CH-096

96 This Is Between Me and the Lord

The main purpose of Shu Yue's gathering this time was still centered on Veronica.

Her act of concealing a dangerous item gave rise to many speculations on his part—perhaps it was done out of helplessness, perhaps with ulterior motives.

However, she was indeed a hidden danger to the entire diocese.

Consider this: a few days prior, after she visited the medical room, Shu Yue had specifically instructed the seminary staff to pay extra attention to her and not to let her act alone.

This was originally a preventive measure to avoid another accident befalling her.

But looking at it now, it had instead become a form of covert surveillance, leaving Veronica no opportunity to act, regardless of whether she truly intended to use the contents of the medicine bottle.

As matters progressed to the current state, continuing to passively observe Veronica's behavior—like waiting idly for a windfall—held no practical significance.

Shu Yue had little interest in testing human nature, nor did he wish to waste time and resources.

Thus, Shu Yue proposed conducting a group intervention.

If she truly decided to throw caution to the wind, Shu Yue would naturally not show leniency. He would not let her leave easily; instead, he would hand her over to Bishop Hugo or Duke Claude for disposal.

As for what future she might have then, Shu Yue would not inquire further.

It was just that Shu Yue was generally unwilling to proactively voice such cold and unfeeling sentiments. After all, Leslie's heart leaned toward Veronica. If he were to say such things himself, it would create distance between him and Leslie.

It was similar to how, when he saw that Herens's heart had already turned toward Corney, Shu Yue did not sharply point out Herens's weakness and injustice, nor his betrayal of Shu Yue's trust.

On the contrary, Shu Yue continued to treat Herens just as before.

Because burning bridges was still quite an ugly affair.

He did not like to deliberately engage in meaningless conflicts while cutting losses, as if to display or flaunt his own pitiful state and grievances.

That was entirely unnecessary.

Besides, if he had been able to associate with the other party for so long,

it was clear that the other party was either emotionally significant or useful to him.

It was much like doing business.

Even if the personal bond was gone, the dealings remained.

After all, refusing to adapt and simply wanting to express one's own negative emotions and thoughts, burning bridges outright, would only complicate and trouble many otherwise simple matters.

This was, fundamentally, the pragmatism and energy conservation in a realist's conduct of life.

By the same logic, in handling Veronica's situation, Shu Yue also preferred to position himself on the moral high ground.

It might also be because those before him were just young students; Shu Yue felt a sense of responsibility to set a proper, positive example for them.

Of course, Shu Yue was well aware that he was not, at his core, the "good person" others perceived him to be.

At the same time, he also believed that one day, when their interests truly clashed, they would come to realize that Shu Yue was not the kind of good person they imagined. He would then rescind all the goodwill and favorable impressions he had extended.

Therefore, Shu Yue never placed too much weight on the trust, closeness, or affection others gave him, nor would he easily reveal his true thoughts. Instead, he would quietly steer matters toward his desired outcome.

He knew that opening the box containing the medicine bottle would absolutely terrify Veronica.

If she was still making excuses for herself—believing that no matter what she did, she could be forgiven—then let her know that things were not as naive as she imagined.

Shu Yue aimed precisely to seize that moment when she crumbled under pressure.

Shatter her psychological defenses, and force her true thoughts to surface completely.

"The Lord says, you have greatly disappointed Him."

The moment Shu Yue uttered these words, Veronica's tears immediately burst forth.

She abruptly fell to her knees, her hands clasped tightly before her chest, pleading in a tone filled with desperation and despair for forgiveness. "O Lord... please do not abandon me!"

Her voice was broken and trembling, like glass suddenly shattering right before one's eyes.

The children, who had just been filled with goodwill, were stunned by this sudden turn of events. The noise ceased abruptly.

Some instinctively put away their smiles; others remained frozen in their previous poses, as if someone had pressed a pause button on time; most simply stood there, mouths agape but silent, looking back and forth between Veronica and Shu Yue, their hearts full of confusion.

Shu Yue, however, stood in place, his gaze calm.

He was waiting here for an answer.

If Veronica showed no shame or remorse for the task she was assigned, Shu Yue would publicly expose her transgressions and have her accept punishment before her peers.

Conversely, if she was willing to change, Shu Yue would lean toward minimizing the matter and letting it go.

In the end, Shu Yue was truly unwilling to harm a fifteen-year-old child.

Seeing her tears of repentance flowing continuously, Shu Yue looked up toward Finnian and Leslie, who were waiting in the corner of the auditorium. "You two, take the children back to the classroom."

The children's participation could end here.

The rest was a matter between adults.

The children filed out of the auditorium one after another, leaving only the sound of footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

However, Leslie did not leave with the crowd. He stood by the door, one hand on the handle, his figure leaning against the threshold where shadow met light. He seemed both to be keeping watch and waiting to see what would happen next.

