Fengrao City had not been peaceful lately.
No, to be more precise, the entire city was shrouded in an overwhelmingly terrifying atmosphere.
What made it worse was that this terror did not come from the cultists rumored to be lurking in the alleys, but from… the Church of Light, which was supposed to symbolize order and security.
Swish—
Several hurried investigators from the Inquisition gathered in front of a lavish mansion in the Upper City.
“President of the Kingdom’s Disaster Relief Grain Merchants Guild? He lives here?”
The lead paladin grinned ferociously. “It’s time to show these parasites what they deserve. Let’s go!”
Bang!
The door was kicked open forcefully.
“Don’t move! Freeze!”
“Hurry! Someone’s started burning the Book of Evidence!”
“Secure the primary target first, and watch out for suicide attempts!”
After breaking down the door, the group of investigators stormed into the grand, solemn estate without a shred of regard for the shining family crest hanging above the main entrance.
“What are you doing?” a middle-aged man dressed as a butler trembled, beads of sweat running down his face, but still stepped forward, pointing at the gleaming crest behind him. “This is the House of Donald. Even if you’re from the Inquisition…”
Bang!
Before the butler could finish, an investigator roughly grabbed him. “Hah, the Archbishop already knows about your master’s collusion with the Former Magistrate, how they made a fortune off the famine six months ago during the grain shortage. Even that Former Magistrate is now in chains. The name Earl Donald means nothing here.”
The investigator spoke coldly to the others behind him. “Let’s go. Take him away!”
Swish, swish, swish!
Under the methodical search by the trained investigators, a wealth of evidence was quickly uncovered—both physical proof and witness testimonies.
The so-called airtight cover-ups that some people thought were flawless were quickly unraveled by professionals.
Following every thread of the trail, nothing was left hidden.
“Alice,” the lead investigator called out to a girl carrying pieces of evidence, “why don’t you head back for now?”
“Miss Julia,” Alice gathered the evidence in her arms and curled her lips. “Godfather has already permitted me to join this investigation. No need to trouble you.”
The lead investigator sighed, removing the rain-soaked tall hat from his head, letting his brown hair fall straight down.
“I understand,” Julia said with a hint of helplessness. “However, while Lord Green has allowed you to join the investigation, there’s a condition, right? You have to obey the commanding officer.”
“…” Alice pursed her lips in reluctant acceptance.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not that I don’t want you involved, it’s just that there’s a task better suited for you to carry out.”
Julia rubbed her temples. “The Former Magistrate, although the evidence is mostly collected, still manages to make demands and negotiate because of his special status.”
“So?” Alice asked, puzzled.
“He claims many people are biased against him and has requested a new paladin without conflicts of interest to lead the investigation. We suspect he thinks a newcomer will be easier to manipulate.”
Julia shook her head. “But you’re going to prove he’s wildly mistaken, right?”
Alice’s eyes lit up at that.
Snap.
She saluted immediately. “I guarantee I will complete the mission, Sir!”
With that, she braved the pouring rain and hurried to the Church of Light.
Weeks passed, and ever since Archbishop Lawrence inexplicably changed his mind, Fengrao City had undergone earth-shaking changes.
The once untouchable aristocrats now lived in constant fear, terrified of becoming the next unlucky soul “disappeared” by the Inquisition.
But unlike the gloomy upper class, the middle and lower classes—especially the poorest residents—were surprised to find their lives steadily improving since Archbishop Lawrence’s arrival.
This high-ranking figure from the royal capital hadn’t enacted any policies, nor distributed foreign charity funds, and not even followed the usual practice of patrol visits, yet their lives grew more comfortable day by day.
The normally overbearing Guard became gentle and approachable… ever since the Commander of the Guard went missing.
The tax collectors, usually harsh and relentless, all wore kind expressions; some said the previous Head Tax Collector’s severed head at the execution ground looked ferocious.
And those Merchant Guilds who always tried to bleed every household dry?
Well, apart from a few small to medium guilds, the leaders of the dominant big guilds were all detained without exception. If the Former Chief Magistrate hadn’t been dismissed for corruption, they’d likely be sentenced by now.
