Chapter 5: Verbal Jousting
I stopped in my tracks.
“Why is she here?”
Looking up, my gaze swept over Victoria and finally settled on Margaret’s pale, composed face.
“We are here to send off the warriors. To bid farewell to those innocent people who have died in this disaster… Is that right?”
When I stopped, the queen whom I was holding onto also came to a halt. And when she stopped, everyone else couldn’t move forward either. The people who had already stood up from their seats were standing there blankly, and the monks carrying the coffins behind us were also frozen in place, looking at each other in bewilderment.
“What’s going on? Why have we stopped…”
The crowd began to murmur.
In front of me, Margaret, dressed in a pure white nun’s robe, remained calm and composed, looking directly at me with a slight nod.
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
I nodded as well, then repeated my question: “Then why is she here?”
This time, I emphasized my words slightly.
My helmet was slightly askew due to the movement of my head, so I reached up to adjust it.
“You know, she shouldn’t be here.”
Although I didn’t believe in these things.
The funeral ceremony was merely a way for the living to comfort themselves. Most of the coffins probably didn’t even contain bodies; just like Thaenis, their physical forms had long turned to ashes in the fire of the cellar, becoming dust that could never be found again.
The same went for the black coffin representing Teresa. She had been shattered into pieces, and if her soul truly existed, it must have been devoured along with the monster she had become, leaving nothing behind. Therefore, prayers or ceremonies were all useless.
Death is death, and once someone dies, they are gone.
These truths… I understand them.
But just as I was still eager to participate in the ceremony, I felt angry that Teresa was receiving such respectful treatment even after her death.
I was very angry.
Even though I had figured out why Teresa was here within a few seconds, it did not stop the anger inside me from burning hotter. Instead, it felt like pouring oil on the fire, and I could feel it rising to the back of my throat.
I was trying hard to suppress it.
“Silvyga.”
Victoria seemed to want to say something to me.
But she, being the queen, must know about this, so I didn’t want to hear what she had to say.
“Margaret,” I said through the narrow slit in my helmet, staring intently at the beautiful face of the saint, “is this how the Church operates?”
Margaret frowned and fell silent for a moment before finally sighing.
“Miss Silvyga, please express your thoughts.”
“I won’t send her off.”
I spoke frankly, laying bare my feelings.
I understood the intentions of the Church. After all, Teresa’s popularity among the people was even higher than that of the saint. By covering up her story, making her death seem “justified and in line with public sentiment,” the Church avoided causing turmoil among the people and saved itself from many unnecessary troubles. This was beneficial to everyone.
But I couldn’t get past this in my heart. Such actions… made me feel disgusted from the bottom of my soul, and I couldn’t ignore it like Victoria could.
Let’s just say it’s being unreasonable.
“I hate this. Margaret, if you—”
“How dare you address Saint Margaret by name!”
A sharp female voice suddenly rang out from my side, cutting off what I was about to say.
I frowned and adjusted my helmet, glancing over—under the guidance of a portly middle-aged man, a beautiful woman wrapped in a black robe quickly walked past several people and stood beside Margaret.
I recognized this as Victoria’s mother and uncle.
“Who are you, daring to speak to Saint
My lady, how dare you be so disrespectful! Do you wish to bring divine retribution upon us again! I don’t know what prejudice you hold against Sister Theresa, but you must understand what you are saying!
Victoria’s mother, her hair standing on end and her eyes bulging, pointed at me as if intentionally drawing everyone’s attention. The more she spoke, the more agitated she became.
“This is a sacred church, a solemn funeral ceremony! Sister Theresa is a great hero who sacrificed her life for the citizens of the capital! How could you not want us to pay our respects to her! Who are you to dare show such contempt for our hero and openly challenge the authority of the Holy Church! You have quite the nerve!”
Her emotions were extremely agitated, and by the end, her voice was trembling, and her eyes were red. The sudden situation left me momentarily stunned, followed by hearing people around whispering.
“Her Majesty…”
“What’s going on… Why are they arguing…”
“It seems someone doesn’t want us to pay respects to Sister Theresa…”
“It’s that short knight…”
“Why? Who is he, how dare he…”
“Hush! Lower your voice… He’s someone close to Her Majesty…”
At this moment, the pure black cloak I wore was for the funeral ceremony, not the cloak of a Papal Knight. Since I arrived late on impulse and the farewell segment hadn’t started yet, most people present weren’t aware of my identity. Hearing Victoria’s mother’s indignant accusations, although they hadn’t made any extreme remarks or actions, their gazes towards me were already very unfriendly.
This made me very angry, almost losing my temper, but I suppressed the urge to beat her up and lowered my voice, retorting, “Are you really unaware of who I am?”
“I don’t care who you are! This is blasphemy—”
Before she could finish, Victoria immediately interrupted.
“Mother, what play are you putting on now.”
The Empress narrowed her eyes, “Victoria, is this guest you invited?”
“Heh.”
A scornful laugh came from Victoria’s helmet.
She ignored her own mother and turned to Margaret, speaking calmly, “Princess Margaret, I think we should take Sir Hildegard’s opinion seriously, right?”
When she said my name, her cold voice slightly increased, making those nearby hear clearly.
“Oh… That’s…”
“Sir Hildegard… the hero who saved the capital…”
“Why is she wearing men’s armor…”
“Is it because she said we shouldn’t pay respects to Sister Theresa…”
“Is there some misunderstanding…”
Their tone immediately changed.
At the same time, Margaret nodded gently, about to speak, when the Empress suddenly grabbed her hand.
“Princess Margaret, I know Hildegard is also a Papal Knight and a hero who saved the capital, but that doesn’t justify her acting recklessly! Sister Theresa has been diligently working in the capital all these years… If you don’t believe me, just push open the church door and see how many people are praying for her right now. If you truly…”
“I know what to do.”
Margaret frowned, her expression unpleasant.
“Your Majesty, please release her hand. Such behavior is indeed unseemly… As you just mentioned, this is a solemn ceremony.”
“But—”
“Mother…”
Victoria sighed slightly.
She leaned closer to the Empress, lowering her voice, “Let the royal family retain some dignity.”
The Empress suddenly widened her eyes.
“What!”
She pointed at Victoria with trembling fingers, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.
“Victoria, you! How could you say Sister Theresa is a demon! You will be punished by heaven!”
