Chapter 220

Chapter Seven: Affection and Reason

Plop.

Victoria released her grip, and the assassin’s body slumped to the ground, unmoving. Blood seeped from beneath him, staining the pristine, smooth marble floor of the church, a shocking sight.

The assassin was not dead; there was still a faint rise and fall in his chest. Victoria had not aimed to kill him; none of the wounds were fatal. He was merely unconscious for now.

A brief glance was enough to confirm that he had lost all ability to move. I then focused my attention on the helmet in my hand, scanning the panicked crowd in the church with wary eyes—there might be another assassin lurking, and with so many people around, I needed to be careful.

“What’s going on… How could there be an assassin…”

“I nearly died…”

“Who is that man…”

“I don’t know… Don’t get involved in trouble…”

“Is Her Majesty alright…”

“Hey, look… Miss Silviga has taken off her helmet… Oh my God… She’s so beautiful…”

“It’s a miracle…”

“She’s too young… Is she really the hero who saved the city…”

Voices buzzed like flies, annoying and persistent. I couldn’t help but frown.

There was no sign of a second assassin, and no one made any frantic moves, such as fleeing. The gentlemen and noble ladies, having seen such scenes before, remained relatively calm despite their initial alarm.

“How are you, Your Majesty?”

“Thank you, High Priestess. I am fine.”

After a brief exchange, Victoria bent down to pick up the sword from the ground, reinserting it into its scabbard at her waist.

“Mother.”

She turned to face her mother, whose expression was somewhat vacant, her cheeks losing their color.

“Do you know what’s happening?”

Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion.

The Empress, who had been staring at the fallen assassin, seemed to awaken from a daze when addressed, her body trembling slightly.

“…What? What do you mean by this? Why are you asking me… I don’t know…”

Hmm?

Something seemed off.

The Empress’s demeanor suddenly changed; she no longer appeared angry or threatening. It was as if she had lost her spirit.

“I don’t know what’s happening… I am your mother! Victoria, do you think I would kill you…”

Her golden eyes, once sharp as autumn waters, now lacked focus. Her words were no longer stern, sounding more like those of a common woman mumbling to herself.

“Hmph.”

Victoria scoffed.

Next moment, the church doors burst open with a loud bang.

Clang—

The sound startled me, nearly causing me to drop my helmet. Then, I heard the clashing sounds of armor.

The already somewhat quiet crowd erupted again. I turned my head to see numerous armored knights pouring into the hall from outside, filling the space until it was packed tight.

The lead knight drew his sword with a metallic clang.

“Move out of the way!”

He pushed through the crowd forcefully with several other knights, quickly approaching us. At his side, Reckt, dressed in leather armor and coat, waved his arms, looking serious.

“What’s going on… This is…”

Mumbling indistinctly, he surveyed the frightened crowd, then knelt on one knee in front of Victoria.

“Your Majesty.”

“High Priestess.”

On the other side, the knights knelt before Margaret, their expressions heavy as they glanced at the fallen male assassin on the ground, almost simultaneously with Reckt.

“Has it been taken care of?”

“There was an assassination attempt on Her Majesty the Queen, and it has already been handled.” Margaret spoke softly.

The captain of the knights stood up straight, lifting his head to give Victoria a slight bow.

“Your Majesty the Queen, I am very sorry for alarming you… It was my negligence. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Victoria shook her head gently.

She pointed at the assassin on the ground and instructed Reckt, “Take him away and lock him up.”

“Yes.”

Reckt stood up and waved at the Swords of Canri guarding the door; two of them came over. They quickly lifted the assassin and carried him away. The captain of the knights removed his helmet, revealing a somewhat weathered face, then turned to the Church knights and gave orders: “Block the church doors! No one here should leave for now.”

The moment these words were spoken, the crowd erupted.

“What…! I don’t know anything about this…”

“This has nothing to do with us… You can’t do this! Holy Maiden—!”

“We are all children of God, devout followers of the Church…”

Everyone was in a panic.

No one wanted to get involved in such trouble, and they all tried hard to defend themselves. They had completely forgotten about Sister Teresa’s matter, and no one paid attention to the silent empress dowager, let alone Victoria’s uncle who had been standing there, already feeling uneasy.

In her vision, Victoria glanced at Margaret through her helmet as if by chance… The Holy Maiden nodded imperceptibly.

I noticed this detail.

Then, Margaret turned around and began waving her hand to signal the crowd.

“Please be quiet.”

But her voice was so soft that only those nearby could hear. A few people quieted down, but those farther away continued their clamor, creating a headache-inducing noise.

My heart felt stifled.

Unable to hold back, I raised my right arm, palm facing upward, took a deep breath.

“Everyone! Stop shouting!”

A blue glow flashed, followed by three loud explosions. Three ice balls the size of fists shot up into the air and crashed into the ceiling above, sending debris and dust falling.

This immediate effect silenced the entire hall instantly. Everyone looked at me with evident shock… especially Reckt, who was closest to me. He had been startled by my action and shivered all over. Now, his gaze held a hint of amusement.

I felt a slight warmth on my face, secretly stuck out half of a small pink tongue at him, then swiftly put the helmet back on my head.

My throat felt sore.

“Cough, cough.”

Unable to hold back, I lightly coughed twice and walked two steps to Margaret’s side, leaning in to whisper something quickly.

After a moment, Margaret nodded and looked at the crowd that had stopped making noise.

“Please do not panic. What happened just now was an accident; someone deliberately sabotaged the funeral ceremony… but their methods were too crude.”

At this point, she honestly glanced at the empress dowager.

The empress dowager remained silent.

Margaret continued, “The funeral ceremony will continue, but Sister Teresa… will not participate in this ceremony.”

A commotion seemed to rise again.

Margaret would not allow anyone to interrupt.

“Please do not misunderstand. Her Majesty the Queen did not use words like ‘demon.’ I, as the eighty-ninth Holy Maiden of the Sacred Church, swear that this must have been a misunderstanding by Her Highness the Empress Dowager. Her Majesty…”

As she spoke, she casually glanced in my direction.

“She and Miss Silviga agree that we should wait until after this ceremony to hold a separate funeral ceremony for Sister Teresa… given the sincere intentions of these two heroes, I believe this approach is more appropriate. ‘True heroes’… both in emotion and reason, we should show her enough respect.”

“May God cleanse the sins of this world and forever protect us.”