Chapter 288 : Return

Chapter 288 : Return

Around a minute later, Alex and the goddess finally stopped laughing, and Alex settled back into his chair from which he had fallen in mirth.

"What was the name of this priest?" Alex inquired, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"Desmond," the goddess replied, her tone shifting slightly more serious. "His name is recorded in the register of the Church of Light as the man who elevated the church's influence to unprecedented heights but paradoxically also tarnished its reputation more than anyone in history."

Alex chuckled at this revelation. "I would have loved to meet that guy," he said after a moment.

"Unfortunately, the old hag killed him herself and claimed his soul, so only she knows what truly happened to him," the goddess sighed. "But tell you what, if you manage to get one of her nuns in your bed, I guarantee you a reward."

Alex considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. "We have a deal."

"Just be careful. After what happened with Desmond, the old hag made sure situations like that wouldn't happen again."

"Mm," Alex nodded, understanding the gravity of her warning.

"Well, I think that's all," the goddess of lust finally said, her tone shifting to one of finality. "It's time for you to return."

"Before I go," Alex began, "can I know your name?"

"Not now, lover boy," the goddess replied seductively, her voice smooth and melodic, sending Alex into a daze. It was as if each syllable wrapped around his mind, intoxicating him. "For now, you can call me Lust."

Before Alex could muster another word, his vision darkened, and he felt himself being pulled back into his body.

***

At that moment, as Alex was being returned to his physical form, a group of young women arrived at the Church of the Goddess of Light, located in the capital city of the Fiore Empire. This group comprised the nun Miba and her two bodyguards, Umra and Mara.

"Finally home," Umra sighed as they were allowed entry into the church after a brief inspection.

"Yes, we are fi—" Mina began, but her words caught in her throat when a priest approached them, informing them that the bishop had ordered their presence in his office immediately upon their return.

The three friends exchanged nervous glances, worry etched on their faces, before they reluctantly made their way toward the bishop's office. The atmosphere grew heavy with a strange silence as they walked.

A few minutes later, they stood before a heavy wooden door. Above it, a statue of the Goddess of Light gleamed, radiating a serene aura.

Mina glanced at the statue, took a deep breath to steady her racing heart, and decisively pushed open the door.

The first thing she noticed as she stepped inside the office was a pair of deep green eyes fixed intently on her.

Those eyes belonged to a man dressed in a flowing white robe that draped elegantly over his form. The fabric shimmered subtly, and the intricate golden embroidery along the edges suggested a position of great authority. He had equally deep green hair, neatly styled, and wore a calm expression that could easily be mistaken for indifference. However, the three young women who had just entered his office knew better than to believe that.

The bishop snorted, but chose not to argue further. Instead, his attention shifted back to Mina, and his tone grew stern again. "Now, would you care to explain why it took you so long to return?"

Mina turned to the bishop, her demeanor unexpectedly serious. "We were kidnapped on our way back by the Night Bandits group."

"What?!" Both the bishop and the high priest exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, it happened when we tried to rescue a village that had been attacked by them," Mina explained, proceeding to recount the events of their capture and subsequent rescue by Alex and his group.

Once Mina finished her story, the high priest sighed deeply. "It seems you three have had quite the ordeal these past weeks."

Even the usually stoic and easily angered bishop nodded in agreement, his expression softening ever so slightly.

"Well, thanks to all of that, I made a new friend!" Mara said, her excitement evident.

The high priest smiled at her enthusiasm. "If the opportunity arises, I would like to meet this friend of yours and personally thank her for—hm?" he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing as he looked closely at Mina. After a long pause, he frowned and asked, "Where's the necklace I gifted you?"

Mina smiled sheepishly, her eyes dropping to the floor. "Well... I didn't have anything valuable on me, so I gave the necklace to the ones who rescued us as payment."

At her words, the color drained from the high priest's face, turning deathly pale.

"L-Little one, y-you're joking, right?" the high priest stammered, his voice quivering.

"No, I'm serious," Mina replied, blinking in confusion. "Why? Was that necklace valuable?"

"Valuable, she asks," the bishop muttered under his breath, his hand clenched into a fist. It had been a long time since he felt the urge to curse, but this was one of those rare moments. Not only curse, but also beat the living daylights out of someone.

"E-Everything isn't lost," the high priest said, his voice shaky as he struggled to maintain composure. "Do you at least know who you gave the necklace to? I promise we can find something even better to offer him in exchange. So, do you know who he was?" His eyes pleaded desperately for hope.

Faced with this overwhelming pressure, Mina looked at the ground, her voice small as she replied, "He was wearing a mask. I don't know who he was or what he looked like."

"Ah," the high priest exhaled shakily, "I-I see."

Those were the last words he managed to say before his legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor.

"HIGH PRIEST!" the four others in the room rushed toward him to check on his condition.

After a tense few seconds, the bishop finally sighed in relief. "He'll be fine. He just fainted."

"I-I don't understand," Mina stammered, her voice full of confusion. "Why would he react like that just over a necklace?"

The bishop glared at her before letting out a weary sigh. "That 'necklace,' as you call it, is one of the three most powerful relics of the entire church... and you just gave it away to some random guy."