Chapter 172: Before the Storm

Everything was progressing in an orderly manner, and in the blink of an eye, Vilyric and the others had already been staying in the Holy City for over three days.

The Western Expeditionary Army led by the Saint of Bright Light, Yuna, was fully assembled in the Holy Capital, the City of Angels, and had settled into the military camp on the outskirts of the city, coordinating tightly with the city knights led by Edwina and others as they practiced.

However, just as expected, the Redeeming Saintess’s party, which came from the Flower City, was delayed due to the severe damage inflicted on the surrounding residents by the battle in the Holy Bergen Mountain Range, along with some other reasons; they had to pause their journey to assist the local populace along the way and might take a while longer to reach the Holy Capital.

Although Edwina got busy with training and commanding after their first day of meeting, leaving no time to stay with the Priestess, she had arranged suitable accommodations for the party as the host beforehand.

That was a secluded residence located in a prime area of the Holy City, exceptionally convenient for transportation, which had already been personally purchased by the Holy Knight for her own use and directly transferred to “Xī” after the arrival of the Priestess and the others for them to use freely.

Thus, the Priestess somehow obtained her first property in this world. Although for the travel-loving Vilyric, staying in a hotel or a residence was practically the same, she couldn’t possibly stay in the Holy City forever…

However, out of goodwill from Edwina, Vilyric didn’t have the heart to refuse entirely and accepted it with a nod upon learning of the arrangement.

The mansion was selected with careful consideration by the Holy Knight, being of the highest quality. Besides being located in the precious inner city, rumors had it that the Cecelia Family had specially hired craftsmen to refurbish the decorations after buying it, ensuring every condition was configured to the highest specifications.

Although Edwina didn’t mention the various expenses involved, based on Vilyric’s observations, this multi-story luxury mansion that could easily accommodate two or three dozen people had a market value probably comparable to the “Map of Mountains and Rivers” she had purchased.

Even in such a wealthy and powerful capital of the Holy Empire, it could probably be counted among the most expensive properties.

But let’s put that aside for now.

With three days of leisure, and not having to be as busy as those important figures preparing for the impending Holy War, Vilyric naturally chose to take some time to explore various attractions within the Holy City with her companions.

However, the Holy City was vast, and after just three days, she had only managed to visit the major well-known locations in the outer city in order. The inner city and the core “Holy Court” were completely off her list for visiting.

Time was limited, and according to the planned schedule, once the Redeeming Saintess’s main unit arrived in the next few days, the troops would probably set off toward the military stronghold of Fran Province next to Sanos Province, heading into the Holy War against the demons.

As someone set to go along with the troops, Miss Vilyric had to put aside her leisurely wandering plans and prioritize visits to important places first.

Thus, on the morning of the fourth day after arriving in the Holy Capital, she came to the renowned “Holy Empire First Comprehensive Research and Education Academy,” or simply “Saint Academy,” which boasted a rich history almost contemporaneous with the Holy Empire itself.

Of course, due to recent upheavals within the Holy Kingdom and the occurrence of various incredible sights and suspected miracles, to ensure stability in the research and student learning environment, the Saint Academy had temporarily closed its doors to tourists half a month ago, restricting access to only internal personnel.

If it weren’t for a certain Holy Knight and the significant influence of the Cecelia Family behind her, Vilyric might not have easily obtained permission to visit.

Even so, Edwina only managed to secure two visiting slots, and after careful consideration, she ultimately allocated one of them to Eudora, aside from the Priestess herself.

Early in the morning, the Priestess was already holding the little loli’s hand, arriving by carriage near the main entrance of the Saint Academy, waiting for Edwina, who would come from outside the city to guide them on their tour.

“Big Sister White Fox, can a bad kid like me really enter such a great place… will it…?”

Listening to the timid inquiry coming from her side once again, the White Fox Girl, who had been holding the little loli’s hand tightly since they got out of the carriage, couldn’t help but chuckle helplessly, squatting down to pinch the little pink-haired loli’s soft, puffy cheek.

“Eudora is not a bad kid at all… Hmm ~ even if you are a bad kid, so what? Good and bad are just labels others stick on us. As long as we act true to our hearts, that’s enough, right? Don’t worry, Little Fox Sister will be here for everything ~”

“Um… okay…”

Eudora nodded slightly, looking a bit uneasy, but the grip on the White Fox Lady’s other hand was noticeably tighter. While it was nothing serious for Vilyric, she could still sense Eudora’s confusion and shyness.

After all, the Saint Academy was renowned as the leader in education across nations and had a long-standing reputation. Especially for local children and teenagers in the Holy Kingdom at the age of admission, it was almost like a sacred place that they grew up hearing about, so even Eudora, who had only received the most basic education since childhood, must have heard its name.

Even Vilyric was curious enough to seek connections to visit; it would be a lie to say Eudora wasn’t longing or looking forward to it.

So, as she was about to step in, it was only natural for her to feel more nervous, especially knowing that she was a demon in a place where she clearly didn’t belong, and discovery would lead to her immediate eradication. The little girl’s still-maturing heart must be filled with even more uneasiness.

But that’s exactly why Vilyric wanted to take her.

The Priestess wanted her to understand that even a so-called sacred place was merely a gathering of all sorts of “people”. While there might be exceptional individuals, claiming it to be some untouchable holy ground was certainly an exaggeration.

It’s about… accumulating experience and insights, I suppose.

After waiting a short while at the bustling entrance of the Saint Academy, another carriage marked with the Cecelia Family emblem soon arrived in front of the two girls, and as the curtain lifted, a seemingly rushed Holy Knight jumped out first.

“Sorry, sorry! We had a little incident at the camp this morning, took quite a while to handle it, making you both wait!”

The White Fox Lady raised an eyebrow beneath her mask.

“It’s fine, but… did you say there was an incident?”

“Ah, it’s about some movements of the demons near the front line in the Holy Capital. They’ve been holed up in the Sanos Province and Keller Province for a while, and to figure out their aims, the Holy Capital has sent probing attacks over a dozen times, but all returned without results. However, this morning’s intel said… Okay, okay! It’s not a military meeting; I’ll stop rambling!”

Waving her hand as if to brush it off, Edwina, feeling a bit embarrassed after delaying, turned apologetic.

“I’m truly sorry, I was supposed to be the first here, but ended up making you wait so long…”

Eudora was a sensible child and naturally wouldn’t interrupt while the adults were speaking, while Vilyric merely shook her head, unconcerned.

“It’s really okay; rather, I’m sorry to trouble you to be our guide at such a critical moment. Other than you, I can’t think of any alternative, haha…”

Seemingly not intending to waste any more time on pointless apologies, the White Fox Lady quickly changed the subject.

“But Edwina, to be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen you dressed like this, and you look quite cute! You’re obviously a great beauty, yet you’re all wrapped up in armor every day; that’s quite a waste, don’t you think? ~”

“Eh?”

Just when she intended to say something else, the Holy Knight was interrupted by the White Fox Lady’s sudden remark, her face turning red as she fidgeted with her disheveled skirt from jumping around just now, casting her gaze away awkwardly.

“W-What? Even Miss Xī thinks so…? I thought this poetic decoration seemed completely incompatible with a Holy Knight’s identity. If it weren’t for the school’s strict regulations…”

“Pu~”

“Whoa!! Miss Xī must have just laughed, right!? How could you mock me like that! So mean!!!”

“No, you heard wrong ~”

   

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