Chapter 510

Chapter 133: The Jester’s Whereabouts

A night passed.

The sleeping remnants of the city awoke from the fields that had just been ravaged by war. Dawn light sprinkled through the clouds, and at the edge of the canal outside the city, amidst the bustling voices, men who had received relief food yesterday were, under the direction of some nobles, driving carts loaded with corpses to dig pits on the slopes.

A gentle breeze swept over the grassy hill, stirring up black-gray mist.

After a day and night of burning, the dry hay and diesel fuel available in the city were scarce, and the church’s time was running out. Due to a severe shortage of manpower, many tasks piled up, and the remaining dead, whether warriors or civilians, if not buried quickly in such damp weather, would rot and stink. They could only hastily dig graves.

In the northern part of Aletheia City, the square camp.

The knights who had changed shifts and slept last night had already awakened, donning golden armor and standing proudly in front of the square. Well-rested and battle-ready, hundreds of them formed an unshakable golden current. Everyone was looking ahead, where on a high platform not far away, a bald papal knight named Isaac was shouting loudly to them.

“…We have exterminated the rats in the city, but thousands more escaped outside! They have nothing to eat; when they get desperate, they will eat people again—eat those we have sworn to protect! Those foul rats, bottomless maggots, should be expelled from humanity. They are the greatest enemy of mankind!”

“My brave, fearless warriors! Our fierce battles are far from over! No matter where the heretics run, this time, we must fulfill our mission as knights and carry the noble glory to the end. Your only purpose is—”

Clang—

Swords were drawn from their scabbards, and the massive hero raised his sword above his head, roaring like a beast: “Crush them! Kill them all!!!”

In the next moment, a roar like a tidal wave erupted from the square.

Soon after, the iron hooves of the horned horses thundered within the city. Over a thousand knights formed a torrent that trampled over the ruins, charging out from the north, south, and east gates, advancing toward the distant wilderness. With the help of the nobles and civilians both inside and outside the city, a large search net was laid out.

On the northern wall, the citizens who were still clearing the battlefield cast their eyes downward, watching the departing knights. Some cheered loudly, while others wept quietly, yet everyone felt a surge of excitement. After a while, when they could no longer see the knights, they began to talk excitedly and resumed their work.

Not far away, a dozen or so headless bodies dressed in merchants’ clothes were taken down from the gallows. Each was dragged to the parapet and thrown down. When a thin, one-armed old man’s corpse was dragged over, someone spat on him: “Pah, a scheming little man from the mint, an old rat from the city! During the great disaster, he didn’t provide grain or save people, causing the Third Knight Order to lose. He treated us like animals; he deserves to die a miserable death!”

The old man’s body was kicked several times by a few strong men before being pushed off the wall. Below the high wall, there was already a cart waiting. Once the bodies were thrown down, a few people would come up to lift the soft, broken corpses and take them out of the city for burial.

The sunlight gradually rose.

The clamor of people mixed in a chaotic blur, spreading from far beyond the city walls. A young girl, who had kicked off her thin blanket and rolled far from the corner, frowned, slowly opening her eyes, waking up from her sleep.

“Mm… hmm…”

The moan she let out was like the most enchanting whisper in the world. She rubbed her eyes, got up from the ground, sat cross-legged, and stared blankly for a long time before yawning.

“Ha~”

I slept so deeply…

…What time is it?

Sunlight and the noisy chatter seeped through the gaps in the walls. I lifted my head, sitting still for a moment in the light, then smoothed my messy hair. After washing and tidying up briefly, I walked out of the barracks, coincidentally meeting Safirlos’s gaze at the door.

The man smiled. “Lady Silvija, you’re finally awake.”

“…”

“You…”

My mind was muddled. I blinked, then frowned slightly. “Why are you here?”

“I was waiting for you to wake up.”

“…Waiting for me?”

While scratching my silky hair, I walked to the edge of the parapet and peered down—below, the scene was bustling with activity. Many bare-chested laborers were pushing carts filled with broken bricks and stones, entering and exiting through the city walls. Men resembling nobles directed them, dumping rubble into the distant canal or carrying it to makeshift workshops covered with canvas.

The sky was already bright.

Birds chirped overhead. From the southern plaza, through the thin mist, scattered golden armored knights could be seen moving about. There weren’t many of them, making the entire camp seem empty. Farther towards the wounded soldiers’ camp, hidden behind tall buildings, it was unclear from this vantage point.

The knights originally stationed on the walls seemed to have disappeared.

“Where’s Isaac?”

Feeling dazed, it seemed everyone had vanished. Confused, I turned to ask Safirlos, then suddenly realized something and widened my eyes.

“What time is it now!”

I must have overslept.

I hadn’t slept for almost two days and nights, and after such intense fighting, I fell asleep against the wall as soon as I finished everything last night. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep in less than three seconds. No one woke me up this morning… Could it already be noon?

“Lady Silvija, lunch is almost ready in the camp. It’s quite simple, though,” Safirlos said.

!!

My eyes widened even more. At first, I was startled, then a bit angry.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I knocked on the door,” Safirlos replied, spreading his hands, looking rather innocent. “For a long time.”

“…”

I opened my mouth, unsure what to say.

Last night, the command post received news from scouts. The whereabouts of several fleeing heretics had been discovered near the borders of Harret and Red City. After a brief meeting, Angel decided that today, Isaac would lead the knights out of the city in batches to pursue them, with the envoy of Silgaya accompanying them to negotiate food supplies with the two cities.

This was such important news. I should go along, gathering information on the jester’s exact location while clearing out the remaining heretics. Yesterday, we had agreed on the plan… but I overslept.

I overslept!

Emotions surged within me. I cursed myself internally for being so foolish and urgently told Safirlos, “Have they all left? Why are you still here? You… I need a horned horse now!”

I spoke incoherently, rushing toward the wall, but heard the man behind me say, “Lady, there’s no need to rush. Something has happened…”

“…Hmm?”

I stopped, turning to look at him.

Something happened?

“What happened?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” Safirlos spread his hands again. “Anyway, you should go see His Holiness first. I came just to inform you that His Holiness has been waiting for you for a long time.”

“…Oh.”

Didn’t everything get arranged yesterday? Why is Angel calling for me now…

It probably isn’t good news.

“Where is he?”

…

Following Safirlos, we walked through the middle of the northern wall to another tower a hundred meters away.

Inside the tower, it seemed a meeting was still going on. There were many people here. As I entered, the nobles and tax officials of Aletheia City, along with the envoy from Emerald City, all stopped their discussions and turned to look at me. Angel, wearing a luxurious robe, lifted his disheveled head from the议事桌前.

Then, he waved gently to the crowd, “You may all leave now. Follow my instructions for every step. The success of Aletheia City getting through this harsh autumn depends on how much effort each of you puts in.”

Everyone bowed and left, including Safirlos, who quietly closed the wooden door of the tower behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

I walked up to Angel, pulled out another chair, and asked him.

The blond man squinted, tilted his head to look at me, tapping the table lightly with his fingers, making a “tap, tap, tap” sound, as if deep in thought. He didn’t speak for a long time. Finally, annoyed, I pushed his hand off the table. “Stop tapping. What’s going on?”

His Holiness sighed.

“I was thinking about whether I should tell you this news… or if it’s good or bad for you to know.”

?

I didn’t speak, frowning intently at him.

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable under my gaze, the man shivered, scratched his head, looking somewhat conflicted. However, he eventually spoke.

“We have definite news on the jester’s whereabouts.”