The commotion below finally stops as Faye took her last breath. She slowly lost consciousness and then her life.
Xiandre, along with Fillia, exited the room as Velmora stayed behind with Amelia and Millie.
Fillia wore her mask, hiding her face, as she wore her black cloak. The two walked downstairs and turned their heads toward the deceased Faye.
The adventurers were in grief, as two people with white clothes arrived.
"We came here to take her body," they inquired.
The adventurers watched in grief as a priest entered and looked at Faye's open wound.
"Tanga will be removed from his rank as a Platinum Adventurer," the priest inquired.
The two people in white clothes and cloaks took Faye's body, covered it with white sheet, and carried her outside.
The adventurers, grieving, didn't fight off the priest as she was taken to a Death Carriage.
Xiandre watched, along with Fillia, as they took her body.
"She'll probably be brought to the church before getting buried tomorrow," Fillia replied.
"I see," Xiandre responded as he wore a black cloak along with her, covering themselves.
The two exited the tavern without the adventurers noticing. They followed the Death Carriage from a distance. Snow fell heavily in the darkness, and the street lamps offered the only light. The streets were nearly deserted. The carriage wheels creaked through slush as the horses struggled against the cold.
After some time, Xiandre looked back — the tavern was far behind. Fillia took flight silently, gliding above the carriage. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the coachman.
Inside the carriage, the priest sat across from Faye's body. He removed his ceremonial robes and carefully peeled back the cloth covering her.
"May this woman be restored," he whispered. "Oh heavens, grant her a second chance."
A soft glow enveloped Faye's body. Her wounds closed as her breathing resumed. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open.
"Wha... Where am I?" she muttered.
Suddenly, a person in white clothing grabbed her arms and pinned her.
"Hehe, looks like we got a fresh one here. I can't believe I'm actually gonna do it with Faye. She was said to be more beautiful and hotter than actual goddesses and royalties, as her beauty came organic," the priest exclaimed, his tongue out.
"What the!? Where am I? Let go of me!" Faye yelled.
"Hmm, well, I resurrected you from the dead, and now you shall get my blessings and take it thankfully," he inquired.
"Blessings!? Get away from me, you perverted priest! Aren't you Priest Manyak!? The most powerful priest in this city!? Your authority is so high that only the Pope and Bishop can order you, and you should be all divine… Entrusting your entire life to the Seven Virtues… How can you try and rape me if you're supposed to be following chastity!?" she yelled.
"The King, Pope, and Bishop do their thing — I don't give a fuck. All I care about is the women that are being carried in the Death Carriage. How they're dead and I resurrect them with unwritten magic, then rape and kill them again… Hehehe, it's an endless cycle and if I had to give a number, maybe 143 women Soo far," Priest Manyak exclaimed.
It was freezing cold outside. The snowstorm hit hard as their voices couldn't be heard outside.
Manyak grabbed her upper shirt, then ripped her clothing, leaving her in her bra and panties.
"Ahh!" she yelled.
Manyak pulled out his dick as he looked at Faye's helpless body. He laughed and laughed as Faye could only cry in defeat.
"Am I actually gonna lose my virginity to this guy... No… There's someone I loved… That guy... I don't even know his name… I'm really just merely a victim in a story, I guess… That knight with black armor… He looked so cool, and I don't even know the other reasons, but the first time I saw him, my heart fell despite not seeing his face..." she cried in her thoughts.
Manyak approached her slowly as his hand lifted just an inch away from her breast.
"I remember now… his comrades… They called him Xiandre, no his full name is Xiandre... Valk- no, was it? Were those actually his comrades… or his wives? Then if that's the reason, I wanna be part of it too… I spent my entire life looking for a soulmate… And in the end, it's all just going to come to this..."
"Xiandre, help me," she whispered under her breath.
Suddenly, Faye was hit by a rush of memories—fragments of things she wasn't supposed to remember. Flashbacks surged through her mind, leaving her breathless.
Had this... happened before?
The question clawed at her.
Was I raped before?
Her head spun. "No I'm still a virgin, I know it..." She knew she was. No one had ever touched her like that.
...Or have I?
She heard laughter echo in her ears — twisted and familiar.
