Warhammer Divine Throne

Teresa reached out her small hand to hold the man's big hand, and Laine did not shake it off.

The daylight appeared, with the sun showing half its face. The Nord people loved to rise early, and when Laine and Teresa came out of the Justice Church, many town citizens were already up. Smoke billowed from every household's chimney; today promised to be a clear day despite the strong wind, and many citizens had already begun their morning prayers.

They were all followers of the God of Dawn. Followers of the God of Dawn usually pray when the first ray of morning light rises, taking the meaning of "an early bird gets the worm."

"Actually, I find this quite troublesome, praying every day is exhausting. Don't you think?" Laine said with a smile to Teresa as he watched the citizens praying. "When does the Mysterious Lady generally require her followers to pray to her?"

"We only unite in prayer on the fifteenth of March every year, besides that, we Jialan rarely pray on normal days." The female sorcerer enjoyed the feeling of two people walking along the street in the dead of winter, and her tone became cheerful.

"Pfft! The 315th?" Unexpectedly, Laine couldn't help but laugh out loud: "That really matches your Jialan festival."

"??? What do you mean?" The female sorcerer felt baffled and she asked back: "Then, what are the requirements of your Master of the White Wolf regarding prayer?"

"Him? I suspect he doesn't even hear our prayers. Hmm... after the first snowfall of each winter, we light a bonfire and pray to the Master of the White Wolf." Laine nodded, "Other than that, we pray if we have time, and don't force it if we're busy."

Different churches have different prayer requirements. The more orderly the deities, the higher their requirements for prayer. For example, the paladins and priests of the God of Justice, if there are no special circumstances, will conduct morning teachings and prayers at dawn every day, rain or shine, even during holidays. Whereas the Lord of Dawn's requirements are not as strict; it's best if followers remember to pray, but if they get busy and forget, or if today is cloudy or rainy, then it's no big deal.

Casters are inherently a contradictory existence, since the Path of Aurora itself doesn't have much to do with faith. Casters, rather than worshipping the Magic Goddess, clearly prefer to delve into the essence of magic, so once a year suffices for them.

The two walked along the cobblestone road. The partnership of a Kingdom Knight and a Jialan Witch was enough to ensure everyone avoided them. Every time they reached a shop, Teresa would pull Laine inside to take a look and then buy some small trinkets.

These simple handmade products or basic grain-made snacks were originally disposable for the Jialan female sorcerer, but today Teresa was in high spirits, and Laine wondered what was going on with this woman?

His father endowed him with powerful genes, and his extraordinary physique granted him great stamina; getting worn out shopping with a woman? That's not a thing!

After they had visited two blocks, Laine's attention was caught by a crowd of people.

An old lady, who looked to be in her fifties, was sitting on a chair at the corner of the street, surrounded by a large group of children ranging from five to fourteen years old. The commonality among them was their mostly worn-out clothes as they sat around this old lady.

The old lady used her withered hands to take a basket from behind her, and the basket held some small fruits.

At the sight of snacks, the hungry children swarmed forward, dirty little hands desperately reaching for the small fruits in the basket.

To the Kingdom Knights and Jialan Councillors, these sour and astringent wild fruits were the worst kind of food, but in the eyes of these children, they were a supreme treat, rare for many poor families.

"Everyone wait! Wash your hands first!" The old lady quickly waved her hand to stop the children. Although their eyes were full of longing, they obediently followed orders and queued up to wash their hands in a nearby water bucket.

After they had all washed their hands in line, the children each received a small piece of fruit. They gathered in front of the old lady, who then took out some small wooden sticks for the older kids to distribute to each child.

"What are they doing?" Teresa was very curious.

"Let's go have a look," Laine said as he reached out and took the female sorcerer's small hand. Teresa rolled her eyes at him but did not resist, instead gently following him and exhaling faint fragrant air: "Don't tell me, you, a White Wolf Knight with a fearsome reputation from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood... like children?"

"No, actually I don't like children; they are illogical, and..." Laine shook his head: "You know, I like quiet. My life is filled with battles and killing; when I have gaps, I don't look for women to vent nor can I go back to my home in Autene. I prefer to find a quiet corner to rest; children... are too noisy."

Teresa was stunned.

At that moment, the female sorcerer from the Jialan Council felt for the first time that she had entered Laine's heart.

The real Laine hidden beneath the easygoing and worldly wise facade.

Since she had known Laine, he had always appeared open-minded, cheerful, humorous, and well-versed in worldly matters before her, like an old soul.

But that emotion, she knew,

the fleeting expression of loneliness on Laine's face and the self-deprecation in his tone, was called solitude.

Why would such a renowned White Wolf Knight feel lonely at the sight of a group of children surrounding an old lady for food?

She began to think about Laine's past.

All of Laine's past was traceable; he had adoptive parents, his own childhood, many friends, and a very outstanding godfather's guidance.

Why would he feel lonely under such circumstances?

Her thoughts returned to a crucial aspect of Laine's background.

All available information about Laine came after he was picked up by Norman at the age of three.

What about before he was three?

Did Laine have memories from before the age of three?

For what purpose did his father abandon a three-year-old child, and for what reason did he leave such a single-handed longsword to a three-year-old child?

For the first time, Teresa developed a deep curiosity about Laine.

Reflecting further, why was he unwilling to be her partner?

It was clear she did not satisfy him.

The female sorcerer recalled her behavior since joining him, from the skirmish beginning in the Mien Forest to the dock battle in Kaltenhaven, to the evening banquet, then crossing the mountains for five days, all the way to yesterday evening's direct hostility towards his friends.

Ha~

Before Teresa could think through everything carefully, she laughed coldly in her heart.

Such behavior, indeed, was hardly commendable; not only did she provide little help along the way, but she repeatedly caused him trouble and distress, and then kept giving him the cold shoulder.

If put in her shoes, what would happen if faced with a male wizard partner who was so difficult to cooperate with and had such a large temper?

Teresa's face turned alternating red and pale.

Besides, if a male sorcerer like that worked with her together, given her temperament and code of conduct, it would be mild to part on bad terms.

The most likely outcome would be to clash.

Thinking of this, cold sweat sprang up on the female sorcerer's back, and her pretty face turned white.

What on earth have I been doing all this time?!