October 1696 in the Bright Calendar, pilgrimage day. The holy city of Maltisse was solemn, the long streets were washed clean by the water, the fragrant petals spread along the Hagia Sofino for five or six kilometers, and the devout believers prayed and advanced towards the church, and there were carols in praise of the gods.

Wearing a long white gown, Ilona leaned on the high terrace of the church and looked down, her beautiful back as soft as a statue of a goddess.

But her eyes were empty, and the unprecedented splendor that was so close at hand did not attract the slightest attention from her.

At some point, an old nun came behind her, coughed heavily, and said expressionlessly: "Ilona, the candidate saint of the Diocese of Federland, why are you still in this place?" ”

Ilona came back to her senses, and when she saw the visitor, she was shocked, and said timidly, "Sister Berta, I'm sorry, I forgot the time. ”

The old nun snorted coldly: "On a big day like today, even the slightest mistake is blasphemy against the gods! Don't think that passing the first three rounds of selection is a big deal."

I've seen a lot of girls like you, and because you're young and beautiful, you want to do whatever you want. Forty years ago, when I ran for the Holy Maiden, I don't know how many girls who were much more beautiful than you were compared to me!"

"I didn't ......," Ilona explained quietly.

"Hmph, I still want to quibble, deception is a shameful original sin! It is really a defilement to the Father that a dishonest girl like you should also run for the Holy Maiden. ”

Sister Berta had a mean face, and her deep wrinkles became more and more ugly.

Ilona wanted to refute something, but gritted her teeth and still didn't say anything. She wasn't meant to be a submissive person, but this was the holy city of Maltis, the closest place in the world to the gods.

Under the seemingly bright altar, there is too much ugliness buried.

For example, Sister Berta, a divine servant who has dedicated her life to the Father, has long since withered her soul after longing for further progress and being disappointed again and again, leaving only a belly full of resentment and endless malice.

She was full of sinful jealousy and inexplicable hostility towards every young and beautiful girl, and longed for them to lose their youth and even their lives at once, just like herself.

Ilona had seen her and several other old nuns drag the disobedient candidate into the prayer room and beat them to death in the name of blasphemy against the gods.

The girl's screams resounded throughout the temple, and the frenzied scene created the illusion that it was not a nun in a black prayer robe, but an evil witch.

Originally, Sister Berta was completely dismissive of Ilona from a remote diocese, but she didn't expect Ilona to be surprisingly lucky, passing three rounds of selection in a row, standing out from thousands of candidates, and entering the final round of evaluation.

Although her chances of being selected are still very low, they are enough to arouse Bertha's jealousy.

The moment she saw Berta, Ilona understood her intentions, and seeing her unwillingness to give up, Ilona guessed that she must be deliberately trying to delay the festival so that she could delay the festival and use this excuse to torture herself.

Thinking of this, her heart suddenly became nervous.

"Ilona, why are you still here? ”

Just when Ilona was secretly anxious, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

She turned her head in surprise to see that it was the person she was familiar with. A handsome knight with brown hair, no more than twenty-four or five years old, wearing a brand new set of light armor, the hidden holy light is even more solemn and sacred, and it also marks that he has entered the threshold of the middle level, with at least four levels of strength.

"Mario-sama, why are you here?" said the old nun's face turned unnatural in an instant.

"Oh, I'm in charge of today's vigilance, and I just happened to see Ilona still stranded here, what's the matter, is Sister Berta still explaining the doctrine of God the Father to Ilona?"

"Yes...... Yes, listening to the teachings of God the Father is the greatest honor of every clergyman. ”

"Let's change the time" Mario shook his head, "Now the festival is about to start, if you miss the time, everyone will be in trouble." ”

"This ......"

"All right, Ilona, go to the festival first, and I'll stay with Sister Berta to talk to her about the teachings of the Father. ”

"Yes. This time, without waiting for Sister Berta to speak, Ilona obediently agreed, glanced at Mario gratefully, and ran out of the terrace quickly.

Seeing that the prey had flown away, Sister Berta, who had been determined to get it, had a gloomy face and said gloomily: "Lord Mario, please don't forget the teachings of the Father, lust is the anthill that crushes faith. ”

Mario reluctantly withdrew his gaze and sneered, "Nuns, you should not forget that jealousy is the source of depravity!"

Sister Berta snorted heavily, and hurried out of the terrace, her face very ugly. Not far behind her, Mario laughed heartily.

Although Berta is very old and has no low status, she can take what she wants from the saints, but she has no way to take Mario. For a young knight with a bright future is far more important to the gods and to the church than an old and decrepit nun.

In Mick's words, the gods are the most realistic and savvy guys in the world.

Ilona trotted all the way and finally arrived at her predetermined position before the festival began. She stood among the remaining 100 or so saints and looked up at the majesty of His Majesty the Pope.

Outside the Hagia Sofino, more than 100,000 devout believers knelt on the ground and silently prayed to the Father, and the beautiful hymns were deafening.

Pope Firdra, dressed in full costume, walked up to the altar and held the scepter of light, a symbol of divine power, in his withered right hand, and then held it high and prayed solemnly: "We are in iniquity, but our hearts are toward the light." Great and holy and merciful Father, please guide the lost Lamb and lead us out of the dark abyss with the mark of Radiance. ”

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every believer, like the caress of the gentle wind and drizzle, arousing everyone's awe.

The prayers of more than 100,000 believers gradually converged into one voice, chanting in a neat and low voice: "We are in sin, but our hearts are bright." Great and holy and merciful Father, please guide the lost Lamb and lead us out of the dark abyss with the mark of Radiance. ”

As the prayers grew louder, so did the scepter of light in Pope Fildera's hand, until the light shone so brightly that it was impossible to open one's eyes, and then it shot into the sky, reaching into the sky.

As if in response to the Pope's prayer, the thick clouds in the sky formed a whirlpool, as if opening the door to another world, and a thick holy glow fluttered down towards the saints who were running for election.

On the high platform, Pope Fildra's heart was surging, and Gu Jing Wubo's face could not hide his excitement. Behind him, Cardinal Deriano, the oldest cardinal, was already in tears.

"Your Majesty, there is finally a response, the Holy Maiden who has been lost for thirty years will finally return to the world!"

The holy light slowly coalesced, solidified, and then fell on the body of one of the saints who were running for the election, and the girl who was not good-looking instantly became dazzling and sacred, as if she had a trace of divinity and majesty in an instant.

The saints who were not selected all sighed deeply in their hearts, and they understood that the trajectory of their lives and that of the lucky one would be very different from then on.

Ilona also felt a little lost in her heart, but her motives for running for the Holy Maiden were not so pure, and she would not be as uncomfortable as others at this time.

However, just when everyone thought that the dust had settled, Ilona's body suddenly lit up with a milky white light, and the light was so dazzling, like the sun and moon in the sky, that it instantly attracted the attention of Shenghui.

The Divine Radiance struggled uncertainly as if it had a thinking consciousness, and a moment later, a small half of the Divine Radiance left the brigade and rushed towards the stunned Ilona amid countless exclamations.

"No!" the new saintess who had been shrouded in a large amount of holy light suddenly let out a heart-rending howl, and her eyes were full of hatred and resentment as she looked at Ilona.

On the high platform, Cardinal Deriano trembled and exclaimed, "That's ...... Be...... Did that girl ever be kissed and blessed by the Lord God Himself?"

Pope Fildra glanced at Ilona deeply and sighed: "The sages who walk in the world, maybe this is the reincarnation of fate. Bring the saint and the girl to the temple of the Holy Spirit. ”

After saying that, Fildra seemed to be ten years old, and staggered off the high platform.