Chapter 221: The Fallen Holy Light

"Hurry home, the ghost nuns are coming!"

"Wait for me—I’m scared!"

Several farmers bolted toward their homes, their vegetable baskets swinging wildly from their elbows as they ran.

"What’s going on?"

Phield frowned in confusion, glancing around, but found nothing unusual.

"No idea. Probably just ignorant villagers, scared out of their wits by the recent tension," Rosalia said, rubbing her smooth chin with an air of authority. She shook her head as she continued, "Back when the orcs attacked the northern frontier, the people were saying all sorts of nonsense—succubi, two-headed ogres, you name it."

"That’s true. Ordinary people are easily misled."

Phield nodded thoughtfully.

By the time they reached Maple Leaf City, it was already night.

"It’s so deserted. Shouldn’t Maple Leaf City be lively?" Ashina, dressed in a charming maid outfit, stood on her tiptoes and looked around curiously. She sniffed the air for a moment. "I don’t sense any danger."

The streets were eerily quiet. Normally, the moment one stepped in, the prostitutes would greet customers enthusiastically—but today, they were nowhere to be seen. Only a few lingered by their doorways, cautiously calling out to passersby, looking timid and restrained.

"Did they ban prostitution and drugs? That can’t be right."

Phield was genuinely shocked. If Maple Leaf City had truly cleaned up its act, the Empire would already be a paradise.

"Lord Phield, remember me? Would you like to buy some flowers for a beautiful lady?"

A slightly sharp voice came from beside him. Turning his head, he saw a woman he didn’t recognize, dressed plainly, with a gray headscarf wrapped around her head. A basket hung from her arm, filled with slightly withered flowers.

"I don’t remember..."

"Sniff sniff~ the scent of fear. Must be a catkin."

Ashina’s lips curled into a teasing smile as she offered her hint.

"Hey, what do you mean ’the scent of fear’!"

The woman flailed her arms in indignation.

"Oh, it’s the pink cat—Sylvia." Phield clapped his hands together. She had that peculiar ability to disguise herself as entirely different people. Without ceremony, he reached out and patted her head, then leaned in and whispered, "Long time no see. Did you manage to rescue your people?"

"Thanks to you, all taken care of."

Sylvia stuck out her pink tongue and gave a cheerful thumbs-up. "I came this time to repay my debt."

She actually remembered that? Phield had almost forgotten about it himself.

"Alright, alright. Ready to start preparing for pregnancy?"

Phield put on a ridiculous grin and smirked shamelessly. "I know you’re broke. Having a few kittens to repay the debt isn’t a bad idea."

"Pervert!"

All three Divine Chosen shouted in unison.

"Ahem, just kidding." Scratching his head awkwardly, Phield snapped his fingers. "Let’s talk at the inn. By the way, since you’ve been hiding in Maple Leaf City, do you know what’s been going on lately? Why is the city so deserted?"

"That’s exactly why I came."

Sylvia smiled mysteriously.

Back at the inn, Phield settled the unconscious Alice and had Rosalia guard her at all times.

He then met with Sylvia.

"Slurp... ha... not as good as milk, but not bad."

Sylvia held a teacup and took a satisfied sip. Then, like a cat, she lazily stretched her limbs, her soft ears twitching as she rubbed affectionately against the cushioned chair. "Humans really are clever, inventing so many things for enjoyment."

"Not all humans get to enjoy such things. It’s only because our lord is merciful that you have this opportunity."

Ashina remained level-headed, carrying a tray with sliced fruit and freshly brewed tea.

Phield neither confirmed nor denied it. Crossing his legs, he elegantly took a sip of tea.

"Let’s talk about repaying your debt. Also, I’m curious—what’s been happening lately?"

If he wanted to reclaim cities and build his own domain, he would need an astronomical amount of gold. He wasn’t about to miss any opportunity to earn it.

"Heh, those two things are closely related."

"There’s a remote convent outside Maple Leaf City. For some unknown reason, all the nuns there have turned into monsters. They hide in the convent during the day, then come out at night to slaughter anyone nearby. The news has already spread like wildfire."

"As of today, there have been thirty-seven victims. The villagers call them ghost nuns—meaning those who abandoned the Holy Light and embraced corruption."

"Something like that happened?" Phield set down his teacup, sitting up straight instinctively. "That’s unbelievable. Those who become nuns are either rich or noble. There’s no reason for them to fall into corruption."

In this era, becoming a nun or monk wasn’t something you could just decide on a whim. The ability to read and write holy texts alone filtered out most commoners.

Even the daughter of King Franveria had been arranged to become a nun, which showed just how influential religion was in this world.

Ashina shook her head, her wolf ears swaying along. "Can’t Simon handle them? That doesn’t make sense. He has a third-tier Divine Chosen—there’s no way he can’t deal with a few monsters."

"Haha, now that’s the blind spot."

Phield affectionately rubbed Ashina’s wolf tail before clearing his throat. "Even as a lord, he can’t just march troops into a convent. That would have terrible consequences."

"If I’m not mistaken, Simon needs to report this to the Church of Holy Light first, then work out a solution everyone can accept."

"Exactly, Phield—you’re so smart!"

Sylvia gave a thumbs-up, her eyes narrowing into happy slits.

"Uh..."

Being praised by a somewhat silly catgirl made him feel like a child.

"Not surprising. The monsters haven’t threatened Simon himself. If it weren’t for the impact on Maple Leaf City’s business, he probably wouldn’t bother."

Phield frowned. "But what does this have to do with repaying your debt?"

"Of course it does. According to our catkin intelligence network, that convent is hiding a massive amount of gold!" Sylvia spread her arms dramatically, drawing a huge circle. "Donations from believers, offerings from nobles, income from the convent’s various assets, and even contributions from the Divine Punishment Army—it’s all stored there."

"Now that’s something worth staying awake for."

Phield perked up instantly. The Church was famously rich—everyone knew that. It’s just that no one dared to target it.

"Don’t get too excited. That place is dangerous. As a powerful first-tier Divine Chosen, I’ve scouted it myself—the monsters are strong!" Sylvia said seriously. "Anyway, I’ve told you about the opportunity. The decision is yours."

"No problem. But I’ll need your assistance."