บท 42: The Fallen Saintess (38)
"May the blessing of Lord Varion flow through you…"
"The Lord of Light in his infinite mercy has brought you here for guidance. His followers shall follow the path of righteousness and justice…"
"I invoke the name of his holiness and beseech him to help those who are wounded and sick…"
Elisa's voice rang out through the open square as holy runes surrounded her thin and frail body.
The former saintess was standing before a crowd of believers who stared at her with expressions of reverence and awe.
Elisa slowly walked down from the raised platform while being escorted by the heavily armoured knight by her side.
Claire's cold expression made those in the crowd with ill intentions towards the former saintess immediately withdraw their plans.
Elisa hummed softly as she reached out her palm and placed it on the forehead of an elderly man who had a broken leg with the bone sticking out of his skin.
A burst of holy light erupted from her fingertips as the former saintess muttered a few incomprehensible words under her breath.
When the light vanished, the elderly man stood up with his leg fully restored to its former healthy state.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he knelt down and thanked the former saintess sincerely.
Elisa's actions made the crowd restless, but Claire casually dropped her hand to the hilt of her sword and the atmosphere instantly calmed down.
For the rest of the morning, Elisa continued to heal the injured and sick in the crowd of believers and in doing so managed to increase the reputation of the church.
Fear was useful to the extent where it made the various underground organisations hesitant to attack the church, but it was not enough…
To truly integrate the Varion Church into the city there needed to be an increase the number of believers.
The sun merrily drifted across the sky as a soft gentle breeze wandered through the city.
Beads of sweat formed on Elisa's forehead and her fragile physique seemed to get weaker.
"That's enough for today," Claire sternly whispered as she reached into the bag attached to her waist and pulled out a handkerchief.
She gently wiped Elisa's forehead and for a brief moment a warm smile flashed across her face that was too fast for anyone to detect.
Elisa's skin was soft…
At such a close distance, Claire was mesmerised by Elisa's deep crimson eyes that only she could see.
Those two plump lips were incredibly inviting, and Claire had to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss them.
She coughed twice and nervously stepped backwards as those dirty thoughts surfaced in her mind.
Elisa didn't notice her unusual reaction since she was focused on healing a young teenage girl whose entire upper body was covered in rashes.
"May Lord Varion's light shine upon you…" Elisa softly whispered as she placed one finger on the girl's forehead.
A dazzling beam of light erupted from her fingertip and entered the teenage girl's body.
The nasty rashes on her upper body slowly disappeared and her skin became clear and healthy.
Elisa stumbled slightly as she felt the familiar feeling of overdraft. Using too much holy magic placed a tremendous amount of strain on her mana pathways.
"The high priestess Elisa will return to preach at the same time tomorrow," Claire loudly spoke as she held out her arm for the former saintess to hold.
There were a few voices of complaint in the crowd from those who had not gotten treated yet, but Claire simply leaked a trace of her killing intent and the discontent voices quickly vanished.
Elisa looped her arm around Claire's with a familiar motion and allowed herself to be escorted back to the entrance of the local temple.
Workers from the temple waited until the pair had entered the building before uncovering the quilts on the nearby carts.
The Varion Church would provide free food and drink after the service and that idea came from Claire.
This was a simple but effective method to get people to come regardless of whether they believed in the Lord of Light or not.
Elisa leaned in closer to Claire and stared at the female knight out of the corner of her eyes.
Claire's cold beauty made her heart race, and a reddish blush began to spread across her cheeks.
The pair wandered through the newly transformed church while nodding politely at the young children and workers who crossed their path.
The interior of the church was now completely different, and one could not even recognise it when compared to how it looked before.
The excessive and vulgar displays of wealth such as the expensive pieces of artwork and gold-plated statues were now completely gone.
Some rooms had been turned into dorms for the newly arrived orphans and children in need who were dropped off at the church.
In addition to bedrooms, Claire had made sure that the large open hall on the second floor was converted into a classroom.
It had been difficult but eventually teachers had been found so that the children had an opportunity to gain an education.
The best way to get out of poverty was to gain knowledge.
It was not a foolproof method, but education brought nothing but benefits to the children.
Claire even hosted a knight training class in the evenings where any student interested in learning how to fight could sign up.
Training the body and the mind was essential in becoming a healthy individual.
Claire's train of thought was interrupted by a soft voice that came from the former saintess by her side.
"Can you carry me back to my room?" Elisa sweetly asked as she stared at Claire with a hopeful expression.
The female knight embraced the thin former saintess in her arms and held her up in a princess carry.
Elisa pretended to be calm, but the reddish tips of her ears gave away her true feelings.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
It was almost as though she could hear the beating of Claire's heart through the white armour even though that was impossible.
Claire carried Elisa through the corridor leading up to her bedroom without a single word of complaint.
The female knight opened the door with one hand and then headed for the bed where she gently placed Elisa down on the mattress.
Claire stepped back respectfully as Elisa pulled up the blanket and began to get herself comfortable.
There was an ambiguous atmosphere in the room and Claire remained frozen in place since she wasn't sure what to do next.
Elisa peeked out from under the blanket and silently laughed when she saw the dumbfounded expression on her guardian knight's face.
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HopelesslyRomantic
HopelesslyRomantic Hello my dear readers,
Nice slow paced chapter today. There are some exciting plot twists planned for the future so look out!
Thanks for reading :D
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