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"Senior, at this moment, facing the illusory red-haired girl who has appeared here, Annie's lips trembled slightly, and she spoke to her with a flustered tone, patting her forehead."
"Senior, you..."
Meanwhile, Helen, with the last vestige of her power gathering, revealed a gentle smile. She extended her slender, white hand and gently shook it at the black-haired girl before her. "I hope that in the future... you can forge your own path, break free from the church, and do what you want to do, unlike me..." Senior! Senior!
Helen still wanted to greet the girl in front of her, but under the faint light, Helen's last afterimage completely disappeared, leaving only echoes in Annie's mind, still lingering in her consciousness, making the black-haired girl finally understand that the senior she had always respected and cared for had completely disappeared from this world at this moment.
This feeling was real and intense, impossible to hide or suppress, causing Annie's mind to freeze for a moment, as if she had been hit by an explosion, and her ears seemed to echo with lingering sounds.
"After the senior, a ray of moonlight shone down and shone on Annie's face. The dark clouds above the crescent moon were finally blown away by a gust of wind, and the intense chill of the moonlight flowed into Annie's body, instantly clearing her mind from the shock."
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Clenching her fists, Annie felt a surge of grief welling up inside her, which she then unleashed in a secluded corner. Her fists pounded the ground repeatedly, producing a series of booming sounds. Amidst the spray of blood and dust, Annie's fists became broken and mangled, as if she were trying to release the overwhelming sorrow within her. At this moment, Annie displayed an emotional outburst, her mouth emitting bursts of hysterical sobs.
"Ah. Senior Mingming. In the empty back garden, Annie knelt at the exit, struggling to release the sorrow in her heart."
Fortunately, she still had plenty of time to recover emotionally, allowing the black-haired girl to fully immerse herself in her grief, wandering endlessly in this sea of emotions, unable to extricate herself for a long time...
Chapter 283: Anne's Secret (Part 1)
"So... after that, Aunt Annie, you learned about the darkness within the church and tried to find a solution, thus finding an opportunity to join the cult in order to fight against the church?"
As Anne recounted her story, Leus, who had been listening quietly to her, paused for a few seconds before slowly speaking, asking her this question as she finished telling the story.
As for Annie, upon hearing Lius's words, she pursed her lips slightly, seemingly recovering from the previous atmosphere. After letting out a soft breath, she nodded to the blond boy in front of her and continued to acknowledge him:
“That’s right. That night, after I vented my emotions, I started to think about what my senior had told me, about his past, his time in the church, and my own future… Back then, I was at the exit of the church. If I could just escape from there and go into seclusion, I would no longer have any connection with the church and would no longer have to endure that unbearable darkness. That’s what my senior wanted me to do.”
"But in the end, Aunt Anne, you didn't choose to accept this fate. Instead, you returned to the church to look for more clues about the church's experiment?" Lius continued to ask.
"Hmm... At the time, I also considered my senior's suggestion. Was it the best outcome for me to break away from this place and never have any contact with anything related to the church again? These thoughts lingered in my mind, plunging me into a state of anxiety and complex emotions."
As she said this, Anne clenched her fists again, a determined glint in her eyes.
"But... there is one thing I know. I don't want... I don't want my senior to die without knowing why, nor do I want those who killed him to continue to live. I want revenge. That's my thought. Even if my senior told me personally that he didn't want me to do this, I will not follow his wishes. I still have many things to deal with regarding the church. I absolutely cannot leave it."
“Hmm… I understand. Afterwards, Aunt Anne, you returned to the church, pretending to know nothing about what happened last night. You continued your daily prayers and preaching as a member of the church, and kept investigating the church’s internal affairs, right?” Looking at Anne, Lius stated his deduction, and Anne nodded slightly, giving the boy an affirmative answer. “On the one hand, I was indeed investigating the church, and on the other hand… I also took their talk about the matter of the descendants of the predecessors very seriously, so I kept an eye on these matters. And the church did indeed carry out this plan, using a portion of the magic power in the body of the predecessor to create descendants with the same bloodline as the predecessor, just like what I did to Diana and Lilith.”
"This descendant... is that Bishop Helen? Helen = Akshe, the same name as her mother, and also your student, Aunt Anne, whom you are tutoring." Looking at the dark-haired young woman before him, Leus's eyes flashed with a complex expression, while Anne nodded slightly and continued her explanation to the boy:
"I was also very surprised by Helen. I had tried to learn a lot about this subject, but I never expected that she would have the same bloodline as her predecessor, and even the magic power in her body would be more refined than her predecessor. It can be said that apart from her age, she was fully qualified to become the next saintess, which is to become a god in the future."
