After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

"But I don't need it anymore. I don't need your loyalty, I don't need your gratitude... We're strangers now."

boom--!

Accompanied by the dull sound of armor being torn apart.

With all his might, Yang Hao swung his axe at Knight Robert's chest, the rusty blade piercing through the tough imperial armor, splitting open the inner chainmail, tearing through the skin and flesh, and finally cleaving through the bone.

Years ago, Yang Hao used his left hand to shield Knight Robert from a fatal blow from the barbarians. Now, Yang Hao is returning everything he saved.

From now on, they owed each other nothing. There was no longer a master-servant relationship, nor any gratitude for saving their lives. Just as Yang Hao decided to completely sever all ties with the Roman Empire, he was utterly disappointed in the Roman Empire and also in his former subordinates.

Watching Knight Robert convulse and fall after being struck unexpectedly, then looking at the group of knights who were shocked but dared not move, and the witch who stared at him in disbelief with wide eyes.

He simply took out his axe, panting as he looked up at the darkening sky:

"The doctor said that if I hadn't stopped the axe, Sir Robert wouldn't have been able to receive treatment within ten minutes after being hit, and he would likely have died on the battlefield—that's why he swore allegiance to me."

Now? I think that even if a former regent, who is hardly a warrior, had seriously injured him with an axe, he would still have at least half an hour to recover.

Are you going to watch your comrades die before your eyes? Or are you going to leave this place as quickly as possible to save him? Priscilla, you're a witch, have you forgotten how to chant a teleportation spell?

Yang Hao looked down at the witch, who then gave him one last deep look before gritting her teeth and rushing to the side of the heavily injured Knight Robert. She knelt on the ground and began chanting a teleportation spell.

Yang Hao took two steps back, and after watching the blue light of the teleportation magic envelop each Imperial Knight and finally dissipate them without a trace, he sighed heavily.

For now, we've managed to buy ourselves some time to leave.

He turned back and gave the nun, who had been silently watching him, a farewell hug. He was grateful for Teresa's help during this time, but to prevent her from being implicated, it was time for him to leave. It was time to continue his wanderings further away from the Roman Empire.

Chapter Eleven: I'll go with you!

After everything temporarily ended, Yang Hao and Mother Teresa returned to their cozy convent.

Although he didn't stay long, Yang Hao made some repairs to the monastery's wooden doors and used felled wood and locally sourced mud to seal up all the drafty spots. He tried his best to make the monastery look like a home, rather than the dilapidated doghouse where Mother Teresa lived alone.

Similarly, Mother Teresa did a lot... She would hand him a cup of hot water when he was resting, provide guidance and assistance when he was at a loss at work, and prepare a tub of hot water for Yang Hao to take a good bath and rest when he was exhausted every night.

They supported each other through thick and thin during this time. In a sense, Mother Teresa had become the only light in Yang Hao's darkest period.

That's why Yang Hao absolutely couldn't drag Mother Teresa into his mess. Her life was already difficult enough; if it became even worse because of him, he wouldn't even have the face to pray for her after he died.

So he planned to leave this place, to go as far away as possible before Priscilla and the others came again, until he collapsed or found a new place to stay.

"So... you chopped him with an axe just to buy time to leave? No... why would you leave in the first place? You live here, and this isn't Roman Empire territory. They have no right to do anything to you!"

“I understand their sinister intentions. If I stay in the monastery, sooner or later they will abandon all human dignity and use you to threaten me directly. So I have to leave, Theresa. This is not only for myself, but also for you.”

Yang Hao was tidying up his things at the convent. But Mother Teresa seemed unwilling for him to leave.

Her eyes were full of worry. She hoped that Yang Hao could stay. As a nun, she might not have the power to protect him, but if they just lived secretly in one place, she could ensure that they could support themselves by working.

But Yang Hao countered with a question: What if Priscilla comes knocking again? What if Priscilla comes next time and kidnaps Theresa, then uses Theresa's life as leverage to force him to return?

Theresa was speechless: because she knew the little witch was capable of such a thing. And she also knew that if she were truly captured, Yang Hao would be at the mercy of the Roman Empire.

