Chapter 116: Goddess, Do You Not Want…

As Vilyric bid farewell to her pet and Guardian Edith and stepped out of the prison door, she was astonished to find that another battle was erupting.

On one side of the conflict were, of course, those chaotic individuals who had retreated from the depths of the prison after their failed attack.

Ban’s arrangement for them was merely to cover Rebecca’s actions; it was never expected that they could truly breach the Sentinels’ defenses. Now that Ban had withdrawn, these folks received the signal to retreat.

On the other side, however, was unexpected; countless palace guards donned in silver armor, looking sharp and ready for battle, along with a handful of adventurers mixed in.

Most importantly, Vilyric spotted the Shadow Guard among this troop.

To know that the Shadow Guard was equivalent to the personal bodyguards of the Fifth Princess, meant that Liliya herself must also be nearby.

Sure enough.

“Vilyric?!”

Intentionally lingering at the unscathed entrance of the prison, it wasn’t long before Vilyric heard a familiar voice not far off.

Without even having the time to change into her battle armor, the Princess dashed over in her dress, a long sword in hand, propelled by a gust of wind magic that swiftly brought her from the edge of the battlefield to the Priestess’ side.

“You…Are you alright?! With something this serious happening, I thought something happened to you with that white light… What are you doing here all of a sudden?”

It was clear that Liliya was genuinely anxious; she had exhausted herself just rushing the short distance of a few hundred meters and was slightly out of breath, but her focus was clearly on the black-haired girl in front of her.

At this last moment, concealing one’s identity was meaningless. After removing the Cognitive Obstruction Mask in front of Ban, Vilyric had not put it back on, so Liliya recognized her immediately.

Glancing at the slightly flushed blue-haired princess, who was clearly winded from running, Vilyric turned her gaze and reached for Liliya’s bandaged back.

“Why are you injured again? Sigh, can’t you be a bit smarter…?”

A warm golden light flickered at the tips of the Priestess’ fingers, and the wound that Chromans had inflicted, although treated and no longer bleeding, was still not fully healed—it vanished quietly.

The life-saving effect of the Ascended Box did indeed prevent Chromans from stabbing Liliya’s heart, but the weapon, materialized from the Ninth Throne’s ability, still left some energy within the princess, which hindered rapid healing.

Legendary techniques might be challenging for ordinary healers, but to Vilyric, they were mere child’s play.

“It’s nothing… Just a little injury, got caught off guard, that’s all. You’re here to stop Ban from escaping, aren’t you?”

“Oh? So you know what that guy intends to do?”

Fiddling with her hair at the temples, Liliya nodded slightly.

“Seeing his attitude after the Council of Spirits, I guessed that Ban was most likely planning to completely turn against us, abandoning the position of the First Spirit and declaring himself king. After the judgment by the High Spirit, this is his only means to maintain his power and even truly become a king.”

“Though I didn’t expect him to act so decisively and start a city-wide riot that night, which forced me to run all over putting out fires and left no time to worry about the prison, I still had some preparations on my side.”

“You should have seen Edith’s ancestor inside; what’s the situation now? Did Ban manage to escape?”

“Well…”

There was nothing to hide from Liliya, so considering her choice of words, Vilyric recounted the earlier events to the princess once again.

“Eh? Lady Rebecca is a Throne, and she betrayed Ban, even killed him? This…”

The girl instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, her pupils narrowing.

It seemed the overwhelming amount of information had caused the clever princess’s mind to momentarily freeze.

“What on earth…?”

“Hey, Your Highness! Why did you suddenly run off?!”

Liliya wanted to continue asking something, but suddenly a golden-haired Holy Knight burst in from the side, interrupting their discussion.

Edwina, covered in blood and rush, arrived beside Liliya wielding her sword and shield, looking very displeased as she began to scold her.

“I said, Your Highness, you’re injured! I was nearly driven mad when you almost got assassinated! And now you just suddenly vanish in the middle of battle—can’t you stop scaring me all the time?!”

“Haha, sorry sorry… I just saw someone very important and my body moved instinctively. Speaking of which, you two are meeting for the first time, right? Let me introduce, this lady is…”

Turning to gesture at the White Robed Girl and a disgruntled Little Dragon Daughter behind her, Liliya was interrupted before she could mention Vilyric’s name as Edwina suddenly shuddered, looking as if she had seen something unbelievable, almost dropping her sword.

“G-g-g-g-g-g…”

“G-g-g-g-g-g? You don’t need to emphasize my gender like that, do you?”

Vilyric felt a sweat drop as Liliya gave Edwina a puzzled look at her abrupt reaction.

The three exchanged glances, unsure of what had triggered this scatterbrained knight again.

Although Liliya might be clueless about the situation, Vilyric and Edwina were already old friends, so there was no need for pleasantries. Vilyric immediately contained her urge to tease and waved at her.

“Hi, Miss Edwina, it’s me! Surprised again, I’m sorry for hiding my identity, please don’t take it to heart~”

“N-n-no! How could that be? Miss… Vilyric, being able to stay beside us is already a great honor; given your status, a little concealment is only natural. Ahem… You…”

“?”

Watching the flustered girl fumbling and stumbling over her words, Vilyric had a strong sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of a fervent fan meeting their idol. But these two were definitely not that kind of relationship, right?

Last time they met in the Forgotten Land, it was rather normal…

Oh, got it! It must be because she had been saved by me several times, and the Blessing of Light had greatly enhanced her power, making it a bit awkward for her to meet now.

It’s like you’ve been losing repeatedly in a game, doubting your life, when suddenly a pro player shows up and turns your luck around—afterward, you’d naturally feel a mix of awe and flattery during conversations… Or something like that?

Moreover, Edwina had seen Vilyric’s true strength before; in a sense, she understood her better than Liliya did.

Having such behavior was only normal.

Thinking this, Vilyric decided to soothe this silly girl; after all, they did share quite a bond. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect this Holy Knight had been secretly following me and Xiao Guang.

“Don’t be so stiff, Miss Edwina. Just treat me like a normal friend. Do you remember our agreement?”

Actually, what the Priestess meant was the promise made that night in the Forgotten Land to keep secrets, but the totally clueless Holy Knight naturally interpreted it differently.

“Mm! Edwina understands! Before your approval, I won’t mention anything to anyone! So from now on, I’ll continue to call you Miss Vilyric, alright?”

“Uh… sure?”

Slightly taken aback by her unwavering and resolute attitude, Vilyric instinctively nodded and then furrowed her brow.

Was Edwina always this agreeable?

   

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