abcnovels
Chapter 181 (Part 2)
Chapter 181 (Part 2)
Chapter 181: Douglas (Part 2)
They simply gathered around her to received healing, making no effort to grow.
They just kept surviving round by round.
‘They’ll collapse soon enough. Luck won’t last forever.’
It’s better to cut ties early.
Switching to a more promising religion was more hopeful and wise.
But that alone wouldn’t have swayed Douglas.
The real reason for his betrayal wasn’t items.
The Church of Despair had promised something.
‘They said I could have my way with Christine before killing her.’
With a wicked grin, Douglas looked at Christine.
An elegant, radiant flower.
He was extremely curious about the pleasure of plucking that flower.
‘I’ve wanted you for so long.’
He had harbored impure thoughts while by her side but never had the chance.
She seemed uninterested in men, which made her more alluring.
People are drawn to untouched, pristine things rather than used goods.
‘Love? Loyalty? Who needs that? Pleasure is what matters.’
Whether Christine lived or died didn’t matter as long as he could satisfy his desires.
At that moment, he saw Berber gesturing to him.
“Berber, did you call?”
Berber was an agent sent by the Church of Despair to monitor the Saintess.
He was also the one who had brought Douglas into the church.
Out of the 101 people here, he was the only ally Douglas had.
“I just received a message from a brother. Preparations are complete.”
“Are all the people gathered?”
“Yes. About 200 brothers are waiting 500 meters away. We can strike at any moment.”
“Oh, finally…”
Preparations were finished.
It was time to sweep away these beggarly followers and kidnap Christine.
“You’ll give her to me as promised, right?”
“Give her to you?”
“You know… Heh heh.”
“Oh, that? Of course. The leader has granted you a special 30 minutes in recognition of your contribution.”
“Oh, 30 minutes… Thank you!”
That was more than enough time to enjoy himself.
“What should I do now?”
“I’m going to get the brothers. Keep Christine distracted so she doesn’t use her detection skills or notice anything. Keep talking to her. Once it starts, subdue her immediately.”
“Understood.”
The so-called Paladin, known as the Saintess’ knight, smirked sinisterly.
—
Christine looked at the gathered people with admiration.
‘So many people trust and rely on me.’
Despite only waiting an hour, over a hundred followers had gathered.
This was reassuring against any potential ambush.
It was like having a thick wall of human shields.
“Everyone?”
At Christine’s word, the murmuring died down.
A profound silence fell, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
“Thank you all for believing in me and following me. Despite not asking you to gather, you’ve come. I can only do one thing in return.”
After a brief pause, Christine spoke with a determined look in her eyes.
“To protect and stay with you until the end. That’s my way of repaying you. Let’s survive together until the 20th round.”
“Waaah!!!”
“Chrisy! Chrisy!”
The players cheered, raising their fists to the sky.
They seemed like devout followers, almost fanatical.
Clap, clap, clap—
Douglas, watching, approached while clapping.
“You’re truly amazing, Chrisy. Your words are noble and inspiring.”
“That can’t be. I’m just an ordinary woman in her twenties. You all see me in a better light.”
“How can you call yourself ordinary when you’re saving lives? The many people who trust and follow you are proof of your goodness.”
“Thank you for saying so. Having someone as kind as you by my side is a blessing.”
As Christine smiled gently, Douglas mirrored her smile.
‘Such a waste of a woman. Too good to kill.’
He wanted to keep her imprisoned for his pleasure.
Would she ever know his true feelings?
‘Heh heh, I can’t wait to see the expression on your face when you’re under me.’
As Douglas swallowed his dry saliva, he followed the plan and engaged Christine in conversation.
“Now that we’re all here, are we heading to the quest?”
“Yes. We’ve been delayed, so we need to gather points quickly.”
“Is there even a quest requiring such a large group?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s better to move together. We’ve always done that.”
“That’s true. But we should plan our strategy first. I have a plan in mind. Would you like to hear it?”
Douglas began spouting pre-prepared lines to draw her attention.
Christine found his sudden verbosity strange.
‘Why is the normally quiet Paladin talking so much today?’
Though he claimed to have a strategy, nothing seemed to register.
His words were long-winded and irrelevant.
‘Strange? This isn’t like him…’
Douglas had been with her since the second round.
She knew his character well.
‘Very strange. Really.’
Being tipped off by the Prophet had made her extremely wary of ambushes.
Thus, Christine habitually checked her detection skill.
Even now.
“Huh?”
Red dots appeared on the skill she had activated by chance.
Douglas’s expression hardened for a moment, but Christine didn’t notice.
She was focused on the approaching red dots.
“L-Look! There are people coming this way…!”
Before Christine could even scream, Douglas grabbed her forcefully and dragged her away.