### Chapter Seven: In Reason and Emotion
Thud.
Victoria let go, and the assassin’s body flopped to the ground like a rag doll, lying still. bl**d began to seep out from underneath him, staining the pristine marble floor of the church in a horrifying way.
The assassin wasn’t dead; his chest still rose and fell weakly. Victoria didn’t finish him off—after all, he wasn’t hit in any fatal spots; he had merely fainted for the moment.
Taking a quick glance to confirm he was completely out of commission, I turned my attention away from the assassin, clutching my helmet tightly and scanning the panicked crowd in the church—who knows if a second assassin might pop up? With so many people around, things could get hairy!
“What’s going on… how could there be an assassin…?”
“I’m scared to d*ath…”
“Who the heck is that guy…?”
“No idea… let’s not get involved in any trouble here…”
“Is Her Majesty the Queen alright…?”
“Hey, look! Miss Silvya took off her helmet… oh my goodness… she’s so beautiful…”
“She’s a miracle of creation…”
“She’s a bit on the young side though… is she really the hero saving the Royal City?”
A chorus of whispers buzzed in my ears, sounding like a swarm of bothersome flies, and I couldn’t help but frown.
No sign of a second assassin appeared, and no one in the crowd was making any rash moves, either—whether they were gentlemen or noblewomen, they were mostly folks who had seen their fair share of chaos. Though they were a bit flustered, they still managed to keep their cool.
“Your Majesty, how are you?”
“Thank you, Saint, for your concern. I’m fine.”
After a brief exchange, Victoria bent down to pick up the sword lying on the ground and sheathed it back at her waist.
“Mother.”
She turned to face her mother, whose expression was somewhat dazed and whose cheeks were gradually losing color.
“Do you know what’s going on here?”
Her voice, cold as ice, carried no hint of emotion.
The Empress, still staring blankly at the fallen assassin, seemed to awaken abruptly at the question, her body trembling slightly.
“…Huh? What do you mean, what’s going on? How dare you ask me… I have no idea…”
Huh?
That was odd.
The Empress suddenly seemed to have lost all her earlier fiery demeanor, looking like she had just misplaced her soul.
“I don’t know what’s going on… I’m your mother! Victoria, do you suspect I would k*ll you?”
At this moment, her golden eyes, which were once like sparkling autumn water, had completely lost focus. The words coming out of her mouth were no longer fierce but resembled the murmurings of a normal housewife.
“Hmph.”
Victoria snorted coldly.
The next instant, the church doors burst open with a bang.
Clang—
The loud noise startled me so much that my little hand almost sent my helmet flying. Then came the clattering of countless pieces of armor.
The crowd, which had been slightly quieter, erupted into chaos again. I turned around to see numerous church knights clad in golden armor pouring into the hall, surrounding it so tightly that not even a mouse could escape.
Leading the pack, the Captain of Knights drew his sword with a dramatic “zing.”
“Step aside—!”
He and a few knights shoved through the crowd, striding purposefully toward us. Beside him, Rect was swinging his arms, looking serious as ever.
“What’s going on… this is…”
He muttered something barely audible while scrutinizing the panicked crowd and then knelt before Victoria in a single motion.
“Your Majesty.”
“Saint.”
On the other side, the Captain of Knights and the knights behind him knelt before Margaret, speaking almost in unison while stealing glances at the assassin lying on the ground, their expressions grave.
“Saint, what happened?”
“Someone attempted to assassinate Her Majesty the Queen, but we have it under control,” Margaret said softly.
Upon hearing this, the Captain stood and bowed slightly to Victoria.
“I’m sorry to have startled you, Your Majesty… this was my oversight. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Victoria lightly shook her head.
She pointed at the fallen assassin and instructed Rect, “Take him away and lock him up.”
“Understood.”
Rect got to his feet and waved to the guards at the door. Two of them rushed over to lift the assassin away. Meanwhile, the Captain removed his helmet, revealing a somewhat weathered face, and turned to address the church knights, barking an order: “Seal the church doors! No one here leaves for now!”
With that declaration, the crowd erupted into an uproar.
“What…! I don’t know anything…”
“This has nothing to do with us… you can’t do this! Saint—!”
“We’re all children of God, devout followers of the Church…”
Everyone panicked.
No one wanted to get tangled up in this mess. They were all trying to defend themselves, completely forgetting about Sister Teresa. Nobody paid any mind to the suddenly silent Empress, let alone the visibly anxious Uncle Victoria, standing off to the side.
In my line of sight, it seemed that Victoria, through her helmet, casually glanced at Margaret… and the Saint subtly nodded.
I picked up on that detail.
Then Margaret turned and started waving her hands to the crowd, signaling for silence.
“Please, calm down.”
But her voice was so soft that only those nearby could hear. A few individuals quieted down, but the ones further away kept ramping up the noise, making it a headache to endure.
Frustration boiled inside me.
I couldn’t help but raise my right arm, palm up over my head, taking a deep breath.
“Everyone! Stop shouting!”
With a flash of blue light and three loud crashes, three fist-sized ice balls shot up into the air, slamming into the ceiling, releasing a shower of dust and debris.
The effect was instantaneous; the entire hall fell silent, all eyes turning to me in a mix of shock… especially Rect, who seemed to shiver at my earlier stunt and now regarded me with an amused glint in his eyes.
My face heated up just a little, and I discreetly stuck out my tongue at him before quickly slapping the helmet back on my head.
My throat was a bit sore.
“Cough cough.”
I couldn’t help but cough a couple of times and took two steps to stand beside Margaret, whispering a few quick words.
Before long, Margaret nodded and looked at the now quiet crowd.
“Please, do not panic. The earlier incident was merely an accident, an intentional disruption of the funeral ceremony… albeit carried out in a rather pathetic way.”
At this point, she cast a very pointed glance at the Empress.
The Empress remained silent.
Margaret continued, “The funeral ceremony will proceed; however, Sister Teresa… will no longer be participating in this ceremony.”
A wave of murmurs threatened to rise again.
Margaret, of course, wouldn’t let anyone interrupt her.
“Please, do not misunderstand. Her Majesty the Queen never used words like ‘demon’ or anything of the sort. I guarantee this in the name of the 89th Saint of the Holy Church… this must be a misunderstanding on the part of her Majesty. Her Majesty the Queen…”
As she spoke, she casually glanced my way.
“She and Miss Silvya both believe that we should hold a separate funeral ceremony for Sister Teresa once this one is over… given the heartfelt intentions of two heroes, I believe this approach is more appropriate. ‘True heroes’… in reason and emotion, we should give her the respect she deserves.”
“May God cleanse the sins of this world and protect us forever.”
