Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 458 A Girl's Blushing Words Are More Powerful Than Anything
In any case, Bishop Solaris accomplished his mission admirably.

With a local as a guide, Ethan was spared a lot of trouble along the way. However, when the group finally arrived at the foot of the mountain where the ruins were located, Ethan felt uneasy.

As it turned out, Old Ba wasn't lying to him. Mary did indeed have a fiery temper. Their "vanguard" Solaris, after meeting Mary, only said one thing that made her uncomfortable, and Mary kicked him out of the ruins, never to find his way back.

Perhaps this is because Solaris, being a fellow believer of the goddess of life, is somewhat reserved towards him.

"Charge, Moriko! This isn't like you!"

Little Dark was stirring things up next to Ethan.

Bazatos also curiously observed Ethan. This was a good opportunity for him to learn how to get along with humans. The next lesson was how to get along with those who harbored resentment towards him. This touched upon a blind spot in Bazatos's knowledge, because among all the humans he had encountered so far, none had dared to hold a grudge against him.

Even the followers of the true God, those veterans who participated in the Dark Ages, would have their emotions completely distorted once they truly stood before Him.

Do you think I'm afraid?

Ethan said, feigning a tough stance.

"Stop pretending, Moriko."

Little Dark didn't buy it at all. She moved next to Ethan and flicked his calf with her tail, just like best friends teasing each other. "We're like brothers, do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

"Just now, now is now."

Ethan refused to admit it, saying, "I've been completely transformed."

He would never let Solaris get hurt for nothing. While the bishop's old back was almost unable to straighten up after being kicked by Mary, Ethan was not idle. After a short stay in the far west for a few days, he came up with a perfect set of words.

"Little spy, watch carefully, I'll only demonstrate it to you once."

With this in mind, Ethan confidently followed the trajectory of the energy fluctuations, walking step by step toward the altar on the mountaintop. The energy spreading through the forest could not stop his steps. As the group followed behind him, they passed through the end of the mountain path and arrived at the end of the vegetation, finally seeing the beautiful figure in the sea of ​​flowers.

However, this encounter was completely unexpected by everyone.

Instead of the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, Mary, waiting for Ethan at the altar, looked gloomy. She squinted her left eye, gritted her teeth, and looked like a delinquent girl... She shattered the stone platform beside her into pieces with a single palm strike.

That's some serious strength!
Ethan was stunned by this scene, and his confidence immediately dropped by 60%.

"This, this isn't right..."

He whispered to Barzatos, "Mary, isn't she a priest?"

As everyone knows, priests, like elemental shapers, are superhumans who give the impression of being physically weak. However, this girl Mary's physical attack ability is also exceptional, and it doesn't match her delicate appearance at all.

Mary looks about 90% like Ivy, the only difference being that her hair is shorter than Ivy's, only tied up to her ears.

Ethan now understands that Mary definitely held back just now; if she had really used her full strength, Bishop Solaris would probably have spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Bazartos explained, "She is a fighter for the Papacy."

What is a combat class?

In Ethan's stereotype, the followers of the Cult of Life fight in a way that is no different from that of most magicians and elemental energizers; they all wield a scepter and chant spells, except that the effects of the spells differ between different sects.

"Among them, there was also a school of thought that used maces to fight. I remember someone calling her 'Valkyrie' back then. Her fighting style was to summon lightforged weapons with spells and then use those weapons to smash the enemy's head."

This evoked fond memories of Bazatos.

He deeply missed Mary's heroic figure on the battlefield. Unlike those sissies who only hid behind the knights' shields, she charged faster than the knights in almost every battle. More importantly, Mary also had a good artistic talent. The flesh and blood creations that were smashed to pieces by the light-forged weapons she summoned actually looked more artistic.

"Unfortunately, since then, the Church of Life has gone astray. There are fewer and fewer brave and decisive people like Mary, and more and more effeminate men hiding in the back casting spells."

Ethan, who was also a spellcaster, felt offended.

He felt that it was just a difference in fighting style, and had nothing to do with whether someone was a tough guy or a sissy.

The staring contest between the two groups seemed to last an eternity, and Mary's expression underwent many changes, from initial shock to a deep blush that spread all the way to the roots of her neck.

Ethan discovered that Mary was a girl who blushed easily; whether she was shy or annoyed, she would blush.

Her throat bobbed a few times, and she hurriedly explained to Ethan, "This...this stone isn't hard at all, it's just like wood."

"Uh……"

"You'll see if you try it!"

Mary easily picked up a stone more than half a meter long, ran briskly to Ethan, and let go of it, causing the stone to fall to the ground.

This time it was Ethan's turn to blush.

This is the third emotion besides shyness and annoyance.

The main reason was that a rock hit the instep of his foot.

As a magic-based class with "weak physical constitution", this unexpected attack dealt him 99 points of damage, and he was almost unconscious.

He understood completely.

Mary's grip was much stronger than he had imagined.

"look."

To demonstrate to Ethan that her words were true, Mary gently crushed the stone she had broken off into powder in front of him. This scene was full of visually contradictory art, intertwined and as impressive as Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree.

Mary reiterated, "Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not the kind of girl with a bad temper or violent tendencies."

However, Ethan interpreted these words differently; it was clear that this wasn't the first time she had been "misunderstood" like this.

"I believe you."

Ethan managed a weak reply, convinced his foot must be swollen.

"That's good."

Mary snapped her fingers and began setting up the ruins in front of Ethan. Juice, fruit baskets, and pink desserts that looked like cakes were thoughtfully provided with honey and jam. She used her life energy to promote the change and growth of the vegetation. Before long, a brand-new round wooden table was placed in front of everyone.

