Meanwhile, at the remote eastern border of the empire, lay the borderlands where the human race and Demonkind met.
The area was perpetually shrouded in a thick gray fog, and the air was heavy with the scent of decay and blood.
Although the century-long war between humans and demons had long since ended, dark undercurrents still swirled beneath the surface of peace.
This place was a paradise for smugglers, mercenaries, and followers of various shady cults.
Inside a dilapidated, long-abandoned watchtower.
Julius was expressionlessly wiping dark red blood from the Holy Sword, Daybreak, using a piece of rough burlap.
The mithril light armor on his body had long since lost its former luster, covered in scratches from blades and deep marks left by the claws of magical beasts.
Three years of bloody battle had tempered him into a true warrior. His gaze was cold and resolute, and the originally warm aura belonging to a Saint Knight had been replaced by a sharper, more murderous presence.
At his feet lay a cold corpse dressed in a Black Robe. He was a follower of the chaos cult and a lead Julius had been chasing for months.
“Still didn’t get anything out of him?”
A companion, also clad in Saint Knight armor, walked in from outside the watchtower with a weary expression.
Julius shook his head and sheathed the cleaned longsword.
“He committed suicide the moment he was caught, just like the others,” his voice was low and raspy. “However, I found this on him.”
He opened his hand, and a badge carved from an unknown beast’s bone lay quietly in his palm.
“This is…”
“A black rose,” his companion’s expression changed slightly. “It’s the ‘next target’.”
Julius tucked the badge away and looked into the distance.
“These chaos cultists have been plotting something. Those mutated magical beasts definitely didn’t emerge naturally.”
“The chaos cult and the Abyssal Cult… why are these two like insects? You can never kill them all.”
His companion sighed, shook his head, and turned to leave.
Deep within Julius’s cold black eyes, an imperceptible ripple flashed.
The goddess’s Oracle was too vague. He could only act like a patient hunting dog, tracing the clues left by the catastrophe bit by bit.
But the more he investigated, the more alarmed he became.
Having obtained the goddess’s power, he could calmly handle most enemies. However, what truly worried him were these suddenly appearing chaos cultists.
Although those cultists were targets for the Church to hunt, their primary enemies had always been the followers of the Abyssal Cult.
The “abyss” they worshipped was also the source of their power.
But these chaos cultists were different. Their sources of power were bizarre and varied, and there were even several different factions within them.
Different factions would even attack each other, yet their ultimate goal seemed to be the same.
That was to trigger the catastrophe — the one mentioned in the goddess’s Oracle.
But what the catastrophe actually was, Julius still hadn’t managed to figure out.
He only knew that at the borders of the human world, the entities eroded by chaos were becoming more and more numerous.
“Sigh…”
The black-haired youth sighed and turned to follow his companion out of the area, while whispering softly to himself:
‘It’s been so many years. I wonder if that fellow has forgotten me.’
‘Forget it… Thinking about it, it’s better if she forgot me. If she hasn’t, wouldn’t I be a bastard who broke his word?’
‘Seriously, when will this mission ever end…’
The suggestion Julius had made about heading to the Imperial Capital was like a bolt of lightning thrown into a calm lake, completely changing the future trajectory of Helos’s life.
After Duke Eisend made the decision, things progressed with surprising speed. In just a few short days, all arrangements for the trip to the Imperial Capital were finalized.
The day of departure was a clear spring morning.
A large, magnificent magical carriage sat quietly in front of the duke’s mansion. The carriage was made entirely of black ironwood, with the Olivias Family Crest outlined in mithril on the body.
Four majestic horned horses pawed the ground restlessly, white steam puffing from their nostrils.
Duke Eisend personally saw off his children as they prepared for their long journey.
Standing beside him were the head maid Maev and Lille, both of whose eyes were slightly red.
“Eleanor.”
The duke walked up to his eldest daughter and straightened her collar.
“Once you reach the Imperial Capital, remember your status as the Saintess, and even more so, remember that you represent the Olivias. You must be cautious in your words and actions.”
“Yes, Father.”
Eleanor gave an elegant bow, a confident smile on her face.
The duke nodded and turned to his eldest son. There was a hint of expectation in his gaze.
“Christ, I leave your two sisters to you.”
“Rest assured, Father.”
Christ adjusted his glasses, his tone steady as always.
“I will take good care of them.”
Finally, Eisend’s gaze landed on Helos.
He looked at his youngest daughter, who had also changed into a dark dress suitable for travel, and remained silent for a moment. She stood there quietly, wearing the silver ring.
He didn’t say much; he simply reached out and patted her shoulder.
“Take care of yourself.”
Those few simple words made Helos’s heart tremble slightly.
She looked up and saw a hint of clumsy concern in her father’s deep blue eyes.
“…Yes.”
She nodded gently.
As the Steward opened the carriage door, the three of them boarded in order.
Gavi quietly took the guard’s seat next to the driver.
Indeed, Gavi was the only “maid” accompanying them. It wasn’t that Eleanor didn’t want Lille to continue following her, but Gavi’s identity was far too special; she had to follow Helos no matter what.
Even Milda, upon hearing that Helos was going to the academy, had clamored to move her workshop to the Imperial Capital. If Mira hadn’t held her back, she really might have followed Helos all the way there.
She couldn’t bear to let go of Helos, her big benefactor, and she certainly couldn’t bear to leave Gavi, the golem she had personally looked after.
Over the past few years, she had been the one performing all the maintenance and upgrades on Gavi, and a large part of her technical improvement was thanks to the golem.
The carriage slowly started moving. Helos looked through the window at her father’s receding figure, a complex mixture of emotions surging in her heart.
She was finally leaving this “home” that had imprisoned her for 14 years. But when the moment truly arrived, aside from the longing for freedom, there was actually a strange sense of reluctance in her heart.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
A soft, warm voice suddenly sounded in her ear. Eleanor’s fluffy golden head leaned in curiously, almost pressing against Helos’s.
Helos was startled by her. She reached out and poked her sister’s forehead with a finger, pushing her back a bit.
“It’s nothing.”
She withdrew her gaze from the window and responded vaguely.
“It’s just my first time taking such a long carriage ride. I’m a bit car-sick, that’s all.”
“Oh? Do you want your sister to give you a massage?”
“No need… I’m just a little nervous. It’s nothing serious.”
“Don’t be nervous. Our Helos is very cute, after all.”
“W-What does that have to do with anything?!”