Chapter 441

Chapter 64: Departure Part 2

Before long, I saw Bayard rush back into the main hall of the grand hall.

He suddenly entered through the church’s main door, accompanied by several unfamiliar people dressed like butlers or merchants, chatting and bustling towards the nave. When he reached the stairs leading up to the second floor, he seemed to catch sight of me, hiding in the far corner of the pews, quietly munching on cookies bought from outside. His expression froze for a moment; his steps slowed down, he exchanged a few words with others, then walked towards me.

I wiped the cookie crumbs off my mouth, slowly stood up, and looked at Bayard as he quickly approached me and raised his hand to greet me.

“Paillot…”

After not seeing him for days, he seemed thinner than before, but he still appeared spirited, and that sunny scent about him remained.

“You skipped class!”

He grinned at me, his grayish-brown hair slightly tousled, revealing white teeth. He looked like an无忧无虑的大男孩 (carefree young man), telling jokes freely, which made him very likable.

“It’s a rest day today,” I couldn’t help but smile back. “You’ve forgotten how often I skip classes.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I just knew you would skip class. By now, your absence form might already be on Professor Melville’s desk, right?”

“Mm-hm.”

I nodded at him.

You guessed correctly…

“In other words, beautiful Miss Paillot… During the journey to Silgaya, I will have you by my side? May the gods bless us; this is truly the only good news in July.”

“You wish.”

I rolled my eyes, took a small bite of the cookie, and chewed slowly. Then I asked, “Are you going to Mosley Coast?”

Actually, the moment I saw him, I knew Angel’s acquaintance from the coin shop was Bayard.

No, rather, even before seeing him, I could guess it was him—after all, among the people I know at St. George’s Coin Shop, it seemed to be only Bayard.

Although strictly speaking, he shouldn’t be considered part of St. George’s Coin Shop… After all, he had told me many times how boring it was there, and how everyone working there only cared about gold coins, and he didn’t want to be part of it…

Now it seems he has taken over some matters.

“Yes, my father is still there dealing with heretics, almost two months now. If I don’t go and check on him, wouldn’t it be inappropriate?”

Bayard spread his hands.

“Your father?”

My eyebrows furrowed slightly, and I tilted my head.

…I remember Bayard mentioning this before.

He said his father was the commander of the third knight legion of the Church. His name was… what was it?

I forgot, but he was the commander.

“As the president of the Mosley Coast battle, my father leads countless knights with honorable hearts to resist those bloodthirsty heretics. As his proud son, I should follow in his footsteps and go to Silgaya… wait, did I tell you about this before?”

“Did you?”

I took another bite of the cookie.

Bayard glanced sideways, thinking for a moment, then nodded firmly.

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

Then I forgot…

But that doesn’t matter.

“How is it there now?”

“Not well.”

Bayard shook his head lightly, his smile slightly fading.

“Since more than half a month ago, the messages we regularly received started becoming chaotic, even speculative. The precise, specific information that the coin shop used to receive has gradually turned into rumors that are hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood. The current situation is unclear. I don’t know if it’s because the messenger has issues or someone is trying to hide something…”

As he spoke, he slowly leaned closer, lowering his voice.

“Now, we know that the supply for the knightly order seems to be in serious trouble. Merchants dare not transport supplies anymore. Although Silgaya is a fertile land, it doesn’t mean all areas have food. The prosperous regions are concentrated north of Woodward Forest, while places like Mosley Coast are very poor and the roads are treacherous. It’s not easy to transport enough supplies there, and the cost of doing so may even exceed the value of the supplies themselves.”

He spoke quickly, not considering whether others could understand him, throwing all kinds of information at once, which was his usual style.

“Despite this, with the reserves of more than ten branches near the coast and the merchants, it should be no problem to support a knightly order of ten thousand men, even if they were to engage the enemy for half a year. Moreover, before the battle began, they had already organized civilian donations. Logically, there shouldn’t be any problems. However, based on the intelligence we’ve received, it seems there indeed are problems… We’re not sure where the problem lies, but finding out the reason is the purpose of my trip to Silgaya.”

“We have written to the king of Silgaya, requesting assistance… I don’t know if it will work. This battle has exposed too many problems, Paillot. Someone is obstructing our actions… Do you understand? Someone doesn’t want the knights of Mosley Coast to win… I don’t know who it is, but I will find out. I have sent someone to notify the Williams family in the holy city; grandfather might not know the situation in Silgaya yet… I hope everything goes smoothly…”

The more Bayard talked, the more serious his tone became, and his voice grew softer. He bent down, as if to whisper in my ear, his breath brushing against my cheek. I usually disliked such close contact, but I didn’t care now. I tilted my head, listening attentively, secretly pondering the information he had revealed to me.

“Bayard, time is running short…

Over there, someone was urging him on.

“Alright!”

