Chapter Eighty: Meaning and Value

“So… Miss Xī, you were just brought here like this?”

At the Temple of Bright Light in the Bright Light District, beside the Holy Spring in the main hall, the Saintess, dressed in a pristine platinum robe that accentuated her graceful curves and ample bosom, wearing a radiant crown, looked at Miss White Fox standing in front of her, and couldn’t help but lean her forehead against her hand, her pure and beautiful face showing a mix of exasperation and helplessness.

“To be honest, I’m quite curious about what your face looks like under that mask, Miss Xī. Not counting the thousands of masked outsiders in Mingguang City, it turns out a small issue that could have been resolved with a simple inspection ended up bringing me here. Sigh, it’s really unexpected…”

“Hey, hey… you’re not thinking of something strange, are you? Just to clarify, there’s nothing wrong with my face. But just like the神器 worn by Miss Yuna, certain extremely important things can’t just be casually handed over, right?”

Hearing someone’s seemingly righteous rebuttal, Yuna could only smile wryly and shake her head.

“Well, well, I guess this can be considered a fateful encounter. I thought Miss Xī would just end up making a trip for nothing today. I even prepared a gift to apologize, but it seems I can’t give it away now.”

“That doesn’t matter… So, what exactly happened last night?”

With that, Vilyric leaned closer to the Saintess’s ear, whispering in a tone only they could hear.

“It wouldn’t be that this is part of your plan with that old man, would it?”

“How could it be? There were actual casualties involved! Though… no, it’s nothing…”

Seemingly ambiguous in her rebuttal, the blonde girl shook her head again and waved to a few Temple Knights standing nearby, who were completely dumbfounded by the familiarity between the two.

“Praise the Goddess, thank you all for your efforts, but this Miss Xī is my esteemed guest. There’s no issue with her status; I’ll be taking care of her personally from now on, so you can all return to your duties.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

With the highest leader of Mingguang City, the Saintess herself, having spoken, even if their curiosity was piqued, the knights couldn’t further question her orders. They could only bow respectfully and turn to leave.

After sending off the “enthusiastic” knights who had brought her here, Miss White Fox finally had the chance to ask the Saintess a clear question, observing the bustling priests, clerics, and residents seeking help around the main hall of the temple.

“Is this incident really that serious? You were alarmed to the point of changing your schedule?”

“Sigh…”

Watching the clear, splashing water of the Holy Spring, Yuna subtly sighed, then pointed to a direction in the church.

“This isn’t the place to talk. Please follow me, Miss Xī. Conveniently, I’m about to personally check the situation anyway.”

Led by the Saintess, the two girls traversed through the busy main hall of the temple, entered a side corridor, and continued for a long time until they finally reached a relatively secluded area outside the Quiet Room in the back garden.

Here, there was already a tight perimeter surrounding the area, with many likely Temple Knights stationed nearby. Vilyric counted at least dozens of them as she passed by. From their armor patterns and holy symbols, it was evident they were high-ranking clerics, likely at least of the “Stalwart Knight” level, which is known as the Ink Steel rank in the Adventurers Guild.

Noticing Miss White Fox observing the knights along the way, Yuna promptly explained.

“These are elite Holy Warriors independently trained and funded by my Summerfield Family. They operate under a completely different system than the Temple Knights. In a sense, they don’t belong to the church, and instead report directly to me. Their strength is considerable, and they are usually dispatched only to handle remarkably powerful demons or heretics. What do you think, Miss Xī?”

Though the explanation was somewhat vague, Vilyric immediately understood what the other meant.

In essence, it was something like a personal military force of the Summerfield Family. As expected, in any country, the higher-ups hold various powers like this, similar to Liliya’s shadow guards or the Royal Wing Guard of the Wing Emperor.

“They look pretty impressive. Since they are here, does that mean you think the troublemaker this time is indeed very dangerous?”

Before the Saintess could respond, Miss White Fox posed another sharp question.

“If that’s the case, why send those Temple Knights out to hunt down criminals? Putting aside whether they can find anyone, wouldn’t that just mean throwing away their lives if they stumble upon one?”

“…”

Faced with this somewhat challenging, even provocative question, the Saintess, walking ahead with her back to Vilyric, fell silent for a moment before replying.

“Miss Xī, someone has to face the danger. If possible, I’d love to lead the Holy Warriors myself to block all strong enemies, but… that’s impossible.”

“Right now, the enemies are hidden while we stand in the light. Whether it’s to narrow the search area by concentrating strength in valuable places or just to soothe the public, their actions are by no means pointless.”

“Even if it might cost lives in the process?”

Yuna turned around, her face still radiant with purity and sanctity, as if untouched by dust.

“The Goddess has granted us blessings, giving us greater power than the common folk, which means we must bear more responsibility and risk. If everyone just wants to hide in safety, compromising for temporary comfort, then… when the real disaster strikes, Her protection will ultimately leave us.”

“Oh…?”

Miss White Fox’s silver-blue eyes narrowed slightly beneath her mask.

“What Miss Yuna said… is it about this situation right now?”

However, the Saintess merely smiled, neither agreeing nor denying.

“I’m just stating a fact. I hope Miss Xī finds it amusing~”

While they chatted, the two girls arrived at the door of the Quiet Room, protected by the Holy Warriors. Those holy knights recognized the Saintess’s stature and completely ignored the presence of Miss White Fox, as the leading young man wearing a white six-winged emblem immediately knelt on one knee.

“Presenting our respects, Your Highness!”

The blonde girl smiled and lightly raised her hands.

“Please rise, Pedrick. Have you gathered all the information?”

The young man, called Pedrick, with dual swords on his back and a build resembling that of an Arbiter, nodded expressionlessly as he stood.

“Yes, Your Highness. There are four victims in total, and the only survivor has already been placed inside, waiting for your inspection and questioning.”

Yuna responded with a simple, standard gesture of greeting, placing her hand on her chest.

“Thank you for your hard work. Praise the Goddess, lead the way.”

“Yes, praise Bright Light.”

Without further ado, the strong young man, evidently part of the Summerfield Family and with considerable strength and status, turned to push the door open. Yuna gently nodded at Miss White Fox before quickly following him inside.

While curious about what lay within the Quiet Room, the Priestess still felt a lingering concern over Pedrick’s earlier words.

Praise Bright Light, huh… ho ho…

As they entered the Quiet Room, the Holy Warriors outside promptly closed the door behind them.

Miss White Fox discreetly scanned her surroundings.

The room was quiet enough, yet it was also spacious and bright; the walls had windows, and the faint sunlight filtered in through translucent paper windows. Its tranquility, however, didn’t carry a sense of eeriness.

However, with the keen senses of a Priestess, Vilyric immediately detected a faint smell of blood and decay in the air—certain peculiar scents that could only emanate from the deceased.

There wasn’t much inside the Quiet Room; in the center lay several stretchers, all covered with white cloth.

Clearly, these were the bodies of the victims from last night’s attack that Pedrick had mentioned.

   

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