The Villain Saint is my secondary account

“Speak, Agnes, don’t you dare repeat what you said?”

Did you see the Holy Grail with your own eyes?

"You dare to tell such a lie just to save face?"

Theresa's voice wasn't loud, but it was like the molten lava slowly brewing at the bottom of a volcano about to erupt, brimming with fury.

Agnes kept her head down and didn't say a word, reminding Ye Xiao of those bratty kids who knew they were wrong but still stubbornly insisted on their way out of trouble. This attitude also annoyed Theresa, but as her sister, the means of punishment she could use against Agnes were really limited.

"Lock her in a cell."

Theresa coldly ordered her men to drag Agnes away, then turned her gaze to Decari and Ye Xiao.

If they can't punish Agnes, then Decari and the others, as Agnes's subordinates, will likely have to bear the brunt of Theresa's wrath on behalf of their master.

What an undeserved disaster! It would have been more comfortable staying in the stinky hold of the Dark Shepherd. It was just a bit smaller and damp, but at least I didn't get beaten up.

Ye Xiao's lips twitched.

Unexpectedly, Theresa immediately said, "As lowly knights, you can only obey that fool's orders, so I won't blame you too much. But according to the rules, you must also bear the punishment when your master makes a mistake. Reinaldo, take them to the penance chamber to repent."

"As ordered."

A young Templar Knight who appeared to be a captain responded with his hands clasped in greeting.

Wow, looks like I've escaped a disaster?

Ye Xiao's eyes lit up, and he was about to follow the Templar Knight away.

"Where are you going, Orfino?"

Theresa's voice suddenly came, "The lower-ranking knights of the Inquisition can only follow orders. As the vice-captain, don't you have any ability to think for yourself?"

Chapter Four: Punishments

Tsk, I knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Ye Xiao was speechless and withdrew the foot that had just taken half a step.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a sympathetic look from Decali. The other man knew he wasn't the real Orfindo, so he probably understood that he was suffering on Orfindo's behalf.

"Branding or whipping, choose one."

"Theresa whispered."

"Wheting is painful, but the wounds heal quickly."

Dekari said as if reminding Ye Xiao, and then consciously began to unbutton his prison uniform. "I choose... caning."

As soon as she finished speaking, Theresa beckoned to the side with her finger.

Two burly Templar Knights approached. One pressed down on Decali's shoulders, forcing him to kneel, while the other held a serrated iron whip. Once Decali was in position, the other lashed him hard with the whip.

"Snapped"

A crisp sound accompanied by blood and bits of flesh splattering from the raised whip sheath, leaving deep bloodstains on Dekali's muscular back, making Ye Xiao's eyelids twitch.

Theresa didn't say when to stop, just watched as the punitive knight lashed Decari's body again and again.

Even though the latter gritted his teeth, he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

Ye Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. He had thought that Teresa would personally punish him, just like Agnes had done with her knights before. If it were Orfindo, he might even enjoy it...

Oh no, that's not right either. It seems that guy only accepts Ella's whip now; he wouldn't be able to handle it if it were him.

As for the whipping punishment inflicted by the strong man, it's estimated that only a wolf warrior would enjoy it.

But Ye Xiao couldn't accept the whip, whether it was from a burly man or a beautiful girl. As he pondered for a moment, Theresa looked at him and said, "What, haven't you made up your mind yet? You don't think that if you speak slowly, the punishment will be shorter, do you?"

“Your Excellency Theresa, I actually want to say that this kind of punishment is somewhat unreasonable.”

Ye Xiao paused for a moment, "Punishing us won't change Lady Agnes's mind, even if it's to vent her anger. She might still make the wrong decision in the future."

"She was able to escape without your help, which would have been impossible."

Theresa shook her head and said, "Or are you questioning my judgment?"

"No, no, how could I dare to question your judgment?"

Ye Xiao shrugged. "I've been thinking about it, and I think I might understand the root cause of Lady Agnes's current behavior."

"what do you want to say?"

“You have been paying the price for her mistakes, and punishing her too leniently will encourage her to continue making mistakes, while punishing her too severely will not change the root of the problem. If the only price she pays for her mistakes from beginning to end is being scolded and facing the wall, it will not hurt her at all, and she will not learn her lesson.”

"so?"

"This humble servant may have a solution..."

Ye Xiao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I just came out and observed the angle between the ship's course and the sun. It should be heading south?"

