No one would go to the Bright Church Plaza at night.
It was anything but bright after dark, and the faithful always made sure to be home, asleep, before the sun set.
How counterintuitive!
The butler, driving the carriage, thought to himself.
Taking advantage of the fact that the plaza would be deserted at night, his master had chosen this place for a secret meeting.
Truly, the master’s wit was unmatched.
The carriage moved slowly, careful not to make too much noise, and stopped on a narrow path at the edge of the plaza.
“Master, we’ve arrived.”
“If we’ve arrived, then get lost. What are you waiting for?”
“I’ll leave right away. Should I come back to pick you up later?”
“No need. Just go.”
The butler dared not ask again and hurried off on foot.
The long, silent night slowly passed.
For good girls, even the longest night was just a blink of an eye.
As soon as the biological clock rang in the early morning, she sat up in bed, stretching and yawning.
“Ha~hoo.”
What a deep, refreshing sleep.
Ella walked into the courtyard and greeted Leah, who was already up early to watch the sunrise.
Leah replied, indifferent as always.
No matter.
Take it slow.
Everything was going well these days—even the good habit of sleeping and waking early had stuck.
The Royal Capital of Humanity really was a nurturing place.
They weren’t the only early risers today.
The Sword Saint girl, Celes, had already left the Bonfire Camp at dawn, heading toward the Royal Palace.
While her companions enjoyed the morning, she was already at the center of the Kingdom’s power, attempting to persuade those in high positions.
“We may be young, but youth means limitless possibilities. Please trust us a bit more.”
“Our team has only been together for less than two months, but we’ve triumphed twice already. That proves our abilities.”
“Teacher Rolls has been watching over us the entire time. Just a few days ago, he called me over to discuss the team’s development.”
“If necessary, I promise to consult with you as well…”
Celes felt her persuasion was going well.
The people she approached were either neutral or had good relations with the great hero Rolls, and all treated her kindly.
At last, she faced her final and most important target—the square-faced man from the previous Parliament of the Palace session.
Logically, he had also been in favor of intervening in the team’s management just two days ago.
But Celes knew he truly acted for the sake of the Human Kingdom and was a man of principle.
A man of principle could be reasoned with, and if he could be reasoned with, he could be persuaded.
“Mr. Maken, you’ve seen the achievements our team has made since its founding, and you’ve surely heard about the different personalities among our members. What I want to say is: if an organization is running smoothly, would you suddenly make drastic reforms?”
If you parachute in new management, what if the quirky little witch and the proud, pure Saintess both refuse to cooperate?
Celes didn’t need to say this aloud—she knew he’d understand.
Maken’s square face grew serious, as if considering that very possibility.
“Miss Celes, you should know that any organization that seems to be running well is only temporarily stable. Internal and external changes can happen at any time,” he said. “But your point is valid. We do need to consider—”
“My lord!”
A guard suddenly rushed in, panic-stricken, and whispered something urgently.
Maken’s expression changed. “Bright Church Plaza?”
Celes’ eyelid twitched.
***
At the same time, the gate of the Bonfire Camp was being knocked on with a loud thud.
Leah set down her black tea and strolled over slowly.
“Who is it?”
“Saintess, something’s happened! Please come quickly!”
The voice was loud, making sure everyone in the yard heard. Ella instantly perked up with excitement.
Something happened in the Capital?
Good, good—something interesting at last!
She hurried to see what was going on.
Only after stepping outside did she learn it was the plaza that was in trouble.
She didn’t know if it was the Church of Light itself, but there were plenty of people running in that direction, and the main road around the plaza was packed tight.
“Make way! Saintess is coming! Make way!”
Church members cleared a path for Leah at the front, with Ella following behind, enjoying the privilege of a dedicated lane.
Don’t ask why—just say they’re close companions.
As they drew closer to the scene, Ella could hear gasps ahead and the sounds of people retching in disgust, accompanied by a flurry of whispered speculation.
“Heavens, how could this happen?”
“Is that Lord Taidin?”
“You can recognize him? I don’t even dare look.”
“He’s wearing noble clothes. Easy to tell.”
Once the Church members had finished clearing the way, Ella squeezed to the front with Leah and saw the truth of the scene—
The once-arrogant Lord Taidin was nailed to the center of the Sun Disk in the plaza, his blood staining the entire disk and the ground a deep, dark red.
The morning sunlight shone down, illuminating a world dyed in blood.
A few early worshippers, who had come for morning prayers, leaned against the wall, shaken.
They had been the first to witness the scene and were clearly traumatized. Nearby, a man who looked like a butler was wailing, “It wasn’t me! It has nothing to do with me!”
Leah took one look and turned away, unwilling to see more.
She asked the others, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and clean this up.”
The Sun Disk might just be a decoration, but it was still a symbol.
It couldn’t be allowed to be defiled like this.
“Saintess, we intended to do that,” a Church member replied awkwardly, “but the Royal Guard stopped us. They said the scene must be preserved.”
Not only preserved—the moment the victim’s identity was confirmed, the Royal City immediately went into lockdown, closed the gates, and dispersed the crowds.
“Everyone return to your homes! Do not go out without cause! No one is to leave the Royal City until the case is investigated!”
A large force of Royal Guards surged out, sealing off the crowds around the plaza.
The area was cordoned off, and someone came running to find the Saintess, hoping the Church could provide a list of everyone who had visited the plaza the previous day.
Leah offered a practiced, professional smile.
“Brave warriors, I understand your desire to catch the culprit, but as everyone knows, those who believe in the Light would never come here after dark.”
As for a list, how could they possibly know?
The plaza didn’t even have a gate.
After that, the Royal Guard completely sealed off the Bright Church Plaza.
Leah was a bit displeased, but said nothing, simply returning to the Bonfire Camp with Ella.
Vina had just woken up by then, her twin tails still undone, looking pure and innocent as she greeted the two.
“Good morning. Did something big happen?”
“It did.”
Ella feigned a frightened look, like a good girl scared by the sight of death.
“Someone died at the church plaza.”
“Who?”
“I think it was Lord Taidin.”
“Oh~”
Vina tilted her head, a sly smile twitching at her lips.
“Lord Taidin, huh~”
Such proactive teammates. Heehee w.
***
Elsewhere, at the Bright Church Plaza, Maken arrived with his people, now the highest-ranking authority at the scene.
“What happened? Have you found anything?” he asked the guards.
Celes followed as well.
Seeing the corpse on the Sun Disk, she couldn’t help but think of a certain companion who hadn’t come back all night.
Her eyelid twitched twice more.