A human, able to hold such a high position in the Demon Realm—what exactly did that mean behind the scenes? Could it be… that Movira had actually known all along?
And precisely because the other party was a human, Saint Eustacia believed she could take a gamble. After all, the Church still held considerable influence in the human world.
Directly revealing her identity! Perhaps that could break the current deadlock and force out the truth. If the other party truly was that princess, her reaction after learning her identity would inevitably be different.
Even if she wasn’t, the other party was still a human in the end. Could she really harbor such extreme resentment toward the Church?
Saint Eustacia’s aura finally stopped being concealed. Although she was wearing casual clothes, that imposing presence unique to a Saintess instantly burst forth.
She spoke word by word, “I am not some maid. I am the current Saintess of the human Church—Saint Eustacia!”
The moment the words fell, Saint Eustacia locked her eyes tightly onto Lina’s, not missing even the slightest change.
“Now, can you tell me who you really are? Are you… that princess?”
When the two identities of Saint Eustacia and the princess came crashing toward her at once, the color instantly drained from her face. Although her body still remained stiffly upright, the disorder in her expression could no longer be completely concealed.
Outside the door, Seraphina heard the conversation inside the room with perfect clarity. When Saint Eustacia recklessly revealed her identity and even directly pointed out Lina’s possible identity, her heart tensed up in an instant.
Seeing the sudden change in Lina’s expression, she immediately wanted to rush in and stop the situation from deteriorating further.
Yet a hand blocked her path. It was Movira.
“Don’t rush. Let them continue talking. The conflict still hasn’t fully shown itself. Charging in right now may not necessarily be a good thing. Some words require our absence.”
“But…” Seraphina sharply turned her head and looked at Movira. “What if—”
“Trust me.” Movira interrupted her and pulled her back to her side, hiding in the shadows of the corridor.
“Don’t worry. With me here, nothing will truly go wrong. I have seen with my own eyes all of Lina’s contributions to the Demon Realm. Whether by emotion or by reason, I will protect her well.”
Seraphina struggled for a moment, but Movira’s strength was too great. She could only watch helplessly as Lina’s emotions fluctuated violently.
Inside the room, Saint Eustacia was immersed in her own assumption of having found a “lost lamb.” Looking at the way Lina fell into dead silence after the intense emotional surge, she believed it was the precursor to shock and grievance—the speechlessness of emotions finally collapsing after seeing a “relative.”
She even unconsciously moved forward slowly, trying to approach, and her tone softened a great deal.
“I… I’ve finally found you. All these years, you must have suffered a lot. Why didn’t you go to the Church? We can help you…”
Yet this time, Saint Eustacia’s intuition was about to experience an unprecedented “Waterloo.” Her words only stirred even deeper coldness and mockery in Lina’s eyes.
“Go back to the Church?” Lina’s voice carried an extremely piercing chill. She even let out a low, mocking laugh.
“Heh… so the great Lady Saintess actually looks like this. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was a cold stone statue from a church!”
Saint Eustacia was stunned by a reaction so completely different from what she had imagined. “You… what do you mean by that? The Church also hopes to find the truth for you and your people…”
“The truth?” Lina suddenly cut her off. The suppressed rage in her eyes finally burned completely, almost as if it would burn straight through Saint Eustacia!
“What is the truth? I can tell you right now! The truth is that after my country was reduced to scorched earth, after my family left not even bones behind, after I hid and fled like a rat in the sewers for five years—you come here hypocritically asking for the ‘truth’!”
Her voice abruptly rose higher, carrying a blood-weeping accusation. At the same time, she suddenly raised her hand. Magical fluctuations flashed through the air, and a longsword with a chilling, sharp edge appeared in her hand in an instant!
“—!”
The sound of the blade leaving its sheath echoed through the room. The tip of the sword pointed straight at Saint Eustacia’s throat.
With a clang, the empty scabbard fell by her feet. The sound completely interrupted Saint Eustacia’s words. For the first time, an expression of complete shock appeared on Saint Eustacia’s face. She looked at the blade less than half a meter from her and felt the hostility belonging to its owner attached to it. Confusion was written all over her face.
“You… what are you doing? I came to help you!”
“Help me?” Lina’s hand holding the sword remained steady in midair, yet the trembling of her shoulders exposed the turmoil inside her. Tears gathered in her eyes but refused to fall for a long time.
“Enough! Belated justice is bought at the cost of countless people’s blood and lives. It takes bloodthirst as the prerequisite for its appearance. What kind of justice is that supposed to be?!”
“It’s not like that. I don’t understand…” Saint Eustacia tried to figure out where this overwhelming hatred of the other party came from.
“Enough!!” Lina cut her off sharply. The tears finally slid down, leaving shocking traces on her pale cheeks, yet her gaze grew even sharper.
“Saint Eustacia, go back! Tell the Church that I already died with my country in that great fire! The me of the present is only Lina, and I only want to guard the peace before my eyes. The past… I no longer want to mention it!”
Just then, a figure banged in from outside the door!
“Lina!” Seraphina could no longer hold back. She broke free from Movira (or rather, Movira had not blocked her at all) and quickly rushed to Lina’s side.
She looked at the way Lina was covered in tears yet still forcing herself to hold on, and her heart ached beyond measure. She reached out, wanting to take the sword from Lina’s hand.
“Put the sword down, alright? Lina, calm down. Whatever it is, we can talk it through properly…”
Lina flipped her wrist and avoided Seraphina’s hand. Her gaze did not leave Saint Eustacia by even a fraction. Her voice was choked and broken. “You don’t need to worry about me… I’ll explain it to you. As for her… I want her to completely disappear from this place! Make her leave!”
“How could I not worry about you!” Seraphina reached out again and gripped the wrist of the hand with which Lina held the sword. “I don’t care who you used to be. I only know that you are Lina! There’s no way I wouldn’t care about you! Trust me, alright? Tell me everything, and we’ll solve it together. First put the sword down. I’m begging you… this is really dangerous!”
Feeling the temperature coming from Seraphina’s palm, along with the almost pleading tone at the end, the tightly strung nerves and the strength Lina had been forcing herself to maintain instantly drained away.
Seraphina seized the opportunity and carefully took the sword from her hand, quickly returning it to the scabbard she picked up from the ground.
“Saint Eustacia, that’s enough for today. I’ll take Lina away first.”
After they left, Movira entered the room again. Saint Eustacia still had not recovered from the scene just now. She asked timidly:
“Did you also come to watch me make a fool of myself?”
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