Chapter 524

Chapter 147 – The Benevolent May Be Called Evil, Part One

The moonlight was hazy, casting a gentle glow.

In the town center square, throngs of people gathered, lanterns and candles shining brightly. The noise was deafening as wandering performers finished their final rehearsals. The curtain in front of the stage was pulled back, revealing the eager faces of people who had come from all over. On the high platforms around them, celebratory bonfires burned fiercely.

Contrary to the lively atmosphere on this side, at the eastern row of stone houses, along a path barely visible due to the lack of people, a young girl in a white dress walked beside a woman in similar attire. They maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far apart.

The girl ate her sweet cake quickly, her star-like eyes flickering with considerable caution. She stared at the woman, and after swallowing her food, she spoke softly with a questioning tone, “So, you are someone from the Gate of Truth.”

“…”

The woman did not respond.

“Are you a councilor… or an enforcer?”

“…”

“What do you want here?”

“…”

“… Speak up.”

The girl frowned slightly, seeming somewhat annoyed but not truly angry. She bit into another piece of sweet cake, chewing slowly, crumbs still lingering at the corner of her mouth. She turned her head to look at the woman beside her. Seeing no intention to answer, her seemingly harmless eyes narrowed slightly, and the emotion hidden within was more akin to pure hostility or murderous intent than anger or annoyance.

Of course, it would be unwise to attack rashly here…

Understanding this, the girl’s blatant hostility and murderous intent didn’t seem so overwhelming. She was holding herself back.

But the woman’s silence was indeed infuriating.

Thus, the girl slowed down her pace.

“You said you had something to discuss with me. I came, and now you’re pretending to be mute… Is the Gate of Truth really so unreasonable and incomprehensible?”

Like a group of sick individuals who act solely based on their whims and are excessively arrogant yet have lost their moral boundaries.

This woman was no different…

I rubbed my hand against my skirt, then took out a new piece of sweet cake from the paper bag, “Who are you? If you don’t answer again, then… I’m busy too.”

Busy preparing to kill all of you…

“Crisp…”

As I walked slowly, I bit into the sweet cake.

The cake was already cold, no longer as crisp as when it was freshly baked.

A moment later.

The woman also slowed down and lifted her head, “Does it matter who I am?”

She said.

Ah…

That tone again.

This indifferent, almost entitled voice in a Victorian manner made me even more irritated. After swallowing the sweet cake, I asked, “Doesn’t it matter?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

She walked slightly faster than me, her back facing me, completely unguarded. She shook her head lightly, “Knowing or not knowing my identity won’t change anything about this conflict, right?”

“…”

What she said was true.

Regardless of who she was or what status she held in the Gate of Truth, it wouldn’t change the fact that we were enemies, nor would it change her true nature of associating with madmen… Despite the woman in front of me not appearing particularly mad.

Otherwise, Daniel and the others would have acted long before I arrived, and the Deer Town wouldn’t be as peaceful as it is now.

What is she thinking…

What does she intend to do…

“Crisp, crisp…”

I chewed on the sweet cake, frowning deeply, staring at the graceful silhouette of the woman. Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

If I attacked now, using all my strength, could I end the battle before she could react?

… Not likely.

“Crisp, crisp…”

I knew very well the abilities of the Gate of Truth. This woman dared to stay alone in Deer Town, even when she sensed being watched. She had the leisure to continue performing, putting aside any possible complications from the clown’s side. At least, she had great confidence in her own power… likely in the stage of the Blood Sacrifice force.

Such power, wanting to eliminate her without causing collateral damage…

How about sending her to heaven?

“Put away your petty thoughts.”

What? Was I detected?

I pursed my lips, retracting my right hand from in front of me, and tossed a small piece of sweet cake into my mouth without speaking.

Just a slight test, this woman’s alertness was quite high… she wasn’t as defenseless as she seemed.

“If we fight here, it will harm everyone in this town.”

“Hmph.”

It was unexpected for such words to come from someone of the Gate of Truth, sounding absurd. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Furthermore, you’re not my match.”

“… So confident?”

I shrugged indifferently.

“This isn’t about confidence.”

The woman stopped and suddenly turned around.

Her posture was ethereal, her movements graceful and soft. Her dress fluttered in the wind. A simple turn, a tiny gesture, already made one feel a sense of indescribable ease. Her dance-like grace seemed to be etched in her bones—how could one imagine that a woman with such talent would stand

On the stage, how much of a storm could be stirred?