In short, the influential figures who normally kept Fengrao City running were now all on shaky ground.
Yet strangely, the departure of these leaders did not bring the chaos and collapse of order that many had predicted.
“Phew, so this is the Prison?”
Looking at the cages originally used to imprison cultists but temporarily repurposed by the Archbishop to detain special prisoners, and the overwhelming stench that filled the air, Alice pinched her nose.
She hadn’t expected the once mighty Former Magistrate to fall to such a state.
“Alice Miss, the prisoner is at the end of the corridor. According to his request, none of us except you are allowed to attend.”
A guard yawned. “But don’t worry, they’ve all been fitted with special ropes that prevent magic use. Though the Former Magistrate himself wasn’t a high-ranking magic user to begin with.”
The burly man opened the gate and pointed down the dark corridor. “There. That Former Magistrate. Oh, wait, I should say ‘Ex-Former Magistrate’ now.”
Alice instinctively straightened the Saint Knight’s Robe draped over her, carefully avoiding the stains on the floor.
She wasn’t one to fuss over appearances, but this robe personally entrusted to her by Godfather, carrying such unique memories, was more precious to Alice than diamonds.
“This it?” Alice glanced sideways.
Inside the cell, an old man wearing thin clothes lay slumped in a corner, looking completely listless and dejected.
“Former Magistrate?”
Alice almost couldn’t believe that this was once the ambitious and powerful Former Magistrate.
“I told you,” the Former Magistrate’s voice was tinged with panic but stubbornly resolute, “unless you bring in a newcomer with no vested interests, I won’t say a word. Otherwise, I’ll appeal to the Governor, the Prime Minister, even His Majesty!”
“Former Magistrate,” Alice narrowed her eyes with impatience, “I am the newcomer you’re looking for. Do you remember me? Alice. I recently passed the Saint Knight’s examination.”
“Alice?” The Former Magistrate suddenly raised his head, squinting and scrutinizing the girl for a long moment. “It’s really you?”
For some reason, the once downcast Former Magistrate now burst with boundless energy, as if he was no longer the man who had been ready to die just moments ago.
“Hahaha, fate’s coincidence, huh? I never thought… they would actually send you here…”
Bang.
He collapsed against the bars, his voice low and hoarse, filled with madness. “Heh heh heh, Alice, Alice, have you ever wondered why a girl from the slums would be adopted by the mighty Saint Knight Commander?”
Alice was stunned by his words.
“What, you think it’s strange too? Because Lord Green is noble? There are so many orphans in the world, why did he choose you?”
The Former Magistrate chuckled darkly. “Actually… Alice, I looked into the files and know many truths. Like, your real parents… were killed because of Green!”
This mortal in the cage whispered in a voice as tempting as the abyss, “He’s such a hypocrite, isn’t he? He expelled your mother from the Church, leaving her to suffer alone in the slums, ignored her when she died after you were born, and only took you in out of a sudden whim.”
The Former Magistrate slumped to the ground, still shouting, “Come on, Alice, if you have even a shred of daughterly spirit, face the truth… The Godfather you revere is actually the enemy who killed your mother…”
“Shut up!” Alice’s eyes widened as she stared at the struggling man in the cell. “Your pathetic tricks won’t shake my faith in Godfather!”
“You don’t believe me? Hmph, Alice, now that you’re a Saint Knight, you can check the records yourself…”
He tried to persuade her further.
“Heh, I know you’re playing games, but I’m not stupid enough to believe a lie like that,” Alice said calmly. “But Former Magistrate, I do know how you and your kind usually refer to me—some girl from the slums with lowborn blood.”
“You all think the slums are filled with scum and trash, right? So…”
Alice reasoned steadily, “Isn’t it possible that my real parents were the kind of scum you describe? If that’s the case, what’s wrong with Godfather, a Saint Knight, dealing with them?”
“Of course, Former Magistrate, that means you yourself are the trash.”
Bang.
Alice turned and firmly walked out of the corridor.