Chapter 21: Nineteen Did he really die?
"May the winds of Rhein forever surround you," Bishop Corey said with a smile as he looked at the girl in front of him, her eyes closed. He then slowly stretched out his hand, giving a light touch to the back of the girl's head, "May illness, plague, and nightmares never harm you."
The girl's expression had been one of unease and pain, as if she were trapped in some terrible nightmare.
But under Bishop Corey's gentle touch, her expression gradually became peaceful.
This shift made the anxious noblewoman standing by burst into excitement, "Lord Bishop, Lord Bishop, my daughter..."
Bishop Corey made a shushing gesture with his other hand, then spoke softly, "There's no rush for this moment, is there?"
The noblewoman nodded repeatedly, instantly closing her mouth. From an angle she hadn't noticed, a black bug crawled out from the nape of the girl's neck, onto Bishop Corey's right hand, then disappeared into the skin on the back of his hand as if returning to its source.
Immediately, the girl's expression became completely serene. After Bishop Corey withdrew his hand, she slowly opened her eyes, as if awakening from a long-lasting nightmare with a trace of confusion, "What happened to me..."
"Don't think too much," Bishop Corey said with a smile, "You've simply had a nightmare, and now the nightmare is over. You should embrace your new life, and let go of the past pain."
The girl nodded blankly, then the noblewoman immediately stepped forward and embraced her, her voice filled with tears, "My dear, you're finally okay."
Seeing that his work was done, Bishop Corey stood up, ready to leave.
But before he had taken two steps, the noblewoman rushed over again, "Lord Bishop, Lord Bishop."
Bishop Corey turned around, only to be hugged by the noblewoman once more, "I... I really don't know how to thank you!"
Facing this sudden gesture, Bishop Corey remained calm and measured, patting the noblewoman's back lightly as if he had long been accustomed to such things, soothing her, "There, Madam, who says you haven't thanked me? The gift money you've offered is enough to show your devotion to my Lord. Given that, how could I bear to see a follower of my Lord suffer the torments of a nightmare?"
"I know, but that's not enough, those really aren't sufficient to express my sincerity." The noblewoman lifted her head, her tearful eyes now conveying a different kind of allure, "You don't know how much effort I've put in, how much time I've spent, and yet I couldn't solve my daughter's strange illness. You know, after my husband died, the entire family's burden fell on my shoulders, and my daughter is my greatest hope. Without you, I really... I really don't know how I would thank you."
Saying so, the noblewoman's gaze wandered.
"Really, I would do anything for my daughter."
And to this, Bishop Corey simply smiled.
After spending some more time calming down the noblewoman and her daughter, Bishop Corey watched the graceful noblewoman leave with her daughter, his face still wearing a smile.
But once the mother and daughter disappeared from his sight, he immediately dropped the smile and became expressionless.
He took out a handkerchief and meticulously wiped down the areas of his body the noblewoman had touched, even going so far as not to spare his clothes as if afraid she might have left the slightest trace on him.
Not long after, a handsome, fair-skinned boy approached Bishop Corey, speaking respectfully, "Lord Bishop, the Knight Master contacted you using the Holy Fire ten minutes ago."
Bishop Corey raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, but he said nothing more, simply nodding, "I understand."
The boy nodded, about to leave, but was called back by Bishop Corey.
Bishop Corey walked over to the boy, slowly extending his hand, giving a light touch to the boy's cheek as if caressing a piece of art, "Truly... beautiful."
The boy didn't speak, simply standing still.
Bishop Corey stroked for about a minute, then retracted his hand, "Alright, you may go now."
Only then did the boy leave.
Then Bishop Corey returned to his room, going straight to his desk.
Next to the desk was a two-meter-tall copper statue of a figure.
The statue had pure white wings, a holy expression, and... no gender.
This was the statue of the Rhein God.
The statue of the Rhein God held up both hands, with a tuft of blue flame burning in the palms.
Bishop Corey stretched out his hand, reaching his fingers into the flame, which then extinguished to reveal a small piece of paper.
He unfolded the paper, which bore a line of strange characters.
But these characters didn't last long, quickly disappearing like burnt ash, although Bishop Corey still remembered their content and transcribed it.
Then he sat back down at the desk, picked up a notebook, and began to decrypt the characters.
As the decryption proceeded, his brow furrowed bit by bit.
When the decryption was complete, he looked at the deciphered sentence with a complicated expression, murmuring, "Two fingers? How can this be?"
After a moment of surprise, Bishop Corey carefully reviewed the message sent by Kelsay once again, then understood the situation.