After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Academic exchange... seems more like a deception orchestrated by both sides.

In fact, from the moment Paul first saw the old church from afar, he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, apart from a white-bearded priest who walked with a limp, the only other people in the entire church were a group of elderly nuns...

Paul fell into deep thought. After confirming several times that these were all their members, even Paul himself didn't know why he suddenly felt a sense of loss.

"Don't worry, His Highness the Duke gives us a living allowance every month, so we don't have to worry about food and clothing," a burly nun assured her, patting her chest.

"Oh, okay, thank you for your help."

After settling the nuns in, Paul felt a moment of mental confusion as he walked out of the church.

Could he have been deceived by the Duke? He clearly saw her before; in the Northern Territory, there was a young nun with spring-like green hair, possessing extremely high attainments in goddess magic, and a beautiful soul…

He quickly stopped a passerby and politely asked, "Excuse me, is this the largest church in our Northern Territory?"

The passerby nodded, then smiled and asked, "Otherwise what? Is there another church in Ice City?"

Well, perhaps she was just a nun from the common people. The Duke didn't value papal affairs and didn't even inform the clergy when he succeeded to the throne, so it's understandable that he didn't discover such a talent.

Paul comforted himself in this way.

Refocusing his attention on the archbishop's mission, Paul went out into the street and headed toward the noble district.

Now that the archbishop has identified his target, he should begin his investigation with the Marquis's mansion.

Unlike the royal city, the noble district of Ice City is unusually lively, with commoners strolling around everywhere, and there are no noble carriages on the road.

In front of the gate of a mansion, people gathered together, their shouts of bidding rising higher and higher.

Paul approached and saw a young girl with long, light blue hair and a wooden mallet wrapped around her arm, standing in front of the stage, loudly auctioning off items from the mansion.

At her feet, for some reason, lay a lamb.

The items being auctioned are mostly small items, such as tableware and jars, and the prices are not expensive.

"Eight sets of small ceramic jars for storing seasonings, twelve jars per set, starting bid one copper coin!"

The girl pounded the hammer heavily, as if she had touched a wound, and grimaced for several seconds.

"I want one, young lady, I want one!"

"Me! I want one too, young lady, look at me!"

Miss Luna Charles?

Paul was stunned for a long time before he connected the person in front of him with the image of Luna in his memory. She was actually Luna, who was as cold as ice when she was studying in the royal city and always gave others the cold shoulder.

"Don't worry if you didn't get one. Tomorrow, that shop sells ceramics, so everyone will have jars to buy."

After selling all the small pottery jars, Luna pointed to another mansion next door, tapped her gavel indifferently, and had her servants bring in new items.

"Next item: iron cutlery from the Dwarf Kingdom! Made of fine steel, the kind that can be passed down for generations. There are fifty sets in total, with a starting bid of... two copper coins per set!"

In the crowd, a nun carefully examined the style of the knives, then stepped forward and said, "Luna, I'll take all the knives, you can keep selling the forks."

"Who is it? This is an auction, not a shopping mall. Why are you picking and choosing?" Luna looked over when she heard this, and when she saw that it was Sister Janet, she quickly changed her expression and forced a smile.

"It'll be delivered to you right away!"

Carrying a small wooden box full of knives, Jenny left the auction site, with Luna's voice selling dinner forks and the laughter of the residents echoing behind her.

No one seemed to care about this little incident; they could all more or less guess the nun's purpose, which was nothing more than the surgical instruments.

It is said that Miss Luna spent a long time negotiating before finally managing to secure the auction deal from the Duke for just three gold coins.

The young lady was so full of confidence at the beginning, but her embarrassed expression when she encountered Lady Eleanor and Sister Janet was hilarious.

"Hello, Sister, it's nice to see you again." Paul caught up with Jenny and greeted her first.

"Oh, it's you, Sir Knight. What brings you to the Northern Territory so soon?" Jenny, carrying the wooden box, nodded slightly, her expression somewhat puzzled.

It shouldn't be a coincidence. This high-ranking paladin from the royal city was sent to the Northern Territory on the orders of the archbishop. How long has it been...? Has the royal city's papacy become so extravagant that it uses paladins as errand runners?

Paul quickly explained, "The archbishop sent me to bring ten nuns from the Vatican to the Northern Territory for an academic exchange..."

"Well, let me formally introduce myself. I am Paul, the Holy Knight Commander of the Papacy."

"Jenny, Minister of Medical Affairs of the Northern Territory."

Jenny reluctantly reached out her hand, but Paul took the box from her. He lifted the wooden box with one hand and solemnly shook hands with Jenny with the other.

"Let me help you." Paul quickly released his hand, his every word and action strictly adhering to etiquette. "The head of the medical department... Miss Janice, doesn't you work at the church?"

Jenny smiled and expressed her gratitude, saying, "There are always things to do in the Northern Territory, and I can't just work hard to worship the goddess."

