Wizard: I am a goblin

Chapter 122 The Blooming Wild Rose

"Absolutely not, absolutely not."

"Father Usa, O'Bak..."

"Please forgive my rudeness, but I see that while you are chanting God's name, your true purpose has nothing to do with faith. I don't want to say anything too offensive in the Lord's sanctuary, so please leave."

The old priest's face was like a closed door. Before Doffin could even defend himself, Usha waved his hand, and a young monk came over and politely but authoritatively led the two of them out of the church.

boom.

The halfling and Dove stared at each other, wide-eyed, at the tightly closed door.

"What do we do?" the woman asked, her expression displeased. The old priest was ruthless: the moment Doffin uttered the word "manticore," his face changed, and he berated the two of them (mainly the woman), then kicked them out.

"It's not a big problem; I knew this would happen."

"Then what are we doing here? Looking for a fight?" The swordswoman glared at Gebu. "If this plan doesn't work, I'm not giving you back this equipment."

"No rush, you should go back and rest first. You've worked hard today... Well done!" Gebu gave the woman a thumbs up. "Especially with that fat guy, you did a great job. I didn't expect you to be so useful."

The swordswoman was surprised that Gebu would praise her and felt a little embarrassed. Seeing that she didn't respond, Gebu continued to ask:

"Is 'Hawaki' your family name? What exactly does your family do?"

"Nothing special, just a fallen noble family that produced a few knights of the kingdom—families like that are common in the kingdoms, nothing special," the swordswoman said casually, her eyes intentionally or unintentionally avoiding eye contact.

Seeing her furtive manner, Gebu thought to himself, "A noblewoman working as a mercenary? She's really in a terrible situation. Could she have run away from home?"

"Speaking of which, if the priest isn't cooperating, is the plan really off? What about Dulin?" the woman with the sword said, changing the subject as she went.

"Some things can't be rushed. We've already planted a seed in that old man's heart, let it grow for a while—I'll go water it later."

"Are you sure? We don't have much time left." The swordswoman looked at the halfling who was acting mysteriously and asked with her hands on her hips, "If the lord doesn't send troops, are we really going to go tomorrow just the two of us? I'm not going to go and die."

"No, you can trust me. Oh, and I need you to do something else—go buy me fifty kilograms of lead and have them hammer it into the shape of gold bars. It doesn't need to be too precise, just something that feels roughly right through the bag. Then buy a wooden box to store the lead, and a leather bag, the same kind as mine." Geb showed Doffin the dimensional bag at his waist.

The woman was completely bewildered. Gebu gave her twenty gold coins, promising to explain what they were for later, and then sent her away.

After Daphne left, Geb wandered around the church twice, then turned Big Eyes into a raven and sent it inside to check on things.

The monastery is located in Chifang Town and is the most magnificent building besides the lord's castle. In front is the chapel, open to the public, and in the middle is a courtyard. Through a fence, one can see the monks planting plants and flowers in the courtyard.

In the very center of the courtyard grows a bunch of wild roses—but now it's autumn, and the roses are past their blooming season, leaving only the green vines climbing the old walls, creating a solemn and elegant atmosphere.

Crossing the courtyard and walking further in, you reach the area where the monks live. A crow circled the building once, and in a corner room on the second floor, Gebu saw Father Usha reading a book by the light from the window.

Hmm... what's wrong with this old guy?

The more extreme a person is, the more insecure they often are. Gebu thought. Just like the old shaman, the more unstable his power, the more ruthless he becomes. This priest has been watching the lord and the merchant guild for so long, and his attitude is still so resolute—he has already pushed himself to the edge of a cliff, and Gebu only needs to give him a push.

Try to bluff him a little... but not too obviously. The old guys in the church aren't goblins. If they find out you're using magic, you could be killed.

Gebu thought about it for a while, and an idea came to him.

-----------------

As dusk fell, the words on the book became difficult to decipher. Father Usa rubbed his eyes, closed the book, and put it down.

