However, Sylvia refused to reveal who the father of the children was to anyone.
Even when subjected to interrogation and torture, Sylvia kept her mouth tightly shut and did not disclose even the slightest detail.
The upper echelons of the Holy Land believed that Sylvia, as the Saintess, had failed in her duties and committed an unforgivable mistake.
The leadership was divided into two factions. One side advocated stripping Sylvia of her Saintess title, branding her a heretic, and secretly disposing of her to protect the Holy Land’s reputation.
The other side proposed strictly controlling all related information, forcing Sylvia to abort the child in her womb, allowing her to continue serving as Saintess, and making her atone for her actions.
At the time, war between the demonkin and the human race had broken out, and humanity could not afford to be without a Saintess. As a result, the second faction’s opinion prevailed.
However, when it came to the child, Sylvia insisted on giving birth. She declared that if anyone tried to abort the child, she would rather die together with it.
The Holy Land’s leadership argued endlessly over this matter.
After numerous meetings, the Pope decided to seek guidance from God to determine the fate of the derelict Saintess. Through a ritual, God issued an oracle permitting Sylvia to give birth to the child.
Thus, the Holy Land agreed to Sylvia’s request.
After Demon King Ville died in battle, the war between the demonkin and humanity came to an end. Sylvia had performed outstandingly during the war, and her prestige as Saintess rose even further among the human race.
The Holy Land allowed Sylvia to give birth to a pair of twins, whom she named Sophie and Via. To the outside world, they fabricated an identity for Sylvia’s husband and announced that Sylvia’s bloodline had been continued.
Although these circumstances appeared too abrupt in the eyes of the public and caused widespread dissatisfaction, with the joint efforts of the imperial family and the Holy Land, the discontent was suppressed before it could erupt. By emphasizing the exceptional talent of the Saintess’s bloodline heirs, they successfully diverted the public’s attention.
Under the protection and supervision of the Holy Land, Sylvia began raising the twins within the Holy Land.
When the twins were six years old, Sylvia encountered an “accident.” She was assassinated. The wound struck a vital area, leaving her beyond saving. Despite all efforts, she eventually died.
After killing Sylvia, the assassin fled the scene. Following a pursuit by the Saint Luo Empire and the Holy Knight Order, the assassin was captured half a day later.
The assassin was imprisoned, but before formal interrogation could begin, he mysteriously died inside his cell.
According to subsequent investigations, the assassin was a professional killer with no other relatives. In the end, the incident was ruled as an accident caused by one of Sylvia’s fanatical followers who had become dissatisfied with her, leading to the hiring of an assassin.
After her death, Sylvia received the highest honors in her funeral and was buried in the Holy Land’s Land of Eternal Slumber.
“Mother…”
After reading Sylvia’s records, Sophie fell into a long silence.
Her emotions became incredibly complicated.
So this was the “unforgivable mistake” Sylvia had committed.
In her previous life, she had more or less guessed some of the clues.
As the Saintess, Sylvia had indeed failed in her duties.
But as a mother, she had chosen death over aborting her children. Just that fact filled Sophie with gratitude toward Sylvia. She could feel her mother’s love.
In truth, the information she already knew and her own deductions largely matched what was written in the archives.
Seeing it all written down only confirmed her previous speculations.
Her mother’s death… was still shrouded in mystery.
Sophie pondered.
Her mother had been the Saintess, and she and Via were heirs of the Saintess bloodline. Under normal circumstances, both the Holy Land and the empire should have protected them well. Yet on the day of the assassination, the security system seemed to have completely failed. Even after the assassin was caught, he was still able to die inside a controlled prison cell?
It was far too absurd.
There must be some hidden truth behind it.
If it had truly been an outside assassin, it would have been nearly impossible to succeed so smoothly. It felt as if someone on the inside had been cooperating.
No.
Sophie reopened Sylvia’s file and read through it once more.
After going over it, she felt that while the records appeared normal on the surface, there was definitely something abnormal hidden within.
She read it back and forth three times.
The writer of the file seemed to have anticipated repeated readings and had not revealed too many important details.
With only this information, it was impossible to deduce the real truth behind Sylvia’s death.
No wonder he agreed to let me view Mother’s records.
Sophie felt somewhat dejected.
She felt like the trail had gone cold.
Just as she was about to close the file, one final detail caught her eye.
Wait, this name?
She realized…
Gar City, Saint Luo Empire.
“Grandpa, you’re drinking again!”
A freckle-faced young girl snatched the wine bottle from the old man who had collapsed drunk on the ground and shouted angrily.
“It’s still daytime, not nighttime! Don’t sleep on the street!!”
“Sorry, my granddaughter…”
The red-nosed old man climbed up from the ground with an awkward smile. He drunkenly rubbed his bald head.
His name was Kiran.
“I really don’t understand how Grandpa became like this. Mom used to tell me you were the greatest doctor in the southern region of the Saint Luo Empire!”
Kiran’s granddaughter complained.
“Being a doctor is too tiring. I just didn’t want to do it anymore.”
“Hmph, Grandpa, let’s go home already!”
Kiran’s granddaughter grabbed his arm and dragged him toward home.
Along the way, something occurred to her.
“Oh right, Grandpa. The new Saintess has already taken office. She’s supposedly the daughter of the legendary Lady Sylvia—Sophie Shirleyford!”
A faint ripple appeared in Kiran’s cloudy eyes.
“I’m planning to go see the new Saintess with Mom. Do you want to come?”
“No!”
Kiran’s voice began to tremble, as if he was afraid of something.
His strange attitude startled his granddaughter.
“Fine, don’t go then. Why are you yelling, Grandpa? So weird!!”
“Anyway… I’m not going. I won’t meet the new Saintess.”
Kiran closed his eyes. A look of pain surfaced on his face.
“I’ve already retired. I’m no longer a doctor. None of this has anything to do with this old man anymore… I don’t want to be disturbed by anyone.”