Chapter 157

“A deep silence hung in the air.”

The plaza was packed with hundreds of people, yet not a single one dared to speak.

They seemed too overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, as if opening their mouths would somehow place the blame squarely on them.

The first to regain composure was Maris von Lenart.

Her responsibility weighed the heaviest in this situation.

Maris approached Adel and helped her up.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t muster any strength…”

“Get on my back.”

Without waiting for a reply, Maris hoisted Adelheid onto her back.

Some nearby bloodline members startled and tried to intervene, but Maris silenced them with a look, indicating that this was not the time for petty disputes.

Having given instructions to her subordinates to also gather Sophia, she dashed out of the plaza towards the outskirts of the city.

No one attempted to stop them.

The guards had already been decimated by the ongoing battles, and those remaining lay scattered on the ground with dazed expressions.

Especially since Adel’s earlier strike had been overwhelmingly powerful.

Even with the unbelievable reward of residence in the Holy Kingdom at stake, people hesitated to act.

Even when the Lord was alive, there was hesitation—now that he was dead, no one dared stand against them.

‘What just happened…’

Other bloodline members attacked during the chaotic battle might not have witnessed it properly, but Maris had seen it clearly.

The distinctive golden magical aura of the Lion Duke’s bloodline, intertwined with the violet, lightning-like energy.

As far as Maris knew, only three individuals in their lineage had displayed such a phenomenon in her era.

And none of them were ordinary folk.

One was the blade of the northern front known as the strongest of the bloodline; the second was the Duke Lenart’s knight; and the last was the promising contender ahead in the next generation competition—Lenart’s prized child.

A sea of complex emotions stirred within Maris.

Even as she pondered, the surrounding chaos continued to escalate.

“The wall… it’s collapsing!”

“Enough! We can get out!”

“I’ll never come back to this damn city!”

With the collapse of the Scale, tourists fled from the crumbling walls and city.

“The Scale is… losing its power!”

“Could something have happened to the Lord? Gah!”

“You bastards took my brother’s head earlier!”

“Now it’s your turn to prove your innocence! Just try claiming you did it without guilt!”

The Justitia guards realized the Lord was dead, throwing them into chaos. Hidden below was a boiling desire for revenge from the outlaws.

“Lord Antonio, how can you leave us like this!”

“I-I swear, I did nothing wrong!”

“You wicked scoundrels! Divine punishment will surely fall on you!”

Civilians either mourned the Lord’s death, feared the Holy Kingdom’s vengeance, or cursed those leaving.

It was chaos and confusion, a release of pent-up resentment that had been forcibly suppressed by the Scale’s authority and power.

Amidst all the uproar, someone shouted and caught Maris’s attention.

“Look up in the sky!”

At first, she brushed it off as mere noise.

But as she saw more and more people gazing at the sky, Maris paused and turned her gaze upward.

There was an angel.

“──.”

The crowd collectively held their breath at the sight.

Being so high up made it hard to discern the angel’s precise features.

No one knew what kind of clothing it wore, what its face looked like, or what expression graced its features as it gazed down at the ground.

All they could tell was that it had the form of a person and massive wings behind it.

Yet that intense presence was undeniably felt.

Those with sharp instincts like the Lion Duke’s bloodline or some with enhanced vision due to magic could see the angel’s form a bit more clearly.

The angel wore a pure white dress, radiating a holy aura, yet its facial expression seemed bored and sullen.

Around the angel’s head floated a myriad of colorful hats in various designs, numbering in the dozens.

Spinning.

Spinning.

Countless hats twirled around the angel, each showcasing its own style.

The angel seemed to ponder which hat to choose, gazing blankly at the swirling array, and with a short sigh, settled on a very dark blue hat and placed it on its head.

Then, something extraordinary happened.

The previously discontented face of the angel morphed into one of profound sorrow, tears streaming down its cheeks.

As if in mourning, the angel closed its eyes, waving its hands in gesture.

The fragmented emerald barrier, which had shrunk dramatically, began to converge around the angel in a scintillating light at its beckoning.

The turquoise light transformed into rainclouds, pouring down steadily over the entirety of Justitia.

“Damn it, where did this rain suddenly come from? Huh?”

“Oh, oh!”

“Thank you, thank you…!”

Those who felt the rain initially reacted with confusion but soon wore looks of amazement.

As the raindrops touched their skin, all their wounds began healing rapidly.

People knelt, gazed skyward, and offered their prayers and praises.

Even those who had been bickering shed tears, repenting in the wake of this overwhelming miracle.

Even the Lion Duke’s bloodline could feel their accumulated fatigue and injuries fading away.

Except for one person.

As the raindrops hit Sophia’s skin, they burned and scorched her as if they were dangerous chemicals.

The bloodline member supporting her panicked, quickly grabbing a suitable cloth from a nearby stall to wrap her up.