The book cover features a cluster of bright red roses, and beneath the roses is a line of ancient sages' calligraphy in gold lettering.

ROSARUM LIBER QUINTUS

The Gospel of the Rose

As the sun set and birds returned to their nests, Father Usa's emotions remained unsettled, like a needle pricking his heart at any moment.

Rose Saintess... Divine Punishment Scorpion Lion... Could it really be just a coincidence?

Usa's faith in the gods never wavered; what he doubted was himself.

Holy Lord, grant me eyes that can see the truth... so that I may see Your will.

He closed his eyes and prayed silently by the window. Gradually, his frantic breathing calmed down.

Yes, I can't be wrong.

They all live in lies, but I am bathed in the truth of the Lord.

He felt a warm ray of sunlight on his face, as if a divine hand were touching his forehead. Everything felt so natural, making him feel incredibly at ease.

Father Usa opened his eyes with relief.

The flowers in the Gospels bloomed before his eyes, and in an instant they spilled out of the pages, the vines climbing up the priest's arm!

"Obak above!"

Usha instinctively shook his hand and stood up abruptly—in the blink of an eye, the book was intact, without any roses or vines.

Only the old priest was startled.

He rubbed his eyes—a hallucination?

"Father?" a voice called from outside the door. Usa, startled, replied hastily, "Who?!"

"It's me, Thomas... I heard you call out. What happened? Do you need help?"

It turned out to be one of his young monks. The priest breathed a sigh of relief, coughed lightly, said a few perfunctory words, and then said:

"Go and rest. Remember to light the candles and lock the door. Oh, and count the money in the donation pool and put it away. Then leave the chapel door open; I want to go pray tonight."

"Yes, Father Usa."

The big-eyed crow saw everything from outside the window.

The priest was startled and felt weak. He lay down for a while, but couldn't sleep soundly.

Rose Saintess...

"The Gospel of the Rose 7:17-23"

"The Rose Saintess arrived in Baron Vandu's territory and sought help from the local O'Bak followers, but no one believed her."

"They insulted the Holy Virgin, calling her by a filthy name, because everyone thought himself to be God's messenger, measuring O'Bak's breadth with their own narrow-mindedness."

"However, no one can possess the whole truth, just as no one can monopolize the glory of the Lord."

"The Virgin did not refute them, but went into the dense forest by herself. When she came out with the head of a winged dragon, the believers saw her blind left eye and knew that this was the good deed they had done."

"The saint willingly offered this eye to their jealousy and narrow-mindedness, without complaint or a moment's doubt about God's will."

"She was blind in one eye, yet she could see God's grace; those believers who did not believe in her, though they had good eyes, could no longer see the glory of the Lord."

"That's you!"

Usa woke up with a start, drenched in a cold sweat!

It was just a dream!

It was just a dream.

It was just a dream...

He looked out the window; the moon was bright and the stars were few—it was a quiet, beautiful night—but the old priest could no longer sleep. A sense of guilt grew wildly in his chest. The old man shakily put on his robe, picked up the candlestick, and went out into the courtyard.

The scent of grass in the garden calmed him down a bit. The old priest strolled to the center of the courtyard, where a cluster of red caught his eye.

It was a cluster of wild roses, growing in the center of the vine, as red as blood.

The old priest's heart sank, and with trembling hands, he brought the flower petals closer.

"Rose... How can roses bloom in autumn?"

The moment his fingers touched the petals, the rose withered instantly, the petals falling from the base. The old man quickly reached out to catch them, but the petals slipped lightly through his fingers and turned to ashes on the ground.

"This...this..." The old priest panicked a little. He felt his heart pounding and he was so unsteady that he had to hold onto a pillar next to him.

Just then, a muffled chanting sound came from the chapel—overlapping and echoing, as if hundreds of people were chanting together!

Wait, why would anyone be praying so late at night?!

Could it be... a miracle?!

The old man blurted out:

"Obak above!"

The old priest shuddered, picked up the candlestick, and, disregarding his disheveled appearance, rushed straight into the chapel!