Flames tore through the sky.
Thick smoke pierced hearts like sharp arrows.
At this moment.
Not only was City Defense Chief Yarikel’s face deathly pale, but many others who shared responsibility were drenched in cold sweat as well. What exactly did Lady Saintess mean by those words?
But before they could ponder further, Emile Cathedral’s Bishop Wilma was already beside herself with rage, berating them loudly: “Who, just who, is trying to harm our Saintess?”
Unlike the governors from other regions,
Under the system of theocracy, Bishop Wilma, born of the church, was absolutely ‘one of our own’ with Aililan. She would never allow the interests of the church to be slighted.
[Lady Saintess, we are innocent!]
[Bishop Wilma, we swear we’re blameless—please believe in our integrity!]
[I’ve bled for the church, rendered great service—no one is more loyal than me!]
[This matter has nothing to do with me, I swear!]
[I have an alibi!]
[……]
A group began shirking responsibility.
But was this really the time to pass the blame?
Bishop Wilma’s face was livid with anger, yet she dared not lose decorum in front of the Saintess.
She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, “Lady Saintess Aililan, it’s far too chaotic here right now. Please, allow me to escort you to Emile Cathedral for a rest. But rest assured, I will certainly give you a satisfactory explanation for this matter.”
A flash of cold light burst in Aililan’s eyes.
“Rest?”
“Does Bishop Wilma think I can still sleep right now?”
“I’m afraid if I close my eyes, I’ll never see the sun rise again.”
Bishop Wilma hastily replied in panic, “No, absolutely not, I swear!”
Aililan drew several heavy breaths, looking as though she wanted to lose her temper but was forcing herself to remain composed. She said, “Bishop Wilma, I do trust your loyalty, but…”
Wilma asked, “But what?”
Aililan lowered her voice: “Sorry, but right now, I can’t trust any of you.”
Wilma: ……
It’s over—trust shattered.
But standing in Lady Saintess Aililan’s shoes, Wilma felt this was only natural. If she herself had just survived an assassination attempt, would she trust anyone so easily?
Before long.
The ground rumbled.
To their shock, a company of a hundred cavalry… no, not quite. They all wore silver-white heavy armor, sealed so tightly that only their eyes were visible. These were not mere cavalry, but the more exalted ‘Knights’—and they were galloping straight toward them.
“Chastity Knights!”
Someone shrieked.
Normally, Chastity Knights would never mobilize lightly. Such action could easily provoke local military resentment and even threaten internal unity.
But now, everything was different.
Aililan’s safety trumped all else.
The Chastity Knights were marching out in force.
And yet, the governor of Atester City could say nothing in protest.
Who the hell would dare object now? Did they want a cauldron-sized blame to be dumped straight on their heads?
A faint smile curled at the corner of Aililan’s lips.
But in the blink of an eye, she returned to her icy demeanor.
At the head of the column was Renata, who had clearly prepared in advance, leading a hundred Chastity Knights.
[No one is to move from where they stand.]
[Anyone who disobeys will be treated as an assassin—no need to report, no need to investigate. Execute on the spot.]
Compared to Aililan’s coldness, Renata’s attitude was pure killing intent.
A moment later.
Milisanel’s people arrived as well.
The two captains, Linuor and Morphete, arrived together.
The Chastity Knights’ Captain Fina Nisi, Vice-captain Pella, and Captain Yarvis were the last to arrive.
With a glance, Aililan sized up the state of the Chastity Knights: Renata and Milisanel were her own.
Linuor and Morphete were on good terms, currently neutral but leaning toward Aililan.
Pella and Yarvis were Fina Nisi’s people.
Aililan glanced at Fina Nisi, whose clothes seemed a bit disheveled, and said, “Captain Fina Nisi, I’m terribly sorry to have interrupted your beauty sleep!”
“But there’s something far more important now.”
“I suspect the inner city guards are plotting treason.”
“I order you: From this moment, lead three hundred Chastity Knights to the city guard’s station, take control of their headquarters. If anyone resists, treat them as accomplices of assassins.”
Fina Nisi’s mouth twitched.
Her expression was rather unsightly.
Not only had her ‘fun’ been cut short, but someone had actually dared to attempt to assassinate Aililan?
Though she’d suffered some setbacks at the hands of the Saintess lately, Fina Nisi had long since considered the Saintess her own private forbidden delicacy.
Fina Nisi straightened her face, anger simmering as she said, “As you command, my Lady Saintess. If I find any problem, I don’t mind making heads roll.”
City Defense Chief Yarikel turned even paler.
“Wait.”
“Please, wait a moment.”
Fina Nisi snorted coldly, challenging, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Yarikel: “Please, at least hear me out.”
Fina Nisi sneered, “Who do you think you are? I take orders from Lady Saintess Aililan, and her alone.”
With Fina Nisi’s pride and strength, she disdained pointless argument.
Even to someone of Yarikel’s status, the chief of the city’s internal security, she spoke with blatant disrespect.
This infuriated Yarikel’s subordinates.
“How dare you!”
“You dare speak to Lord Yarikel like that!”
If they couldn’t touch Lady Saintess Her Highness (not that they dared), surely they could handle a mere captain of a knight order, right?
As Yarikel’s strongest subordinate, Periante ranked among the top ten experts in all of Atester City, and was confident he could fight back.
Yet—
“Noisy!”
In a blink, Fina Nisi drew her Longsword, sending a torrent of sword energy roaring toward Periante like a wild wolf.
Aililan called out in time, “No harming innocents.”
Boom——
The terrifying sword energy passed a hair’s breadth from Periante, slashing instead into the still-blazing mansion nearby. In the next instant, the flames split in two, and a third of the vast manor was sliced neatly in half.
And this—
Was merely Fina Nisi’s casual strike.
Periante felt his whole body go cold. Just a moment ago, if Lady Saintess hadn’t stopped her in time, he’d already be dead.
Top ten in Atester City? Tie them all together and they still wouldn’t survive one of Fina Nisi’s swings, right?
The crowd was left reeling.
Fina Nisi was simply too powerful.
Suddenly, everyone recalled something: when a Saintess is sent to the provinces for experience, would she truly be without a protector?
Was this Knight Captain, then, the Saintess’s guardian?
Aililan could only sigh softly.
After tonight, they would all come to fear Fina Nisi’s utterly invincible might. This was also Aililan’s first time witnessing Fina Nisi’s power firsthand—and she was glad she’d never gotten into a direct conflict with that blonde.
After all, she’d played this game before.
Aililan knew with certainty—
No one understood the blond, nor this Feng Aotian, better than her.
She vaguely remembered, in one of her tragic CGs, she’d been ridden to death by her, and had recently managed to provoke Fina Nisi even more.
She must never fall into the hands of this Feng Aotian, or the outcome would be even worse than death.
Before, she was ridden to death.
Now—
Maybe she’d be ravaged until she wished she were dead!?