1.10

After Prince Michael returned to the church, Yunyu asked the system:

[Why do I feel that his Fatemeter has been raised even after he knows about my identity?]

[Pupa: Correct, Breakmeter 70%, Fatemeter 55%. He is already in love with you. In the human world, this is the regular percentage that normal couples would settle down and marry. Their love will usually increase after having a baby, or after spending time together without many conflicts.]

[You don't need to explain so much, you know. I was just curious. Besides, why would he fall in love with me anyway, we are bound to be enemies.]

[Pupa: Why? Do you feel guilty because someone is in love with you, but you don't love him at all? I am a system without heart configuration, but love and hatred have a very thin line. Don't be like those dense protagonists in Isekai anime.]

Yunyu gulped. Of course he felt guilty. He was not a cold blooded person that would heartlessly toyed with someone's heart without reason. His task in this world was to prevent Michael from killing everyone with his holy power. As long as Michael felt that he was not worthy of the title of the Saint, then Yunyu had completed his task.

[Pupa: You should harden your heart. Because we have many worlds to complete, and you'll find this situation often.]

Yunyu sighed. He returned to his room and ripped a chicken neck then sucking the blood dazedly. He drank the blood of three chickens before he washed himself and went to the slum again.

***

When Michael returned to the grand church, the high priest summoned him to his office. Michael changed his clothes to the regular white robe from the church and walked to the Head Priest's office.

The Head Priest was an old man in his sixty. He was the de facto leader of the country, even his power surpassed the king. He was also a pious believer of the god. But he was not the chosen Saint, because of one reason.

The Head Priest was a mass murderer, and he did not repent, nor he thought that his action was wrong. Michael learned how to control the people from the Head Priest. Massacring three hundred people was Michael's first achievement, thus, when Michael arrived in the priest's office, the Head Priest treated him like his own son.

"Michael, I've just returned from my visit to another country and I heard that you had exterminated three hundred faithless, was that right?" The Head Priest asked.

"Yes, father…" Michael was not his usual self. If the Head Priest talked to him before Michael met the Duke, he would proudly buff his chest up and admit everything. Because he had been a good follower of the god. He had killed three hundred faithless and sent them to the fiery hell, the place where they belonged. Because they didn't want to follow the true religion.

But now, Michael only lowered his head in shame.

"What's with you, my son? Why are you sad? Are you sad because you accidentally let a few faithless people slip? I will help you to find and kill them," Head Priest said.

"Father…" Michael gulped, he raised his head slowly to stare at the priest's eyes, "Did I do the right thing? I've just killed three hundred people, most of them never hurt anyone in their life. But I—"

"Michael, what's gotten in you?" Head Priest's gentle smile vanished instantly. His scrutinizing eyes peered at Michael suspiciously, "Remember, as long as what you did is in the name of god, you will not be wrong. Because god is right, and you will always be right."

"But God is the deity of kindness!" Michael rebuked, "Father, is this really the way of the god? Does the faithless really deserve death even if they never harm anyone?"

"Michael!" Head Priest raised his voice. This disciple of his never antagonized him since the first time he was brought to the grand church. He was obedient and smart. This was the first time Michael actually rejected his preaching.

"Who had derailed you? Did you go somewhere while I'm gone?!" The Head Priest already gave so much leniency on Michael, because he believed that Michael would not be derailed by anybody. But it seemed that he was wrong now.

"Father, what if there is a faithless that has a good heart?" Michael persisted.

"There is no faithless with a good heart! They are all evil! If you ever see one, they are just pretending!" The Head Priest was angry because he had been questioned by his disciple, "Listen to me, I am the Head Priest! What I said is the truth from god!"

Michael found that the Head Priest that he worshipped as a messiah, the one that guided him to the light, was actually unreasonable. Michael stopped arguing and lowered his head, "Understood, I will excuse myself first, father."

Michael withdrew from the Head Priest's office. The Head Priest was fuming with rage, because Michael was obviously disagreeing with him. The Head Priest's words had always been seen by his follower as the words from god. Even the Saintess didn't have that much influence, because she was sick and locked inside the grand church all day.

The Head Priest was not used to seeing someone argue with him. Usually, those people who dared to contradict him would be sentenced to death in the name of blasphemy or witchcraft.

'Prince Michael must've gone somewhere and gone derailed while I'm gone,' the Head Priest thought.

The Head priest decided to summon Prince Michael's guard to inquire about his activity during the time he was away from the country. The Head Priest got one answer from the guard.

Prince Michael went to the mansion owned by Duchy of Delcostro, where Duke Damien Delcostro lived. The Duke was an influential man, and due to his influence, he was open about his status as a faithless and his power protected him from ever getting executed by the church.

The Head Priest clenched his fist. He hated those faithless, they were people who lived on their own without the guidance from god. They were no different than animals, killing them was the same as killing a bunch of livestock.

But when one faithless towered above all, then that person was a threat to the church.

"I will meet that duke, I will make sure that he will not derail Michael anymore."

***

Michael went to meet the Saintess. His mind was in chaos, and he sought solace with the light of his life, the Saintess.

Michael entered the room and was greeted by the Saintess who smiled at him. She was sitting on the sofa, reading the holy book, "Welcome back, Michael," the Saintess greeted him first.

"Holy Saintess, pardon my inability to serve you yesterday," Michael kneeled in front of the Saintess. He would usually serve the Saintess, at least guarding him for a few hours every day, because he always thought that it was his duty.

The Saintess laughed and shook her head, "It's alright. It seems that you had fun yesterday."

"Not at all," Michael replied curtly. Yesterday's experience with the Duke was not pleasant at all, they went into a dirty slum, stuck in the woods, got attacked by a wolf and Michael also found out about the Duke's real identity.

On top of everything, the Duke was licking his fingers while imagining someone else, probably a girl. Michael's heart was restless now.

The Saintess observed the kneeling young priest for a moment. Her eyebrows raised, at a moment, she was speechless. She closed her eyes and reopened it, and saw the same thing. The Saintess asked, "Michael… did you… met a vampire yesterday?"

Michael was silent. He was not surprised that Saintess could now. The Saintess had foreseen many things. She could see any human sins and she could see everyone like an open book. Michael was facing the Saintess because he wanted the Saintess to know about this.

Because he believed that the Saintess was right, she was the real voice of god.

"I've met a kind hearted faithless, he helps the people in the slum, he donated most of his money to save the orphan. He even used his money to feed the children of the parents who got killed by the massacre I did before," Michael confessed everything to the Saintess.

"But, that kind hearted faithless, is also a Vampire. He is a powerful vampire. But he said that he has never killed a human to survive. He drank animal blood, and he is still the same good person who helps others," again, the gentle face of the Duke appeared in Michael's mind. The pale face that would help the people who had been abandoned by the world.

Michael gritted his teeth, he stared deep at the Saintess, "Holy Saintess, I just need your voice. As long as you say that all vampires are all evil, I will purge him immediately. I will make sure that I burn him with the light of heaven until his ashes are gone. But if you said that he is not evil, then… then allow me to meet him again."

The Saintess saw the seriousness in Michael's eyes. His body shook greatly after he said that he would kill that vampire if it was by the god's will. Michael was obviously conflicted.

The Saintess fell silent for a moment then asked, "Before I answer that, I will ask you one question. Michael, did you fall in love with a vampire?"