Mirexia’s gaze was firmly locked on Vinny, unable to look away.
‘Current Virtue: 9054.’
“Helping the evil Demon God Pillars betray your own kind, harming the innocent—when will you wake up from your mistakes?? You should really look in the mirror. Right now, you’re even less human than those you despise,” Vinny spoke with sharp words.
“At least you have people who care about you, people who are willing to raise you. What do I have? The Church sees me as a stain, the world views me as a fraudulent imposter. I’ve only received scorn and disdain since birth. The number of people who’ve ever shown me kindness ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) can be counted on one hand. So, should I also follow your example and take revenge on the world, dragging both it and myself into the abyss??”
“........” Faced with Vinny’s questioning, Zoe remained silent.
“So why did you become a spy and a mole for the Demon God Pillars? They’re a bunch of damned bastards. To them, humans aren’t even tools—they couldn’t care less about your life or death.”
“Anyone could help you, but it’s never going to be the Demon God Pillars. Don’t you understand that??”
Zoe knelt on the ground, her eyes hollow, still saying nothing.
“Student Zoe, is there some hardship that’s forcing you to do this?” Mirexia keenly sensed the issue with Zoe.
Could being despised and scorned by noble students really drive someone who managed to get into Carillian Academy to abandon their bright future and risk standing against humanity, aligning themselves with the capricious Demon God Pillars??
Mirexia felt there was more to the story.
“Honestly, someone like you really isn’t cut out to be a spy or mole for the Demon God Pillars. Your skills are far too lacking. If you’re truly in a difficult situation, you can tell us. It’s not too late to come clean,” Vinny added from the side.
“If we find out you were forced into this, there might still be a way to fix things. But if not—if you became a follower of the Demon God Pillars and infiltrated Carillian Academy out of hatred and desire—then the punishment you’ll face will be severe.”
“Expulsion is the lightest penalty. The Church and the various human kingdoms handle followers of the Demon God Pillars differently, but the severity is roughly the same. You should know this.”
“If you don’t tell the truth now, no one will be able to help you,” Vinny coaxed gently.
“...I really have no choice,” Zoe finally spoke after a long silence, her head bowed, her pale lips pressed together. It seemed the prolonged stress and fear of being discovered had pushed her to the brink of a breakdown.
And so, the secrets could no longer be contained.
“My younger brother in the orphanage—my only family—was taken by the [Bronze Blood]. They threatened me, saying if I didn’t want to collect his corpse, I had to follow their orders.” After saying this, Zoe seemed to deflate like a balloon, all her strength drained.
“You’re saying the [Bronze Blood] took your family?” Vinny frowned. “Didn’t the Church of Radiance notice this?”
“No. My brother isn’t like me. He has no magical talent, so he couldn’t join the Church,” Zoe shook her head. “And if I reported this to the Church, the [Bronze Blood] said they would kill him immediately. They also told me they would know the moment I informed anyone—especially the Church.”