“Swish—”
A chilling clash of steel echoed through the air.
The knights of the Morsen Family had drawn their standardized longswords from their waists.
Under the sunlight, dozens of sharp blades reflected cold glints as they formed a tight circle around Su Nian on the wooden platform.
Yet they did not attack immediately, instead maintaining a poised, ready stance.
After all, the woman before them was a magician.
Armored knights might withstand swords and arrows, but magic was another matter entirely.
These knights had long followed Leon Morsen and, like their commander, had long since lost their honor—selfish cowards who bullied the weak and feared strength.
So without a clear order from Leon Morsen, none dared to be the first to advance.
They silently adjusted their positions, sealing off every possible escape route for Su Nian atop the wooden platform.
Su Nian could hardly believe her ears.
Her clear, exquisite sky-blue eyes were filled with shock and anger.
“A mysterious evil witch?”
She had just purified those undead creatures controlled by the Necromancer, dispelled the plague that had engulfed the entire Bai Shui Town, and saved countless lives.
She even killed the originator of the plague—the Necromancer himself!
Yet the man before her, claiming to be the captain of the Gale Knights, was turning the truth upside down, slandering her as an evil witch?
This was utterly ridiculous!
***
At that moment, a weak but resolute voice broke the tense silence in the square.
“Captain Leon, this Holy… magician is our savior, not some evil witch!”
The speaker was the Town Chief of Bai Shui Town.
He trembled as he stepped forward, placing himself in front of Su Nian.
His weathered face now filled with determination and resolve.
He knew that his life was saved by this “Holy Lady” before him.
He could not stand idly by and watch her be slandered and captured by these overbearing knights.
The Town Chief knew well the character of these knights.
Whenever bandits, mountain thieves, or Magic Beasts appeared around the town, their response was always sluggish and slow—hardly worthy of the “Gale” name.
And after “dealing” with the problems, they would always demand “benefits” from the townsfolk: money, food, women…
Anything they desired, they found a way to take.
Some townsfolk even privately referred to the Morsen Family’s Knights as “armored bandits.”
“That’s right! She is the savior of our entire town, definitely not evil.”
“She healed our illnesses and defeated those terrible monsters!”
“This great lord here is truly the Holy Lady who saved us all!”
“How dare you try to arrest her!”
The townspeople also gathered their courage, loudly defending Su Nian.
Though they still feared the fierce, fully armored knights, the gratitude from having survived and the accumulated resentment towards this knightly order momentarily outweighed their deep-seated fear.
Behind the Town Chief, like a stream merging into a river, more and more townsfolk spontaneously gathered.
They were ragged and ill, yet they straightened their frail backs, forming a trembling but stubborn, if fragile, human shield to protect the figure who had brought them hope.
With their flesh and blood, they silently resisted the sharp swords and the knights’ condescending gazes.
Leon Morsen looked at this crowd of “lowly scum” who dared to defy his will, and a twisted smirk of rage crept onto his tense lips.
“Saving you? Holy Lady?” He deliberately raised his voice, each word laced with cold mockery and disdain.
“A bunch of blinded fools! You’ve all been deceived by this mysterious woman!”
His voice echoed across the square.
“She is the mastermind behind colluding with the Necromancer and secretly spreading the plague! All this fake kindness is just to trick you fools into trusting her!”
Leon Morsen’s cold tone carried an unshakable pressure.
Using force to suppress them?
Not wise.
There were hundreds of these lowly people present; inciting a riot would be risky.
Even if he crushed it, the scandal would tarnish his reputation and could jeopardize his promotion.
A “smarter” approach was needed.
His gaze landed again on Su Nian, shrouded in an oversized Cloak of Concealment.
His brows furrowed slightly beneath his helmet.
This woman had been wrapped tightly from head to toe, most of her face hidden beneath the hood’s shadow.
Though her outline was visible, once the gaze shifted away, her exact features blurred like a reflection in water—difficult to imprint clearly in the mind.
He recalled a kind of expensive magical equipment he had seen before with a similar effect, one that blurred the wearer’s appearance and presence.
In other words, this woman’s cloak was likely a magical item used to hide her identity!
Perhaps… this woman’s background wasn’t clean!
Otherwise, why wouldn’t she dare reveal her true face?
Maybe if he exposed her real identity, he could confirm her guilt and firmly pin this filthy accusation on her!
“You all saw it—this woman has been sneaky and secretive the entire time, never daring to show her true face!” Leon Morsen suddenly raised his hand, his thick index finger pointing directly at Su Nian’s Cloak of Concealment.
“I bet you’re hiding something! Maybe you’re even a wanted criminal wanted by some kingdom!”
The cloak’s built-in blurring effect made her face appear as if veiled by a thin layer of mist, intentionally reducing her presence and making her look even more suspicious.
Su Nian never expected this seemingly reckless knight captain to have some insight—he actually saw through the disguise of her cloak.
“Take off your cloak! Let me—and everyone else—see who you really are! Let us see if you’re really some wanted criminal from a kingdom!” Leon stepped forward, his tall frame casting a heavy shadow.
Su Nian’s heart tightened sharply.
Her true identity must never be revealed here!
Su Nian, the superstar Magic Girl Idol of Magic Feather Fantasy, the brilliant tutor at Red Maple Magic Academy, how could she appear in this remote town riddled with plague and undead disaster?
Once exposed, the troubles to come would be like an unstoppable tide.
That, however, was the lesser concern.
More importantly, under the collar chain… on the delicate, fair neck of the girl, was the Lover’s Prison Collar given to her by that bastard demon!
That thing absolutely, absolutely could not be seen by anyone!
Especially not by the townsfolk who had just called her the “Holy Lady”!
The shame was unbearable…
In the flash of an instant, fear and humiliation intertwined, but instead, they ignited Su Nian’s rapid reflexes.
She willed it, almost instinctively, and swiftly opened the System Shop interface in her mind—an interface only visible to her.