At that moment, the angel’s gaze shifted towards Sophia and Maris’s group.

The angel shook its head in apparent dismay and then reached out towards their direction.

Part of the raincloud pouring down to the earth transformed into a massive spear of water and shot forth.

Ka-thunk!

One of the clan members trying to intercept the water spear crumpled to the ground with a groan.

The water spear collided, causing a black shockwave to explode, leaving a gaping hole in the victim’s chest, large enough for a human head to fit through.

Instant death, no question about it.

Maris screamed like a banshee.

“Don’t try to block it—just evade!”

That command was rendered moot almost immediately.

When the angel unleashed a second strike, another bloodline member perished as their skull was pierced through.

“I’m coming down…!”

Adel slipped off Maris’s back.

Yet her complexion still looked pale.

Even the mysterious rain’s gifts were insufficient to fully recover her exhaustion.

She grasped the sword of the fallen bloodline member and swung it with all her might towards the incoming spear.

Maris instinctively joined her, swinging her own sword as well.

With a sharp SLAM!

The third lethal attempt faltered for the first time, dispersing into the air.

In return, both Adel and Maris’s swords snapped in two.

And before they could even regroup, another spear shot forth.

Adel, even with her half-broken sword, tried to intercept once again; but this time, it shattered completely like a twig.

The remaining force of the water spear, which hadn’t been entirely nullified, lodged itself into Adel’s chest.

She rolled across the ground, the sound of her breath escaping like a deflating balloon.

Thanks to the body’s enhancement effect from her belt, she narrowly avoided instant death, but all sensations vanished, leaving her paralyzed from head to toe.

A ringing sound rang in her ears, mixed with the rumblings of her bloodline resisting the onslaught.

And shortly after, everything fell silent.

In the desperate situation, Adel smiled.

It wasn’t resignation.

Even without hearing any sounds or feeling her body, she could still hear one thing clearly.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ praises your resilience!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ tells you to leave things to her!]

She could definitely hear the words of her trusted mentor.

With a sense of comfort mixed with an overwhelming drowsiness, Adel finally lost consciousness.

***

You quickly surveyed the surroundings.

The individuals regarded as Adel’s party were already dead, their bodies pierced through. The rest had narrowly avoided instant death but were riddled with injuries.

Ironically, due to the relentless rain pouring from the sky, what should have been immediate first aid was slowly being healed.

You’ve heard of offering poison and then providing medicine, but witnessing a wide area heal without distinguishing friend from foe while simultaneously dispatching them one by one was a first for you.

A water spear came hurtling your way.

You swung your shield and deflected it.

With a pop, you saw the spear burst like a water balloon upon hitting your shield, feeling the shock of those around you in disbelief.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says she’ll cover you, so let’s escape now!]

“Everyone, the Tin Knight will watch your back, so let’s hurry out of the city! Don’t forget to take your comrades’ bodies with you!”

Sofia, who appeared to be draped in a large cloth but looked worse for wear since it wasn’t waterproof, urged them on, and a representative among them quickly relayed the message.

Their prompt action without unnecessary debate showed true professionalism.

BAM!

Another water spear burst against your shield with a thundering crash.

Your body and shield emerged unscathed, not even a scratch in sight.

This wasn’t due to the spear’s weak power.

In terms of raw strength, it was at a level nearly unmatched except against the West Witch’s mass attack and Kalidahs’ magic.

However, dealing with them was comparatively simpler.

The technique seemed to form the water into a spear, then shoot it out with a surrounding emerald glow; but in the moment of contact, disrupting the surface coating allowed the rest to be merely propelled water.

Unless the mass of water had immense pressure or mixed with sand or iron, there was little danger for you.

Though you’d love to charge at the opponent, you had no means to attack someone so far up in the sky.

Deciding to treat it more like a gimmick battle, you focused on defending and escorting your party.

The angel’s response was curious.

Despite the barrage of your defenses, not a shred of anger or anxiety bled through in its attacks.

Regardless of whether attempting to heal others or striking to kill, that heavenly figure directed the same feelings toward everything beneath it.

Grief and lamentation, compassion and sorrow.

It looked down on all earthly souls with pity, embodying a form of pure angelic essence.

How long had it been since you started fending off her attacks?

Finally, when your party managed to escape the downpour’s range, the angel ceased its offensive.

She could likely pursue if she wished, but the sorrowful-eyed angel chose instead to continue pouring rain over Justitia.

After ensuring the safety of Sophia and Adelheid from the Lion Duke’s bloodline, you resolved to head to the meeting place with Dorothea.

Though the opposing side had much to say, you nodded in agreement to Sophia’s explanation that they’d “visit as initially planned later.”

With gratitude for the help extended, you departed the city of the Scale.

─Teacher.

─What is it, Language Girl?

You etched in your memory the resemblance between the girl you saw in the illusion when Sofia entered the city and that angel.

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