Leo snapped his wrist sharply, whipping the remaining blood off his blade, and sheathed [Vajra]with a smooth click.
"Sister, are you hurt?"
He bent down and offered his right hand.
The nun hesitated for a moment, then reached out. With his help, she clumsily got to her feet.
The full moon was high now, bathing the world in gentle, watery light.
Thanks to the moonlight, Leo finally got a clear look at her face.
Up close, she was truly stunning.
Especially her eyes.
Under the moon, her violet irises shimmered with a luster somewhere between amethyst and starlight.
While Leo was assessing her, she was assessing him.
Staring at his clerical vestments, the nun blinked rapidly, her face a canvas of confusion.
"Are you... a priest?"
She asked the question while turning her head, her gaze sweeping over the carnage and corpses scattered around them with disbelief.
Leo gave a practiced smile.
"That's right. I am a priest. I just belong to the more... short-tempered denomination. Occasionally, I help God take out the trash. My name is Leo. And you, Sister?"
"I... I am Janelle Lovegood."
"Lovegood... that's a rare surname."
Leo didn't press further. He turned around, crouched beside the bald corpse, and began to search it methodically.
Leo never claimed to be a saint. He wasn't above using extreme measures to achieve his goals.
However, he had a few lines he would never cross. One was: Never rob civilians.
Clearly, the bald man and his crew were not "civilians."
And taking their belongings wasn't "robbery."
They were dead. Since they were dead, their possessions were now ownerless.
Picking up abandoned items... could that be called stealing?
I'm just recycling trash.
Three days ago, after killing the four Irish thugs, Leo had searched them too. The result was predictable—drifters didn't have money. Those four were dirt poor, possessing nothing of value.
But Los Lobos were different. Their guns alone were a small fortune.
Leo focused on "looting the corpse."
Suddenly, a stuttering voice came from behind him.
"Father, t-thank you..."
Leo paused, chuckled, and waved his hand without looking back.
"Don't mention it. I just did what I could."
Saving the nun was just a bonus.
Even if she hadn't been there, he would have wiped out the Wolf Gang anyway.
Leo's stance on scum who preyed on the weak was clear: The only good scum is dead scum.
He realized the nun was still standing there, stiff and traumatized.
To calm her down and ease the awkwardness of standing among corpses, Leo initiated a conversation.
"Sister, are you alright?"
"I-I'm okay. Just... a little shaken."
She took several deep breaths, then tried to sound brave.
"Don't worry. Janelle Lovegood is a strong girl."
Leo smiled.
"You certainly have guts, walking alone in the wilderness at night."
Though Janelle claimed to be strong, her face was still rigid.
Hearing Leo's comment, her expression crumbled slightly. Helplessness and lingering fear surfaced.
"If I had a choice, I wouldn't be walking at night either."
"I was supposed to reach a motel before sunset."
"But a storm this morning delayed my journey."
"Besides that motel, there's nowhere else to stay around here."
"There are wild wolves in this area. Sleeping outside would be dangerous."
"I had no choice but to risk walking at night."
"I heard there were no bandits around here, I didn't expect..."
Janelle's voice trailed off. The rest of the words stuck in her throat.
Recalling the scene just moments ago made her skin crawl.
If Leo hadn't appeared, her fate would have been horrific.
Leo smoothly changed the subject.
"Where are you heading?"
"I'm going to San Francisco."
"Oh?"
Hearing "San Francisco," Leo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You're from San Francisco?"
"Yes. I grew up there. I'm a nun at the Stone Chamber Church in the city."
"If you're from San Francisco, what are you doing all the way out here? This isn't exactly a day trip."
"I... I went to retrieve John's ashes."
"Retrieve ashes?"
"Aunt Susan's son, John, died in a mining accident. Aunt Susan has bad legs and can't travel, so I went to bring John's remains home for her."
Janelle reached back and gently patted her small knapsack.
"Is this Aunt Susan a relative?"
"No. To be honest, I don't know her very well. She's a parishioner who often prays at my church. We live in the same neighborhood, that's all."
Leo stopped looting for a moment. He turned his head, looking at the nun with genuine surprise.
After a moment, he sighed.
"So, let me get this straight. You have no personal stake in this. You just wanted to help a stranger with no blood relation to you... People like you are rare these days."
Janelle spoke softly.
"I couldn't watch John's ashes remain lost while Aunt Susan lived in pain every day. If I didn't go get him, I would feel unworthy of wearing this habit."
She touched the cross around her neck, her expression softening as she recalled something.
Leo looked at her deeply.
"I admire your virtue. But traveling alone without a decent weapon? That's reckless."
He glanced at the pocket where she kept her dagger.
Janelle smiled sheepishly.
"I'm a poor nun. That dagger was the most formidable weapon I could find."
Leo laughed.
"Should I call you brave or foolish... Alright. Since I'm also heading to San Francisco, I'll escort you."
This time, it was Janelle who looked surprised.
"You're from San Francisco too?"
"No. I'm going there to find someone. Sister, have you ever seen a white male, around 25 years old, with a red skull tattoo on his neck?"