Chapter 102
“I shouldn’t have killed Old Chen so quickly…” Wakako sighed softly. “If we had kept him alive, we might have been able to find out where the other smuggling ships were hiding.”
Hua Yumu said, “Given the circumstances, there was no other choice. Don’t blame yourself.”
Lin Lin added, “The Eagle Kingdom’s forces have already entered the port. Even if we got that information, it wouldn’t matter now. Let it go.”
Though Wakako understood their reasoning, she couldn’t shake off her dejection.
The reinforcements borrowed from Qiulan City quickly assumed their duties, temporarily maintaining the patrol work at Jinxin Port. The “protective umbrella” above Old Chen was swiftly identified and executed as a warning to others.
Old Chen’s warehouse was filled with smuggled goods. Wakako led the team in confiscating everything, but she felt this couldn’t be all there was—countless precious items of gold, silver, jewelry, and porcelain, yet the amount of hallucinogenic leaves was only what they had discovered while posing as porters.
Either there was another warehouse, or the leaves had already been sold off. Either way, they needed to investigate, but Jinxin Port was already short-staffed…
Even with Qiulan City’s soldiers, they still needed more reinforcements. This time, Jing Tianyang rode through the night to another city, Guqian, armed with the Queen’s decree to request more reinforcements. The rest remained in Jinxin Port, coordinating manpower and preparing for the next steps.
Late that night, Muna burst into everyone’s rooms, disregarding proper etiquette between Alphas and Omegas: “Wake up, wake up! Don’t sleep!”
The moment she entered, both Wakako and Lin Lin opened their eyes alertly.
“The Saint is awake,” Muna panted. “Come quickly. God have given her a message in a dream.”
The commotion was loud enough that Hua Yumu heard it too, quickly throwing on clothes and arriving at the Saint’s door.
Miki slowly sat up in bed. Whatever she had experienced in her dream had left her drenched in sweat. Muna gently wiped her forehead, but couldn’t hide the deep exhaustion on her face.
“The cargo…” she began, her voice barely a whisper. After a long moment, she only managed a few more words, “Leaves… exchange…”
Her pronunciation was too unclear, and no one could understand: “What?”
Only Wakako understood.
“The leaves we confiscated earlier, the ones in those boxes,” she repeated for the Saint, then looked up for confirmation. “Do you want us to move them to a more secure location?”
Miki nodded almost imperceptibly.
Hua Yumu said, “Lady Saint, please don’t worry. Those items are safely stored in Jinxin Port’s treasury. But does this divine message relate to them?”
Since the goods came from smuggling, they ultimately fell under the jurisdiction of Jinxin Port’s officials, so they hadn’t followed up on them.
Miki was still too weak to speak. After a long while, she dipped her trembling finger in water and wrote several characters on paper.
When their eyes fell upon those faint water marks, everyone’s pupils dilated.
This…
“In five days, whoever holds the leaves will be the victor.”
The process didn’t matter.
“Excuse my rudeness,” Hua Yumu said gravely, then turned to Wakako and Lin Lin, ignoring the late hour. “We need to go now.”
Given their previous experience and knowing how terrifying Saburo’s mind-control abilities were, the treasury’s security needed to be even tighter.
No… if they suddenly increased the guard, it might draw attention and inadvertently reveal the location. They couldn’t risk alerting their enemies.
Regardless, they needed to visit the treasury now to verify the exact security situation, how many locks were in place, and who held the keys.
Lin Lin, without hesitation, followed closely behind her master, but Wakako turned back, worried.
Her gaze met Miki’s unexpectedly. It was just a brief moment, so brief others might have missed it, but she seemed to understand some deeper meaning.
Don’t worry about me.
Wakako gave a slight nod, then followed Hua Yumu and Lin Lin out.
Soon after, Muna brought some prepared food to the Saint, worried she wouldn’t eat, and urged, “Please have some to keep up your strength.”
The fact that she could ask this showed she didn’t truly understand Miki.
Willfulness was a trait shown only to one person; before others, she was always the proper, dignified Saint.
Miki’s throat was still hoarse, so she didn’t speak. She simply accepted the bowl obediently and slowly stirred its contents with a spoon.
But her mind drifted back to the dream.
Once again, she had seen God and had spent what felt like an eternity in their presence.
Miki had expected another severe divine punishment. The moment she saw the wooden divine statue appear before her, she had prepared herself for this.
But to her surprise, nothing happened.
There was no punishment, no condescension or harsh criticism. There was only a sigh from God, something He had never done before.
For the first time, God spoke as if chatting with a friend, with an inexplicable hint of confusion.
— What have you been fighting so hard for all this time?
