Starting with the defeated female knight

"In this situation, even if they weren't orcs, they would probably become no different from wild beasts."

Humans are social animals; once detached from society, they are nothing more than animals.

Edith knew this all too well.

Huh? You're asking why Green is on Edith now?

In fact, shortly after the investigation team left, and after Edith had adapted to the mental pollution from the new tentacle, she simply threw the box into a pile of junk and has been carrying it with her ever since.

Although she has to be careful not to let others see it, and although she sometimes blushes because of its misbehavior, she has never put it back until now.

This is not to say that Edith has any special fetishes; on the contrary, her purpose is simple, even bizarre.

That was chatting with Green.

Green was not surprised by this.

In fact, Green had already noticed that Edith was acting strangely when he was observing the camp.

It's not that the child is physically sensitive or anything, but that beneath the glamorous exterior, this child is actually very lonely.

This sounds incredible, after all, her popularity is extremely high not only in the Knights, but also in the entire church and even the capital, and she has countless followers.

Cecilia's knights, in particular, treated her as their second-in-command. Even without the authority, they would do whatever she said. Coupled with her noble birth and cute appearance, she was even more popular than Cecilia herself.

but......

Work is work, and life is life, right?

It's not that Edith's personality and behavior are all a facade; it's just that she's also a human being, and strictly speaking, she's still a child.

I get tired, scared, and terrified. I dawdle while washing, and I can't sleep because of the smallest things.

But all of this is something that others cannot see, nor should they be seen.

Despite the numerous problems within the church, it still cares about its reputation.

As a candidate for the Holy Son, she needs to be mindful of her words and actions at all times. Because of her noble birth, especially 'that family', she must perform better and work harder than others in order to gain their trust and support.

Moreover, other candidates for the Holy Son must maintain a similar state when they are outside.

But in private, they also have childhood friends, parents who work in the church, or other trustworthy people.

In front of those people, they can shed their pretenses, vent their emotions, relax completely, and maintain the most basic humanity.

But Edith had nothing.

He has no family, no friends, and even Cecilia, the only person he trusts, is always extremely busy. Moreover, due to certain customs within the church, she doesn't like spending too much time with other women, let alone having in-depth conversations with them.

Edith had no complaints about this.

She chose the path herself, made the choice herself, and even now, she doesn't think there's anything wrong with it. At most, she occasionally feels a little tired, and when she wants to talk but finds Cecilia isn't there, she feels a little lonely.

But this is already very good. Compared to the 'home' she used to live in, this environment is like paradise for her now.

She felt that was enough.

Until that tentacle wrapped around her body, until everything began to change.

In the most intimate contact, everything about her was exposed, and in the subsequent entanglements, her psychological defenses continued to crumble.

Finally, after getting used to Green's presence, as she left the camp and embarked on her journey home, she gently touched her empty chest and even felt a sense of emptiness.

Then, that night, she opened the box and forced herself to accept and get used to the mental pollution that was even stronger than before.

After taking some time to adjust, she threw the box into the pile of junk without any hesitation.

And her chest felt full again.

She didn't know what that feeling was; all she knew was that she wanted it to continue existing here.

To be able to share her joy when she's happy, to be able to pat her head when she's sad, and to have someone, or a tentacle, to confide in when she's tired.

"You're making it sound like I'm some kind of evil god who manipulates people's hearts."

Edith scratched the tentacle with her finger, her dark green eyes shifting slightly, but she did not answer his question.

After a moment, she realized something, raised her head, and looked ahead.

The outline of a massive city emerges at the edge of the field of vision, and even from a great distance, one can clearly feel its grandeur and majesty.

That's the capital city.

A place that brings together everything of the human empire.

"Lady Edith, we..."

"Well, I see it."

She nodded, pulled at her clothes, and covered the tentacles.

"No need to wait."

"Let's go in."

Volume 1: Chapter 18: Nobody will mess with a dead man

We've arrived in the capital.

After more than two months and countless experiences along the way, the investigation team finally returned to the capital, the place that symbolized everything in the empire.

It sounds like it's been a long time, and it actually has been a long time.

Although the empire is indeed vast, especially the distance from the capital to the border, the investigation team is composed entirely of professionals, and with Cecilia, an exceptional individual, leading the team, even if they don't pursue too closely, about half a month is enough for them to make a round trip.

Even including the month of the demonic tide outbreak, that's only a month and a half. Now, almost three months have passed since they set off.

Did something happen on the way?

No, it was because of Edith's orders.

"We should go back as late as possible, and before we go back, we should try to avoid any contact with the church in any way."

As for the reason?

"The demonic tide broke out so suddenly and so violently that, normally, even with Lady Cecilia included, we would have no chance against it."