Theresa remained silent, which was considered a tacit answer to Ye Xiao's question.

"Such a large fleet must not be just for rescuing Lady Agnes; considering that the Dark Shepherds fled in panic yesterday on the sea monster, and with their sailboats damaged and lacking the necessary survival supplies, they will most likely find a place to land nearby to replenish their supplies."

"At this time, we are located on the south side of the Magala Sea. The closest and most suitable place, in my estimation, should be Freeport, which is now about four hundred nautical miles to the south."

“I think that’s why you, Lady Theresa, ordered the ship to sail south instead of heading north back to the Holy City… The real purpose of your trip should be to retrieve the Holy Casket, so naturally you have to continue investigating along this known lead.”

Theresa raised her delicate eyebrows slightly. This Orfino had been locked in the hold all night without any information, yet he was able to deduce her target and even the distance between the fleet and its destination.

Of course, what Teresa didn't know was that Ye Xiao could observe celestial phenomena through the crows that Ailab perched on the mast outside the ship.

As for the distance, the crow naturally overheard the navigator on the lookout tower telling it.

"You go on."

Theresa became slightly interested; she began to think that not all of Agnes's men were idiots.

"As the largest island port in the south, Freeport would certainly require a lot of manpower to search for the Dark Shepherds and their group among the vast crowds. Therefore, in my humble opinion, after landing, Lady Agnes will most likely take this opportunity to seek a way to travel privately and investigate the Holy Container."

"Freeport, as a gathering place for pirates and fugitives, is also known as the Capital of the Four Seas. It is a place where all sorts of people mingle and undercurrents surge. If Lady Agnes were to act on her own again, she might encounter considerable trouble and it would also hinder her actions."

"Therefore, it would be better for me to pretend to guide Lady Agnes to escape. Firstly, this would mislead her away from the turmoil of the Holy Casket dispute to avoid getting into trouble again and ensure her safety. Secondly, it would also arrange for her to suffer in the Free Port. Thirdly, it would prevent her from hindering your actions, my lady."

Theresa stroked her chin lightly. "Your method is indeed good in theory, but can you guarantee that you can control Agnes and prevent her from causing trouble?"

"Excuse my bluntness, but Lady Agnes lacks the confidence and ability to stand on her own. In times of crisis, she has limited people to rely on, and she will obey orders whether she wants to or not."

Ye Xiao's current level of insight into the personality and mindset of young girls can only be described as quite sophisticated.

Agnes is the type who has little ability but loves to give orders. Whenever she can't rely on her subordinates, she becomes extremely indecisive.

Ye Xiao was quite confident in handling such a guy.

Besides Agnes, Ye Xiao also roughly saw through Theresa's thoughts. She was in an awkward situation of hating Agnes but having no choice but to care about her. This time, the operation to investigate the Holy Box also had to consider the variables that Agnes might cause. Like a parent who is so focused on their career that they are too lazy to discipline their children, she would be very happy if Ye Xiao could act as a babysitter to help her solve this problem.

Theresa nodded slightly, but she was still a little confused. This Orfindo seemed a little different from the one she had first met in the Holy City.

Before Theresa could think it through, Decari, who was being whipped nearby, suddenly interrupted breathlessly, "Lady Theresa, I... I can also participate in assisting with this matter."

Theresa glanced at Decali's bloodied and mangled arm, and casually raised her hand to signal the punitive knight to stop the whipping.

"Alright, then you and Orphnoch work together to keep my good-for-nothing sister in check."

"As ordered."

Ye Xiao and Dekali responded simultaneously.

Ye Xiao felt relieved; this act of deception had finally saved him from being beaten for no reason.

As for Agnes, it sounds complicated, but in reality, we can just pretend to be attacked, tie her up, and lock her up in Ella's little dark room for a few days. It won't hinder my actions in Freeport.

It might be a bit troublesome to avoid Decali's eyes and ears. That kid probably knows I'm not the real Orphnoch, so he still can't feel comfortable leaving Agnes alone with him. That's why he'd rather come along than participate in Theresa's obviously more meritorious mission to find the Holy Grail.

This guy is really loyal; even after something like that, he can't let go of Agnes.

Ye Xiao quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and was about to take his leave when Teresa suddenly raised her hand again, "Wait, Orfindo, there's one more thing. I heard that when you were in the Sandy Isles, you had some disagreements with Agnes about punishment?"

