Chapter 99: The Invitation
Tap tap… tap tap…
The Horned Horse raced across the plains like a gust of wind.
The whisper of Margaret melted into the night along with the wind that rushed past my ears. After a moment, she gently raised her right hand, and a golden light blossomed like a tiny sun, illuminating our path as it floated into the air.
The loose nun’s robes were a hilarious sight as the wind rushed in, making the sleeves and collar flail about like a comedy act, while I, lacking any kind of undergarment, felt completely awkward.
So, I pulled the Saintess closer, pressing my chest against her warm back and resting my forehead against her.
“Margaret…”
With the wind howling in my ears, I instinctively raised my voice.
“I fell into the Abyss Mud… so, what happened next?”
Margaret fell silent for a moment.
Ah…
It must be hard for her to talk about it, huh?
Just as I was about to say, “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it,” Margaret began to speak slowly.
“Well, I wanted to spread the news, but Cardinal Nero wouldn’t allow it. He claimed my faith deviated from the will of the deity and wanted to imprison me and the Saintess Class until everything blew over… I was quite emotional at the time, and I pronounced his guilt on the spot, saying he had violated church doctrine by killing a Pope Knight… and then things got physical…”
“Eventually, I wanted to escape the gorge with the Saintess Class, but it was tough… we got captured. Just when I thought we’d meet our end there, the knights of the Second Legion started a riot… Do you remember that Captain of Knights who welcomed us?”
“Uh-huh…”
“That night, he and his men saved me, but when we were trying to escape to the stables, we got caught… he died right there…”
“……”
For a while, we didn’t speak again.
I wrapped my arms tighter around Margaret’s waist, feeling her breaths becoming less steady, more rattled.
“Ha—”
Suddenly, she mustered her strength and gave the Horse a sharp jab in the belly as if trying to vent some pent-up emotion. The Horned Horse sped up again, with the howling wind growing even louder in our ears.
“Miss Silvya!” The Saintess shouted into the wind, “That captain told me he believes in you! You’re not a monster at all; you’re a hero!”
“Because he believed in you, he believed in me! He wanted me to tell the Pope about what happened in the gorge! He said that a hero like you should never be falsely accused by small-hearted cowards, even in d*ath! Your heroic deeds ought to be immortalized in songs, sung by bards, and praised for all eternity!”
“He originally wanted to be a hero like you, but in the end, he became an accomplice in harming you. He felt unworthy of the knight title, and his d*ath was not in vain! He cut off his own retreat and bought me time to escape with his life, and he died there…”
Slowly, Margaret’s emotional shouts turned into murmurs carried faintly by the wind.
“I was able to escape, thanks to someone believing in you…”
“Someone willing to… defend your dignity and reputation with their life…”
“And I…”
The Horse galloped briskly.
The Saintess’s words hung in the air, reaching that fateful ‘And I’ without completing the thought.
I stopped wanting to ask her about those things.
After a long while, I cleared my throat.
“The matter is settled. Tell me about the Holy Church, everything.”
I said.
“…Okay.”
…………
The town was really close to the Royal City, closer than I had expected.
Even so, I had been jolting on the back of the beast for what felt like an eternity… my poor backside was about to split into eight pieces. Just when I was about to lose my patience, I finally spotted that familiar bustling city aglow with lights in the distance.
“We’re here!”
I shouted to Margaret.
At this moment, a crimson glow rose beyond the distant horizon, bathing the clouds in brilliant hues. Before long, the night would completely fade away.
Beneath the dawn light, the imposing silhouette of the Royal City came into focus. The cities’ dense fires twinkled like stars, scattered across the varied heights of buildings, while the towering walls appeared as unyielding as stone, standing strong against the city’s edge. I could vaguely see some scattered lights moving in organized lines outside the city, resembling countless ants plotting to topple an elephant. In the distance, I caught a glimpse of the countless tents of the Iron Guard.
They’re still here…
The Abyss has slipped into the city. Are you all really ready to face it?
“Once we get into the city, we should go to the church first. If we want to find the Abyss quickly, just the two of us is too slow. I need to mobilize all the clergy in the city, setting our search focus on unidentified, younger girls. If necessary, we should even seek the help of Her Majesty the Queen… Miss Silvya, if you don’t mind me asking, can you sense something similar… uh, I mean… its presence?”
I thought about it and gently shook my head.
“She can hide.”
Logically, the Abysses should be interconnected. If there were any presence nearby, both I and it would feel it instantly; finding it would be easy.
But this time, the Abyss was a bit special… her ability was ‘Illusion,’ and the little girl might have learned to hide even her presence, allowing her to sneak into the city, watching me from afar, even using Chaotic Power to trap me in her illusions without me noticing.
“I get it… ha—”
Margaret urged the Horned Horse to speed up again.
“Look… at least the Royal City is still safe and shows no signs of the Abyss attack, indicating it hasn’t started devouring its citizens en masse yet. If your judgment is correct, and it is indeed in the city, then it’s likely that this Abyss is something similar to you, and perhaps we can negotiate with it…”
A night without sleep… Perhaps Margaret had gone through several sleepless nights in a row, her voice sounded sticky, and her throat slightly hoarse—she was clearly exhausted but trying to power through.
