Chapter 431: Night and Color
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 431: Night and Color
"Accomplices? What accomplices?"
Lately, she had been either stuck in a ruin or on the road to the Holy City. She hadn't even been around another human being, let alone had accomplices.
Ariel was momentarily stunned, but she quickly realized what was happening.
There was definitely a misunderstanding here!
"You’ve got it all wrong. I just want to get into the city to see Liya. I haven't done anything else, nor am I interested in doing anything else!"
"Just... to see Liya..."
Xier paused his movements, mulling over the words.
Ariel’s face lit up with joy, thinking he had finally realized he was wronging a perfectly law-abiding citizen.
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, the knight’s expression grew even colder. The gaze he directed at her was now layered with a bone-chilling frost.
Disguising her appearance, entering the city alongside those carrying forbidden artifacts.
After entering, acting alone, changing her disguise again, and scouting key streets that Her Highness the Saintess would patrol tomorrow, all while 'accidentally' drawing closer to the Emiel Cathedral.
Every single one of these actions was blatant and unquestionable... evidence of an assassination plot!
And now, this villain not only dared to address the Saintess by her given name but had the audacity to claim her murderous intent was "just to see her."
Heh, "just"... spoken so casually, as if, in her eyes, this was truly nothing more than visiting an old friend.
How... utterly arrogant!
If I let a vicious criminal like you actually reach the Saintess, it would be a total failure of our duty as Temple Knights.
On my honor as a knight, I will never allow it!
"Die!"
Xier swung his longsword, casting aside all hesitation. As his majestic fighting spirit erupted, the blade fell with the crushing force of a landslide!
Ariel was forced back in a pathetic retreat—one step, two steps, three steps...
Her newly purchased deerskin boots left clear footprints and cracks upon the bluestone pavement. Being pushed around again and again finally ignited Ariel’s temper.
"Goddammit... Why?! Do you not understand human speech? I just want to see Liya, for fuck's sake!"
"I will never let you succeed!"
"You're insane!"
Ariel nearly ground her teeth to dust. Were the brains of these Holy City knights rotted away by the Holy Light? Could they not understand a single word she said?
But with the crisis at hand, Ariel couldn't afford to care anymore. She threw a backhand punch against the flat of Xier’s blade, forcing him back.
Xier’s body shuddered violently. His expression shifted, and his gaze toward Ariel became increasingly solemn.
Is this the strength a mere early Fourth-Tier Martial Artist should possess?
He was also Fourth-Tier—specifically, late Fourth-Tier—and had been meticulously trained by the Temple. He was considered among the elite of his rank, yet in that brief head-on clash, he had been pushed back so easily?
Was it an artifact buff?
Or was she hiding her true strength?
No wonder she was so arrogant!
"But this is the Holy City!"
Ignoring the terrifying physical force, Xier took another step forward.
He raised his golden, glowing longsword high. With a fanatical look in his eyes, he began a solemn, low-voiced chant.
As the sword twisted, the sound of mechanical humming echoed. It was as if he had invisibly connected to some gargantuan entity.
Something truly terrifying was being summoned, pressing down like infinite dark clouds, causing alarm bells to scream in Ariel’s mind.
"The Great Barrier!"
Her teacher’s grave voice suddenly rang in her ear. "He’s mobilizing the Holy City’s Great Barrier!"
"The Great Barrier? Is he actually fucking crazy? For one harmless little martial artist like me? Is this necessary?!"
Ariel wanted to cry, but no tears came. If she had known sneaking in would be this much trouble, she would have just used the voice transmission stone outside the city and asked Liya to come pick her up.
But she had been in such a hurry that the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.
And now, there was likely no chance to get Liya to clear up the misunderstanding.
In any case, things had gone south. Time to bail!
Ariel reached for her waist, and in an instant, a greatsword taller than she was appeared in her grip.
The bandages wrapped around the blade fell away automatically. As mana poured in, golden patterns etched themselves onto the pitch-black steel. An ancient, majestic aura emerged, accompanied by incredibly scorching flames!
The Heavenly Fire Greatsword!
The greatsword swung down like a falling meteor. The condensed mana flames instantly tore through Xier’s defenses and his silver inner-armor.
After a moment's hesitation, Ariel turned her wrist at the last second, slamming the flat of the blade into Xier’s chest.
Xier stumbled back.
Just as the invisible Great Barrier was about to lock onto Ariel, a massive surge of soul power erupted from her body, interfering with the barrier’s tracking.
Seizing the opportunity, Ariel slammed her shoulder into the side wall of the alley, vanishing into the billowing dust.
Soon, more knight squads arrived, quickly sealing off the area.
But by then, only Knight Xier remained, staring blankly at the crack in his breastplate as he stood before the gaping hole in the wall.
The assassin who intended to strike at the Saintess had already made a clean getaway.
*
"Ah, Miss Lin, hello."
Muen, who was still reminiscing about the exquisite "taste" of Liya from the previous night, was planning to find her again to "revisit the experience" and discuss the Path of Holy Light together. However, he ran into Great Nun Lin right outside Liya’s door.
Muen suddenly felt like a kid caught doing something naughty and subconsciously rubbed his nose. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that, Mr. Muen," Great Nun Lin replied, tilting her head slightly with a deadpan expression. "It is late. Why are you not resting? Do you have business at Her Highness the Saintess’s quarters?"