I was slightly stunned, and my steps paused accordingly.

“Miss Silviga, I know that people from the Church are watching my every move. After they realize that I am a member of the Gate of Truth, I’m sure they have already started their covert investigations… Perhaps it won’t take long for you to find out who I am; they will tell you. But such matters are not particularly important.”

“You…”

Damn it.

In that moment when she turned around just now, I actually lost focus…

“As a Papal Knight and a hero of humanity… Hmph. You only need to know one thing: Lady Teresa, who once fought with you in the royal city, is my sister.”

“…”

!

Clack.

Half a sweet cookie fell from my hand.

My eyes widened abruptly.

“Surprised?”

Under the hazy moonlight, I saw the corners of the woman’s lips seem to curve slightly…

It seemed like she was smiling.

But perhaps it couldn’t be called a smile.

Or rather, she just wanted to convey “a smile” to me.

Because that expression truly couldn’t be considered a smile…

It was as if a person with severe facial muscle paralysis, even though she looked extremely beautiful, her thin lips seemed to be forcibly pulled into an arc by someone else. There was no joy in her eyes, her expression was very rigid. That strange smile lasted for only a moment before vanishing.

“In fact, calling her my sister, but if we were to delve deeper, it’s just a nominal title… You don’t need to waste time here. Lady Teresa and I do not share blood ties. However, our thoughts and beliefs align on some points… Calling her ‘sister’ is a sign of respect, nothing more. We haven’t seen each other for several years.”

“…”

I opened my mouth.

I wanted to ask her why Teresa joined the Gate of Truth.

But then I thought, asking such a question to a heretic, even if she were willing to answer, I would probably only get a distorted version of the truth.

Just then, she said…

They had some shared ideas…

“Later, I received news that she had passed away.”

Miss Messe looked at me, her gaze indifferent. In those bright, moon-like eyes, there was neither sorrow nor anger.

“Grief and reluctance… Naturally, they exist. Anger perhaps too, but I won’t blame you. Miss Silviga, you merely did what you believed was right and just. To you, we are merely sinners, cruel and violent enemies.”

“…Isn’t that so?”

“Yes,” the woman said softly. “But who isn’t?”

She raised her head, looking up at the two crescent moons hanging in the night sky, obscured by clouds. Bright light filtered through the clouds, illuminating the town’s land and houses, the bustling central square to the west, shimmering faintly.

“Miss Silviga, suppose one day you discover that the justice you believe in has long rotted from its roots, stinking, becoming nauseating… You find that all the suffering in this world ultimately stems from a selfish and foolish, arrogant and ignorant mistake…”

“Similar words were also spoken by Teresa.” I interrupted. “I don’t know what made you become like this. Such stubbornness, such madness, sacrificing unrelated people, innocent people… You don’t care about it.”

I paused.

“Honestly, I’m not interested in your reasons for doing this. You are just a group… of people who have lost their moral boundaries, bandits. Whether it’s a clown or Teresa, you are also one of these… scoundrels.”

I took a deep breath: “I don’t want to understand you, such people. I will only kill you.”

After that, a moment of silence.

“…Very well.”

The woman gave up.

Perhaps she had intended to explain something to me, or perhaps she had planned to expound on her views, but those were heterodox views. After I spoke those words, Miss Messe abandoned her original intention. She turned lightly, stepping over the mud, her white trousers unsoiled, continuing her stroll towards the central square to the west.

“I know you, Hilviga.”

She no longer addressed me as Miss.

This time, I heard emotion in the woman’s words.

“Born into an imperial family, with a father who shields you from the storms, you grew up in a honey pot, yet unlike most fortunate girls, you didn’t become a fragile flower in a greenhouse. Slaying the Abyss, saving the royal city, being hailed as the youngest hero in history, you chose a difficult path that should not have been taken. That’s remarkable… I used to think so.”

“I don’t wish to hear praises from a heretic.” I watched her retreating figure, coldly laughing.

“But now it seems you are just a little girl. Enjoying the self-indulgence of a hero, playing a childish game of trying to save everyone, doing everything possible to become… a noble and kind person, huh.”

“A mere good person, always doing good deeds, can never really achieve anything remarkable. I overestimated you, Hilviga. You are indeed a brave, righteous, and kind young girl, possessing extraordinary talent that surpasses others. Alone, you slay the Abyss and save countless lives, being revered as a hero… but that’s all there is to it…”