After kissing Selis, Iserine turned and vanished like a cat that had successfully stolen a treat, leaving only a faint, lingering sweetness in the air.
As time passed, Selis regained her composure. The blush on her face had not yet faded as she muttered in helpless annoyance, “No respect for your elders…”
In her tone, rather than blame, there was more of a sigh filled with indulgence.
This kiss couldn’t help but remind her of Meilin.
As a Rose Knight, after resolving her inner turmoil, that young girl also loved to express intimacy toward her.
However, the most she ever dared to do was give a quick, bird-like peck on the cheek, nowhere near as bold and reckless as Iserine.
But if she had to name the boldest of them all, it was still Franndo, the Queen of the Aust Empire.
After all, between the two of them, almost everything that should and shouldn’t have been done had already happened.
Franndo, Iserine, Nora… now that she had calmed down to think about it, why did she vaguely feel like one of those scumbag girls from storybooks who left a trail of broken hearts everywhere?
Her lips twitched a few times before Selis tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, denying the title of scumbag.
Please, they only fell in love with her because her charm was too great. She wasn’t a scumbag at all!
—
The next day, inside the office the Fortress had prepared for the Saintess, General Breno of the Fortress roared as he slammed a hand heavily onto the thick wooden desk, making the documents on it jump.
He held a blood-red letter in his hand, his face flushed with rage, and his body was trembling slightly.
“How audacious! To dare send such a letter! The Norwich Empire is truly beyond saving!”
Selis sat poised in the main seat, calmly taking the letter from him.
It was a Death Notice.
The content inside was sparse, containing only Selis’s name. According to General Breno, the appearance of this letter identified it as a Death Notice from the Assassin Knights.
The Assassin Knights consisted of six members. Every one of them was a world-class killer, and all hailed from the Norwich Empire.
Not only that, they had a quirk: before accepting a contract to kill a target, they liked to send the target a Death Notice.
Selis receiving this letter meant that the Assassin Knights had already marked her as their target.
As for who had hired the Assassin Knights, Selis only needed a moment’s thought to find the answer—the Emperor of the Norwich Empire.
She tossed the letter aside, her eyelids drooping slightly to conceal the flash of cold light in her eyes.
“The Emperor of Norwich is an ambitious man, but he has severely underestimated the Abyssal Demons.”
Those who manipulate demons will ultimately be devoured by them; this was an eternal truth.
The Emperor of Norwich conspiring with demons, attempting to use them to unify The Mortal World and complete an impossible hegemony, was simply seeking his own death.
According to what she knew, after learning that the Norwich Empire had betrayed humanity, the Legendary Academy and the Archmage Tower were already unable to sit still.
They seemed to be gathering their strength in preparation to wipe out the Norwich Empire.
That Emperor probably wasn’t far from death.
“The Assassin Knights.” Selis raised her eyes to look at Breno, her tone carrying a faint hint of inquiry. “I wonder, what is their strength like?”
Breno took a deep breath, suppressing his anger as his expression became incredibly solemn.
“According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, this Order of Knights is extremely small, with only six members in total. However, the Magic Level of even the weakest member is above 60. As for their strongest leader… I’m afraid their strength is already close to the terrifying level 80.”
When he spoke this number, even his own voice carried a hint of dryness.
He propped his elbows on the table, adding in a heavy tone, “With this level of strength, they would absolutely be considered among the top tier even among all the knight orders of the major empires.”
“Furthermore, rumors say that among those who have received this letter, not a single one has survived to this day.”
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Selis felt relieved after hearing their strength.
Top-tier killers… at first glance, she had thought all six were Demigods.
It turned out to be a group of fellows who hadn’t even reached level 80.
She could kill as many of such people as they dared to send.
However, while she didn’t care about these assassins, Breno did. After all, in his understanding, the Saintess before him possessed no strength whatsoever.
He turned to Selis, straightening his back and striking his chest heavily with his right hand in a salute. His gaze was incredibly firm.
“Lady Selis, please make sure not to leave our sight recently. Although the number of top-tier experts within the Fortress is limited, as long as we are still alive, we will surely protect you!”
Hearing this, Selis slowly shook her head, a reassuring smile appearing on her face.
“There is no need, General Breno. Your strength needs to be used to guard the entire Fortress. Having Renia and Nora by my side for protection is already enough.”
The strength of Renia and Nora, in her view, already crushed this Assassin Knights group. If it really didn’t work out, she would just have to step in slightly when the time came.
In any case, Renia and Nora both knew that the identity of Selis was created by Isavel.
To put the General at ease, she stood up and walked to the window, gazing down at the busy Fortress. She spoke in a soft voice.
“Please remember, this Fortress is far more important than my life. After all, if this place falls, the countless towns and people behind us will face a catastrophe of unimaginable suffering.”
“…Yes.”
Filtered through the light, Breno saw the Saintess’s slender yet incredibly determined back. His throat choked up for a moment, and in the end, he could only lower his head deeply.
Saintess Selis was simply too radiant, making it impossible for him to try and persuade her again.
But even though he had agreed, the unease in his heart did not dissipate; instead, it grew even more intense.
Renia… Nora…
How powerful could a Saintess’s personal maid be?
As for Nora, although he had heard of her title as Honorary Duke, as far as he knew, she only had the strength of a Legend. Even if she could stop one assassin, what about the remaining ones?
