoulders, shimmering with a soft glow in the sunlight filtering through the window.
When she looked up at Greg, her eyes, which were usually gently narrowed, opened completely, revealing a clear and bright gaze.
“Lord Greg!”
Her voice was completely different from her flat response to the nun earlier, carrying a heartfelt warmth:
“Thanks to you discovering his identity and successfully drawing him out. Although the process was a bit turbulent, in the end, I've managed to complete my mission for the Church, once again proving my devotion to Lady Serafina. Thank you for your help!”
Seeing this, the heavy stone hanging in Greg's heart finally dropped.
This proved that Veronica still trusted him, and the initiative in their conversation now seemed to be in his hands.
Thus, Greg stepped forward, reached out to help Veronica up from the floor, and said in a gentle tone:
“Actually, you don't need to be so grateful to me. After all, aside from drawing him out, I did almost nothing. You were the one who forced him to show his trump card, and the one who actually killed him was Olivia, the Headmistress of Glory Cael Magic Academy.”
He paused, looking straight into Veronica's eyes.
“And besides that, you surely have other things you want to ask me, don't you?”
“As expected, nothing escapes you...”
Seeing that he had completely guessed her thoughts, Veronica was silent for a moment before she slowly raised her head.
“I... do have one thing I want to ask you.”
She took a deep breath and asked, “How did you know about the existence of the Dark Night Order beforehand?”
Greg thought to himself: Here it comes. The seed I planted just in case is finally paying off.
He fell silent for a moment, and then, in a voice intentionally layered with deep solemnity and a sense of vicissitude, his gaze turning distant, he slowly spoke:
“In my past life, I once fought across the lands for Lady Serafina. During those long years, I traveled to many places and met many people, so I heard some things about the faith of the Goddess of Night, Nightmare.”
“Although her believers and her past with Lady Serafina have long been buried in the dust of history, I know that She indeed existed.”
“As for why I know about the existence of the Dark Night Order now...”
Greg paused, turned to Veronica, and asked in return:
“Do you remember what I told you before, that my body bears a shackle that even I cannot accept?”
Veronica nodded, her platinum-blonde hair swaying gently with her movement:
“Yes. You also said that when the time was right, you would personally show me the reason why you didn't return to the Church immediately.”
“It seems you remember very well.”
Greg said, “Then... now is the right time I spoke of.”
Having said that, he reached out and unbuckled his belt.
Seeing this action, Veronica was first stunned, and then her cheeks flushed red at a speed visible to the naked eye, spreading from behind her ears all the way down to her neck. Even her breathing became somewhat rushed.
She hurriedly covered her eyes with both hands, her voice carrying a hint of panic and bashfulness:
“W-Wait, Lord Greg! Although I respect you deeply, I'm not mentally prepared for this kind of thing yet!!!”
Her voice was a whole pitch higher than usual, completely lacking her daily calm and gentle demeanor. Instead, she was like a young girl who had suddenly been confessed to, utterly flustered.
Although she covered her eyes, there was actually a gap left between her fingers. She seemed to want to look but was afraid to, a conflicted expression that, if seen by others in the Church, would probably make them suspect if this Saintess had been swapped out.
But in the end, she made up her mind and peered cautiously at Greg through the gap between her fingers, and then her entire being went stiff.
Because the scene before her was completely different from the anatomical knowledge she had learned. All she saw was a cylinder radiating a holy light.
The light flowed slowly within a platinum-gold aura, as if it were alive, outlining a complex and sacred pattern.
“This is...”
Veronica slowly lowered the hands covering her eyes, her gaze filled with shock.
Looking at her expression, Greg slowly explained:
“The reason why I know about the existence of the Dark Night Order is actually because, before I regained the memories of my past life, my current self had already joined this order.”
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