CHAPTER 377: CHAPTER 261: PACIFICATION_2

The nun noticed this as well. However, she did not pick up the mallet again, instead merely lowering her head in shame.

Lance, standing to the side, feigned ignorance. This was precisely the effect he desired. The school environment exerted a natural psychological pressure on her, making it more convenient for him to toy with this pure soul.

"Hungry, right? The town doesn’t have much good food. Have a little something to start with," Lance said with a smile, pushing the food toward her. He then added, "Don’t worry, it’s on me."

"Oh, I beg your forgiveness..." The nun, witnessing this, was overwhelmed with guilt. How could she even think of eating? She clasped her hands before Lance, pleading for his forgiveness.

"The people of Hamlet are all kind and hospitable. As long as you are truly repentant, they will forgive you."

Meanwhile, Lance wasted no words and started eating immediately. Although he had eaten that morning, his appetite was anything but ordinary.

The nun watched Lance eat. The hunger already torturing her body seemed to intensify. She found herself swallowing saliva, yet she remained conflicted.

Lance, of course, noticed. But he said nothing and did not urge her, simply continuing to eat his own meal, clearly relishing how delicious it was.

Giving her an easy way out wasn’t fun. He wanted to see her break through her own psychological barriers. Her fall would begin here...

Could she resist?

Hunger, that most primal sensation, churned within her, threatening to consume her very thoughts. Her mouth kept producing saliva, but it did nothing to quench the hunger and even induced a parching thirst.

The sweet aroma of the white bread seemed to drill into her nostrils and assault her senses. Oh, how she wanted to bury her face in those soft loaves...

In the end, the nun succumbed. She couldn’t resist picking up the bread. Seeing this, the corners of Lance’s mouth curled up slightly.

Once a boundary is breached, it only gets pushed lower and lower. It was better for such a naive young woman to fall into his hands rather than someone else’s; at least he was the "good guy."

It couldn’t be called ravenous, but the nun still ate with a certain urgency. She quickly stuffed two pieces of bread into her mouth, looking thoroughly famished.

"I didn’t come across any towns during the chase, and I ran out of food," the nun explained. Seemingly noticing Lance’s gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a little bashful.

However, talking while eating was not a good habit, and she immediately choked, her face instantly turning red.

"Eat slowly," Lance said, casually handing her the milk. "There’s more if that’s not enough. Just don’t waste it." He didn’t forget to add a word of comfort.

Like someone clutching a lifeline, the nun gulped down a few mouthfuls of milk before finally swallowing the food.

Lance showed little reaction. In fact, he wanted her to eat more. The more one eats, the more the body diverts blood to the digestive system. With less blood supplied to the brain, a person enters a state of reduced activity, which is why people feel lazy after a full meal.

And this state is also the most relaxed, as the brain is too lazy to think.

The nun didn’t appear very large, but when it came to eating, she didn’t hold back at all. No wonder she had the strength to wear armor and wield a mallet as a weapon.

After eating and drinking her fill, the nun completely relaxed. However, she herself didn’t realize she had been tamed in such a short period.

"Didn’t you want to tour the school? I’ll show you around," Lance said, a gentle smile on his face and his tone calm. His words, however, still subtly jabbed at her.

Lance’s words immediately pulled her consciousness back into guilt. As the saying goes, it’s hard to criticize someone who’s just fed you. Remembering how she had heartily consumed the white bread, she now felt deeply conflicted, completely losing the impassioned state she’d been in earlier.

Lance smiled without speaking, then rose and walked out. The nun had no choice but to follow.

The school wasn’t a large place. News of the earlier incident had already spread everywhere. Both staff and students were hostile towards the nun, and the strange looks from others almost made her withdraw into herself completely.

This was precisely the effect Lance sought by parading her through the town.

"Our town is very ordinary; there’s nothing to hide," he said. "Actually, there was no need for violence. You could have just asked, and you would have been allowed in, instead of threatening everyone and frightening them."

The nun, in fact, had also noticed that this place truly was a school, and the people inside were all students. There were no signs of blasphemous activities.

But she was very familiar with the architecture of churches. This type of building, the cemetery outside, and even the style of the benches in the halls—they were all characteristic of the Church.

Doubts also swirled in her mind. Being straightforward, she didn’t hesitate long before voicing her confusion.

"...All this indicates that there were at least traces of the Church’s presence here once. Why are there no Church personnel here now?"

Finally, they had reached this topic. Upon hearing her question, Lance’s expression grew solemn, and he said slowly, "Because the Church fled."

"Impossible!" His words plunged the nun into a peculiar state, her expression flickering through several changes.

Instinctively, she disbelieved Lance. Yet, the recent events made her uncertain, leaving her deeply conflicted.

"You may not believe it, but it’s the truth. Otherwise, why would everyone here dislike the Church so much?" Lance didn’t give her a direct answer, instead guiding her. "Go. Seek the answers for yourself, but use no more violence. Hamlet does not condone violence. If you run into trouble, you can find me near the square."

For a moment, the nun was swayed by his words and, somewhat bewildered, found herself walking out of the school.

Lance merely smiled as he watched her depart.

Why had he kept her at the school for so long? Because the town was tiny—so small that word of her earlier actions would spread to everyone in no time.

What could she possibly find out there?

Ultimately, she would have to return to him. But in the meantime, her comings and goings would expose her to the suffering the Church had left behind, and her faith would begin to waver.

So, why had Lance targeted her?

The reason was simple. He was bound to clash with the Church in the future, and having someone familiar with its systems would be extremely helpful.

Reynard had joined the Crusader only to become cannon fodder in an eastern campaign. He had fought tooth and nail, barely managing to advance from cannon fodder to a senior enforcer, only to be kicked out. He didn’t even know any Divine Arts and had hardly any contact with the Empire’s Church.

But this woman was different. She knew Divine Arts. Through her, he could determine if faith was truly necessary to use them.

If he could find evidence proving that so-called Divine Arts were merely a form of Supernatural Power, similar to the abilities of ordinary Transcendents, then he could directly shatter the Church’s foundation. Moreover, he could then cultivate his own Extraordinary healers.

Lance was set on this nun; not even God could keep her from him...

However, Lance didn’t leave just yet. Instead, he sought out Mrs. Rosa to discuss some educational matters.

From the recent incident, Lance had seen not only how easily the students were swayed but also how the school staff had handled the danger with some panic. Perhaps some emergency training was in order.

"...We still need to pay attention to the children’s psychological well-being..."

Lance described the situation to Mrs. Rosa. As a teacher herself, she had some insights, and they quickly settled on improvements to the curriculum, among other things.

Finally, however, Lance couldn’t help but bring up one more thing.

"Why was Joan among that crowd?"

After a slight hesitation, Mrs. Rosa explained Joan’s situation, including the parts she had previously concealed.

Mrs. Rosa had been worried that the Lord would disapprove of Joan’s fondness for training and her desire to gain strength to protect others, as it seemed to betray the Lord’s expectations for her.

However, upon hearing this, Lance wasn’t angry. Instead, he affirmed Joan’s aspirations.

"The purpose of education is to provide them with channels to understand the world, help them establish sound moral values, and improve their fundamental abilities—not to become chains that restrict them.

It’s best if she can find her own ideals. I hope every child can have their own aspirations and strive for them."

Lance said this, but he knew that even modern society couldn’t fully achieve such a thing, let alone the world he was in now.

Most of these students would ultimately still become farmers or workers...

But that didn’t stop him from defining the essence of education—as a guiding principle for his work, or perhaps, as a deeply held wish.