Disciplinary Knight Daniel's sharp eyes, hidden behind his visor, stared intently at the Holy Saintess.
He fell silent for a moment, ultimately unable to suppress the doubts in his heart, and asked in a low voice.
“Your Holiness, did you... foresee your own death in your prophecy? Right here in the Carter Royal Capital?”
Holy Saintess Eve turned her head slightly toward him but did not answer.
No emotion could be seen on her serene, unruffled face.
Daniel was not surprised.
It was customary for seers to rarely speak of the details of their prophecies on their own initiative.
Typically, only those momentous and seemingly unalterable paths of destiny would occasionally prompt them to utter a word or two.
Like the Dark Tide.
The birth of the Dark Tide was something no force, no matter how powerful, could prevent.
And at this moment, the Saintess's silence was already a tacit confirmation.
Daniel's brow furrowed even deeper.
“Since you foresaw that you might meet your demise here, why did you take the initiative to accept the Carter Royal Capital's invitation?”
He knew very well that coming to Carter this time was a decision the Saintess had insisted upon entirely on her own.
The “generous” reward offered by the Carter Royal Capital might seem astronomical to ordinary people.
But to the deeply rooted Holy Church of Light, it was not even worth mentioning.
The Saintess smiled faintly, a smile still as flawless as a sculpture, carrying a sort of non-human detachment.
She responded offhandedly with that all-purpose excuse.
“This is the guidance of the Goddess of Light's oracle.”
Daniel's gaze remained locked onto the Saintess.
He tried to discern what she was plotting from every minute detail of her expression.
Regardless, the core purpose of all her actions at this moment seemed to be making contact with that black-haired High Rank mage.
But... that kid named Lin Gui was only of Mid-tier High Rank strength, weak enough to be crushed in a single blow.
Daniel simply could not comprehend why Her Holiness believed that relying on such a mage could alter her so-called fated demise.
Or perhaps, break free from the shackles of the Holy See by relying on a Mid-tier High Rank mage?
Daniel almost laughed in self-deprecation.
How could that be possible?
Compared to the other people Her Holiness had approached, this mage's strength was rock-bottom.
Back then, even the Hero who drew his blade against the Holy See for the Saintess had failed.
Daniel certainly did not believe this weak, mere Mid-tier High Rank mage could pull it off.
Daniel spoke no further.
He took half a step back, signaling his attitude of no longer interfering and letting the Saintess act as she pleased.
He could not stop the Saintess's decisions, but he would not take responsibility for the consequences they caused either.
Elvia, quietly observing from the side, took in the bizarre and oppressive atmosphere between Daniel and the Saintess, sighing inwardly.
It seemed the rumor was true...
She had heard that although the Saintess was the public face of the Holy Church of Light, she was, in a sense, also a consumable asset for the Holy See.
She was the necessary sacrifice required to activate the supreme Great Prophecy spell.
The very spell the Saintess had used in the palace to predict the Dark Tide.
The Great Prophecy was an inherited ability; as long as one was designated as the Holy See's Saintess, this ability would be automatically instilled.
In other words, this ability had nothing to do with the individual themselves.
And according to incomplete statistics, in the forty years since the Demon God descended upon the world, the Holy Church of Light had already replaced eighty-three Saintesses.
Half of them had died on the path of campaigning against the Demon God or his minions.
While the other half were ostensibly said to have entered the Disciplinary Palace to serve the Goddess for life and pray for her blessings, in reality, they had all died under the terrifying backlash of divine power when casting the Great Prophecy spell.
To the high-and-mighty Holy Church of Light, the life or death of the Saintess was perhaps of no consequence.
What they needed was merely a special vessel capable of channeling divine power and casting prophecies.
Of course, the Holy See would still maintain appearances.
For instance, if a Saintess were assassinated while abroad, the killer would inevitably face the ruthless iron hooves of the Crusaders.
The Saintess paid no more attention to the silent Daniel, turning instead to smile at Lin Gui.
Her tone was as relaxed as if they were discussing a venue for afternoon tea.
“Well? What do you think of my proposal?”
“I need you to protect me, remaining by my side without leaving, until I depart from the Carter Royal Capital.”