(So, because staying with you in the Roman Empire would only be a burden, you have to leave my side? But Theresa, think about it carefully, it's true... Putting aside that little witch's complete lack of magnanimity and her willingness to resort to such kidnapping and threats, those knights would definitely target you... You need to understand that...)

And it doesn't matter if I get arrested; if he's really stupid enough to come back because of the threat of my arrest, then he'll truly have no chance of leaving again and will be exploited to death by these inhuman bastards...

It's better to go to the Elf Kingdom and eat vegetarian food; at least the vegetarian food there is said to be quite delicious...

...It seems that Theresa is completely incapable of protecting Yang Hao. But Theresa is worried about him traveling alone.

She was worried about this man who couldn't even shave, wandering alone outside.

If we're going to leave, we'll leave together.

So, after Yang Hao had almost finished packing everything, the white-haired nun took a deep breath:

"...You wait here. I'll prepare something for you to take with you. Consider it a gift to check it out."

"Theresa? But—"

"Wait. It won't take too much time. It takes at least half an hour to get here from the town. Unless Priscilla doesn't even leave himself a way out and teleports back again, we still have time."

Theresa tugged at Yang Hao's clothes, forcing the bloodshot-eyed man to stop in the church hall, and then she ran back to her room in a flash.

There wasn't much for Teresa to pack and take with her.

A holy book that praises "light" rather than the thieving "God of Light".

The newly bought lantern, razor, and his boots.

Some essential food, a tinderbox for fieldwork, and blankets for warmth.

All these things together didn't even fill a backpack; they were very lightweight, but Teresa always felt something was missing...

...

She slung her backpack over her shoulder, locked the door to her room, and went to the church's basement.

"...Ugh."

Looking at the weathered stone statues in the basement, and then at the crystal statue representing "light" on the real altar in front of the basement, and the white double-headed eagle emblem on the statue that did not belong to the Roman Empire.

Mother Teresa knelt on the kneeling cushion, praying sincerely to her ancestors and God:

"O Light... my ancestors... please bless our journey."

Please forgive my negligence, and please forgive his rash departure... Please believe that we had no choice, and please believe that the dust we are going through is only for our future return.

...At that time, I will openly and legitimately live a new life with him as the "Last Princess" under your witness, and I will also build a new shrine for you.

...Please give me your support as I move forward. Please give me the courage to stay away from evil and filth...

...

... "

After a simple prayer, the luminous crystal statue emitted a faint light, giving Theresa the response she desired.

After the power of the Primal doctrine of Light was stolen by a scoundrel who called himself the God of Light, Light was tarnished. The authority of Light, which should have meant a bright future for all races, was ultimately transformed into a force that enabled humanity to monopolize resources and engage in destructive and foolish activities.

This power, originally intended to allow different races to coexist peacefully, has now been misused and used as a holy sword of heaven for humanity, bringing nightmares and suffering to the other races.

Human priests recklessly use the name of God to amass wealth and deceive the masses. Their actions violate the principles of "Light." They are nothing more than a group of bandits and robbers who act with impunity in the name of "Light." Even the so-called saintess is nothing more than another bandit leader.

Therefore, Theresa genuinely loathed the existence of the God of Light and the heretical Church of the God of Light—but she also knew that she could not restore the Church of the God of Light on her own, nor could she overthrow its current theocratic rule.

The Lord's power is waning, and providing a meager response to the last believers is the last thing He can do.

All she could do was hope that, under His final gaze, she could one day return with Yang Hao and finally live a new life as an ordinary citizen.

"...Therefore—Theresa Justinian II declares that the shrine sealing ceremony shall take place immediately without delay."

Theresa finished her prayer. After carefully placing the last crystal statue into her backpack, she left the underground chapel. By activating a hidden compartment, the entire chapel would sink to the bottom of the mountain under the action of a mechanism, until the day it saw the light of day again.

Although it was somewhat sad, Theresa was indeed leaving.

When she arrived in the hall with her backpack and stared blankly at Yang Hao, Yang Hao pointed at Theresa's backpack and said in a daze:

"Theresa, the 'farewell gift' you mentioned...?"