Shu Yue glanced at him but did not say much. His expression remained unchanged.

Correspondingly, he increased the distance between himself and Veronica, clearing a path for her to face the statue. "Veronica, confess your sins to the Lord."

Moonlight spilled onto the holy brow of the statue, serene and solemn.

Veronica trembled all over, sobbing, "O Lord, I did not do this willingly."

"At first, I thought my family merely wanted to review the teachings of Savoy, so I responded to everything they asked in exhaustive detail. But I never imagined that the capital would..."

Her tears fell onto her lapel, soaking it with mottled stains.

"I was deceiving myself. It must have been a misunderstanding, an accident..."

Listening to her choked sobs, Shu Yue's thoughts drifted for a moment.

Could it be that the capital had nothing good to offer?

Were items from their Savoy Diocese actually becoming trendy items?

Shu Yue's previous fantasy of going to the capital to eat well and have fun was slightly dashed.

Veronica wept until her whole face flushed red. "Afterward, my parents again demanded I start monitoring the Bishop's words and actions, as well as things I hadn't fully answered before. I... At that time, I deliberately only mentioned newly emerged items unique to the Savoy Diocese, wanting to see if the trends in the capital appeared because of me."

She cautiously glanced toward Shu Yue, as if awaiting judgment.

But Shu Yue just stood there, watching her calmly, as if listening to a story that had nothing to do with him.

"So," he asked, his voice low, "the answer is—"

Veronica pressed her lips together and nodded heavily. "But I didn't dare to question my father, nor ask Cardinal Victor. It was my weakness. I should have opened my mouth to confirm, not avoided it. I thought that as long as nothing terrible happened, I could just turn a blind eye."

"I could gradually reduce my reports. I could say there were no other changes in the Savoy Diocese. I could say my actions had been noticed... I thought of many, many ways to resolve it."

She drew a breath, as if summoning all her courage. "Until this time, before coming to the school, my father and the Cardinal instructed me to... to sprinkle a vial of blood from a plague victim in the Bishop's living or working quarters. They wanted to test whether you were truly under the Lord's protection."

As these words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

A murderous chill filled the auditorium, as if even the light had dimmed.

Veronica instinctively looked up, only to see Shu Yue's expression before her still calm, almost unruffled.

He showed no fury, no urgency. Instead, he seemed like one slowly unrolling an ancient scroll, his countenance holding only composure and calm. No matter how soul-stirring the revelation, it would not bring a trace of alarm to his brow.

Veronica's father, Ilyas, and Cardinal Victor.

These two names, which met untimely deaths in the original work, surfaced clearly in his mind.

Following that, other names long buried deep in his memory began to seep forth like ink wash painting, slowly assembling into a blurry yet vast network of connections.

Those two individuals, though cloaked in holy orders, actually served the Imperial sovereign. They were undercurrents lurking within the ecclesiastical power structure.

And in the original work, the male lead Leslie's shaking of the Church's foundation began precisely with the exposure of these hidden figures' identities.

Shu Yue had always been aware that the greater the Savoy Diocese's influence grew, the harder it would be for him to remain uninvolved. He would inevitably be pushed to the crest of this wave of power struggles.

This was precisely why he had proactively allied himself with the Duke.

One must know, the security force of an ordinary sheriff was ultimately no match for the iron fist of the military.

He just hadn't expected that the first to rush before him would be such a young girl.

In the original work, the Savoy Diocese was a barren, insignificant place, naturally attracting no calamity. But now, if this land truly became a core region contested for power, Shu Yue would have to consider abandoning it all and relocating to some undisturbed place to start anew.

Shu Yue racked his brains, searching through the original plot in his mind: Where else in this world had not seen war?

"So, did you intend to do it?"

Leslie's cold voice cut through the silence like a sharp blade.

Shu Yue was also pulled back to reality.

Veronica only then noticed there was someone else behind her and instantly understood where the earlier murderous intent had come from.

Under Leslie's pressing question, she found herself speechless. "..."

Leslie could not stand seeing someone shed a few pitiful tears here and watch Shu Yue forgive their despicable actions because of it. Yet he couldn't possibly get angry at Shu Yue.

If blame was to be placed, it lay with these people who exploited Shu Yue's soft heart.

Leslie walked over from the door, his tone cold and hard, pressing step by step: "If you didn't intend to do it, or didn't want to force yourself to do it, you wouldn't have called Bishop Aris a hypocrite. Nor would you need to hesitate under my questioning, isn't that right?"

Veronica collapsed on the ground, unable to stop herself from shrinking back. "..."

Leslie continued, "You keep saying you are guilty. Is your guilt only for the things you've done? Your ignorance and acquiescence are your greatest sins."

