Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 266: Evil (1)

Phillip noticed Andre’s interest in the markings he drew on the walls.

"They help me to think. I have travelled far across the kingdom and learned new things. There is so much more to this world than we have been taught, and finding these markings has helped me to see this," Phillip explained, intrigued by what he wrote.

Phillip would soon pass one the markings to the others once he felt they were ready for the new knowledge.

"What are they? I have never seen anything like this in the church," Andre said, curious where Phillip found them. He was most concerned that they might have belonged to a creature.

"I have started to draw them on the churches I have visited to keep them safe. They are markings tied to a being far bigger than us. There is a great force helping us to reach our goal, and they speak to me," Phillip said, feeling powerful for the task given to him.

Phillip walked toward one of the walls and touched the markings he had made. "I have been trying to understand what these markings mean. If you ever come across any books or scrolls with these markings, bring them to me."

Andre was surprised to hear Phillip was working with someone else. The church served one God, and all along, Andre thought Phillip was doing the same.

"Is this being someone we can trust? The purebloods have tried to fool us before," Andre said, taking a step back toward the door as Phillip approached him.

"You think I would easily be tricked by purebloods? I have been studying those creatures for years to not fall victim to their tricks. The holy water is gone, and we have very few holy weapons, thanks to the priests before us not succeeding in their war. I had to turn to someone," Phillip revealed.

Andre was still confused how Phillip could turn to anyone else. The holy water they received was said to have fallen from the heavens. Anything else could not be pure.

"We will win this war, and I will rule the kingdom. We will rid the kingdom of vampires and teach our kind our faith. You must trust me. Do you trust me?" Phillip asked.

Andre could easily be disposed of if he was turning out to be like Cassandra. Many others followed Phillips’ orders without questioning them so Andre was replaceable.

"Of course, I trust you. You are best at taking down vampires. We have lost many lives, but you have saved a lot more. You have provided refuge to those who lost their families. We wouldn’t get far without you," said Andre.

Andre thought Phillip should be more cautious, but he wouldn’t dare stop Phillip from using what had been working for them all this time.

Phillip smiled, pleased to hear this. "One day, I will help you to see the truth as I have. For now, you have a little bit more time until you are ready. You and the others will join me. Then your eyes will be opened to a new world."

Phillip was eagerly looking forward to that time since then the other priests would truly share the same faith as him.

"How is Cassandra? Are you able to save her?" Phillip asked.

"There is resistance from her. I believe she is too far gone. She will not admit to her wrongdoings and instead seeks to place blame on the church," Andre said.

Phillip laughed at Cassandra’s blame game. "I will need to save her myself. What a shame. We have new children from destroyed families coming in, and I was hoping she would be the face we used to help them understand their role."

"I will place another to guide the children. I am also sending the women you picked to the pureblood men we will kill to get the king’s attention," Andre shared what had been passed on to him.

"They have all been told the same thing as Cassandra was, but since she failed, there are some concerns about the plan. Should I change what they are told?" Andre asked.

"No," Phillip shook his head. "Cassandra was the only one to act too fast and ruin our plan. Do not let the others find out about her mistake. Send them off, and I will have a word with Cassandra."

Andre did not understand why Phillip was sparing Cassandra for so long when he would kill anyone else for the mistakes she made.

This made Andre think of the rumours of there being more to the relationship Phillip had with Cassandra. Did he view Cassandra as his daughter, so he was trying his best to save her, or was there something more between the two?

Andre had never seen Phillip with a woman to believe the latter, but Phillip’s interest in saving Cassandra was odd. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Phillip stopped to stand beside Andre. "You look as though you have something else to say to me. Spit it out."

Andre shook his head. "I was only thinking of whether I should pray for the women we are sending off."

Phillip placed his hand on Andre’s shoulder. "You should always pray. Never question that. Excuse me."

Phillip left to visit Cassandra. He wanted to see this fighting spirit everyone spoke of. It was disappointing that such an obedient child was turning out this way.

Phillip unlocked the door of the room Cassandra was now calling home. He spotted her in a corner, soaked head to toe from the water she had been dipped in.

Cassandra’s white robe clung to her body, revealing intimate parts of her body.

"Cover your chest," Phillip instructed Cassandra. "You were given blankets to cover yourself with."

"Why does a man who isn’t tempted by a woman’s body need me to cover myself? You picked white robes for me to wear, and you ordered them to force me into that cold water. I will not cover myself to hide what you did to me," said Cassandra.

Cassandra didn’t want to see Phillip. She didn’t want to hear about how he planned to save her when he was the one who needed saving. She followed his orders, and this was where she ended up.

The church wasn’t as forgiving as it claimed to be.

"You must stop fighting our way to heal you. You could be back with your peers if you would only confess to your faults. I don’t want you to be like this for much longer," said Phillip.

Cassandra laughed. "If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be here. I attacked Gabriel for a good reason. I did everything the church asked of me, and this was how you repaid me. I gave myself to a man I didn’t want for you and this church."

"That is why it pains me to see you like this when I know how devoted you once were. I could free you from this room," Phillip said, going toward Cassandra and lowering him to her level. "I could say that you are free," he touched her face, forcing Cassandra to look at him.

"Devote yourself to me," Phillip made his offer. "Then I will free you and show you something that will open your eyes to a new world."