In the magical continent, the Church of Light holds a status that surpasses even the imperial family.
More than two hundred years ago, the Church of Light led humanity in alliance with the elves to drive the rampaging dark creatures north of the Desperate Forest, sealing them away completely and thereby establishing the Holy See's supreme authority and prestige.
However, the peace did not last long. Shortly after the dark creatures were sealed into the Desperate Forest, a new type of monster appeared—heart demons. Formless and invisible, they could parasitize humans with strong desires, granting those humans the power of demons while simultaneously eroding their minds, causing them to lose their humanity and degenerate into true monsters. The seal could block physical bodies, but it could not block the human heart.
As the number of monsters created by heart demon possession and degeneration grew, even the Church began to struggle, stretched thin in its efforts. To counter the heart demons, the Church of Light developed sacred curse seals capable of suppressing demonic nature. They recruited humans who had already been possessed by heart demons but had not yet completely lost their humanity, using the seals to control the demonic erosion and sending them to fight monsters—employing the power of monsters against monsters.
The emergence of the sacred curse seals greatly bolstered the Church's manpower, restoring a relative balance to the struggle between humans and monsters.
Mu Lin searched her mind desperately for anything related to these "heart demons," but she could recall no connection to herself.
In her memory, she had awakened naked in the wilderness outside the town, her mind blank. Dazed, she had stumbled into the settlement and stolen a piece of clothing to cover herself—only to be nearly beaten to death by furious, armed villagers.
The high priest already knew what happened next.
"The God of Light shelters all His children. No matter what sins one has committed in the past, once you join the Church, no one may pursue them further. For you, forgetting the past and starting anew may be a blessing." Noyes arranged a more comfortable corner in the carriage and gently lifted Mu Lin into it, letting her lie down.
The girl was still unclothed; the wounds on her body had begun to scab over, itching and aching. Her emaciated frame revealed that her life before had been far from easy.
A cloth soaked in medicine covered Mu Lin's eyes, leaving her in complete darkness. Her severely injured body refused to obey her, so she could only allow the priest to position her like a doll. The thought that she was entirely exposed before a strange man made her stiffen, her breathing growing rapid.
The priest beside her, however, remained utterly composed, as though such things were routine. After settling her bedding, he took out a vial of ointment and carefully applied it over every inch of her skin.
She had experienced this medicine once before, but yesterday—amid sudden calamity and excruciating pain—she had been in no state to notice details. Now, fully conscious, the process felt torturously prolonged. The cool liquid seeped into her skin, gently carrying away all pain while magnifying the presence of the priest's fingers.
Mu Lin could clearly feel Noyes's fingertips gliding over every part of her—her neck, her chest, her lower abdomen, even between her thighs. The strange pleasure brought by the ointment made her instinctively want to resist, but her body could not move. She could only tremble under his gentle touch, biting her lip hard to keep from moaning.
After what felt like an eternity, the priest finally finished coating the last patch of skin and lightly drew the blanket over her. Mu Lin let out a long breath of relief—only for something to draw close. Soft breath brushed her face, followed by warm lips pressing against hers.
"Mmph…" Her startled cry was muffled as sweet liquid flowed into her mouth. It poured steadily, forcing her to swallow. When her lips were finally released, she was slightly breathless. As the liquid settled in her stomach, her body—starved for days—regained some strength, and the hunger eased.
"You cannot eat normally yet. This will help restore your energy," the priest's voice said. Then his lips covered hers again.
This time Mu Lin gave up resisting entirely, obediently allowing him to feed her the Church's special medicinal tonic, mouthful by mouthful. His breath surrounded her—clean and refreshing, carrying a faint scent of soap.
She could not see Noyes's face, but she sensed he was someone who valued cleanliness. Long strands of hair occasionally brushed her cheeks, tickling her.
His movements were gentle and restrained; beyond feeding her, he made no further advances. Unable to resist, Mu Lin tentatively extended her tongue, brushing past his slightly parted teeth to tangle with his warm one.
The priest paused briefly at the small gesture, then lightly nipped the restless girl beneath him as gentle punishment. Mu Lin immediately withdrew her tongue and dared not move again. When she had swallowed the last of the tonic, he released her lips, tucked the blanket around her, and told her to rest well.
The carriage carried the two of them toward Cis City. Most of the time the injured girl lay half-asleep, aware of the white-robed priest sitting quietly beside her, occasionally hearing the soft turn of pages. Because she could not move easily, Mu Lin required his help daily—for applying ointment, for feeding, even for relieving herself. The mortification of handling bodily needs in front of a man made her want to die of shame; she pulled the blanket over her head and refused to emerge.
"It is the duty of the Church to represent the God of Light in protecting His children. Caring for the severely injured is required study for every cleric," Noyes explained matter-of-factly, pulling the blanket down to keep her from suffocating.
Mu Lin imagined the entire Church feeding people mouth-to-mouth and found the mental image almost too much. "Your Church really is… considerate…" Thinking that she might soon join them in aiding the weak and vanquishing evil did not seem so bad.
Noyes spoke little ordinarily, but he answered every question dutifully. Once Mu Lin's strength returned somewhat, she began asking endlessly about the Church of Light, about heart demons, about her future. When the air outside grew humid, she was finally able to feed herself.
The scabs on her body began to fall away, revealing tender new skin. The fresh skin was soft and sensitive, making the ointment application even more charged. When damp fingers brushed over a nipple, an electric jolt forced a helpless moan from Mu Lin's lips; warmth surged between her thighs. Her face flushed crimson with embarrassment as she caught Noyes's hand. "I… I can do it myself…"
The priest said nothing, simply placed the vial in her hand and stepped out of the carriage.
Outside, muffled voices and bustle reached her ears—they had entered the territory of Cis City and were heading toward the Cis Holy See. When the priest returned, he carried a woman's dress and skirt.
Though Mu Lin already had some understanding of the Church's status along the journey, she still marveled at its wealth; even clothes bought casually by a priest were of fine material. She had no memories of her past, but the unfamiliar luxury of the fabric told her she had likely never worn anything like it in her life.
With the cloth still over her eyes, Mu Lin fumbled helplessly with the complicated ties. Finally unable to watch, the priest took the garments, slipped them over her, and deftly fastened every tie with practiced ease. Mu Lin swallowed the urge to ask whether the Church also trained clerics to dress women.
The carriage swayed lightly and came to a stop.
"We have arrived."