"According to what you just said, Aunt Anne, in order to become a god, besides needing self-awareness, is there also an age requirement?" Lius continued to ask.
"That's right. The best age for a deity is during their growth period, around fifteen or sixteen years old. This period is when a person's magical power is at its purest, and it is also highly valued by the church. Therefore, Helen's upbringing is very important, and naturally, it fell to someone who is eager to help the church and has extensive knowledge."
At this point, Anne gently pointed in her direction, while Leus continued to look at her thoughtfully, then nodded slightly to the black-haired woman in front of him.
“I understand everything roughly now… Let’s talk about Bishop Helen later. What I want to ask is, Aunt Annie, what happened to you afterwards, how did you come into contact with the cultists, and why did you create Lilith? Could you tell me about these things in detail?”
"So, it's finally time to talk about Lilith?"
Upon hearing Lius's words, Anne swallowed slightly, nodded gently, and looked at the blond boy in front of her.
"Alright, what's meant to happen will happen. Since you say so, Xiaoli, then Auntie shouldn't hide it anymore. As for Lilith... actually, it all started with an accident, an accident for me."
"Accident?"
“That’s right. As I said before, extracting the magic power from the senior’s body and creating offspring is an extremely delicate matter. Ordinary people cannot complete this task alone. Even in the church, only two people can perform such a high-density operation. One is Rosalind, and the other… Xiao Li, who do you think it is?”
"The other looked at Anne, and Lius blinked, finally gradually understanding Anne's meaning. He looked at her face with a complicated expression and slowly said his answer."
"The other candidate... if I'm guessing, at that time, it could only be Aunt Anne, who was gradually emerging in the church, with extremely high magical skills and ample knowledge."
"That's right. I was the only one who could do this with Rosalind. It was at that time that I was chosen as a candidate for bishop and competed with some people. Rosalind gave me, the candidate, a task: to assist her in this work, to help her extract the magic power from her predecessor's body, and to use this magic power to condense a life form made of magic power."
Anne clenched her fists, her eyes flashing with a look of forbearance. After exhaling, she slowly admitted to Lius, "That's right, I was the one who created little Helen. It was through this incident that I learned the technique of using magic to create life forms, and I applied it to Diana, using the magic within her as a medium to create little Lilith."
Chapter 284: Anne's Secret (Part Two)
"So... Aunt Anne, you also played a part in the birth of Bishop Helen?" It could even be said that you were one of her key figures. Hearing Anne's words, Lius couldn't help but swallow slightly, calming the surprise in his heart. After thinking for a while, he looked at the black-haired young woman in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Speaking of which... Bishop Helen's appearance is basically the same as that senior lady named Helen, right? Since she was created using magic, she should be almost identical to the original, right?"
“That’s right, little Helen is quite similar to her predecessor when she was young, both in appearance and personality. What’s wrong, Xiaoli?” Nothing, it’s just that Aunt Annie, what you’re doing… I have this strange feeling that you want to use the birth of Bishop Helen to resurrect that senior lady. “Hmm?”
Faced with Lius's deduction, Anne tilted her head in confusion, then smiled helplessly, revealing a calm expression.
"Ha... Xiaoli, you're overthinking it. Auntie isn't that obsessed. To me, Helen is Helen, and in a sense, she's also the daughter of a senior. Since that's the case, it's only natural that I, as her auntie, would take good care of her."
Is that so? Lius nodded thoughtfully, and after taking a sip of tea, Anne continued to tell the blond boy in front of her, "In short, you have a general understanding of what happened afterward, Lius. Through a series of events, I became a bishop of the church, and through this, I came into contact with more secrets related to the darkness of the church. Everything was done in the dark, and no one noticed, not even Rosalind, who had become the Pope. I have mastered all the church's plans. Except for the lack of evidence, I have a complete understanding of everything else."
With a serious expression, Anne looked at Lius and began to speak slowly, while her fists clenched as if to release the surging emotions within her.
"However, after I fully understood all the darkness in the church, I did not feel any relief or relaxation. On the contrary, I felt more and more desperate because I knew that I could not make these crimes public by my own strength."
"Is there no way to publish it?"
"That's right. After spending several years in the church, I have a clear understanding that the church's power is enormous. They have people all over the kingdom. They can get the information immediately if there is any disturbance and stop any information that is detrimental to the church at the first opportunity."
