Chapter 329

Chapter 115 Light and Darkness – Twelve

“Margaret.”

It was strange… As if in an instant, all the anger and anxiety that had filled my heart dissipated. The only emotions left now were a lingering sadness and sorrow, rippling gently like waves.

I turned my head to the crowd below.

“I don’t have time to talk nonsense with you right now. I don’t ask you to believe me…”

Inside the grand nave, people crowded together, lifting their heads and gesturing wildly as they whispered about us standing at the top of the back chapel. The growing noise buzzed like flies, irritating me even more. Their lack of concern made me feel uneasy.

My head hurts…

The temples throbbed painfully, and complex emotions swirled inside me.

“If you still want to save them, follow what I say. First, evacuate them to a safer place. Hurry!”

Let me handle everything else alone…

I can’t count on her anymore.

“The soldiers outside, the heathens, and the Abyss… Even the bishop I killed won’t obey your teachings. Only I care about your thoughts. So please, see clearly who the real enemy is, okay?”

I shook my head, no longer wanting to listen to the Holy Maiden.

Elyush hasn’t appeared yet.

Where could she be hiding…

“You may have misunderstood me… It doesn’t matter.” Margaret gently shook her head. “I will evacuate the civilians as you said. Lady Silviga, Knight of the Pope, if you have nothing else to say, then I will, in my capacity as the eighty-ninth Holy Maiden of the Sacred Church, implement mandatory control measures according to the doctrines…”

What!

I widened my eyes, glaring at her, disbelief flooding my heart.

“I can’t let this continue. Please trust me, it’s for your own good…”

Margaret’s face was stern and resolute, her azure-blue eyes fixed intently on my every move. Then, slowly, slowly, she pulled out a golden necklace from the front of her dress. It seemed to be some kind of pendant.

Unlike ordinary vain women who adorned themselves with gold and silver and dazzling jewels, Margaret’s necklace had a pendant that she quickly held in her palm. I still caught a glimpse of it.

It looked like a fragment of some creature’s bone.

Thump thump!

My heart suddenly pounded, a strange yet familiar sense of familiarity washing over me. Instantly, the anger building up inside me was quelled, and a strong sense of security made my mind drift and my vision blurry.

This is…

Then, brilliant golden light burst forth from Margaret’s palm.

“Do not resist… I would never harm you…”

Her voice became hazy, sounding like words from a dream.

“Lady Silviga, ever since we met… No, perhaps even before that, I understood your kindness and your friendly nature towards humans. After interacting with you, I became even more convinced that your essence is not evil. Unlike those mindless monsters that only know how to devour, you are a sentient being… far more human-like than anything from the Abyss.”

I shook my head vigorously.

In my blurred vision, Margaret slowly approached me.

“In the past, I didn’t agree with you. But now, I sincerely hope you can live in peace and health. I wish for you and humans to become eternal friends, and also… for you and me to become friends. Lady Silviga, you are my friend… I apologize for calling you that without permission. But please believe me, this is what I truly feel in my heart.”

“You are my friend… That’s why I can’t stand by and watch you fall into darkness, watching you step deeper into the shadows without doing anything…以至于最终，我不得不对你挥去制裁的圣枪，我不愿意看到这样的结果，打从心底不想。”

As if in a daze, countless golden rays burst forth from the pendant Margaret tightly held, swirling around like snakes, forming tangible golden smoke that wrapped around my body.

The familiar aura grew stronger.

Something’s wrong…

This feeling of familiarity…

Instinctively, I wanted to retreat, but a thought instantly suppressed it.

Down and down, repeatedly, always standing in the same spot, unable to make any move, not even a spark of resistance rising in her heart. There was even a sense of ease, as if she wanted to lie down in the abyss. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she felt an overwhelming desire to sleep.

“Marg…aret…”

The Holy Maiden had already come before her. On her indistinct face, thin lips moved: “Do you remember our first meeting? What did I tell you then?”

What did she say?

“You’re dangerous not because of your will, but because of the abyss within you… It’s a terrifying force that can easily destroy everything, including yourself. I understand it better than you do, Sylvieja…”

Margaret seemed to sigh softly.

“You don’t know what you’re facing. You don’t understand that if this continues, the chaotic power will eventually devour your goodness and destroy all your defenses, making you no longer yourself. By then, it will be too late… I won’t let that happen.”

“So, sleep…”

“Forget about everything for now, rest safely by the Queen’s side… You can’t kill anymore… Leave the rest to me…”

The world gradually blurred and sank. The figure of the Holy Maiden and her words became distant, like something seen on the horizon.

What did she say… What does it mean… What’s happening to me…

Her vision was gradually filled with warm light.

So sleepy…

Forget it, just rest for a moment…

Huu—

Suddenly, dense black fog broke through the golden light, rising from in front of her and twisting forward. She stumbled, collapsing with a dazed feeling, and hit her head with a thud.

It hurt…

But she regained consciousness.

“Sylvieja, what do you want to do!”

She heard Margaret’s angry shout. In that fleeting moment, Margaret had reacted quickly and seemed to have teleported away. She hurriedly raised her head, looking around at the swirling smoke still circling her, her mind muddled. She couldn’t see where Margaret was and instinctively shouted, “It wasn’t me!”

What’s going on…

What was that thing! Margaret could control my consciousness!!!

The shock was overwhelming.

But no matter what, she wouldn’t use the abyss’s power against Margaret. This smoke wasn’t released by her; it must have been Eiru Shi! She was here, watching them!

She scrambled up, flames erupting from her hands, her gaze sweeping frantically around, and continued shouting, “It’s that little girl! Margaret, find her!”

In the next moment, the swirling smoke around her gathered above her head, forming a thick smoke snake that flew out of the ceiling, soaring over the crowd below in a roar of shouts, heading toward the direction of the church exit.

“I’m starting… Sister.”

The little girl’s voice echoed in her ear like a dream, startling her. She then looked far off at Margaret: “Did you hear that!”

“What did you hear?!”

Margaret was equally startled.

She stood far away on the side of the roof, seemingly unable to hear Eiru Shi’s words, but clearly realized that this smoke was not her power.

“Can you feel her presence?”

She shook her head: “No!”

Suddenly, she heard someone in the distance shouting in panic.

“It’s on fire…”

“It’s on fire! The church is on fire!”

Following the sound, she saw the front hall of the church, mostly obscured by the pillars and pavilions in the middle, with smoke and flames flickering. Below, the crowd surged like boiling water, fleeing toward the back of the church. Several nuns were caught in the crowd, waving and shouting, but no one paid attention.

Farther away, countless soldiers in silver armor poured in from the streets in front of the church. The escaping smoke circled above the soldiers once, then suddenly descended onto the densest part of the crowd.

…Eiru Shi deliberately avoided the civilians; her target was those soldiers!

Realizing this, she ignored Margaret on the other side. Cold mist condensed beneath her feet, and with a dull thud, sharp ice columns shot up, propelling her high into the air.