"No one's going to believe you," the voice sneered. "Your dad's in prison. That boy you were with? He's not going to do anything — he's powerless. I can just pay my way through this crime... Hmm, maybe I'll just kill you after I rape you."
"Please, no... Have mercy... I'm, I'm still fourtee—"
"Ahhh!"
Her head throbbed as forbidden memories surged to the surface — memories she was never meant to have.
She froze in place, trembling.
Fillia pulled out an arrow from thin air as it glowed with divine light. Before the coachman controlling the horse could even notice her, Fillia let go of her bow, and it struck him in the neck, killing him instantly.
Xiandre entered the carriage with an intimidating presence. His left eye glowed red beneath his helmet as he thrust his sword deep into Manyak's side, killing him instantly.
The guy in white clothing let go of Faye and tried to run, but Xiandre grabbed his head just in time. He took the cross necklace on his neck, then pierced it inside his nose as the man yelled in pain. Xiandre then punched him in the face, breaking his skull immediately.
He stumbled out of the carriage, dead, as Xiandre turned his head toward Faye.
"Y-you're..." she mumbled.
"It's really a shame you had to face death like that," Xiandre said calmly as the carriage came to a stop. "Then, when you came back to life... you found yourself about to be Raped."
Fillia entered the carriage and saw Faye alive.
"Resurrection magic... That's forbidden. It defies the very meaning of death," Fillia said softly.
"What are you guys talking about? Died?" Faye asked, confused.
"Don't act like you lost your memories," Fillia said, narrowing her eyes. "Don't you remember what happened before you died?"
Faye grabbed her chest where she had been slashed — fully healed. She breathed heavily and turned to Xiandre.
"You're... Xiandre, right?" she asked.
"Yes. Or in short, you can call me the Smiling Reaper," Xiandre replied.
"The Smiling Reaper... The one who kidnapped the princess and the goddess... the one who destroyed the city Prince Millie ruled... A Holy Knight sent to Hell by both the goddess and princess..." she murmured.
"That's right. I've slaughtered several thousand people — hundreds of thousands, if you count back in my previous world. I'm not just a killer... I'm a genocidal maniac," Xiandre said coldly. "So tell me — how could you love someone like me after hearing that?"
"Hundreds of thousands...? Is that even possible?" she whispered.
Xiandre looked at her terrified face. "It seems like you only needed a bit of help. We didn't bring you back to life. We just saved you... from being violated and killed again," he said, turning to leave the carriage.
"W-wait!" she called out, trembling from the cold.
Xiandre stopped and turned to her.
"What do you need?" he asked.
"Please... take me with you," she said.
"Why?"
"Because... I'm in love with you."
"In love? How can you love someone you've only met four times? And after everything you've heard?"
"I don't know..." she said, her voice shaky. "Something inside me tells me we've met before. Maybe in another life... I don't know what it is."
"What are you trying to say?" Xiandre asked, voice calm but firm.
"You're someone I've met before... in a previous life, maybe?"
Xiandre turned to Fillia. "Are you saying this is your second life? That you've been reincarnated?"
"Yes... I think so."
"Reincarnation? There are infinite worlds out there — timelines, dimensions. For us to have met in another life, and for you to be reborn in the same world I was summoned to... the odds are one in infinity," Xiandre said.
"But it's not impossible," Fillia added.
Faye suddenly clutched her head in pain, tears running down her cheeks. Xiandre felt a strange sensation at the same time — as if something connected them.
"Master, do you feel that!?" Fillia shouted as she teleported beside him.
Xiandre stood his ground while Faye writhed on the carriage floor.
He rushed to her, pulling her into his arms as Fillia followed closely.
"In my previous world... my name was... was..." she struggled, reaching for Xiandre's helmet, her hand brushing his cheek.
"Your voice... it's so familiar to me... Xiandre Valkyrie," she whispered, before falling unconscious.
Xiandre froze in shock. Fillia turned to him.
"Xiandre Valkyrie? That's your full name?"
He nodded silently, completely stunned.
"She's definitely someone from your past world," Fillia said softly. "Not just someone you met... someone you were very close to."
"Let's head back to the tavern," Xiandre said quietly. "I'll explain everything there."