Chapter 93
93: Lina's Past
My story with hers begins on that rainy night sixteen years ago.
On that day, a horrifying explosion case shocked the entire world.
A residential building located in a development zone caught fire due to a gas leak.
Originally, everyone thought this was just an ordinary fire. But when firefighters had just arrived at the residential building and were preparing to launch a rescue operation, the spreading flames ignited a gas tank buried underground. Then came a "boom," and the entire residential building was instantly leveled to the ground.
Dozens of residents in the entire building, plus dozens of firefighters who came to put out the fire, were all permanently buried beneath the ruins.
And the one responsible for handling the aftermath of this incident was the Holy Church.
Honestly, I actually don't believe the explanation the Church gave Jasmine and me. First of all, the excuse of a gas tank explosion was already outdated. Secondly, if it were really just an ordinary explosion, would it attract a Cardinal to personally handle this matter?
Ahem, I'm getting a bit off track. But in any case, Jasmine and I were the only two survivors of this disaster. It was the Cardinal sent by the Church, who later became our adoptive father, Bishop Howard, who personally rescued us.
That year, Jasmine was two years old, and I had barely turned one month old.
After being rescued by the Church, although Jasmine and I nominally became Bishop Howard's adopted daughters, because Father was usually too busy with work, Jasmine and I actually grew up in an orphanage under the Church's name.
Even back then, Jasmine's terrible personality had already begun to show its first signs.
She was the most well-behaved child in the orphanage. In front of others, she was gentle and polite, had excellent academic performance, and was very popular with the priests at the orphanage.
But behind their backs, the "good deeds" she did were too numerous to count.
For example, pouring boiling water into the money tree on the desk of a priest she disliked. Taking advantage of when others weren't paying attention to put laxatives in their lunch boxes. There was even that time when the orphanage organized everyone to watch a Chinese horror movie, and she placed a pair of red embroidered shoes at the door of a child who had a bad relationship with her, then knocked twice on the door, and finally directly scared that person into being hospitalized.
The most excessive thing was that every time she did something like this and was discovered, she would shift all the blame onto me!
The tragic thing was, back then I still liked her very much. Every time the blame was shifted onto me, she wouldn't say much, only hoping that afterward she could get a little more praise and companionship from Father.
Heh, thinking back on it now, I was truly foolishly adorable back then.
Later on, when we were a bit older, Father (Howard) brought us back to the Church. We became nuns and were formally able to come into contact with magic.
And to everyone's surprise, Jasmine and I, two orphans who were taken in and sheltered by the Church, displayed magical talents that surpassed ordinary people.
However, compared to the purification and healing that were the main professions of traditional nun practitioners, what I was more skilled at was offensive-type God-given Magic.
Oh right, Sister Evelia, you probably don't know this yet, right? Church practitioners can be divided into two types. The first type is the most typical Blessing Practitioner, who has relatively strong comprehensive abilities. The other type is the Punishment Practitioner, who mainly cultivates offensive-type God-given Magic, walks a relatively extreme combat path, and bears the Church's main combat responsibilities.
Although generally speaking, the Church's combat matters would mostly be handled by Church Knights, a Punishment Practitioner whose main profession was combat could play a role on the battlefield that was several times that of Church Knights of the same level.
Like our adoptive father Howard, before his death he was one of the Church's top Punishment Practitioners.
Later, because the cultivation courses for Punishment Practitioners and Blessing Practitioners were different, Jasmine and I were assigned to study under different bishops. My teacher at that time was Jasmine's and my adoptive father, Howard.
As for Jasmine, she was assigned under Cardinal Nero.
Later, about two or three years passed? Around four years ago, Jasmine and I were almost simultaneously promoted to Saint substitutes. Only then were we able to reunite at the Vatican Holy Church, the Church headquarters.
At that time, because the old Pope's bodily functions had begun to decline, the Holy Church started internal preliminary selection regarding the next Pope. The preliminary selection scope was among the Church's four Cardinals.
Throughout history, every Cardinal had at least one Saint substitute under their door. It could be said that whichever Cardinal's subordinate nun became the Saint, that Cardinal would have the greatest probability of becoming Pope.
But this time was somewhat different for us.
Because the ones with the most hope of becoming Saints, Jasmine and I, were both Father's adopted daughters.
Therefore, at that time, rumors were spreading within the Church that our father, Cardinal Howard, was undoubtedly the next Pope.
However, all of this beauty, when that day arrived, suddenly shattered like the bubbles of an awakened dream.
That day was a grand banquet held by the Church. Not only would the old Pope personally attend, but many elites of the human social class would also gather there.
That morning, Jasmine personally found me, wanting to persuade me to give up competing with her for the position of Saint.
Although I still liked Jasmine very much at that time, I was no longer the little girl who would follow her every word like when I was young. I wanted to gain her attention through my own efforts. Therefore, I refused her.
I still won't forget Jasmine's appearance at that time. After hearing my refusal, she first froze for a moment, then very anxiously wanted to continue persuading me to give up. But I rejected her again and again.
Finally, she fell silent for a short while, then very seriously asked me if I truly wanted to become a Saint. I gave her a definite answer, and she turned and left in silence.
Before leaving, she looked at me with a quite complicated gaze, seeming to be conflicted about something. At that time, I didn't quite understand the meaning of her gaze. But thinking about it now, I'm afraid that even at that moment, she was already preparing to use those methods against me, right?
What a vicious woman!
That evening, as prospective Saints, both Jasmine and I attended the banquet. At the banquet, the son of one of the Church's largest extra investors behind the scenes, a notorious hedonistic young man, publicly confessed to me.
I rejected him without hesitation. This wasn't the first time he had confessed to me. I was very clear about this guy's nature. He didn't truly love me. What he wanted was merely my body.
Damn lolicon! (Evelia: ??? Aren't you a lolicon yourself?)
After being rejected by me, that guy walked away in a rage.
Later, when the atmosphere at the banquet reached its peak, Father toasted me. Upon seeing this, Jasmine likewise held a glass of wine and wanted to express her congratulations to me.
This was the first time Jasmine had been this intimate with me. I was especially happy at that time, my mind completely filled with my sister. Therefore, I made the decision I would regret most in my life.
I drank the glass of wine Jasmine gave me.