“Are you okay?” I couldn’t help but ask her.
“I’m fine.”
“How about we rest when we get back into the city…”
I meant to suggest taking a break, but reconsidered: given this situation, how could we possibly rest… I too was tired, though my headache had subsided, my eyelids were growing heavier—if I were in a carriage, I would have dozed off by now.
“Once we’re back in the city, you should rest for a bit, right?” But to my surprise, Margaret turned the question back at me.
“No need.”
Hearing my resolute answer, she tilted her head: “If you can’t sense the Abyss’s presence, you can’t assist with the search; it’s better to be well-rested… I’ll take you to the church, you can sleep there for a while, and if something happens… um?”
As she spoke halfway, Margaret’s face, illuminated by the golden light, revealed a hint of confusion.
“What’s wrong?” I tilted my head up, frowning at her.
“Your eyes…”
“My eyes?”
“They’ve turned black again.”
Huh?
I instinctively reached for my eyelids, quickly tugging them down and tightening my embrace around Margaret.
If it weren’t for her reminder, I would have nearly forgotten that my eyes were red before…
Why are they black again? What the heck? I don’t feel anything!
“What’s going on…”
“Crimson Eyes.”
Margaret faced forward again, speaking softly: “When I first arrived in the Royal City, I saw you consume the Sin Fire. Perhaps the Abyss’s powerful devouring ability granted you the power of Infernal Fire, and the crimson eyes are one of its manifestations.”
“Even at the Gate of Truth, there are very few who can manifest this power in their eyes. Only the higher-ups of the church and a few Pope Knights who have interacted with members of the Gate of Truth would know about this. For us, possessing crimson eyes as a heretic represents extreme danger and insurmountable obstacles.”
Crimson eyes… Sin Fire…
I remember Teresa’s eyes turning red. Apart from her, members of the Gate of Truth like the Golden Mask and Valar can’t do that.
So, is this a representation of my third-phase powers?
I furrowed my brow deeper. I wanted to bite my nails, but I refrained from loosening my grip on Margaret.
The night I was both hungry and tired, my eyes had turned red once before; that had scared me…
But I thought I had consumed all of that power…
“Is this… dangerous?”
“Unclear.”
The wind howled loudly, and Margaret raised her voice slightly.
“I don’t have much information about the Gate of Truth. Dealing with heretics isn’t a saint’s job. But I think… it should be an external manifestation of power. Similar to how miracles emit golden light, the Power of Order produces corresponding colors; they are essentially the same… I can say with certainty that you’ve consumed and obtained the power of Infernal Fire.”
“But I also consumed…”
I suddenly trailed off, tightly pursing my lips.
I consumed the bishop too; why doesn’t it emit golden light… I should just keep this to myself…
“Haah~”
I pretended to yawn.
“This situation is unprecedented for the church, so I’m no clearer on what consequences may arise. We’ll let the Pope take a look afterwards; perhaps he will know more—”
Just then, I heard hoofbeats approaching from ahead.
Someone…
Suddenly, Margaret jerked the reins, and the Horned Horse let out a loud whinny, suddenly jerking to a halt. It leaped forward a few great bounds, rearing its front hooves.
“Ah!”
I felt my body lean back as if I was about to fall off the beast, and I shouted in surprise, quickly tightening my grip around Margaret’s waist, wishing I could wrap my legs around her. My face pressed tightly against her back, my eyes wide open.
“Pfft—”
Margaret seemed like a deflating balloon, exhaling deeply, and suddenly slapped my arm.
PIAPIAPIA!
“What’s wrong?!” I yelled.
As the Horned Horse’s front hooves landed, its massive body swayed violently, and I felt alarmed, my arms instinctively tightening once more.
“L-Let go…” Margaret’s voice was wispy, her slapping grew stronger, “You’re going to break my ribs…”
“I can’t!”
“Really, you’re going to break them…”
“I’ll fall!”
“Falling, for you… won’t be a problem…”
“But I’m scared!”
“Why though…”
Fortunately, the Horned Horse settled down quickly. Once I relaxed my arms, Margaret finally had a moment to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry…”
I looked down, feeling a bit guilty as I apologized.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Margaret waving her arm behind her, signaling for me to be quiet.
“Someone’s coming.”
The hoofbeats grew louder as I peeked out from behind Margaret, spotting a group of silver-clad knights, brandishing torches, stirring up a cloud of dust as they galloped towards us, gradually slowing down to form a line blocking our way.
It’s the Iron Guard…
“Who are you?!” one shouted towards us.
“Saint Margaret, the 89th Saintess of the Holy Church.”
The Saintess’s gentle voice now bore a slight chill compared to before.
Then I saw the knights discussing amongst themselves, and one shouted back: “Honorable Saintess, Lord Count Adrian requests your presence. He has matters of great importance to discuss.”
