Cecilia’s eyes narrowed slightly as her mind raced, quickly piecing everything together.
‘So he’s telling me that detaining the boy is purely due to Joel Crais’s personal actions, and not a move against the Church of Holy Light?’
The thought made Cecilia breathe a sigh of relief.
It was fine as long as it wasn’t a case of another church conspiring with the City Lord to make things difficult for the Church of Holy Light.
With that realization, Cecilia resumed her usual warm, smiling expression. The air around her even seemed to grow a few degrees warmer.
“You must be joking, Mr. Butler.”
“I am actually quite ashamed that I haven’t paid a formal visit to Lord Black Dragon since I took office.”
As she spoke, Cecilia lightly brushed the Spatial Ring on her right pinky finger.
An exquisite, elongated wood box appeared in her hand.
“This visit is rather abrupt, so I didn’t prepare any particularly valuable gifts.”
“I hope you can pass word along. I am very much looking forward to conversing with Lord Black Dragon.”
The butler felt like a spring breeze was washing over him as he gazed at the Saintess’s heart-warming smile and heard her show respect to the City Lord and even himself.
He hurried to bow low, receiving the exquisite wood box with both hands while forcing down the urge to grin.
The two guards holding the gold-haired youth were momentarily dazed, staring at the breathtaking beauty’s radiant face as if they were beholding the holy light itself.
The grip they had on the gold-haired youth’s arms loosened instinctively.
Sensing an opportunity, Joel Crais violently broke free from their constraints and bolted toward the Saintess.
The two guards were startled, their shock quickly turning to fury.
They lunged forward to seize the gold-haired youth, who had already managed to scramble two steps away.
However, the gold-haired youth threw himself into a roll, lunging toward the Saintess.
He couldn’t let the Saintess meet that rude, fake Saint Rank!
Truly, the ignorant knew no fear!
Couldn’t he see the state he was in? How did he still have the nerve to see that ugly, middle-aged commoner?
In his mind, the Saintess should be doing everything in her power to take him back, and then let him return to the Holy Capital to bring reinforcements.
He would definitely complain and cry to his father! Then he could ask his teacher to come and teach this fake Saint Rank a lesson!
He could never swallow this insult—
His mind was racing with frantic thoughts.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Joel Crais’s back as he rolled.
Before he could realize what had happened, a loud thump echoed against the back of his head.
The gold-haired youth’s eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness completely.
Cecilia let out a cold snort as she retracted the Wall of Radiance protecting her and dispelled the Holy Power Hammer she had just manifested.
She immediately put her warm smile back on and said to the butler, “It seems Mr. Crais is feeling a bit unwell. I wonder if the City Lord’s Mansion could provide a room for him to rest for a while?”
The butler stood there dumbfounded. He only snapped out of it when he heard her question and responded hurriedly.
“Of course! Of course!”
“The servants will take care of it.”
“I’m certain the City Lord wouldn’t refuse a chance to speak with you! Please, come this way!”
“Haha, that would be wonderful.”
As they walked slowly, Cecilia asked as if she were merely making casual conversation, “There are people from another church here right now, aren’t there?”
“Is it Evernight or Nature?”
“It is Bishop Valerie of the Nature Church.”
“Oh, and Bishop Valerie’s niece is also here.”
‘Valerie of the Nature Church?’
Cecilia, who had done thorough research before taking her post, was naturally familiar with the name. This was a Regional Cardinal of the same rank as herself.
However, Valerie was an Elf and possessed royal blood.
In that case, the niece… was a princess of the Elga Royal Family?
After a brief moment of thought, Cecilia couldn’t recall any useful information since she knew very little about the Elven royalty. She set the matter aside.
She had already made up her mind to exchange a few pleasantries with the City Lord and then take her leave.
After all, she didn’t have anything that needed to be discussed with the City Lord or other churches yet.
Staying too long might interfere with whatever the Nature Church and the City Lord had planned.
The relationship between the Church of Holy Light and the Nature Church wasn’t terrible; it wasn’t a life-and-death rivalry like the one with the Evernight Church.
It was best to avoid any unnecessary friction.
……
“Oh? Her Highness the Radiant Saintess is at the door?”
The City Lord, who had lost face because of that ignorant youth earlier, was somewhat surprised.
Although he had expressed a certain level of goodwill, he had expected this seemingly “green” Saintess to take the foolish child and storm off, considering she had rejected his previous invitations to meet multiple times.
In his eyes, that would have been a fairly dignified outcome.
Given that some young people could be just as stubborn as that sub-Knight Captain, he had even worried they might start a fight right in the hall.
But when he saw the exquisite wood box in the butler’s hands, the middle-aged, slightly stout City Lord immediately broke into a smile. He stood up and walked toward the door.
He shouted a reprimand in a loud voice, “How do you people handle things! Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”
“I deserve your reproach!” the butler cooperated immediately, lowering his head and admitting his mistake just as loudly.
Valerie, who was still sitting in the hall, breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed there was still a chance to turn things around.
Valerie glanced at the Elf Girl beside her and noticed that Astrid’s previously dim and anxious gaze had brightened.
It seemed the light of hope had been rekindled.
‘Phew…’
It was a good thing she hadn’t taken Astrid and left immediately; otherwise, they would have likely had to double back in a moment anyway.
With that thought, Valerie stood up and followed the City Lord to greet the newcomer.
As a fellow Regional Cardinal, she couldn’t neglect basic etiquette.
At the same time, Valerie understood very well that there was a fundamental difference between herself and the Saintess.
She served as a Regional Cardinal in Siofra because that was the extent of her capability.
But the other woman was serving as a Regional Cardinal in Siofra merely to gain experience and pad her resume.
An Elemental Tier practitioner who wasn’t even 20 years old… the future Pope of Holy Light might very well be this girl!
Even if the negotiations failed, she was not someone to be offended!
Seeing her aunt stand up to greet the guest, Astrid also immediately stood and followed.
Being able to negotiate directly with the highest authority of the Church of Holy Light in Siofra was naturally much better than communicating with that annoying gold-haired brat.
The attendants pulled the doors open, and a slender figure wearing sacred robes entered everyone’s sight.
The Saintess had a curvaceous figure and a fair complexion. Though she held a high position, her aura felt exceptionally gentle.
However, her captivating peach blossom eyes held a hint of allure that couldn’t be hidden.
Despite that, her warm, smiling expression made one feel that she was an inviolable manifestation of the Holy Light.
Valerie was slightly stunned.
This Saintess was not inferior to little Astrid at all!
Thinking this, Valerie instinctively looked back at the Elf Girl by her side.
Astrid was dressed in a black and yellow adventurer’s outfit. It wasn’t magnificent or holy; it only conveyed a sense of efficiency.
If it weren’t for the fact that the person wearing it had an extraordinary face, she would look no different from an ordinary Adventurer.
While she didn’t look bad, compared to that pure white robe of a High Rank Holy Office holder, she was actually being overshadowed!
‘Dammit! I have to change little Astrid’s clothes as soon as we get back.’
The Saintess, being scrutinized by everyone, also quickly conducted a preliminary observation of the people greeting her.
When her gaze landed on the Elf Girl dressed as an adventurer, she paused for a fraction of a second.
‘What kind of look is in this girl’s eyes?’
‘Why does she look like she has something she wants to say to me?’
Simultaneously, a sense of crisis brushed past Cecilia’s heart for no reason, vanishing in an instant.
Cecilia immediately became much more alert, though her expression remained unchanged.
She spoke warmly, “I hope my sudden visit hasn’t disturbed Lord Black Dragon!”