Chapter 114: Tangled

Speaking of possession, "What about the Curse Mark on Alicia?" She looked at Joshua with some worry. Alicia was the bishop's Familiar, and that bishop was clearly not an easy person to deal with. He would definitely not allow them to be together.

"There will always be a way. The Curse Mark can never truly control one's heart," the blond Priest said with a faint, indifferent smile.

The girl nodded, sadly twisting her fingers. She knew all too well the power of the Curse Mark. It seemed that the fate of the two lovers was doomed, and aside from blessing them in her heart, she didn't seem to be able to do anything else.

"What about you?" Joshua suddenly looked at her with curiosity, "If there were no Curse Mark, what kind of life would you want to live?"

"If there were no Curse Mark?" Elara was taken aback. She had never thought about this somewhat extravagant question. Her past life was a blank slate. From the moment she had memories, it seemed that there was only one person in her life.

All her efforts were initially just to keep up with his pace. She touched the mark on her chest, the crimson imprint seemed to burn on her skin. If there were no Curse Mark, what else would she want to pursue...

When she left Joshua's house, it was already dark.

The blond Priest escorted her to the door and reiterated, "Don't let anyone see that sketchbook, or there will be trouble. It's best not to let Noyce see it either. That guy is too honest and can't keep secrets."

Elara held the sketchbook carefully in her arms, "I know."

"Shall I escort you home?" the Priest asked.

"For such a short distance, if I can still encounter danger, then you, as my teacher, haven't taught me well," they exchanged glances and suddenly burst into laughter.

Under the shadow of the trees on the tree-lined path, the silver-haired, white-clad Priest stood there quietly like a statue, motionless and still for a long time.

The empty confessional was brightly lit by countless flickering candles. In the center of the altar, the benevolent Father stretched out a hand, looking at his followers with a comforting gaze. Unlike the solemn gold statue in the center of the cathedral, this marble statue appeared more gentle in its lines. Under the candlelight, it exuded a sanctified aura of compassion, allowing those who came here to confess and pray to feel the Lord's tolerance and love.

The silver-haired Priest sat quietly in the first row of chairs, so still that he seemed to blend into the environment. His originally cold demeanor was now so icy that it seemed to freeze the air around him.

"Ah, look who we have here? Our great Priest Noyce actually comes to confess in the middle of the night," Sister Theresa, who was passing by, walked in as if she had discovered a new continent and sat down next to the Priest.

Noyce glanced at his old friend, wanting to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, he fell silent again. He had become more haggard recently, with a somewhat pale complexion. It was unclear whether it was due to the great consumption of repairing the artifact or some other reason.

"Did you have an argument with Elara?" The nun propped her head up, leaning half her body against the back of the chair, looking at the troubled Priest with an expression of "even you have this day." She had noticed that recently Elara had been getting quite close to that Joshua.

"No," the Priest's voice was faint, sounding a bit weak. His expression subtly changed a few times, hesitating for a while, "I feel... something strange..."

The image of Elara with Joshua surfaced in his mind again. Logically, since she had made a contract with him, Elara was naturally his. No other man should dare to touch her.

But now, even such a simple truth had become complicated. When he saw Elara coming out of Joshua's house, he was definitely angry. But the girl looked happy, even happier than when she was with him. His anger seemed to deflate, and he didn't know whether he should step forward or not.

Compared to the sense of violation he felt when his possession was touched by others, another strange emotion he had never experienced before was clogging his heart, making him restless and unable to vent. He could only come here to calm down.

Theresa, seeing the Priest's fluctuating expression, revealed a meaningful smile: "Noyce, you've fallen for her."

Nothing significant had happened recently that could so unsettle the usually unflappable Noyce. There was no one else but the little girl who had come for treatment a while ago.

Noyce's face changed when he was confronted with the truth. He averted his gaze as if to escape. He wasn't unaware of the ripples in his heart, but he had always tried to suppress that flutter. "I have dedicated my entire life to the divine. This kind of affection should not exist."

"You are too hard on yourself," the nun had always found his stubbornness in some aspects hard to understand. "God loves all people. How can you love the world on behalf of the divine without love in your heart?"

This excuse did not convince the Priest. He lowered his eyes: "God loves everyone in the world equally. But now... there is someone who is different." Her existence had become more important than anyone else. He could no longer treat everything in the world equally as he used to. "This mindset is against fairness."

His mind couldn't be described as wooden anymore; it was more like high-grade forged steel. Theresa sighed deeply. They had been friends for so many years. Although Joshua scored higher in her heart than Noyce, he was an outsider.

After all, friends should stick together. If she didn't give him a push, this stubborn man would trap himself here forever.

She coughed, looking at the Priest with a serious expression: "Noyce, put aside that little tangle in your heart for now. The most important issue now is that Joshua is making a fierce advance on your little Elara. That guy is a golden bachelor, and his popularity at Witch Academy is no less than yours. If you don't take action, your Familiar's heart will be stolen by someone else!"

Noyce frowned. No matter what, he could never accept this. He looked at the nun with a questioning expression: "So what should I do? Imprison her and not let her go out?"

"Can you think normally, Noyce?"

"Isn't this normal?" The Priest asked seriously, puzzled.

Theresa looked up, exasperatedly covering her forehead with her hand, a deep sense of helplessness welling up inside her: "Girls need to be coaxed, my dear Priest. Get that Bishop Timothy out of your mind and look at Joshua!"

Noyce fell silent. In fact, he thought the bishop was better than Joshua, that smooth-talking guy. But his instinct to avoid danger kept him from saying it out loud.

The nun paused for a moment, took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and then gathered her energy again: "How about giving her a gift? Girls love beautiful things. Send her some flowers, jewelry, something she can wear to remind her of you constantly."

"Constantly remind her of me... on her body..." Noyce pondered for a while. Although the Curse Mark seemed to have this effect, the shape of the Curse Mark on everyone was similar, and its role in declaring ownership didn't seem very intuitive.

He hesitated and tentatively suggested, "Tattoo my name on her body?"

"Noyce, you're better off staying alone for the rest of your life."