"If you truly repent, could you now pour the blood of a plague victim onto a place within your parents' reach with your own hands?"

The youth was like an unsheathed cold sword; if the blade drew no blood, it would not be sheathed. "Don't forget, you Aldriches are the Sinless Apostles. You should absolutely be able to withstand any trial."

Veronica opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. Her throat only moved slightly.

She looked into Leslie's eyes, seeing not just fear, but also shame and self-doubt reflected there.

From beginning to end, she had never truly been willing to examine her own family, nor the consequences of her actions.

She was merely making a big deal out of nothing serious, avoiding the crucial issues and dwelling on the trivial.

Even if her father and the others hadn't stated the consequences of the plague victim's blood, did she herself not know?

Veronica had simply been unwilling to think it through.

No wonder Leslie was angry.

Because her so-called repentance was utterly insignificant in the eyes of others.

She slowly lowered her head, her bangs hiding her reddened eyes. Her voice was hoarse and trembling: "I... am willing to accept punishment, no matter what it is. I truly cannot deny my family..."

She lowered her eyelashes, her tone filled with both struggle and pain: "Even though I know they are wrong... they are my parents."

Everyone present fell silent.

Blood ties and emotion are the most difficult bonds to sever in this world.

Since ancient times, the virtue of filial piety has included the principle of 'a son concealing the faults of his father.'

Even knowing it's an abyss, some are willing to close their eyes and jump in.

Moreover, a girl her age finds it hardest to deny her family.

Yet, precisely because of this, Shu Yue realized this was the most critical juncture to win Veronica over.

Therefore, Shu Yue's gaze fell upon her, his voice calm yet carrying divine authority: "Veronica, do you not intend to save your father's soul then?"

In that instant, she abruptly looked up.

"You already know your father has strayed from the path of truth."

"If you merely stand by and watch, not stopping him, not awakening him—that is what would most disappoint the Lord."

Shu Yue approached her, his tone slow yet firm: "Everything you have experienced—the night terrors, the phantoms in the mirror, the bleeding stigmata—these torments and pains are all stern warnings from the Lord, like a strict father's rebuke. Deep love manifests as severe reproach. He has dealt with you thus repeatedly because He values you."

Veronica was stunned.

She had never imagined that those terrifying experiences could be expressions of the Lord's love.

She looked up into Shu Yue's dusk-rose-colored eyes, clear and luminous. At that moment, it was as if she gazed into the light bestowed by God. The oppression in her heart receded like a tide.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but slowly reach out toward Shu Yue.

It wasn't a plea for help, nor a begging for pity. She just wanted to touch that ray of holy light symbolizing the Lord. Even if it was just psychological comfort, she wanted to grasp her faith more tangibly.

However, Shu Yue thought she wanted to stand up and needed support.

So, he naturally took her hand and pulled her up from the ground. His tone remained gentle and firm, patiently guiding her.

"Veronica, you are a child beloved by the Lord."

"Because you possess the power to save the souls of others."

"Do not disappoint the Lord—only you can save your father."

In that moment, Veronica, unexpectedly touching Shu Yue's warm hand, felt as if she had been lifted from a quagmire. Her entire body felt light, and even her breathing became unobstructed.

Tears glistened in her eyes, but she no longer trembled.

She knew she had been chosen anew by the Lord.

"I will definitely not let You down!"

Filled with remorse and a resolve born of rebirth, she instinctively wanted to throw herself into Shu Yue's arms. Like a child, she longed for support, to be forgiven, and for her faith to embrace her completely.

But just at that moment, a sharp cry suddenly rang out.

"Hey————!"

Finnian's piercing voice came from the direction of the main door, immediately shattering the immersive emotional atmosphere.

And Leslie reacted almost on instinct. With quick eyes and swift hands, he blocked Shu Yue's front and unceremoniously pushed Veronica away.

"Don't touch him carelessly."

His tone was as cold as a Northern Territory blizzard.

Shu Yue was startled by Veronica's sudden movement and stumbled back a couple of steps before managing to steady himself, nearly falling to the ground as well.

Veronica, whose emotions had been on the verge of overflowing, staggered several steps from the sudden shove and glared furiously in Leslie's direction. It was evident she had already regained her former ease and assertiveness.

"Leslie, this is between me and the Lord!"

Leslie's tone was filled with uncompromising rejection. "Then go embrace that statue. Don't touch Bishop Aris."

Veronica retorted matter-of-factly, "But isn't Bishop Aris the very embodiment of the Lord?"

Shu Yue found himself meeting Veronica's resolute gaze.

What he saw in Veronica's eyes was not merely piety toward the Lord, but also a stubborn projection of faith.

It was a kind of dependence born from being saved, tinged with subtle fanaticism.

This made one wonder—

Was this a good thing, or a bad thing?