Annie shook her head, as if recalling something sad, and sighed helplessly.
“Even I spent a lot of effort to hide my whereabouts. Under these circumstances, let alone the fact that I haven’t found any evidence yet, even if I did release the evidence, the people in the church would use their power to turn that evidence into something ambiguous, so that it would not be trusted by the public and the church, and thus find out who released the evidence.”
“If it were me, I would definitely believe you, Aunt Anne, and do everything I can to help you get justice,” Lius suddenly said.
"Ha... I know your feelings, Little Li. It's a pity we didn't meet back then. At that time, you weren't even born yet. If we had met earlier, both my fate and yours might have been different. But looking at Lius, Annie's eyes flashed with a hint of relief, and she shook her head slightly, suppressing the regret in her heart. She continued to speak to Lius:"
"In short, at that time I was fully aware of my own situation and knew that if I really published the information I had found without any scruples, it would eventually attract the attention of the church. At that time, not only would I not be able to successfully avenge my predecessor, but I would also be unable to guarantee my own safety."
"So, Aunt Anne, you then changed your strategy and started cooperating with some people who oppose the church, and with groups that are not subject to the church's supervision and cannot be influenced by the church, such as... cultists who have secret connections with the church's higher-ups, right?"
"That's right, that's all there is to it."
Anne nodded slightly, uttering words of helplessness. Then, she slowly opened her eyes, revealing a glimmer of light in them. In that gaze, Lius sensed an emotion called "hope."
"Regarding the Black Robe Order, which is the church I now believe in, my understanding of them wasn't very deep at the time. I only knew that they were cooperating with the church, while the two sides were also secretly clashing. So I decided to start my investigation from there to find a possible way out. It was at that time that I took the initiative to request a transfer from the church headquarters and came to your territory, Xiaoli, to serve as a missionary."
“I remember that your orphanage was also founded around this time, Aunt Anne, right? Although I didn’t actually see the scene at the time, there are monuments left from when it was founded in the orphanage, so I know quite a bit about it,” Lius said thoughtfully.
"Ha...that's right. I saw abandoned children along the mountain roads and couldn't bear it, so I brought them to the town and applied for church funding to establish an orphanage, giving these homeless children a place to stay."
Anne nodded slightly, then suddenly changed the subject and became serious.
“Initially, my purpose in being transferred here was to get away from the church in the capital and reduce the surveillance I was under, so that I would have a freer environment to search for the Black Robe Church. However, I did not expect that after spending a lot of effort searching, I would eventually make my first contact with the Black Robe Church in the orphanage.”
"In an orphanage?"
"That's right, it's in the orphanage."
Feeling Lius's curious gaze, Annie pondered for a moment, organized her thoughts, and finally spoke to the blond boy in front of her, recounting her past.
Chapter 285 Anne's Secret (Part 3)
“Back then… at the orphanage, I had just returned from prayer at church and wanted to say hello to the children. But as soon as I got back to the orphanage gate, I saw a person in a black robe standing in the middle of the children, as if she had been waiting for me. She was playing with the children, and when she saw me coming, she stood up and waved to me, gesturing for me to come to her side,” Anne recounted slowly. “Who is this person?” Lius asked.
“She was the bishop of the Black Robe Church at the time. According to her, she came to the orphanage under the guidance of the Supreme God, searching for me, saying that I could lead the church to a new phase, a new phase that could completely change the world,” Anne said.
"According to the guidance of the Supreme God... to completely change the world... she told you this directly, Aunt Anne?" Lius continued to ask.
"It wasn't that straightforward. At first, we just exchanged a few pleasantries and played with the children for a while. She was probably over seventy years old at the time, and in the children's eyes, she was a very kind old lady. As a result, she quickly became friends with the children, and they got along very well. It wasn't until we had calmed the children down that we went to the attic of the orphanage and started a further discussion there." At this point, Annie paused slightly, and unconsciously looked around. As if she sensed something uneasy, she touched her lips, and the words she was about to say became somewhat hesitant.
"What's wrong, Aunt Annie? Is there a problem?"
Seeing Anne's sudden pause, Lius asked this question.
"No...it's nothing. Maybe I'm being too cautious. I have a feeling that some people are watching us, as if they want to know what will happen next."
This... Aunt Annie, is it just your imagination? There are only the two of us here, so how could there be anyone else?
