Chapter 11: I’ll Go with You

In Teresa’s eyes, worry was evident. She wanted Yang Hao to stay. As a nun, she might lack the power to protect him, but if they were to live quietly in one place, she could ensure their basic needs with her own labor.

But Yang Hao countered with a question. 

What if Priscilla found them again? What if, next time, Priscilla captured Teresa and used her life to coerce him into returning?

Teresa fell silent, knowing all too well that the little witch was indeed capable of such actions. She also realized that if she were taken, Yang Hao would be forced to bow to the demands of the Roman Empire.

‘So, because staying with me in the Roman Empire would only be a burden, you feel you must leave? But Teresa, think about it, that’s the reality. It’s not just that the little witch, with no regard for past affections, could carry out such a kidnapping threat, but those knights would undoubtedly harm you too. You have to see this clearly. And if I’m captured, it’s not important. If he foolishly returns due to threats against me, there would be no escape. We’d be exploited to death by those less than animals. It would be better off going to the Elven Kingdom for vegetarian food, at least I hear their vegetarian dishes are quite tasty…’ Teresa thought.

Apparently, Teresa truly had no power to protect Yang Hao. But she was uneasy about him wandering alone.

If they were to leave, they should leave together.

So, as Yang Hao was nearly finished packing, the white-haired nun inhaled deeply, “Wait here for me. I’m going to prepare some things for you to take. Consider it a farewell gift.”

“Teresa? But–”

“Just wait. It won’t take too long. It takes at least half an hour to get here from the town, and unless Priscilla recklessly teleports here again without thinking of her own escape, we still have time.”

Teresa abruptly grabbed Yang Hao’s clothing, halting the bloodshot-eyed man in the church’s main hall. She then hurried back to her room.

Teresa’s packing list was brief. It included a holy book that praised the Light rather than the thieving God of Light, a recently purchased lantern, razor, and his lace-up boots. Essentials like food, matches for outdoor use, and woolen felt for warmth were also necessary. All these items together wouldn’t quite fill a backpack, they were easily portable. Yet, Teresa felt like she was missing something.

After shouldering her backpack and locking her room, Teresa went down to the church’s basement.

“Sigh.”

Looking at the ancient stone statues and the crystal representation of the Light on the true altar, along with the double-headed eagle emblem not of the Roman Empire, Sister Teresa knelt on the prayer cushion, earnestly praying to her ancestors and her deity.

“O Light… my ancestors… please bestow your blessings on our journey. Forgive my negligence, and forgive his hasty departure. Believe that we are compelled by necessity and that our upcoming obscurity is but a prelude to a brighter return. When the time is right, I will stand proudly as The Last Princess beside him under your witness, and I will erect a new shrine in your honor. Grant me the strength to move forward. Bestow upon me the courage to repel evil and filth.”

After her heartfelt prayer, the crystal statue of Light emitted a gentle glow, offering Teresa the response she sought.

Since the power of the Light from the Original Doctrine was usurped by an impostor claiming to be the God of Light, the Light had been tarnished. The Authority of Light, once a symbol of a bright future for all races, had been corrupted into a force monopolized by humans, used for their own devastating and ignorant purposes.

This power, initially intended to be sprinkled to encourage harmony among different races, was now perverted into a divine sword for humanity’s heaven, transforming into a nightmare of suffering for other races.

Human priests, abusing the name of divinity, shamelessly amassed wealth and misled the masses. Their deeds violated the tenets of Light, reducing them to nothing more than robbers and thugs hiding behind the guise of Light. Even the so-called Holy Lady was nothing more than another bandit leader.

Therefore, Teresa’s disdain for the existence of the God of Light and her abhorrence for the heretical Church of the God of Light was deeply ingrained.

But she also realized that alone, she couldn’t hope to restore the original faith or overthrow the current rule of the Church of the God of Light over spiritual matters.

“My Lord’s power is dwindling, barely able to offer a faint response to His last believers.”

Her role, then, was to return one day with Yang Hao under His final watchful gaze and start a new life for the ordinary folk.

“With this, I, Teresa o’Justinian the Second, solemnly declare the initiation of the shrine closure ceremony, without any delay.”

After finishing her prayer, Teresa carefully placed the final crystal statue into her backpack and exited the underground chapel. By triggering a hidden lever, the entire chapel was set to sink beneath the mountain, sealed until the day it reemerged into the light.

Although it was a moment tinged with sadness, it was time for Teresa to leave.

When she appeared in the hall, backpack in tow and facing Yang Hao’s puzzled look, he pointed at her pack and asked in confusion, “Teresa, the farewell gift you spoke of…”

“It’s me, what else? Shall we get moving? I’ll explain everything on our way.”

Regaining her usual lighthearted and smiling demeanor, Teresa confidently patted her chest, presenting her brightest smile to him.