What is an Assist?

Hearing Ard’s words, Thomas seemed to remember something and looked at Seleu with surprise.

Seleu elegantly wiped her mouth and then asked with perfect composure, “Oh, I believe there was such a person. Father Reiss fought bravely until his last breath. He has now been laid to rest.”

“Father Reiss is dead?!” the Marquis asked in disbelief. He had no idea Reiss had been buried alive and had assumed, seeing Seleu alone, that the priest had been sent on another mission. “Alas, Father Reiss and I went back a long way. I never thought…”

“Ahem.” Thomas’s cough cut off the Marquis’s lament. He said apologetically to the confused lord, “Um, it’s not what you think, Marquis. Father Reiss is still alive.”

“Huh? But…” The Marquis looked at the perfectly calm Seleu.

“He has found peace in my heart,” Seleu stated serenely. “It is merely his physical body that has not yet perished. This does not prevent his soul from returning to the side of the Orchid of Love.”

The Marquis stammered, “Uh, I… I see.”

Ard finally understood the situation. Thomas had forgotten about Reiss due to being busy with official duties, while Seleu had simply chosen to selectively forget him—no, she had executed him in her mind.

Thomas, unable to watch this continue, stood up. “I should go and dig Father Reiss out.”

“No need for that! I climbed out myself! You heartless bunch!”

The dining room doors were suddenly thrown open, and Reiss, now in civilian clothes, stormed in, his face a mask of fury.

“See? If you just leave him, he can climb out on his own,” Seleu commented, continuing to eat calmly.

Reiss said, his voice thick with grief and indignation, “How dare you say that! Aren’t we supposed to be inseparable partners?! I felt like I was buried for a whole day and not a single person came for me! My heart is broken!”

Seleu said coldly, “Inseparable? Are you referring to the past ten years of our partnership, during which you subjected me to an average of over thirty thousand words of sexual harassment per year, three thousand per month, and one hundred per day?”

With that single sentence, Reiss felt the moral high ground crumble beneath his feet. Countless scornful gazes were now fixed on him. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he tried to salvage some face. “Well, it was all just talk, wasn’t it? Haha, just a joke, just a joke.”

“Correct,” Seleu agreed. “And that is the only reason your limbs are still attached to your body. You should be grateful for your minuscule amount of self-control. Now, sit down and eat. Do not further tarnish the glorious image of the Grand Holy Church with your rude and boorish behavior. I am already planning to propose at the next report that your name be engraved on the Pillar of Shame, and that your salary be halved.”

“I’m sorry, Lord Seleu, I was wrong! Please spare me!” To protect his salary and his reputation, Reiss admitted defeat. He sat down next to Seleu like a chastened schoolboy.

Reiss’s little interlude didn’t offend the Marquis and the others; in fact, it livened up the atmosphere. The Marquis immediately had a new set of tableware brought for him.

During the meal, Thomas suddenly said to Reiss, “The Sanctum has decided to establish a church in Pekoin City. The paperwork should be completed soon. It has been decided that you, Father Reiss, will be the resident priest.”

“Oh, huh?” Reiss, who was in the middle of stuffing his face, almost choked. After managing to swallow the food stuck in his throat, he asked, puzzled, “Why me?”

“Because you have always been in charge of guarding this region, Father Reiss. With such a major incident occurring in Pekoin, we need to station someone who understands the situation and possesses sufficient strength.”

“What about my original church?”

“Someone else will be sent.”

Reiss said regretfully, “But my tea garden that I worked so hard to cultivate… Marquis, could I open a tea field in the city?”

The Marquis laughed heartily. “Of course! Lord Ard has already let me sample the tea you grow, Father Reiss. The fragrance is truly unforgettable. A tea field? I’ll approve a whole tea plantation for you.”

“Is… is that so? I’m glad you enjoyed it, Marquis.” Reiss’s smile froze. Ard let him taste it? He first glanced at Ard, who was diligently focused on his food, a soulless eating machine. Then he looked at Seleu. Seleu did not ignore him; she stared back unapologetically, as if to say, What are you looking at?

Reiss felt a dull ache in his chest. It was so painful when one’s own partner sided with an outsider.

He then made a proposal to Thomas. “Commander Thomas, I am more than willing to serve as the priest of Pekoin City. But I have one small request. I hope the organization can approve it.”

“What is it?” Thomas asked, curious.

Reiss said cryptically, “You see, since I’m being so obedient to the organization’s arrangements, when the time comes, could my partner be someone with strong professional skills, who is popular and has a gentle demeanor?”