“And in return, I will tell you the information you desire regarding Avalon.”
The doubts in Elvia's heart grew even stronger.
When the Saintess first mentioned she was looking for Lin Gui, Elvia had vaguely guessed that she might be seeking protection.
It was just that the Saintess's tone at this moment seemed so certain that disaster was imminent...
Just what kind of trump card did Caesar's group of rebels prepare to actually have the confidence to break through the protection of a Legendary Disciplinary Knight and successfully assassinate the Saintess?
Could it be... that someone among them actually knew 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】?!
Elvia's mind began to struggle fiercely, falling into a state of extreme conflict.
If... if the probability of Caesar's assassination succeeding was very high, then to her, Elvia, the Saintess dying here might not actually be a bad thing.
The furious Crusaders of the Holy Church of Light would help her directly overturn the current political landscape of the Royal Capital.
As long as the Eldest Princess and the Third Prince died because of this, wouldn't she be the next Ruler of Carter?
Thinking of this, she almost gasped.
Should she... stab Lin Gui in the back, or stop him from getting involved in protecting the Saintess?
But... her own little life was still held in Lin Gui's hands!
Just as Elvia's expression shifted and she fought a fierce battle within herself, Lin Gui spoke, calmly stating his conditions.
“I can do that, but I have two conditions.”
“First, for the next few days, your itinerary must completely follow my arrangements.”
“Second, only you can accompany me. This Disciplinary Knight of yours and any other guards cannot follow.”
“Impudent!” Daniel bellowed in rage.
Taking a step forward, the pressure of a Legendary powerhouse descended, making the air inside the small shop feel as if it had frozen solid.
“I will never leave Her Holiness's side by even a single step!”
“What right does an evil mage of unknown origin like you have to make such demands?”
“If anything happens to Her Holiness, can you bear the responsibility?!”
Lin Gui ignored his fury, keeping his gaze fixed on the Saintess.
The Saintess's expression remained calm. She raised her hand slightly, stopping Daniel from taking any further action, and spoke softly.
“Daniel, do as he says.”
“Your Holiness!”
“This is the oracle of the Goddess of Light.”
The Saintess once again brought out this irrefutable reason.
She turned to Daniel, her tone carrying a strange, soothing quality.
“You must believe that as long as the Hall of Heroic Spirits still stands, I will not, and cannot, escape my destiny.”
Daniel stared intently at the Saintess, heavy breathing echoing from beneath his visor.
In the end, as if compromising, or perhaps completely giving up on something, he leaned in close to the Saintess's ear and said in an extremely low, warning tone,
“I hope so, Your Holiness. I only hope you... do not regret your choice.”
Having said that, he hesitated no longer, glared fiercely at Lin Gui, turned around, and strode out of the dilapidated antique shop with a cold, furious aura.
The Saintess seemed to have lifted a heavy burden, letting out a soft sigh of relief.
She flashed Lin Gui a faint but genuine smile.
“Very well. Now, Mr. Lin Gui of the dark magic specialty, where shall we go?”
At this moment, the old shopkeeper, who had been watching coldly from the side, suddenly spoke to Lin Gui.
“Kid, are you sure you want to take on this hot potato and protect her?”
Lin Gui retorted, “Why? Could it be that you're the one planning to kill her?”
The old shopkeeper grinned, showing an inscrutable smile.
“Yes, and no. For your sake, let me give you a warning. In this assassination, even a High-tier Legendary powerhouse wouldn't be able to save her, let alone you.”
Lin Gui fell silent for a moment, then replied calmly.
“If it really comes to a point where I can't handle it, I will cast her aside without hesitation and run for my life.”
Hearing this, the old shopkeeper's smile grew wider, carrying a hint of appreciation.
“Very good. Only those who recognize the situation can live a long life.”
The smile on his wrinkled face looked somewhat menacing.
“Ahem, why don't you come with me to retrieve the items first?” Lin Gui suggested tentatively in a low voice.
The old shopkeeper put away his smile, glanced up at the Saintess, and muttered softly,
“I'll follow you in a moment. Just leave the items in the attic. Remember, keep it quiet.”
Lin Gui nodded.
Rate on N.U.