Unconsciously glancing at the corner where Leah was hiding, Leus comforted Annie, and after pursing her lips, Annie accepted Leus's words. After hesitating for a moment, she continued her previous conversation.
“In the attic, she told me about the doctrines of the Supreme God, which made me understand the true God that the Black Robe Church believed in. She also showed me the divine power that the Supreme God had given her. At that time, I learned about their desire for the resurrection of the Supreme God and was deeply attracted to it. It was also influenced by these attraction that led me to join the church at her invitation.”
"Is it really that important to you, Aunt, to bring the Supreme God back to life in this world? And what about their doctrines, the meaning they express... Aunt, have you really considered these things?" Leus frowned and asked Anne.
"Don't think we're just the kind of madmen who want to plunge the kingdom into chaos, Xiao Li. We also have our own creed. We want to change this corrupt world and make all the darkness in the world have nowhere to hide under the gaze of the supreme god. This is the ultimate goal of our church."
After Lius's words, Anne also showed a serious expression, and her words became increasingly earnest as she confided in the boy before her:
"This idea was shared with me by the former bishop when he first introduced it to me, and it coincided with my mindset at the time. In order to achieve this goal, I also made it clear in my heart that no matter what price I had to pay, it didn't matter."
"Is it because of this mindset that you did such things to Ms. Diana and Lilith? Is that right?" Leus continued, frowning as he asked.
“That’s right… I can’t deny that. When Diana came to me, she told me about her inner troubles, and I went along with it and chose to use her own magic to create Little Lilith, to create something pure that could resurrect the Supreme God.”
At this point, as if mocking herself, Annie shook her head slightly, placed her hand on her chest, and muttered to herself, "Speaking of which, this ability is something I learned in the church back then. Ironically, now I'm using it in the church I'm in now. It's practically a cycle." To do something like this, to offer Lilith and everyone else in the kingdom to the Supreme God... Aunt Annie, aren't you just like Rosalind back then? Both of you are harming innocent people to achieve your own goals. Do you really think this is justice?
"How can justice possibly be justice!"
Upon hearing Lius's words, Anne's voice suddenly turned sharp, and her eyes flashed with a murderous aura, instantly freezing the surrounding atmosphere and making it extremely oppressive. "To hurt others. To achieve something that will destroy this great nation... How can these things be considered justice! I know, Lius, do you think I've been ignoring this all along? Actually, I know everything!"
"Then why did you do this, Aunt? What was your purpose? Was it merely to avenge that senior lady?" Lius frowned and continued to question Anne.
"Revenge... Perhaps at first it was just that thought, but now, the inside story has become extremely complicated, and it can't be fully explained with just one or two things!"
"Aunt Anne, what exactly are you pursuing? It's neither revenge nor justice. So... how empty are you inside right now? Or is there something stronger and more unshakable than revenge and justice that supports you in doing this?"
Hearing Lius's question, Annie pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to answer, but unsure how to express herself. Her lips opened and closed, but no sound came out. She simply stared intently at the blond boy in front of her.
"Actually, Aunt Annie, you've always been averse to these things, haven't you? Especially the thought of harming so many people, especially Lilith, must have caused you a lot of pain, right? So, for you to willingly do these things against your own will, your purpose must be something very pure."
Lius pursed his lips, and finally, under Anne's gaze, he uttered his deduction: "Aunt Anne, you want to break free from your fate, don't you?"
Chapter 286: Anne's Secret (Part 4)
“Aunt Anne, what you really want in your heart is to change the fate that you, and even the world, will have to bear. That’s why you did such a heinous act that could affect the entire kingdom, right?” Hearing what Lius suddenly said, Anne narrowed her eyes, as if a soft spot in her heart had been struck in an instant. She couldn’t help but swallow, and her gaze toward Lius became more serious and surprised.
"Change...fate, Xiaoli, what are you talking about? How could I possibly have such a thought?" Although Aunt Annie, you may not even be aware of this thought yourself, I can still sense some turmoil in your heart. Even though you have never revealed these thoughts, based on your previous words and past experiences, I can still make this inference.
Looking at Anne, Lius slowly began to speak, finally making up his mind to embrace the dark-haired young woman again, pressing them close together.
Auntie, the reason why you have such a strong conviction in your heart is very simple. It is because throughout your life, you have been trying to fight against fate. Whether it was going to the church to find that senior lady, or escaping with her, or now trying to fight against the church and change the world, you have a thousand reasons, but the core idea is only one: you want to change your own fate and even the fate of the entire kingdom.