"...This is indeed true."

Ye Xiao nodded.

“You should still be punished for talking back to your superiors.”

As Teresa spoke, she beckoned to the side, and a Templar Knight handed her a soft whip. "Take off your coat."

ha? ? ?

No way, they even need to smoke this? Does this family have some kind of problem?

Ye Xiao's lips twitched.

Chapter Five: Undermining

"Hiss... Ah... Damn it, just you wait, a gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years."

In the lower cabin, Ye Xiao touched his back and gritted his teeth as he groaned.

However, he only had a faint red whip mark on his back, which was much better than Dekari, who was silently applying ointment and whose entire back was covered in blood and gore.

"I really admire them. Do the knights of the Inquisition have to endure this inhuman treatment every day?"

"It's not that every day."

Decarri finally replied, "What was the real purpose of your proposal to mislead Lady Agnes?"

"Is that even a question? Of course, it's about finding a reason to avoid getting beaten up."

Ye Xiao shrugged. "If you're worried, you don't think I have any feelings for that weirdo Agnes, do you? If you're worried, you can keep an eye on her yourself."

"...Where is Orffindor himself?"

As Decari spoke, he closed the cap of the ointment bottle.

"Wait a minute, put some on me too."

Ye Xiao took the ointment bottle from Decarli's hand, shook it a couple of times, and then found it was empty. "No, you used up the whole bottle?"

Decarri shrugged. "Let me make it clear beforehand, I don't completely trust you. If necessary, I will report your situation to Lady Theresa at any time."

"Dude, you look carefree on the outside, but are you really that loyal on the inside?"

Ye Xiao waved his hand, "Orfino has already switched jobs. He's doing very well, at least much better than you."

Upon hearing this, Decari frowned slightly. "Orfindo could never betray the Holy See."

"Don't talk nonsense. Who told you he betrayed the Holy Temple? He just jumped ship to another faction within the Holy Temple. Besides, I'm also a member of the Holy Temple. Everyone is contributing to the Holy Light faith. It's just that some higher-ups are using the Holy Light's name to seek personal gain for their families."

Ye Xiao patted Decari on the shoulder, "Think it over carefully, buddy. Anyway, Orfino has already made up his mind, it's up to you now. As a fellow member of the Holy Light faith, is Agnes, or rather this Boromeo family, really worth your loyalty?"

Decali fell silent for a moment, then asked, "How do I know if you're telling the truth or not? And which side are you referring to as 'power'? The Lazirus family? The Rossia family?"

"Just like you were thinking, I can't completely trust you right now, so I can't tell you for the time being. What if you turn around and report it later, which would only cause me more trouble."

Ye Xiao said in a low voice.

As he said, while Decari is a promising talent, it's not worth risking the Boromeo family finding out that Ella is poaching him from their team.

Although the three major families were at odds with the Holy Maiden, they also engaged in intrigue and power struggles among themselves.

Ella has a high reputation, but she only secretly builds her own faction without making any overt moves. Therefore, on the surface, she seems to be all alone. She poses a great threat but has not shown any ambition, so she will not provoke the other party to suppress her at all costs.

However, if the fact that he poached her from the family becomes known, it might send some unnecessary signals and attract more hatred from this powerful family, which is unnecessary.

After all, both Orfindo and Decali were key players nurtured by the other side, and they would be furious to find out that Ella had stolen their thunder.

"But once you've thought it through, I can take you to see my boss,"

Ye Xiao added, "But you need to think it over carefully. If you don't make up your mind to join, we definitely won't let you come back in the short term."

After hesitating for a long time, Dekari sighed and said, "Let me think about it some more."

"Row."

Ye Xiao nodded. He had been thinking about whether to offer some kind of benefit to show his sincerity, so as not to make it seem like he was trying to get something for nothing.

But after thinking for a long time, he couldn't seem to find anything he could take.

In this world, skill improvement depends on one's own practice and understanding. Ye Xiao used all his points to max out his attributes, but how to break through from Grandmaster to Transcendent in swordsmanship, or from Expert to Master in magic, there are no particularly good methods other than practicing often and summarizing experience to understand.

As a Master-level Templar Knight, Ye Xiao didn't really have any treasures that could particularly attract Decali.

If we had to pinpoint the greatest benefit, it would be the ability to use incredibly powerful tentacle magic after forming a contract with Ella, but that's not really something to showcase.