“Via!”
Sophie opened her eyes.
She saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
This didn’t seem to be the Yamar River. It was indoors?
She tried to move a bit.
She discovered bandages wrapped tightly around her body, restricting her movements. She was secured to the bed.
Via wasn’t there.
A somewhat familiar voice sounded beside Sophie’s ear.
She turned her head.
A knight girl wearing golden armor stood by the bed.
“Ellis?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Ellis nodded. “Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”
“Where is this?” Sophie asked.
“It’s the Holy Land’s church in a city near the border.”
Ellis explained to Sophie in an orderly manner.
“It seems there was quite an intense battle on the Yamar River. This drew the attention of the Saint Luo Empire’s army. They sent people over and found you unconscious on a battlefield in ruins. They transferred you to the church in the nearby city.”
“I see… Then why are you here?”
Sophie noticed that Ellis hadn’t mentioned anything about Via. She could probably guess it.
Via has already left the human world, crossed the Yamar Border, and headed to the Desolate Fallen Continent.
The cross necklace had been placed in her pocket. This was what Via left for her.
“What exactly happened to you? You called Via’s name so many times while you were unconscious?” Ellis asked, quite puzzled.
“Via…”
Sophie recalled the last words Via had left for her.
Her nose stung, and her eyes gradually moistened.
Her emotions were complicated. Many feelings surged in her heart. But there was one point she shared with her sister.
Via is my only remaining family in this world.
She had clearly said such excessive things to Via and even wanted to do something extremely inappropriate. Yet even though they had been arch-enemies in their previous lives, her sister still hadn’t killed her and had even said those words. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but re-examine her relationship with Via.
“Via… she seems a bit off. I heard from the border soldiers that she used magic to force her way through the checkpoint. That’s a very serious offense. Forcing entry through the Yamar Border without permission is basically desertion. As her sister, you might get implicated too.”
Ellis reminded her.
Sophie lowered her head and didn’t respond to Ellis.
“All right.”
Seeing that Sophie didn’t want to speak, Ellis sighed.
“Anyway, I was following the Pope’s orders to come retrieve you. I won’t pry into other matters. For the rest, you can discuss it with His Holiness the Pope.”
After receiving treatment, Sophie returned to the Holy Land.
When she first set foot in the Holy Land, she thought she would face criticism from others. After all, her current situation essentially made her the relative of a deserter.
However, unexpectedly, no clergy made any comments upon seeing her.
Even when Belon met with her, he only gave her the usual scolding.
“Sophie, what’s going on with you? The aftermath from Kado City hasn’t been fully resolved yet. How could you leave so easily?!” Belon said sternly. “Do you know how long we’ve been looking for you? Where exactly did you go?!”
“Bishop, you… don’t know?”
Sophie glanced at Ellis. Ellis remained expressionless and silent.
“How would I know? So many things are pressing down on me that I can hardly breathe.” Belon complained. “Hurry and deal with your mess, then return to your post!”
“All right.”
Sophie nodded.
She and Ellis continued walking toward the sanctuary.
“Didn’t you report the matter to anyone else in the Holy Land?”
“No. The Pope gave me orders. My task was only to escort you back. I wasn’t to disclose other matters to anyone else.” Ellis replied.
“Mm.”
Sophie felt somewhat surprised.
After arriving at the sanctuary, she was asked to meet the Pope of the Holy Land alone. After parting with Ellis, she walked down the main avenue to the very center and met this highest authority of the Holy Land.
“Your Holiness.”
Sophie bowed to the Pope.
“You’re back?”
Altes’s kind face appeared somewhat cold.
“Sophie, can you explain what happened on the Yamar River?”
“What do you mean…?”
“You were fighting someone on the Yamar River, weren’t you? Others might not be able to tell, but I know that person was demonkin.”
Sophie lowered her head.
“Yes, Your Holiness. I’m very sorry. I lost.”
“Lost to whom?”
“Demon King Ville.”
“Hm? Demon King Ville?”
“Yes.”
Altes looked down, scrutinizing the bowing Sophie. He felt her explanation was somewhat unusual. However, he didn’t doubt Sophie’s hatred for Ville or her willingness to sacrifice for humanity’s future. She was a proven human hero with no need to lie to him.
“Then what about Via using magic to force her way through the Yamar Border?” Altes continued questioning Sophie. “Why did she appear at the empire’s border after disappearing in Kado City?”
“Via was bewitched. It was Demon King Ville’s doing.”
“That guy?”
“Demon King Ville bewitched Via and lured her to the Desolate Fallen Continent. After learning about it, I immediately chased after them. But I couldn’t defeat Demon King Ville.”
“I don’t know when Via started being bewitched, but… Via has always been looked down upon by others. This made her feel very inferior, giving those evil demonkin an opening. I didn’t notice it earlier, leading to the current situation. I must bear the main responsibility.” Sophie’s voice was quite low and heavy.
“It seems immediately sealing the border news was the right decision. This is truly a terrible situation. Demon King Ville actually bewitched Sylvia’s daughter. If this leaks out, it will severely damage the Holy Land’s reputation.”
Altes carefully considered how to handle the aftermath. First, the news hadn’t spread yet. The Saint Luo Empire only knew Via used magic to breach the border. They didn’t know Sophie was the Silver Sword Princess who fought a major battle to stop Demon King Ville. There was still some room to maneuver…
However, they still needed to keep the Silver Sword Princess under control for now.