Chapter 179

Astraea.

The goddess of order and justice, symbolized by the scales, wasn’t exactly a popular deity within the Empire.

The justice carried out in the name of the divine had a rather harsh side to it for ordinary people.

For example, what would happen if a young man, starving and stealing bread, got caught by Elpinel’s holy knights?

Sure, he’d probably get a beating for committing a crime, but after the punishment, they’d likely hand him a whole pile of bread.

If the culprit was a child instead of a young man, they might even find a way for the kid to survive without stealing.

The Order of Grace was merciful to people.

On the other hand, if caught by Astraea’s holy knights, regardless of age or gender, you’d lose a hand first.

Legally, it was a just punishment… but it was no wonder others saw Astraea’s followers as cold-blooded and lacking humanity.

A sect that could’ve easily fallen into obscurity, shunned by the masses.

Yet, they survived through religious wars and became one of the 11 major sects, entirely thanks to their military strength.

They were as strict with themselves as they were with others, which is why each of Astraea’s holy knights was an elite among elites.

Not exactly a meaningful advantage for the people of the Empire, though.

—

In short, Astraea’s faith was quite a minor one within the Empire.

Even the Empire’s legal code was compiled based on Elpinel’s teachings, not Astraea’s.

The proof was standing right in front of me.

Compared to the majestic Exra-shapel Cathedral, Astraea’s church was nothing more than a small chapel, not even half its size.

A brick building that could barely fit forty people, with decorations just as plain.

With that, the actual number of residing followers was probably less than ten.

It made sense why Leonor chose to hide around here.

Few people meant less chance of being spotted, and even if discovered and forced to fight Isabella’s minions, the holy knights were close by to call for help.

The location mentioned in the letter was an abandoned house about 300 meters behind the church, with no occupants.

The walls were covered in cobwebs, showing it had been untouched for quite some time.

A familiar presence was waiting for me, holding its breath.

Judging by the single presence detected, it didn’t seem like a trap.

I lightly knocked on the creaky door, announcing my arrival to the person hiding inside.

“Princess Leonor, I’ve come as promised. A bit early, perhaps?”

“…Just a moment.”

Unlike her usual lively self, her voice was cracked and subdued, like a patient worn out by life.

But it was undoubtedly Leonor’s voice.

After the sound of a latch being undone, the old door creaked open cautiously.

“Come in.”

Without even showing her face, Leonor whispered quietly.

She closed and locked the door behind me as soon as I stepped inside.

The interior, devoid of any lighting, was even darker than outside, and aside from half-broken furniture, it was eerily empty.

“Doesn’t seem like a suitable place to hide for long…?”

“This is just a decoy. The real place is below.”

Surprisingly, Leonor lifted a section of the floor, revealing a secret passage leading underground.

A faint light seeped out from the underground space with a wooden ladder.

“An underground passage…? In a normal house?”

Well, they say you can’t judge a book by its cover.

“Follow me. I’ll explain once we’re inside.”

Leonor led the way, climbing down the ladder.

I followed her down into the basement.

—

“…What exactly was this place used for?”

The inside of the basement had a completely different atmosphere from above.

A lamp hanging from the ceiling illuminated the interior, and the walls were solidly reinforced with bricks.

On one side, long-preserved food supplies were stacked, and on the opposite side, there were furniture and even a bed.

“It’s a secret warehouse made by a smuggler we executed before. Registered under someone else’s name to avoid investigation, so on paper, it’s still a normal house even though it’s empty now. I just renovated it as a hideout for fun, never thought it’d come in handy like this…”

Leonor shrugged, sitting on the bed.

Building a smuggling warehouse near Astraea’s church, that guy must’ve had some guts.

Guess he believed in the saying that the darkest place is under the lamp.

“Anyway, thanks for coming. It’s been a while since we’ve talked like this.”

“Yeah. You don’t seem to have been doing well… but at least you’re safe, that’s what matters.”

Under the light, Leonor looked haggard.

Her golden hair, usually tied up, was loosely hanging, and she probably hadn’t washed properly for days, giving off a faint smell.

Jin did it.

The academy uniform, which I always wore, was also dirty with dust and dirt all over.

It seems like I’ve been through a lot, as the shadowed corners of my eyes were slightly swollen.

It was hard to say that I was doing well, even as a compliment.

“Safe… yes, I should say I’m safe for now. At least I managed to avoid being caught by that woman.”

A bitter smile appeared on my dark face.

“That woman? I had a rough idea from the letter… As expected, Empress Isabella did something. What happened?”

“Empress? That devilish woman. I will definitely kill her…”

Leonor muttered, grinding her teeth.

—-

The story she told wasn’t particularly new information.

It was exactly what Leopold and I had speculated.

“So, you don’t know exactly what happened between them or what Isabella’s true intentions are?”

“Right. That night, as my brother said, I left the Imperial Palace, warned our people, and then came here to hide. Since you found me, it seems the members are safe. Honestly, it was half a gamble.”

Leonor let out a sigh of relief, as if she was somewhat reassured.

“About that letter, what exactly did you mean by asking for help? I thought you were asking for a hiding place, but seeing this place, it doesn’t seem like that kind of request.”

“No, thinking about the future, I do need another hiding place. There’s a limit to how much I can guard against others’ approaches alone… and most importantly, there’s not much water here. If we only use it for drinking, we can last about half a month. If I had known it would come to this, I should have found and connected an underground water source.”

So that’s why I couldn’t wash.

I guess I’ll have to ask Asha for help.

“I have a place in mind, but I’m not sure if it’s okay. Have you heard of the name Asha?”

“The half-breed special student who received a medal before? I heard you were quite close.”

“Right. She’s bought a whole building in the capital to use as a workshop.”

…Maybe she owns more than one building.

“Since she’s a half-breed, she wouldn’t be particularly interested in the Imperial power, and Isabella would also be wary of others’ eyes if she barged in recklessly… as long as we don’t go out, it seems like a good place to hide.”

“Definitely better than here. Half-breeds aren’t exactly a trustworthy race… but if you vouch for her, I guess I can trust her.”

Leonor also nodded as if she agreed.

With this, the hiding place issue seems to be resolved.

The probability of Asha refusing? I didn’t even consider that.

Once the matter is over, promising to pay a huge reward should be enough.

Of course, with Leopold or Leonor’s money.

It’s a reward paid by the royal family, so it’s too big an amount for her to refuse, right?

“So the hiding place issue is settled for now… what’s next?”

Surely, she didn’t risk contacting me just to ask for a hiding place.

If she planned to keep hiding like this, it would have been better to just leave the capital.

“My brother entrusted my safety to you and told me to live on. He said you would protect me. He said he couldn’t trust Leopold at all. But… there’s no reason why I should follow that, is there?”

Leonor gripped the hilt of her sword.

The veins on her pale hand bulged and twitched.

Her clenched left hand had nails digging into her flesh, with blood streaming down.

“I have no intention of living under protection in the shadows for the rest of my life. Princess Ai-shan Gi-or, I want revenge. I want to tear the enemy who took all my family from me into thousands of pieces. Without avenging this grudge, even if I have breath, I wouldn’t be truly alive.”

A gloomy voice filled with deep resentment.

Like a beast baring its fangs and growling, Leonor clearly showed her hatred.

If Isabella were in front of her, she would draw her sword and tear her apart immediately.

“Dragging that whore down from the throne and throwing her into the abyss. That’s the only help I want. So, can you help me?”

Leonor extended her right hand, which was gripping the sword hilt.

As if she had no one else to rely on, her voice trembled slightly.

“Our hearts are in sync. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do too.”

I grasped her hand.