While Lance stood frozen in shock, the Scepter of the Triple Sun Ring emitted faint ripples of power, and a glimmering light surged forth.
‘Is that… Element [Light]?’
‘Has Cecilia already become an Elemental Tier powerhouse?’
‘Wait…’
‘Does that mean the Church’s Regional Cardinal here is actually Cecilia?’
The more Lance thought about it, the more it made sense.
‘But… why did Cecilia slam me into the ground? She almost purified me!’
Lance’s eyes, narrowed into tiny slits by his injuries, were filled with confusion.
Under Lance’s gaze, Cecilia felt a bit uncomfortable. Indeed, she had failed to notice Lance’s actual state beneath the armor.
It was something she could have confirmed simply by releasing a bit of spiritual sense to investigate.
However, her heart had been clouded by anger at the time.
Cecilia’s decision to come to Siofra to serve as a Cardinal was primarily driven by the discovery that her Oathbound Knight had perished, causing the Covenant they had made to dissipate.
Unlike a certain member of the Faros family, Cecilia had used various methods to keep track of the pair’s movements over the past two years since they left.
Occasionally, she even provided some help when the two siblings were in dire straits.
Otherwise, given Lance’s previous Low-order strength, how could he have possibly rented a detached house in the West City, the area with the best security in Siofra?
Thinking of this, Cecilia grew angry again because all her previous decisions and grief had been for nothing!
On the day she thought Lance had died, she had sat on her bed all day, completely distracted, even forgetting to perform her prayers.
After secretly wiping away her tears, she had chosen without hesitation to come to this desolate place, Siofra, to take up the post of Cardinal.
Her only goal was to recover Lance’s remains and take the lonely Noren away with her.
During this time, she had merely been pretending to be normal. She had been troubled for a long time, not knowing how to tell Noren that Lance was dead.
Her gaze fell upon the bandaged Lance’s suspicious eyes.
They clearly asked: “Are you getting back at me on purpose?”
“Hmph. What if I am getting back at you? What of it?”
Cecilia raised an eyebrow, and the arrogance of a Princess resurfaced on the sacred Saintess’s face.
Lance waved his hands frantically. “No, no, no. It’s nothing.”
He looked respectful, but he was clearly unconvinced!
Cecilia saw through Lance’s inner thoughts at a glance. However, the Saintess felt a small pang of guilt, so she didn’t press the matter further.
After all, now that she was in the Elemental Tier, she could have sensed Lance’s Undead physical condition with just a slight spiritual sweep.
If she had, she wouldn’t have chosen to treat him with Holy Power after giving him a lesson.
But at that moment, her head was filled with the thought that she had been deceived!
She had even briefly believed that Lance had actively found a way to dissolve the Covenant specifically to get rid of her, his former superior!
How could she not be angry then?
Fortunately, it was all a misunderstanding. Lance hadn’t truly disappeared, Noren hadn’t lost her only relative, and she hadn’t actually lost her only trusted Knight.
Cecilia cleared her throat. She straightened her posture, slowly stood up, and walked over to Lance. Looking down at him, she asked, “Lance, do you know what my current status is?”
“Uh… the Regional Cardinal of Siofra?”
Hearing this answer, Cecilia nodded and then shook her head.
“More than that…”
“I am now the Radiant Saintess appointed by the Pope of Holy Light! I am the only one in the entire Church!”
“What?!”
This time, Lance was truly astonished. As someone who also outwardly believed in the God of Holy Light, he naturally understood the weight of this title.
The position of Radiant Saintess had been vacant for 100 years. How did it suddenly fall onto Cecilia?
Seeing the shock in Lance’s eyes, Cecilia was extremely satisfied.
She reached out a hand to pull Lance up and said with pride and excitement, “Now that we have the Church of Holy Light as our backer, we are no longer rootless puppets at the mercy of others!”
“Once I’m done with the matters at hand, you and I will return to the Restoration Army! Let those old fogies know who the true leader of Midgar’s restoration is!”
“However… I haven’t had time to train any subordinates yet…”
Cecilia’s words trailed off, a smile she couldn’t hide appearing on her face. It was completely different from the warm but fake smile she showed outsiders; there was still a hint of childishness in her expression.
Cecilia’s eyes were full of anticipation, waiting for Lance to step forward and swear his loyalty.
However, Lance fell into hesitation. He looked at his body, wrapped like a mummy.
“But Princess, I’m an Undead now. I probably shouldn’t stay by your side, right?” he asked uncertainty.
These words suddenly snapped Cecilia back to reality.
Hiss…
That seemed to be true…
How could a Radiant Saintess keep an Undead around long-term? If discovered, she would likely be accused of soul corruption in an instant.
Reality wasn’t like a knightly novel where a princess and a knight could depend on each other to overcome all obstacles.
Currently, countless people were watching her, the newly appointed Radiant Saintess. Some wanted to recruit her, while others wanted to drag her down… She had to be on guard.
The light of anticipation in her eyes dimmed, and Cecilia, dressed in her holy robes, sank into deep thought.
……
“Oh? This is quite a rare guest. My Princess, who loves adventure and freedom, how did you suddenly remember to visit an old woman like me?”
An Elf with pointed ears and pale gold hair reaching her waist spoke with a smile, teasing the most rebellious member of the Elga Royal Family.
Astrid lowered her head, helpless against the teasing. Normally, she would have fought back with everything she had, but she was here to ask for a favor…
“Aunt…”
“Wait! Stop right there. Address me by my title during work hours. Besides, didn’t you say long ago that you wanted to break away from the Elga Royal Family? Why are you trying to claim a connection with me now?”
Hearing this, Astrid’s face flushed red then turned pale. After some mental preparation, Astrid took two steps forward and said solemnly, “I was wrong, Aunt.”
“As long as you help me with this, I am willing to accept any conditions the family proposes.”
“Oh?”
The pale gold-haired Elf raised an eyebrow, her expression becoming more serious. “Is that person so important to you?”
Astrid nodded heavily and said with certainty, “Very important!”
“Moreover, he offended the Church of Holy Light because of me. I cannot sit by and watch him fall into danger!”
“Hmm… that sounds like a reason…”
The pale gold-haired Elf nodded slightly, accepting Astrid’s decision.
Looking at the girl who still looked childish and somewhat frail, a trace of heartache appeared in the eyes of this senior Elf official.
This child really was something—choosing to be an Adventurer instead of a perfectly good Princess.
But the child had grown up… She knew how to take responsibility and how to ask her elders for help.
Thinking of this, the Elf opened her arms and hugged the Elf girl, who was a head shorter than her.
“You’ve grown up…” she said with emotion. “Don’t worry, Astrid. I will personally take a trip to the West City in a bit.”
“It’s a good chance to see just what level this new Radiant Saintess is at.”