"I see. Helping others is also practicing the teachings of the goddess. You have a noble heart."

Seeing Paul's serious expression, Jenny smiled gently as she walked, "People in the Northern Territory don't use these kinds of compliments. His Excellency the Duke often warns the faculty not to define beauty or ugliness, good or evil."

"When people have a fixed idea of ​​beauty, they will despise ugliness; when people know how to feign kindness, morality will collapse."

Paul, who often praised others' souls with his beauty, was stunned. "I see. I've learned something new."

Everyone has their own beauty and ugliness, good and evil. This is not only a gift from the goddess, but also a law of nature. He had previously overlooked this point.

"It's not so much that I was taught, but when the Duke jokingly asked me how to become a saint, I had some insights."

Saint... The image of Saint Maria reappeared before his eyes. Paul took a deep breath and banished the image from his mind.

"His Excellency the Duke said: 'The sage teaches without words and acts without doing.' So, I have only said a few words, how can I expect anyone to feel enlightened?"

Upon hearing this, Paul was both amused and exasperated. He truly didn't know what to say, but seeing Jenny's genuinely troubled expression, a smile crept onto his face.

The two walked and talked, and soon arrived at Jenny's medical department.

The so-called medical department was just an inconspicuous little house, but considering that apart from a few handymen and a dozen apprentices, only Jenny was actually in charge of the work, everything made sense.

Paul placed the wooden crate against the wall, got up to say goodbye, and was stopped by Jenny.

She frowned and looked Paul up and down for a while, leaving Paul somewhat at a loss.

Then Jenny sighed and said, "Mr. Paul, when I first met you, I was only suspicious. But now I'm certain that you have a hidden ailment, don't you?"

Is it because her mastery of goddess magic is too high?!

Paul appeared calm, but was inwardly astonished. No one except the archbishop knew of his hidden ailment.

Oswald: I know that too. I also know that you eventually died on the battlefield fighting against the monsters because you were overworked.

"I have no intention of revealing your secret, but, Mr. Paul, if this continues, your internal organs will be in irreversible failure within five years."

"You can't be like those farmers who avoid seeking medical help because they're sick."

Her words were as gentle as a light drizzle. Paul stood there, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to this kind of equal concern.

He is a gifted and powerful individual. His decades of rigorous training are all for the purpose of protecting others. Even when severely injured, he will tell those he protects that he is alright...

At this moment, he wanted to say that he was fine and wanted to turn around and leave, but he couldn't take a step and seemed to be lost in a daze.

"Come sit here, let me check your body."

After a long silence, under Jenny's patient and calm gaze, Paul finally nodded stiffly and softly uttered that word.

"it is good."

In the hazy light, it was initially the girl's tiny palm.

She was held in the arms of the white-bearded archbishop, like a delicately carved jade dumpling, fast asleep with her eyes closed, like an angel in a mural.

"Like you, Paul, she lost her parents. You have to take good care of her for me."

……

She didn't smile much, and was a bit picky about food. She would always sit alone on the grass with her scriptures in her arms, head down, her big eyes always alert to anyone passing by.

To put her at ease, he ate the food she didn't like and took her to a corner of the training field so she could read in peace.

There, a tall man became her godfather.

……

As she grew older and became more cheerful, she was happy to have a father and began to learn how to express her temper.

Her talent was highly anticipated by the Vatican, just like his.

But he not only had to cope with his own training, he also had to pay attention to her emotions at all times, using exaggerated gestures and words to make her happy, so as to ensure that she studied hard and realized her innate talent.

……

Habits are a terrible thing; they can make you feel like nothing will ever change.

From the moment she became a saintess while he could only be a paladin, he keenly noticed that subtle gap.

Occasionally, she would speak to him in a commanding tone.

He also learned new ways to make girls happy.

That is to take on the battles that should have been led by her, fighting against monsters, heretics, and witches day after day, year after year...

During one battle, the witch's poison still managed to invade his internal organs.

……

Now, he doesn't know how to face her anymore.

She has a new companion, a true hero.

Fighting naturally became his job, while she was chosen to become the hero's assistant.

Then, for the first time, they embarked on the path to vanquish the calamity.

……

Don't go!

Paul suddenly woke up and found himself in front of an unfamiliar ceiling.

"You're awake, Mr. Paul."

The familiar voice awakened his memory: "I was just undergoing a check-up?"

Paul got up and was surprised to find that his body felt much lighter, but the pain from his ailment had not disappeared, only been effectively relieved.

He looked in the direction of the sound and found Jenny sitting at the desk by the window, turning the pages of a book by the light of an oil lamp, speaking softly to him.

"There's something I must tell you, Mr. Paul. The ailment in your body was caused by the healer deliberately retaining some of the toxins, and it's now very difficult to eradicate."