“The people Cecilia previously sheltered will definitely spread the news of her fighting against the demonic tide. When the two pieces of news are combined, it will be easy for them to conclude that ‘Cecilia and her investigation team died fighting against the demonic tide for the sake of the border people.’”

"Because Lady Cecilia often ruins their plans, even if she does something, they will find fault with her in order to diminish her achievements."

"But this time it's different."

"No one would hold a grudge against a dead person, especially in the church."

“We’ll slow down and wait until they’ve made their final decision before suddenly appearing.”

"I believe their expressions at that moment must have been quite interesting."

Moreover, while it's important to document your work and get things done, you also need to learn how to promote and advocate for yourself.

Slow down, change into the tattered equipment from the previous fight against the demonic tide, and display it along the way back. This will not only increase the church's prestige but also earn more credit for the people below when they return.

That's what Edith planned.

Even she only planned to delay for about half a month, because according to her calculations, even if those incompetent people in the church were completely useless, half a month would be enough to get results.

As for why it dragged on for nearly three months...

"You'd have to ask the Empire about that."

The accident still happened in the end.

But it wasn't an accident for the investigation team; rather, it was an accident based on what they saw and heard.

According to Cecilia's estimate, with advance notice and the two-day buffer period she risked her life to stop it, even if this demonic tide is unprecedentedly raging, the damage it can cause should not be too great.

But as a result, after walking for quite some time, seeing the devastation along the way, Cecilia's steps became heavier and her expression calmer.

Bloodstains, death, corpse.

Everywhere.

The survivors were also in dire straits, as the demonic tide had come too suddenly, and even with prior warnings, the situation was far from optimistic.

The plague spread, fear grew, and the hastily brought food gradually dried up. Coupled with the destruction caused by the demonic tide, it was not a scene of widespread suffering, but at least a devastating loss of life.

But that doesn't mean Cecilia's blocking was useless.

On the contrary, none of these survivors would have appeared if she hadn't stopped them.

But it shouldn't be like this.

She sent people to deliver the message immediately, and then personally blocked the demonic tide for two whole days. In addition, the expansion of the demonic tide also needs time.

No matter how you look at it, no matter what angle you look at it from, even if you just take a little action, things shouldn't be like this.

unless......

"They thought it was just a mid-stage demonic tide at most, and even after receiving the message from you, they didn't pay much attention to it."

"The king is on his deathbed, His Majesty is like a withered tree about to rot, and the Mage's Guild is also stirring. Compared to a magical tide breaking out on the border, the situation in the capital is far more important..."

The blue-eyed nun smiled gently, her tone unhurried.

"After all, no matter how many people die on the border, it won't affect their lives. But if they miss something because of a carelessness in the capital, it might affect their future."

What do you think, my little Cecilia?

silence.

Since embarking on her journey back, especially after trying to help the survivors and thus consuming a great deal of time, Cecilia has become more and more silent each day.

for a long time.

"Then, Mother."

Cecilia looked up at her adoptive mother, Sister Vanessa.

"And what was the final result?"

"As a result, a large number of people in the church will be punished, ranging from demotion to dismissal. Many old guys who were about to retire will have to start all over again."

The blue-eyed nun spread her hands, revealing a surge of waves in her chest.

"The Mage's Association is also said to be taking some action, mainly punishing those who calculate and monitor the magic tide. As for the nobles... they don't care about that, and the new king still needs to win their support, so you know what I mean."

She paused, then remembered something.

"Oh, right, cheer up, little Cecilia. In recognition of your achievements, the bishops have unanimously decided to grant you the status of a 'saint,' and no one has objected."

“A living ‘saint’ is a rare find even in the history of the church.”

Silence again.

for a long time.

Vanessa sighed, her smile fading, and cupped Cecilia's face in her hands, gazing at her with her jewel-blue eyes.

"What else can we do? What's done is done."

"You know what? When I first got the news, I almost thought I was going to lose you."

"The fact that you're back now is the best news for me."

Seeing the worry in her adoptive mother's eyes, Cecilia hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to suppress her emotions for the time being, nodded gently, and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Mother, I made you worry."

“Very good, this is my little Cecilia.”

Vanessa smiled and glanced at her body.

"However, you asked me to come here, so there must be more to talk about than just this, right?"

"......Yes."

Cecilia nodded slightly, then placed her hand on the armor she had never taken off in front of anyone since embarking on her journey home.

thump—

The armor landed on the ground, and then the inner garment was slowly undone.

With her arms outstretched, a living garment composed of red and black tentacles almost covered her entire body, constantly wriggling and rising and falling like breathing, looking extremely horrifying.