Just as Ethan was inwardly marveling at the fact that even the Valkyries of the Holy See had a girlish side, a gleaming axe fell from Mary's "storage space" to her feet.

"Uh……"

Mary straightened up, held her breath, and thought hard for a while before explaining, "You know, I like to do some woodworking. I helped my dad with carpentry when I was a kid. Don't get me wrong, this axe is definitely not for chopping people."

She wanted to make a good impression on Ethan because he was the first person she genuinely respected.

In the past, her style of doing things had caused her a lot of trouble. Those in the Vatican who knew her were afraid of her, and the new priests, after spending some time with her, also kept their distance.

This is why her final resting place was built in the mountains far from the Cathedral of the Crown of Dawn. Although the papacy at the time said in a grand manner that this was the highest honor the papacy could bestow upon her, and that her achievements were enough to warrant an independent resting place for her, people were secretly gossiping that burying her fiery temper with other papal heroes would pollute the cemetery and might even breed vengeful spirits.

“Mary, you don’t have to do this.”

Ethan picked up his juice glass and smiled.

Mary was far too reserved in their presence, looking like a lonely child who, when finally welcoming visitors to her home, fawned over them with an almost servile attitude.

From a temporal perspective, Mary's soul has rested here ever since the end of the Third Age, and no one has been able to reach the summit of these mountains for many years.

"We're friends, right?"

Ethan offered his glass, inviting him to a toast, saying, "Mutual understanding and tolerance are the essence of friendship."

This has always been his attitude towards making friends.

Even if we take a step back and consider only the level of danger among his many friends, Mary's ability to crush stones with her bare hands wouldn't even rank in the top three. After all, he's someone who's seen it all.

Bazatos watched all this silently from the sidelines, and when Ethan spoke, he nodded in empathy.

He immediately thought of himself, and of how his art had been unappreciated for a long time. Even the most fervent believers could not understand his true intentions. They interpreted the art he used for creation and construction as a weapon to destroy the world, which disappointed him even more than the slander from his enemies.

Bazatos felt that Mary, who was stunned at this moment, was just like himself when he first met Ethan.

So He also picked up the juice.

Clinking glasses is a form of etiquette created by humankind, used in social situations to express friendliness.

“Mary, here, just show your true self.”

These words deeply touched Mary's heart. In a daze, she drank the juice in the glass in one gulp. Now, all that remained here was her broken soul. She should not be able to taste the juice. However, after thousands of years, her taste buds once again felt a familiar yet strange taste.

Yes, they are friends.

There's no need to hide things between friends, but in the past, friends were a real luxury for her.

Almost everyone who approached her had ulterior motives.

After the Scarlet Plague ended, she was shrouded in a mire of concealment, her temper became much more subdued, and she became hesitant in her actions. Every day she spent in the Cathedral of the Dawn was spent in oppression.

Because she was Saint Mary.

People sing praises of her great achievements, and celebrate her existence as if she were a goddess of life walking among mortals.

Therefore, she must also respond to people's expectations of her.

Mary savored the taste the juice left in her soul, gazing intently at Ethan.

Since we're friends, what should we say to each other after not seeing each other for a long time?
She asked herself.

What does she most want to say at this moment?
Just let go of your pretense and show your most authentic self.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Mary's face, but the next moment, the smile vanished, replaced by a winter-like chill.

"Senko, you bastard, you dared to stand me up for a year and seven months! You're asking for it!"

The vegetation throughout the valley stirred restlessly at this powerful question, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a thunderclap streaked across the night.

Mary held a long-handled axe in both hands, but now it didn't look like it was for woodworking.

The benefits of the Church of Life are fully demonstrated here – even if she accidentally hurts a friend in a playful fight, she only needs one spell to restore the other person to normal.

This is the place where Mary was most satisfied with this journey a thousand years ago.

Her eyes flashed with lightning, and Ethan felt as if he were staring directly into the storm itself.

This stalemate lasted for several minutes before Mary suddenly realized something, and her tone became hesitant, "...Was that too much?"

She paused for a long time, carefully choosing her words, "Oh, Mr. Ethan, what I mean is, if you ever stand me up for another year and seven months, I'll kick your ass pretty hard."

"There's a reason for that."

"Ok?"

"Since Julius' death, too many things have changed in the far west. Now the Pope is a man named Carlo."

“I’ve heard of him.”

"After becoming Pope, Carlo introduced a series of policies, one of which was to establish a border administration bureau and set up checkpoints on the border of the far west to conduct the strictest screening of every entrant. Among them, the Imperials were listed as unwelcome, and from then on, the Imperials could no longer set foot in the far west through legal means."

Ethan's voice was filled with sorrow, a silent indictment of Pope Carlo.

Xiao An, who was listening in, immediately widened his eyes.

This guy is spouting complete nonsense!

He stood Mary up for over a year because he completely forgot about it. Pope Carlo, though despicable, had absolutely nothing to do with this matter!
But when she tried to refute Ethan in her mind, she was surprised to find that everything Ethan said was true.

He simply reiterated the policies implemented by Carlo, leading Mary to blame Carlo herself.

Ethan glanced at the black cat on the table and smiled nonchalantly.

Learn from this, little rascal, this is the art of language.

Clearly, he had achieved great success, Mary Catalogue's fierce light.

"Carlo!"

These two words were almost squeezed out from between the teeth.

“He did much more than that.”

Ethan went on to state the “facts” he knew: “Not only has he restricted the Imperials’ freedom to visit their friends in the far west, but now he wants to start a war that will force friends to turn against each other.”

"Take me to him."

The girl's blush spoke louder than any words.

That was the look in someone's eyes that seemed to be ready to twist their head off.

(End of this chapter)