It was simply too dangerous for Saintess Selis to stay here.
Unfortunately, he was merely a minor General of the Fortress and had no way to influence the Saintess’s decisions. Otherwise, no matter what, he would have insisted on sending her back to the Oracle Hall.
After this, Selis made a request that surprised Breno.
“Take me to the graveyard,” she said softly, her gaze directed toward the distance.
Returning once again to that silent graveyard under a gray sky, countless cold tombstones stood quietly like a silent legion. The cold wind swept through the leaves, producing a rustling wail.
Selis walked slowly into the midst of them, stopping before an anonymous tombstone.
She took out the Star-like Pendant from around her neck, clutching it tightly to her chest with both hands. She bowed her head slightly, closed her eyes, and began to pray in a low voice for these heroes.
Her expression was focused and devout, as if she were holding a wordless conversation with every soul resting there. Simultaneously, the star hanging from the pendant in her hand grew increasingly bright.
If someone had looked closely at this moment, they might have discovered that within this star, half was enveloped in a faint, ethereal aura.
Breno stood not far behind her, watching this scene with mixed emotions.
This wasn’t the first time the Saintess had come here, nor was it the second; it was nearly the tenth time. Every time she came, she would pray for these heroes just as she was doing today.
In his view, this was perhaps the Saintess feeling self-reproach.
After all, if the Rose Knights had arrived a day or two earlier, many of the soldiers here would not have had to sacrifice themselves. Faced with such a mistake, given the Saintess’s character, she likely could not forgive herself.
But this was war…
The moment war breaks out, no one is omniscient, and no one can predict everything. The fact that the Saintess could dispatch the Rose Knights here was already a massive help to them.
Though they had sacrificed themselves, their sacrifice had bought a better future for countless others.
He remained silent for a long time before finally being unable to stop himself from taking a step forward, advising in a low voice.
“Lady Selis, this graveyard… your intentions have already been delivered. They will know. Therefore, having visited this graveyard once is already enough.”
He couldn’t bear to see her immersed in this heavy sorrow and guilt time and time after again.
Selis slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping across the endless tombstones. Her eyes were filled with pity and tenderness. She asked softly in return, her voice as ethereal as the wind.
“Is that so? If I only came once, then they… how lonely they would be…”
Breno was stunned. He opened his mouth but couldn’t say a single word.
He had never imagined that the reason the Saintess kept coming to the graveyard, besides self-reproach, was to accompany these fallen heroes and the spirits drifting in the air.
She was truly too kind…
Standing silently behind her, Breno spoke no more. He bowed his head deeply toward that white figure, his heart filled with unspeakable emotion and reverence.
—
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched Selis’s shadow long. At the edge of the military Training Ground, she found Leanna, who was carefully wiping her blade with a cotton cloth.
With her hands behind her back, Selis walked to her side and asked softly, her voice carrying a trace of undetectable concern, “I heard that you also… um, received a Death Notice?”
When she said the word “also,” she suddenly covered her mouth. After realizing Leanna hadn’t noticed, she corrected herself and finished her sentence.
That’s right, the one who received a Death Notice wasn’t just her; it was also the Captain of the Rose Knights, Leanna.
The Norwich Empire was certainly going to great lengths to dismantle their Rose Knights.
Leanna’s movements in wiping the Longsword did not pause for a second. She merely looked up, her face showing no fear as she responded calmly, “Yes.”
“The letter is from the Assassin Knights, saying they want to take my life and told me to be prepared lately.”
Her tone was flat, as if this wasn’t a death warning but a ridiculous prank.
Selis frowned slightly, asking with some worry.
“There are six people in the Assassin Knights, and the weakest Magic Level is above 60. Leanna, aren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid?”
Leanna acted as if she had heard something amusing, the corners of her mouth curving into a confident arc.
“As the Captain of the Rose Knights, it’s impossible to be afraid of them. Besides, they stated clearly in the letter that only one person is coming to kill me.”
“If that’s the case, it’s even more impossible for me to fear them. Perhaps I can even find the right opportunity to kill them in return.”
While saying these words, besides confidence, she actually felt a trace of annoyance and frustration.
Why did the Assassin Knights only send one killer for her?
Wasn’t that just looking down on her? Thinking that resolving her didn’t require much effort from the Assassin Knights.
It really made her quite angry… and the worst part was that after careful study, she realized they truly might not need much effort.
Because her Magic Level was about ten levels lower than even the weakest assassin. If the opponent sent two assassins, she would be almost certainly dead.
This realization made her very frustrated.
However, as the Captain of the Rose Knights, the more frustrated she was, the more it would make her stronger. Ultimately, she would make the Assassin Knights, who looked down on her, pay the price!
Seeing her like this, Selis showed a small, gratified smile, and her tone lightened. “It seems you are full of confidence.”
“Of course,” Leanna answered decisively, clenching her fist as she felt the power flowing within her body. “The Life-and-Death Training over these past two years wasn’t for nothing.”
Assassins are powerful, but we Rose Knights aren’t bad either!
Selis nodded, but still gently advised.
“Then I am relieved. However, it’s best to travel with other Rose Knights for the time being. No matter how powerful you are, your Magic Level is still far below theirs. Don’t be arrogant.”
“Mhm, don’t worry.”
Leanna stowed her Longsword, her eyes unconsciously filling with Anticipation.