Bayard waved his hand behind him, ending the conversation. He raised his head and smiled at me again.

“In any case, this time we might have to work harder. Peyelo, you also need to be careful.”

After saying that, he winked at me.

“When are we leaving?” I nodded and asked him.

“Soon, as soon as possible. Go get ready now. I’m worried… never mind, I’ll go see His Holiness first.” Bayard rubbed his nose and stopped talking, turning to walk towards those people, shaking his head and sighing as he went, “Ah… there’s still so much to see on the way. I really regret not studying coin knowledge seriously before… This makes me feel very foolish. Those old guys in the bank won’t listen to me…”

“…”

After Bayard left, I sat back down in the corner of the pew, curling my legs up onto the chair, shrinking into a small ball. While thinking about what he had just said, I put cookies into my mouth.

It seemed that the supplies for the knightly order were having serious problems…

Someone didn’t want the knights to win…

What’s going on?

Is there someone within the church or the bank who has sided with the heretics?

Or…

Some other reason…

Bayard didn’t seem to want to say alarming things to me. I felt he was deliberately avoiding the main issues, only mentioning that the current situation was unclear, but not mentioning anything about the battle situation… Perhaps he really doesn’t know… After all, this era isn’t as convenient for communication as the previous one. Getting important information over the phone would take weeks, even months, to reach here from there…

Anyway, it’s certain that the fighting will happen…

I hope Barry is alright…

…………

The sky had passed noon.

The number of people entering and leaving the church gradually increased.

Many monks and nuns gathered at the church entrance, while outside, there were over ten bank wagons and church wagons parked along the road. Armored knights of the church lined up in formation behind them. From a distance, there were roughly two hundred of them. Such a spectacle made passersby stop and stare, speculating if the Holy Church was going to hold some grand ceremony, or if His Holiness would come, allowing them to bask in divine presence, perhaps blessing their descendants.

After finishing the cookies, I walked out of the church carrying a black leather box, standing by the stone steps at the entrance. I was wearing a spare cloak from the church, a white cloak that wrapped around my entire body, its hem fluttering in the wind. A wide hood covered my hair and half of my face.

“That is…”

“The Knight of His Holiness…”

“Who is it? Is it… Miss Silviana…”

“Miss Silviana!”

A few people guessed my identity and started shouting, drawing others into the chorus.

“Miss Silviana!”

“Miss Silviana—”

The shouts of the crowd grew louder, and countless eyes sparkled. The light in those eyes became as bright as torches the moment Angel appeared.

“His Holiness!”

“His Holiness, may the gods bless us—”

Angel, dressed in a pure white robe, walked out of the church under the adoration of many, his posture upright, his face showing a fake smile, completely embodying the appearance of a serious charlatan, unlike the nude, disheveled figure from before.

“Come on, Little Black Charcoal.”

He patted my shoulder lightly as he passed by me.

I pursed my lips and followed him, walking towards the luxurious wagon at the front of the line.

Angel got into the carriage first, then immediately waved at me standing outside, gesturing for me to sit with him.

“Little Black Charcoal, don’t forget your promise to me. No matter what happens, remember, no matter what, you mustn’t leave my sight, okay?”

His voice was nearly drowned out by the bustling crowd.

“…Yes.”

I responded absentmindedly, then turned my head to look around. Soon, I found Bayard standing in front of a wagon at the back of the bank, talking to someone. It seemed he sensed my gaze and turned to look back at me, meeting my eyes, then blinked and grinned stupidly.

He looked so silly…

I rolled my eyes at him and turned away, stepping onto the carriage of His Holiness.

After the curtains were drawn, the noise outside slightly diminished. Moments later, the carriage began to move slowly.

I took off my leather box, placing it beside my feet, then leaned against the seat and looked up—Angel across from me had already closed his eyes, seemingly resting.

He seems really tired…

Suddenly, after the carriage turned the corner, I heard the sound of hooves chasing from behind. The speed of the carriage slowed down, and the noise outside grew more chaotic as people shouted something.

It seems someone is coming…

I frowned, unable to help but glance at Angel again. Seeing that he showed no reaction, leaning against the armrest with his eyes closed, as if he truly fell asleep, I listened carefully for a moment, then heard someone shouting loudly.

“Her Majesty—”

It’s Victoria!

“Stop!”

My chest heated up suddenly, and I couldn’t help but shout at the driver. The shout startled Angel, making him jerk and open his eyes wide in surprise, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to scold me, but I ignored him. Before the carriage had even stopped, I pulled back the curtain and jumped down.

Then I turned and looked up.

At the rear of the procession, Victoria, dressed in a magnificent dress, rode alone on a white unicorn, her golden hair like silk flowing in the wind. Her makeup was light, her expression cold, like a goddess descending from the heavens, charging towards me amidst countless astonished or infatuated gazes.