“Oh. Just waiting for the gate, then.” Joel looked at him. “Do I need you to remind me?! Do you think I don’t know that? I am here to inspect the gate!”
“Yes, yes, of course, my lord.”
Joel Crais gave a grand wave of his hand, ordering the squires to raise the vertical gate.
After some frantic movements, the gate finally groaned upward. However, the intimidated merchants didn’t dare move, fearing they might displease this high-ranking knight.
Seeing this, the blonde knight smiled with satisfaction. Clearly, these people were awed by his majesty. This was much better! The noisy chaos had been quelled by him!
‘But none of them are entering the city!’
Sighing inwardly, the handsome young man waited for a while. Seeing that his superior had no further plans, he gritted his teeth and took charge, directing the squires to organize the entry.
Considering the new commander’s strange need for control, the young man emphasized that everything must be orderly: pedestrians in pairs, carriages in a single file.
Sure enough, seeing this, the blonde knight became even more satisfied.
On his first day in Siofra, he had already managed the city entry order perfectly! It was not a bit inferior to the Holy Capital!
It was just that the efficiency was incredibly low.
Lance and Astrid, hidden in the middle of the crowd, waited a long time before they reached the pedestrian passage.
Just as the two finished their ID check with the squires, the blonde knight on the tall horse frowned again.
“Remove your hoods!” he barked coldly. “Suspicious individuals are not permitted to enter.”
Lance’s eye twitched. He felt trouble coming. But the other party was a “big shot.”
Lance turned his body to block Astrid, then removed his own hood, revealing a slightly battered silver-gray helmet.
Their Adventurer’s Proofs had nothing suspicious about them. After checking, the guards returned them and stepped aside to let them through.
But then, the blonde knight shouted again, “Stop! Why hasn’t that person removed their hood?!”
Lance and Astrid stopped in unison. Lance instinctively reached for the longsword at his waist, but Astrid pressed her hand over his in time.
After a moment of hesitation, Astrid reached up and pulled down her hood, revealing an exquisite face and a pair of signature pointed ears.
At this moment, her expression was cold, clearly finding the demand repulsive.
‘An… Elf?’
Everyone present was stunned. Some were shocked by the girl’s peerless beauty, while most of the Knight Order members were stunned by her identity.
Elves rarely traveled the continent, and when they did, they usually had the backing of the Nature Church.
But if she had the backing of the Nature Church, why was she entering through Siofra’s western gate?
Wouldn’t it be better to go to the eastern district controlled by the Nature Church?
A flash of surprise also crossed Joel Crais’s eyes. However, the point of his focus was entirely different from the other knight officials.
This kind of beauty was not inferior even to Saintess Cecilia!
And that cold temperament, while highlighting her noble bloodline, formed a sharp contrast with the Saintess.
“Is that enough?” Astrid spoke coldly. The guard checking their IDs quickly moved out of the way.
“Stop!” It was that blonde knight again.
“Your identity is suspicious! You clearly have ties to the Nature Church! The one next to you can leave, but you must undergo further inspection!”
Lance thought, ‘Huh? Is this blonde guy sick in the head?’
When Lance processed the words, he nearly laughed out of sheer anger.
All Elves worshipped the God of Nature; that was common knowledge even a 3-year-old knew. Did she have ties? Of course she did!
Furthermore, according to the Oath of Morwickton established by the three Churches and the City Lord of Siofra, the Radiant Sanctum only held missionary rights and certain administrative powers in the western district.
They could not restrict people from entering or leaving Siofra based on faith or race.
Having spent years in the Restoration Army, how could Lance not see the blonde knight’s true intentions?
This “big shot” clearly had predatory designs!
Today was not going to end peacefully!
Lance’s heart sank as he quickly ran the numbers.
After defeating the Dream Eater on the 59th Floor, Lance had quietly reached Level 51, becoming a mid-stage High Rank.
Astrid was a genuine late-stage High Rank.
According to the well-known Oath of Morwickton, the three Churches could only keep one expert of the Elemental Tier within their jurisdiction.
That person would be the regional Bishop, not a member of the Knight Order.
