Inside the palace…
In a council hall, the heavy curtains were half-drawn, blocking the noon sunlight and leaving the room dim. Only the most basic reading was possible.
Dekalorin reclined in a large armchair. Her right arm rested on a cushioned armrest. Even in this setting, her eyes remained sharp as she stared at Saint Eustacia in front of her.
Saint Eustacia had already changed out of her casual clothes and was now wearing solemn pure-white Holy See attire, forming a stark contrast with the dim surroundings.
“Teacher, I’m sorry for calling you here so urgently.” She stepped forward and placed a crystal shard into Dekalorin’s hand.
“While you were away, we received a message. In a small city called Isaac near the capital, we discovered signs of their activity!”
Dekalorin gripped the crystal shard tightly. She then closed her eyes and sensed its contents. A moment later, her brows furrowed. “So bold… How can you be so certain it’s them?”
The crystal shard only contained text, no images. As for what the text described, it was merely a group of suspicious individuals secretly gathering. To so confidently label them as such was very much in line with Saint Eustacia’s personality. Direct. Straightforward. In other words, a bit of stubbornness.
“My intuition!” Saint Eustacia said this with a hint of grievance.
Dekalorin was silent for a long time before squeezing out a single word from her throat. “Fine.”
Although Dekalorin truly did not recommend that Saint Eustacia jump to conclusions so recklessly, surprisingly, the other woman’s “intuitions” were often quite accurate.
“Another totem? That’s an entire city!”
“No.” Saint Eustacia shook her head in denial. Her hands were clasped on her lap as she continued. “The nature is different. There’s a high probability that it’s one of their strongholds!”
“A stronghold…”
Upon hearing this, Dekalorin’s body involuntarily left the back of the chair. She wanted to sit up straight, but in the end she gave up. Her voice still tried to remain steady. “Does the king… know?”
“Teacher, please be careful. The king already knows.” Saint Eustacia looked worriedly at Dekalorin’s hand and stood up to help her, but was stopped by a wave of the hand.
“And he hopes it can be resolved secretly to avoid causing a bigger commotion and triggering panic.”
“Resolve it secretly… But…” Dekalorin rubbed her brow in frustration. “It’s difficult! Being so close to the capital… they must have taken precautions. You… have you made arrangements?”
“Yes. I already have a plan. I’ve had the Holy See’s people secretly monitoring that area. I plan to resolve it quickly at sunset today.”
“I’m going personally!”
“I’m going with you!” Dekalorin almost immediately slapped the armrest and stood up.
“Teacher!” Saint Eustacia’s voice suddenly rose. She stood up as well and quickly stepped forward to push Dekalorin back into the chair. “From now on, you shouldn’t get involved in dangerous matters like this anymore. I’ll go alone.”
Dekalorin kept staring at her student. Was her student strong? That was beyond doubt. Even she herself had been completely surpassed.
However, Saint Eustacia… acted too directly. One could say she was simple-minded. She also had a fatal weakness. Once an enemy skilled in ambushes got close, especially if caught off guard, her physical condition would be enough to suffer serious injury!
Moreover, this operation required secrecy!
Dekalorin could not feel at ease letting her go to an unknown stronghold alone. Although she herself was injured, she could still cover for Saint Eustacia.
But with the other woman’s stubborn personality, Dekalorin knew she would not be able to go this time.
“Alright. I’ll listen to you. I won’t go…” When she saw Saint Eustacia’s expression soften, she immediately changed her tone. “But you absolutely cannot go alone!”
Before the other could retort, she spoke faster, afraid of being interrupted. “I’ll have Astreya go with you! And Seraphina too!”
If Astreya could truly be of help, then sending Seraphina was to lure Movira along as well.
Before her words even finished, Dekalorin had already sent the message out. There was no turning back.
This almost “rogue-like” rapid arrangement was seen clearly by Saint Eustacia. The words of rebuttal reached her lips but never had the chance to be spoken. She could only let out a long sigh.
“Teacher… When will you finally be able to trust me?”
Upon hearing this, Dekalorin was stunned. Seeing the trace of grievance flash across her student’s face felt like a stab to her heart. Still, she spoke resolutely. “This isn’t a matter of trust or not. You still don’t understand how important your safety is to the entire human camp! I support your determination to charge into battle because I was the same back then. However, that doesn’t mean you can replicate my results! The paths we walk are fundamentally different!”
“This kind of fighting style… doesn’t suit you.”
The council hall fell into silence. Finally, Saint Eustacia slowly prepared to leave. Just as she was about to go, Dekalorin called out to her.
“What is it, teacher?”
Dekalorin flipped her left hand and tossed her greatsword to Saint Eustacia. “Take it. It will protect you if necessary. But don’t try to use it. You can’t swing it!”
Saint Eustacia raised her hand and caught the hilt. The wide blade let out a pleased hum, then transformed into a small sword-blade ornament and clipped into her hair.
As the sun gradually moved westward, Astreya received the message. Movira, who had been inseparable from Seraphina, naturally knew as well and also informed Seraphina.
“You cannot go!” she immediately said to Seraphina.
“Why?! No, I’m going! Dekalorin said to let me go!”
As she spoke, she also signaled to Astreya to relay Dekalorin’s exact words to Movira.
Seraphina’s words made Movira instantly understand the other woman’s intention. It was clearly calculated based on Seraphina’s hatred of evil and her absolute unwillingness to stand by and do nothing. Then they dragged her into this operation as well!
This matter itself had nothing to do with Movira. To be precise, even the incident in that small town had nothing to do with her. Yet last time, Dekalorin had used herself as bait to make Movira take action.
This time, they were using Seraphina as bait!
However, when Movira saw the eager look in Seraphina’s eyes, the words of refusal turned in her mouth before finally being swallowed back down.
She suddenly thought — wasn’t this also another opportunity to get closer to Seraphina?
“Alright… Since you insist on going…” Movira’s brows relaxed. She put on an expression of feigned helplessness. “But if we encounter danger that cannot be resolved, you must retreat with me!”
“Good. I promise. I’ll listen to everything you say, sister!” Although Seraphina did not understand why Movira’s attitude had taken such a sudden turn, as long as she could go, it was fine! She was also thinking of taking the chance to try out the new magic she had learned recently.