Cloud tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing up at the church's vaulted ceiling. Those dark eyes were filled with just the right amount of confusion and a touch of melancholy.
He let out a slow sigh.
"I... am a man with no past, and no future I can see."
His voice was magnetic, carrying a weariness that could break the heart of any woman with even a shred of maternal instinct.
"I've crossed deserts and seas of people. I once thought my heart had turned to ash. Until I came here, felt the Lord's glory, and saw... that light in your eyes, capable of purifying all things."
"Your Holiness, I ask you—does a lost lamb like me have the right to find a moment's peace beneath this holy light?"
This speech, dripping with "tortured artist" energy and absolutely nonsensical melodrama, would have been publicly executed as a "textbook case of manipulation" if posted online in the twenty-first century.
But...
To Goniko, this "saint" as pure as a blank sheet of paper, it was an entirely different matter!
Looking at this handsome man before her, his face full of "stories" and his eyes filled with "melancholy," her heart—perhaps too kind for its own good—instantly overflowed with sympathy.
"Of... of course you can!" She nodded without hesitation, those azure eyes brimming with compassion and pity. "The Lord never abandons any child willing to open their heart to Him."
"There are a few empty guest rooms behind the church. If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay until... you find your direction in life."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've successfully triggered Bond Character Goniko's "Holy Mother" passive skill! Obtained: Long-term Church Meal Ticket x1!]
[System Note: Host's scumbag acting skills have broken through the heavens. Suggestion: After retirement, consider a career in Hollywood. An Oscar is within reach.]
And so, Cloud settled into this holy church under the absurd identity of "lost artistic youth," completely at ease with himself.
His original plan was simple and brutal—undermine the foundation!
Since Goniko was Goenitz's "weakness," he just needed to mold that weakness into his own "shape." Then dealing with Goenitz would give him an extra ace up his sleeve.
However...
The plan went off-track from day one.
...
Over the following days, Cloud witnessed firsthand what it truly meant to be... a genuine "holy mother" (complimentary).
Goniko's life was as simple as a glass of pure water.
Every morning, she was the first to rise, preparing hot breakfast for all the orphans in the church.
During the day, she went into town to pray—free of charge—for the poor suffering from illness.
In the afternoon, she sat on the church steps feeding stray cats and dogs, her face wearing a contented smile.
At night, she patiently listened to every villager's troubles, bringing comfort to their souls with her gentle voice.
She was like a pure white lotus blooming from the mud, warming this corner forgotten by God with her faint light.
At first, Cloud still approached this with his "if they won't make a move, I will" conquest mentality.
He would "casually" pass behind Goniko while she was reading.
Then "happen" to offer some "mind-blowing" insight on whatever philosophical point was in the book.
(In reality, he was just rephrasing Wikipedia articles.)
He would appear beside Goniko while she prayed for villagers, then explain in a "scientific" way why the "placebo effect" was sometimes more effective than medicine.
He even "accidentally" hummed a few songs from another world, filled with "love and peace."
And this knowledge—far beyond this era's understanding—combined with his "novel" and "amusing" sense of humor, was an absolute dimensional crushing blow to Goniko, this "innocent girl" whose mental world was a complete blank slate!
The way she looked at Cloud gradually shifted from initial "sympathy" to "curiosity," and finally to... "admiration."
She would pester Cloud like a curious child, asking all sorts of strange questions.
"Mr. Cloud, this 'internet' thing you mentioned—can people really see each other from thousands of miles away?"
"Mr. Cloud, this 'theory of relativity' you mentioned—can it really explain the mysteries of space and time?"
And Cloud, looking into those knowledge-hungry azure eyes sparkling like stars, felt his "Demon King" heart—originally full of "schemes" and "plots"—uncontrollably soften.
He found that he... couldn't quite bring himself to do it.
Using those "dirty" methods on a girl this pure, kind, and beautiful—someone who seemed not to belong to this mortal world...
He couldn't do it.
[Ding! Abnormal fluctuation detected in Host's conscience module! Scumbag attribute being purified by holy light! Warning! Warning! If this continues, Host, YOU'RE going to be the one getting conquered!]
"Shut up!" Cloud mentally snarled at the System.
He made a decision.
Since he couldn't bring himself to manipulate her—
He would plant the seed of "goodness" so deeply in her heart that it would last forever!
Ensure she could never become that "wind" that destroys the world!
And so, the church's daily routine... took another turn.
...
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