"It's me. Is there a problem? Hurry up and let's go. I'll explain on the way."

Regaining her usual carefree and cheerful demeanor, Teresa patted her chest and flashed her most radiant smile in front of him.

Chapter Twelve: The Elf's Intervention, A Horrific Scene Witnessed Firsthand

After Priscilla took Sir Robert to the best doctor in town for treatment, she immediately led the others on another forced march toward the monastery, intending to catch up with Yang Hao before he left and then do everything she could to keep him there.

Having reached this point, the witch understood that Yang Hao was utterly disappointed and wanted to leave the country.

This was like a last straw for the Roman Empire, drifting away to a shore beyond his reach. He was disappointed, angry, and desperate. Priscilla could now understand...

But he had to stay in the Roman Empire no matter what.

No matter what means are used, even if it's forcibly forcing him to stay by kidnapping Theresa, he must stay here.

This was not only for herself, but also for a final chance to explain why she had stayed indoors for four years and apologize for it... it was also to save millions of people and this crumbling empire from the drought that would strike in six months.

"Hurry! We must hurry! He wounded Knight Robert just to buy time to leave, but Mother Teresa would never abandon that convent. As long as she's alive, we have a reason to bring him back—hurry!"

Priscilla urged the knights to quicken their pace, but during the sudden forced march, one of the knights stumbled and slipped on the mountain path at night because of the equipment on his legs.

The torch rolled downhill and finally went out in the mud. His companions tried to pull him up, only to find that he had become a seriously wounded man.

"Damn it! Our equipment...! Lord Robert's plate armor shouldn't have been able to be cut through by a rusty lumberjack's axe. Even if it were, the chainmail underneath should be intact!"

Lying on the ground, the pale-faced Imperial Knight struggled to his feet with the help of his teammates.

"Damn it...! Have those technicians responsible for maintaining the equipment really gone so far as to cut down the thickness of the armor to make extra money for themselves?!"

Experienced knights realized after the unexpected incident that it wasn't because their years of peace had led to a lack of physical training that caused the accident. What was even more frightening to all discerning people was the fact that the royal craftsmen were now making extra money by scraping the thickness of armor.

The initial thickness of the scrape may not be very large, and it can be covered up with secondary auxiliary materials.

However, once the armor became too thick from the scratches, the standard armor of these imperial knights was no longer usable. It could even break during a forced march on rough mountain roads, let alone withstand the hail of enemy swords and spears on the battlefield!

Imagine this! When the most elite Imperial Knights of the Roman Empire confidently intend to use their expensive armor to withstand a barbarian attack, planning to counterattack while their superior armor shakes the enemy's weapons, their armor, which should have been a reliable weapon, is shattered by an ordinary wooden hammer. The knights will then be stunned, severely wounded, and ultimately attacked by the mob...

This is no longer a minor issue of whether the Roman Empire will collapse due to the drought.

This is a major event that could lead to the downfall of the Roman Empire, which might not even be able to protect itself.

Even the barbarians they drove away back then, those barbarians who couldn't even read, would not neglect the maintenance of their weapons!

How dare the royal artisans do such a thing?!

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. In the end, it was the knight who let his companion go first and went back to rest alone before they once again headed towards the monastery deep in the mountains.

This time, no one dared to run so fast. No one knew if they would be the next one to have their boots malfunction, and Priscilla the witch simply couldn't run that fast.

The mage herself was physically weak, let alone a genius mage like her who was so talented that she neglected to exercise.

They returned to the monastery about half an hour later than scheduled, but when they stood once again at the spot where the knight Robert had been cut down, they were surprised to find that the flag of the Elven Kingdom was flying over the monastery.

This is how the same thing?

Priscilla turned pale. Before she could even open her eyes to confirm whether it was true, an arrow shot from the roof of the monastery forced her to take a half step back.

"Friends of the Roman Empire, this is now our Elf Kingdom's temporary camp. This place is not within the territory of the Roman Empire; it is unclaimed land."

An elf, wielding a magnificent longbow, descended gracefully from the sky. He was a true elf, handsome and tall by human standards, and indeed possessed an unusual personality compared to humans.