Going deeper would make it very difficult for Kassy to conceal things, and she would definitely be the first to suffer.

Fortunately, she hadn't used her true appearance to meet Ariel this time. If Ariel wanted to punish her as a heretic, Kassy could only flee quickly.

Master, this is all for you—you can't abandon me!

Kassy cast a pleading gaze toward Celitia, hoping she would speak up to persuade Ariel.

Not disappointing Kassy's expectations, Celitia spoke methodically:

"What's done is done. Even if you continue to press Kassy, you're only adding to her psychological burden. Moreover, Kassy has already said enough. I believe the Church should prioritize protecting their believers rather than immediately running off to find heretics and exterminate them, right?"

Ariel's gaze immediately shifted to Celitia, full of displeasure.

"Are you accusing me?" Ariel said coldly.

Celitia smiled:

"How could that be? We naturally have expectations of the Church and Lady Saintess, which is why we came seeking help. However, if Lady Saintess refuses to provide assistance, we can only regretfully give up."

The girl's voice was clear and cold, her tone steady and calm, but for some reason, when Ariel heard it, she could sense a hint of provocation.

"Refuse to provide assistance?" Anger appeared on Ariel's face. "You mean I can't solve her problem?"

Celitia blinked: "I didn't say that."

Ariel couldn't help but feel stuck.

But thinking carefully, when believers came seeking help for curses, and she as a Saintess refused to help—besides being unable to do it, what other reason could there be?

She really didn't mean to express that?

The strange feeling in her heart lingered as Ariel stared intently at Celitia, her gaze burning as if trying to see through her completely.

Celitia smiled, her expression innocent and natural, but secretly stuck out her tongue.

See, she knew that just by indirectly provoking Ariel a little, she would immediately take the bait.

Feeling as if she had become the unreasonable one, Ariel had to suppress the irritation rising in her chest:

"What's your name?"

The girl answered with a smile: "Celitia."

"Very well, Celitia," Ariel said flatly. "I can tell you're the one making decisions here. So I'll be direct—currently, there indeed isn't any solution, and we need to find one. Therefore, if you want to solve Miss Kassy's problem, she must first stay at the Church and cooperate with our investigation and research."

"Ah? Stay at the Church? No, no, absolutely not!" Kassy shook her head frantically.

If she stayed at the Church, aside from whether her disguise could hold up, what Kassy feared more was being imprisoned and becoming their research subject.

Seeing Kassy's head shaking like a rattle drum, Ariel glanced at her coldly:

"It seems you haven't realized the seriousness of the situation."

"What's wrong? How is it serious?"

This time it was Sophia's turn to become immediately nervous.

"For Sophia's sake, I'll tell you about this matter."

Ariel sighed and walked back to Sophia's side, sitting down on the bench again.

"On my way back from pilgrimage, I found someone and had to bring her back. Thinking carefully, the ominous feeling that Kassy's curse gives me seems somewhat familiar. I feel her situation might be similar to that lady's."

Celitia's eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of confusion flashing through them.

After all these years, this was the first time she'd heard of a similar case.

Could the seal from back then have failed?

Or had someone else courted death and held a similar ritual ceremony?

Kassy was stunned upon hearing this, but instead of fear, joy appeared on her face: "So there's someone else in the same situation as me?"

In her view, the more people sharing the burden, the better. As for what consequences it might cause, she didn't care.

Sensing Kassy's inner thoughts, Ariel frowned, a trace of disgust rising in her heart.

She glanced at Kassy coldly: "I only said the feeling was similar—that doesn't necessarily mean it's the same."

"Who is she?" Sophia asked worriedly. "What symptoms has she shown?"

Just then, light knocking came from outside, and someone asked: "Is Lady Saintess inside?"

Ariel stood up and went to open the door: "What is it?"

Outside stood a male priest in black robes who craned his neck to look inside.

When he saw Sophia and the other two sitting side by side, his face showed difficulty and he hesitated to speak.

"I know, Pierre. Something happened at the prison again, right?"

Ariel sighed.

"It's fine. If it's about that lady, just speak directly. I was just about to tell them about this matter—you don't need to worry."

Pierre looked inside again and after hesitating for a while, smiled bitterly and nodded, looking completely helpless:

"Yes, that lady is making trouble again, specifically asking for Lady Saintess to come see her... Will you go?"

Ariel snorted coldly through her nose: "Let's go. Perfect timing to see what new tricks she has today."

Pierre breathed a sigh of relief.

Ariel looked back at the three: "You come along too."

"Alright!" Sophia agreed without hesitation.

Celitia was also somewhat curious.

Who could be the person causing Ariel such headaches?

Pierre led the way at the front, with the four following behind. They left the small chapel, walked along the corridor toward the deeper parts of the church.

Lighting the torches in the stairwell, they went all the way down until the group of five gradually reached the deepest part of the church's underground prison.

In that flickering candlelight, Celitia saw an unexpected face.

The woman sat in the corner of the cell, her blue and white robes covered with straw and dirt, in a sorry state.

Her brown straight hair, usually meticulously arranged, hung disheveled, covering half her face and revealing only the other half with smudged makeup.

Her gaze was empty and her expression haggard, completely different from her usual spirited elite appearance.

But it was enough for Celitia to recognize who she was.

Kassy beside her drew in a sharp breath.

She turned her head full of fear to glance at Celitia, clearly also recognizing the woman's identity.

The commander of York Kingdom's Holy Magic Corps, Sercis's friend and lover, and also the woman who dealt him the fatal blow—Kristin.

Seeing the group of five arrive, Kristin quickly scrambled up from the corner and rushed to the cell door.

"Let me out! Let me out!"

She grabbed the bars with both hands, using all her strength to violently shake the prison door.