"Well... I have some matters I wanted to ask her about?"
Muen tried to come up with a flimsy excuse, but he crumbled under the icy gaze of the Saintess’s personal attendant. He sighed helplessly. "Miss Lin... did His Holiness the Pope not mention anything to you?"
If the Pope hadn't given this Great Nun a heads-up about his relationship with Liya, Muen felt that his future trysts—er, "exchanges"—with Liya would be very difficult.
"Yes, he did mention a few things."
Just as Muen was sighing in despair, Lin suddenly nodded. "That is precisely why I am stopping you."
"Eh? Why?"
"Because tomorrow is Her Highness’s ascension ceremony," Lin said succinctly.
"Well..." Muen rubbed his hands together and gave a wicked grin. "It’s not that serious, is it? It’s a whole night; I won't leave any visible marks. I’ll be careful."
"..."
Lin stared at Muen for a long time, then suddenly lifted the hem of her nun’s habit.
Muen jumped, inwardly wondering if Lin was so determined to keep the Saintess pure that she had decided to "feed the tiger" herself.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. What Lin wanted Muen to see were the blades strapped to her thighs.
They gleamed with a cold, razor-sharp light.
And honestly, the black stockings were also quite "sharp."
"His Holiness also gave me a mission," Lin said tonelessly.
"Wh-what mission?"
"If any act that might defile the Saintess’s reputation is discovered by the believers..." Lin paused. "His Holiness told me to castrate you and announce it to the public to prove Her Highness’s innocence."
"..."
Muen clamped his legs together, breaking into a cold sweat. He stammered, "That... that’s a bit much, don't you think?"
"For the sake of Her Highness..."
"Fine, fine, fine! I get it! I’ll exercise some restraint!"
Muen sighed and raised his hands in surrender, signaling for Lin to put her skirt back down. Those knives were giving him a phantom pain in a very specific place.
Just then, a knight rushed over and reported to Lin:
"Great Nun, news from the city. The assassin from the Salvation Society who intended to kill the Saintess is still at large. Please ensure Her Highness is extra careful tomorrow."
"Understood." Lin nodded. "I will take note of it. You may leave."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"The Salvation Society?"
As the knight hurried away, Muen looked at Lin with curiosity. "What kind of organization is that? They actually dare to assassinate the Saintess? How come I’ve never heard of them?"
Muen searched his memory but couldn't recall any mention of such an organization in the original novel.
Of course, it was possible he had simply forgotten.
But with the plot so heavily derailed now, whether it was in the original book or not didn't really matter anymore.
"A terrorist organization dedicated to overthrowing the Church. They often commit assassinations, murders, and kidnappings in the name of 'saving the world.' They are quite dangerous," Lin explained.
"I see." Muen nodded.
Anti-religious fanatics existed in every world.
But to think they wanted to go after Liya...
"Is everything okay?" Muen narrowed his eyes, his voice turning slightly cold. "Do you need my help?"
"No need..." Lin shook her head. "The Church received intelligence in advance and made preparations. Even a Bishop has personally taken action. The fact that a culprit is still at large is likely just an accident; it will be resolved soon."
"Is that so? Good. But if you need anything, feel free to call me." Muen smiled thinly. "As a newly appointed Honorary Holy Temple Knight, I still want to contribute a little something to my Saintess."
"She is not yours," Lin said, giving Muen a deep look. "The Saintess belongs to everyone."
"No, she’s mine," Muen replied with a smirk, his voice stubborn.
Cute, charming, and sexy; a quick learner in bed who already knew quite a few "naughty" tricks—little Liya definitely belonged to him.
Even she herself had admitted it.
As for the "Saintess" symbol... he would be generous enough to let the believers who craved salvation have a look. It wasn't like he’d lose anything.
But they could only look.
If anyone dared to touch...
Muen turned his head, gazing out the window at the deepening night.
In the reflection on the glass, deep within his azure pupils, a thick, dark flame seemed to be slowly swirling and expanding.
As if it could swallow everything.
"Still, it seems... that assassin isn't simple."
Muen rubbed his chin.
Through the bright streetlights, he could see squads of knights moving rapidly back and forth.
Clearly, the escape of the assassin had provoked the Church’s wrath, and they had shifted into serious mode.
Under this terrifying pressure, who knew how many people would be unable to sleep tonight?
"By the way." Muen suddenly turned back to Lin. "Since 'exchanging' is off the table, I can at least go in and help out, right?"
"No—"
"Just helping. Liya is bound to be very busy tonight. As her knight, how could I bear to see her overwork herself?"
Muen raised four fingers to the sky and swore a solemn oath: "I swear on my respected teacher’s integrity that I will absolutely not do anything out of line!"
"..."
Looking at Muen’s dead-serious expression, and sensing the faint trace of anticipation leaking through the crack in the door behind her, Lin shook her head and sighed helplessly.
She wanted to guard the cabbage, but the cabbage was practically begging to be rooted by the pig.
"Fine."
"Thanks!"
Muen slipped into the Saintess’s bedroom in a flash. Inside, that exquisite figure waited with a bashful, coy expression.
Tonight was destined to be another wonderful night for Muen and Her Highness the Saintess.