The terms Saburo had offered Wakako that day were quite generous. As long as they promised to never again act against tradition and remained obedient subjects of God, the two wouldn’t have to experience the pain of separation.
As long as they didn’t make their relationship public, as long as they kept it private, whatever they did behind closed doors… God would turn a blind eye to whatever went on in secret.
God couldn’t understand.
This was the greatest concession They could make.
All these two wanted was to be together, wasn’t it? They had already allowed that.
What more did they want?
Five years ago, they eloped. Five years later, they still fought to the death. What was it all for?
They were the creator of humanity and should have been the one who understood them best. Yet in that moment, They found it difficult to comprehend Their own creation.
Miki caught every hint of confusion and hesitation in Their expression.
She paused, then said, “The human heart is very complex.”
— Indeed.
“To love someone is to not want to see them suffer.”
— Suffer?
God was even more confused.
Was the Saint talking about Wakako?
How had Wakako suffered?
Although Wakako was an orphan, she hadn’t frozen to death on the streets like other unfortunate children. Instead, she had the good fortune to be chosen by the Saint as a servant, living in a noble estate without worrying about food or clothing. Later, she became a respected mercenary serving the Kingdom, holding an extraordinary position.
No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like a smooth and successful life.
But Miki just shook her head: “Perhaps, but I still feel I owe her a great debt.”
— You’ve given her fine clothes, jewels, wealth, and status. What more could you possibly owe her?
A faint smile appeared on Miki’s lips as she spoke softly. “I owe her for being bound to me, unable to go anywhere else.”
She couldn’t live like an ordinary person—couldn’t marry, couldn’t have children. She even has to suppress her Alpha nature in intimate moments, taking the submissive position.
No one is born wanting to be another person’s dog.
It was all because of love that she constantly compromised, constantly adapted, constantly adjusted.
Not to mention, the Saint’s frail health meant they would never have children.
By choosing Miki, Wakako had accepted a life that was entirely different from everyone else’s.
God fell silent.
“I also owe her for never being able to acknowledge our relationship publicly,” she continued. “Do you find such thoughts naive?”
—Of course.
It was just empty reputation.
In God’s eyes, the opinions of others were meaningless. The Saint was well-versed in literature and should understand this. Why would she care about such superficial things?
Miki smiled and said: “But when your heart is tied to someone, you can’t help but feel indebted. Even if Wakako herself doesn’t care, I do.”
“I don’t want her to live like a secret lover, shackled by the stigma of ‘forbidden love,’ forever burdened by the guilt of defiling the Saint’s purity.”
“This world values bloodlines and scorns illegitimate children born out of wedlock. Aren’t these rules created by you?”
“I love her deeply, and I cherish everything about her. I won’t let her bear burdens she shouldn’t have to.”
“I have only two paths before me: either we marry openly, or we die together.”
She said, “I gave you this answer before, and my stance remains unchanged.”
—Wakako is merely a servant. Why…?
“What’s the difference between a servant and a noble? Some are born into wealthy families, while others are unfortunate enough to be born into poverty,” Miki interrupted. “We are all Your children. You should know this best.”
She smiled again, ” You once disliked Saburo. You thought he was a lowborn bastard. And yet, now he serves at your side.”
“Are we really so different?”
“If there is any true distinction, it’s not in class or status.”
“It’s the Saint, and everyone else.”
The wooden statue’s eyes seemed to flash with anger for a moment—how dare she speak so arrogantly before God?!
But Miki, seemingly oblivious, continued to speak slowly, her smile showing a hint of both obsession and determination:
“The only one who is different is me.”
“I am the Saint, born once in a century, a miracle of this continent. Whatever I desire, I will obtain.”
“I will not bow to you, and neither will Wakako. Because she is the one I have chosen.”
“If there’s only one path left in this world, I will walk it first, with Wakako following close behind.”
Like a rose blooming in the night, pure and pristine white, yet exuding a captivating fragrance, thorns protecting its delicate bud.
God seemed to understand a little, but ultimately, They remained silent.
—Are you so sure her feelings for you won’t change? She’s already been threatened before and wavered. Aren’t you afraid?
Miki said: “I’m not afraid.”
Her back remained straight, unyielding as always.
God fell silent for a long time.
—Then let’s make another wager.
— Upon awakening, you will temporarily lose your voice. If she still resists temptation and remains steadfast… I will grant you the chance you desire.
—Do you accept?
Miki’s smile never faded: “You will lose.”
…
She ate what Muna brought, bit by bit, forcing herself to eat despite her poor appetite.
“Paper and brush,” Miki managed to say these words with effort.
Muna quickly brought them.
Miki wrote a few words down, and when Muna read them, her expression turned from shock to fear. She was about to run off to send a message, but the Saint just shook her head.
As if she had everything under control.