"Why... Xiao Li, do you think that way? You said before that if my plan succeeds, it will cause enormous damage to both the kingdom and the people of the main country. Under such circumstances, why do you think I want to change the fate of the main country?"
Anne continued to frown, as if seeking an answer, and asked Leus again. Leus nodded slightly and replied to Anne in an affirmative tone:
"Because... Aunt Anne, you harbor hatred towards the current Kingdom. This hatred stems from the people and things you've encountered, from witnessing the dark side of the Church and even the Kingdom, thus generating endless resentment. But I also want to believe that beneath this hatred, there is actually a deep-seated 'love' within you."
Love...what love? Xiao Li, do you really think I would have any nostalgia for the church? Anne asked, frowning.
“Behind every hatred lies love. It is because of love that there is hatred. The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. This is also true for you, Auntie. But the love I want to talk about is not your feelings for the church, but the love that comes from the people you have come into contact with, such as the senior ladies, such as Leah and the other children, and for example... me. Auntie, you care about us very much, don’t you?”
When Leus asked Anne the same question again, his tone became even more serious. After a brief moment of surprise, Anne instinctively nodded in agreement with Leus.
“Okay, since you agree, Aunt Annie, it proves that my guess was correct. You now have a very strong concern for us and do not want us to become victims of the dark side of this world under the manipulation of fate, like that senior lady. Because you do not want to repeat the tragedy of that senior lady, you have done a series of things to fight against the fate that has always accompanied you.”
Struggle. Fate muttered the words from Lius's mouth. Anne's initial excitement gradually subsided, replaced by a sense of surprise and self-reflection. She began to rethink her own feelings, and her slender fingers unconsciously rested on her chest, feeling the increasingly rapid beating of her heart.
Meanwhile, Leus stroked Anne's hair, as if comforting a trembling little girl. Leus soothed the dark-haired woman before him with physical gestures while continuing to speak softly to her:
"Auntie, the most direct purpose of everything you have done is to break the darkness of this world and use the power of the supreme god to dispel all the darkness in the world in order to protect the people you love. This is the love in your heart. It is also because of this love that you have great hatred for the church and the conspirators in the church. This is also one of the reasons that prompted you to do such extreme things."
“Little Li, are you... really so sure? Perhaps this is just wishful thinking on your part. Don't you think that I, your aunt, am just a vengeful person who has fallen into depravity because of the departure of my predecessors? Even now, after knowing all the conspiracies I'm about to commit... are you still willing to give me a seemingly legitimate reason? Is that really okay?” Anne pursed her lips and asked Lius hesitantly. Lius smiled at her again and slowly said, “Whether what I said is true or not, I can't decide for myself. Only you, Aunt, know. Don't you even realize your own true intentions? Clearly, all your actions are based on this intention, yet you don't understand the source of your evil intentions at all. I really didn't expect that.”
"I..."
"Actually, I can roughly deduce the reason for your state, Auntie. You have always known that your actions will hurt a lot of people. Even if you want to create a better world, you still feel guilty about the sacrifices of those people. Therefore, you can only keep convincing yourself and forcing yourself to become a ruthless avenger so that you can do those evil things."
“These things… summoning the supreme god to this world requires a vast amount of energy and souls for guidance. For this purpose, most of the lives in the kingdom must be sacrificed. This is what our church must do. This is the final step. Even if I am a villain who will be remembered for all time, I must create that new world,” Anne said, biting her lip and trembling slightly.
"As expected, Aunt Anne, you have this kind of 'ready to die' mentality... In a sense, at this moment, you are even more extreme than Pope Rosalind."
Sensing the intense emotion shining in Anne's eyes, Leus shook his head, sighed helplessly, and continued speaking to the dark-haired woman in his arms:
“I know that you have an extremely strong sense of guilt, Aunt, and therefore you only want to punish yourself. Whether it is Lilithia or the others in the orphanage, the image you want to present to them is probably that of a traitor who committed evil deeds driven by self-interest, right? In order to draw a line between them and you after the matter is completely exposed, so as not to affect them.”
"At least for you, I want to protect you, especially you, Xiaoli... What I least want is for you to be involved in this. I want to protect you well, Xiaoli. Even if it's part of the plan, I don't want you to sacrifice yourself. Just consider it my selfish wish."
With an urgent gaze fixed on Lius's face, Annie pursed her lips and spoke in a tone of concern, revealing the deepest affection in her heart to the boy, as if confessing her love to the blond boy before her.