Moreover, Lance had two Elemental Tier Element Lords hidden in the forest behind them!
What was there to say? It wasn’t like he hadn’t killed high-ranking members of the Church’s Knight Orders before…
Lance and Astrid exchanged a look. They instantly understood each other.
In a flash, Lance drew the longsword from his waist.
The blade thrust out like lightning, aiming straight for the blonde knight’s throat.
Almost simultaneously, Astrid tore open a Spatial Rift and summoned her Magic Power Greatsword.
With a flicker of movement, she beat Lance to the target, swinging the blade toward the disgusting man’s skull.
The scene descended into chaos!
The blonde knight had been busy thinking of ways to harass Astrid.
He was even considering framing her as a heretical spy.
After that, wouldn’t he be free to do whatever he wanted with the Elf?
With his head full of such filth, how could he possibly react to this sudden assault?
It was the handsome young man beside him who snapped to his senses, lunging forward.
Screeech—
The tall horse Joel Crais rode had zero resistance against Astrid’s Magic Power Greatsword and was sliced clean in two.
Seeing Astrid’s strike miss the man, Lance immediately adjusted his technique.
Utilizing his Master-level understanding of the White Crow Sword Art, he shifted his momentum and altered his strike.
Winds swirled around him as he parried away the handsome young man who had lunged at Joel. Then, like a vengeful spirit, he struck at the blonde knight’s throat again!
The sword pierced through! The red blade passed through the neck!
But just as Lance thought the assassination had succeeded, a burst of brilliant white light suddenly enveloped the blonde knight.
A golden barrier erupted, slamming into Lance and his sword, sending him flying.
“A blessing? Protection of the Sunbird?” Lance’s expression shifted drastically.
To have a blessing meant the man was a top-tier scion of the elite. He really was a big shot!
But it wasn’t over. The moment the blonde knight’s throat was pierced, a golden light appeared nearby.
A staff as tall as a person emerged first.
With a gentle wave, it summoned three blades condensed from Holy Power.
Without a moment of hesitation, the blades shot directly toward Lance.
Lance was doubly shocked. Being sensitive to Holy Power, he immediately realized the newcomer’s power was immense, far exceeding his own! This was an Elemental Tier expert!
‘Damn, I drew out a Cardinal of the Church!’
There was no time for hesitation. Lance immediately unleashed his signature move!
White Crow Sword Art, Seventh Form: Rolling Wind Wheel!
His sword technique changed again, a massive, powerful wind wheel churning in front of him.
This was a royal sword technique of Midgar — the signature combat art of the White Crow Sword Art!
The wind wheel was fierce, catching the three powerful holy swords and spinning them away.
The figure holding the staff had already stepped halfway out of the light.
Seeing this, the figure paused slightly, then condensed a Holy Power Shield to block the counterattack.
Lance took advantage of this opening to retreat. He followed Astrid, and together, they vanished into the dense, overlapping alleys of Siofra City.
Once the two figures had completely disappeared, the person within the light finally stepped out.
It was the Radiant Saintess herself, draped in pure white robes — Cecilia!
After stepping out, the Saintess stared toward the direction where the silver-armored knight had vanished, remaining silent for a long time.
‘Was that… Rolling Wind Wheel?’
Only then did the crowd at the gate react, and the scene instantly turned into a riot.
Merchants and travelers abandoned their goods and scattered, fleeing in every direction within seconds.
The handsome young man, who had been knocked aside by Lance’s wind pressure, finally scrambled to his feet.
He endured his injuries and stepped forward to ask, “Saintess, shall we seal the city for a search?”
Cecilia glanced at the young man, then turned her gaze to the blonde knight.
At this moment, the horrific sword wound on the blonde knight’s neck had vanished without a trace, though he himself had lost consciousness.
The look of mockery in Cecilia’s eyes intensified. “Not just an idiot, but a useless one. To waste a life-saving blessing that only works once on something like this.”
Disgusted, Cecilia gave her orders. “Take the Captain back to rest… seal the western gate for 3 days and organize a large-scale search…”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Rumble—
The western gate of Siofra City, which had only just been opened, groaned as it slammed shut once more.