Thomas gave an official smile. “That’s simple. The Sanctum has already decided on your partner, and she perfectly meets your requirements, Father Reiss.”

Reiss was overjoyed. “Really? Who is it?”

“The three-time consecutive winner of the ‘Most Popular Nun’ competition, the number one nun of the Grand Holy Church, Miss Seleu.”

Reiss’s smile turned to stone.

Thomas continued, adding insult to injury, “Sister Seleu’s professional skills are top-tier among all the nuns. And because of her consistently serious attitude toward all believers, she is deeply loved. Every year, a large number of followers donate generously to the church where she is stationed. After she was secretly transferred here, we’ve received countless inquiries about her whereabouts from believers wishing to make a pilgrimage.”

The stone that was Reiss shattered into dust. He managed to pull himself back together with a single thread of courage. “She’s not a goddess, she doesn’t need a pilgrimage! And that crowd of believers are all just a bunch of lechers, aren’t they?! She has the same poker face 300 days a year! They’re definitely just after her body! I… Seleu, don’t you have anything to say? Surely you don’t want to be bothered by an average of thirty thousand harassing comments a year anymore!”

Seleu put down her fork and said calmly to Thomas, “I will follow the Sanctum’s arrangements. Please rest assured, I will protect the face of the Holy Church.” She then turned to Reiss. “Pekoin is a large city. Although the transient population is not large, it is enough to warrant attention. I hope you will mind your words and actions, Father Reiss. If you no longer want your tongue, I can help you with that. Besides… are you so wronged to have me as your partner?”

Seleu’s expression darkened, and Reiss began to tremble.

“No, no! To have a great beauty like Sister Seleu as my partner, what could I possibly be dissatisfied with? A drink, a drink!” Reiss quickly downed a large gulp of wine. “This wine is excellent! Haha, come, come, let’s drink!”

The pleasant lunch ended in laughter. Later, in the drawing-room, Ard sat with the Marquis and Marchioness. He had intended to tell them about Yexi, but the Lady’s gaze made him feel immense pressure. Her abyss-like stare made him swallow all his prepared excuses. He sat uneasily on his chair, like a young boy meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time.

The Marchioness’s eyes sparkled. “What did you want to see us about?”

Her gaze was so bright it almost blinded him. He quickly looked down, unable to meet her eyes, and said weakly, “For… for certain reasons, I would like to take Yexi away with me for at least three years. I came to ask for your permission.”

Ard had prepared a long preamble to lead into this, but the Lady’s direct question made him forget all his lines. He had skipped the introduction and gone straight to the point. The moment the words were out, he knew they sounded… different from what he had intended.

The Marchioness covered her mouth in surprise, looking cute and playful. “And Xi-chan agreed?” she asked eagerly.

“She said if you agree, she has no objection.” Ard relayed Yexi’s original meaning, which made the Marchioness even more incredulous.

“You two progressed that quickly?! Who pursued whom?”

“I did, I think. No, wait. My Lady, some things are not as simple as they seem.”

“Let’s not worry about those trivial details.” The Marchioness sat up straight, her expression serious. The Marquis and Ard instinctively straightened their postures, completely suppressed by her aura.

“Ard, I ask you, what do you like about Yexi?”

“Um, my Lady, I…” Ard tried to explain again, but was immediately cut off.

“Don’t change the subject. You just need to answer my question. Otherwise, don’t even think about taking our Yexi away.”

Left with no choice, Ard answered honestly. “Yexi is very strong and very beautiful. Her personality is a bit… sharp-tongued, but she is very thorough and thoughtful in everything she does. That’s about it.”

“Will you be good to our Yexi? Will you bully her?”

Ard couldn’t help but retort, “I think you should be more worried about me.”

The Marchioness pouted. “That’s different. It has nothing to do with strength. Are you saying you’ll bully her if you become stronger than her in the future?”

Seeing the dangerous glint in her eyes, Ard quickly said, “No, absolutely not! I swear to the heavens, I will never bully her!” He was at a loss for words. Bully her? And wait to be assassinated? Even if I were stronger than her in a straight fight, she’s an assassin. She wouldn’t fight me head-on. I’d probably be poisoned to death one day just by drinking a cup of water.

“That’s good. If Xi-chan comes back one day and tells me you bullied her, I won’t let you off.”

“Yes, yes. Wait… does that mean you agree?”

“I agree. When are you two leaving?”

“In two days, I think. After the wound on my chest has healed a bit.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll have Yexi take care of you for the next two days. Hee hee, seize the opportunity.”

Ard left the room in a daze. He seemed to have achieved his goal, but something felt… very wrong.