### Chapter 136: Aftermath (Part 2)
“Taku—”
The man couldn’t help but shout as he saw the petite figure wrapped in a cloak, casually dragging along a nearly two-meter-tall, half-dead, burly man. It was as if she just tossed him aside with a casual “thud,” throwing him into the snow. She clapped her hands and glanced this way nonchalantly—her look made Sanks freeze in place.
He of course recognized who the Cloaked Person was…
Sporting a thick, somewhat dirty grayish-white outfit that screamed “refugee chic,” even with her odd mask on, how could Sanks not recognize her? She was the quiet, pretty servant always at the side of the girl.
Just the night before, he heard that she had single-handedly knocked out all the men who dared to provoke their camp.
Sadly, Sanks had been on duty and missed all the fun…
This morning, he was still kicking himself, thinking that if he had stepped in, he could have taken that delicate-looking little gal down to the ground, forcing her to call him “big brother” a hundred times to reclaim some dignity for the soldiers of Erin Castle. This was part of why he couldn’t help but tease the two girls on the way here.
How could a woman ever underestimate—
Those guys with Taku were way too gentle.
Sanks wholeheartedly believed that the reason the men from Erin Castle lost last night was that they didn’t want to beat them too badly just because they were women. Otherwise, with Taku’s build, even if they stood there like punching bags, that minuscule fist wouldn’t hurt muscular brawn one bit.
He held on to that conviction until five minutes ago.
But in that moment, while Sanks was still grappling with the staggering and terrifying power of the girl on the ice mountain, his thoughts in a jumble, there she was—the “weak” maid—transformed into astonishing lightning, carrying an injured Taku, suddenly appearing before him.
Taku was still alive…
The man felt a spark of joy inside; even though Taku could be a bit too serious at times, everyone knew he was the kind of passionate man from Erin Castle who deserved to be called “big brother.” Back when they were in the barracks, anytime someone was in trouble, the first thought was always of him, Sanks included.
He instinctively shouted.
As he did, it slowly dawned on him that Taku seemed to have been rescued. He appeared badly hurt, and the one who saved him was that lightning-wielding figure that had zipped over from the ice mountain. That incredible power of lightning flashed nearby in the blink of an eye; the person wore a cloak and a mask that was kind of ugly, but the outfit looked somewhat familiar…
Wait a minute, wasn’t that the slightly taller maid next to the little shrimp!?
She had such outrageous and exaggerated power?!?
Once Sanks grasped the situation, his heart was hit again like a sledgehammer, and he suddenly felt short of breath, his mind completely in chaos. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the captain and many nearby soldiers instinctively reaching for their swords, panic surging through him. He immediately readied to warn them, but at that moment, the maid looked over.
Just a calm, emotionless glance.
But that look sent a shiver through Sanks, a strange chill crawling up his spine, cold sweat trickling down his temples.
He couldn’t describe what kind of look it was…
Cold, indifferent, dismissive… Those eyes behind the mask, just like how she looked at him that morning, showed no hostility—merely a hint of indifference… But at that moment, it made him feel incredibly small, as if even an ant was more significant.
Sanks was scared.
So scared that he only managed to call out Taku’s name, the rest of his words dying in his throat. Wanting to check on his comrade’s injuries, his legs felt frozen, unable to step forward.
She wasn’t an enemy…
She saved Taku, her master had defended the Northern Army against the imminent attack from the Knights Order—they weren’t enemies… Definitely not…
He knew this deep down.
Yet there he was, like a frog under the gaze of a venomous snake, terrified to move even a finger.
Until that maid turned to leave.
Clang—
With a sharp sound of steel, the captain finally drew his sword. Sanks turned in time to see the man in his thirties, face set hard, yet the hesitation in his eyes was evident…
“W-wait!”
Sanks hurriedly intervened, putting his hand out to block the captain, then shouted to everyone around: “Don’t be hasty! She isn’t an enemy! Save Taku first—”
The captain was indeed a bit at a loss, and the nearby soldiers were similarly apprehensive; they instinctively adopted a defensive posture against the unknown powerhouse, but no one truly dared to take action—there was no need for it.
These iron-willed soldiers of the Northern Army…
Were just like him, frightened by what had transpired in a matter of minutes.
“…You’re right.”
The captain soon regained his cool.
He watched the little cloaked woman who was leisurely walking away, unfazed by the clamor of swords being drawn around her. After sparing a glance at the Northern Army, she paid them no mind and strolled back toward the ice mountain. After a moment, he sighed deeply.
“She isn’t an enemy.”
Having said this, the captain sheathed his sword and waved to the nearby soldiers: “Get him to safety!”
Two quick-thinking soldiers rushed toward Taku.
“Hey, is he still alive—?”
Seeing this develop, Sanks also dashed over, feeling his legs regain their strength. He sprinted alongside the others to the unconscious Taku, crouching down to check for a pulse; once he confirmed steady breathing, they worked together to flip him over, carefully inspecting his wounds.
“He’s okay…”
“The helmet is dented, but his head’s fine…”
“His arm is scratched, but that’s nothing…”
“As long as the bones aren’t broken…”
“He just fell off the beast and got knocked out…”
“Ha! Lucky guy…”
Relieved that Taku was indeed not badly injured, the three shared a brief look, then a dry laugh erupted before their expressions fell flat. Simultaneously, they looked up just in time to see the Cloaked Woman transform into a shocking bolt of lightning, zipping towards the ice mountain.
“…She probably has the power of a Pope Knight.”
One of them muttered, staring at the dazzling lightning.
After a brief silence, another soldier, who had just arrived, patted the shoulder of the man who spoke.
“Pope Knight?”
He pointed towards the ice mountain, swallowing hard, his eyes filled with deep apprehension and fear. “Do you know of any Pope Knight that can pull off something like this?”
“…Thank goodness.”
“She’s not an enemy…”
The group exchanged glances, unable to suppress their laughter once more.
“Those sons of the Fourth Knights Order…”
“Who would’ve thought, haha! They barely had a moment to gloat before running into… into…”
Someone pondered for ages but couldn’t come up with a fitting description.
Sanks chimed in, laughing along with the others. Then, he turned his gaze back towards the top of the ice mountain.
She…
Was still there…
How—
Suddenly, a golden light erupted.
Buzz!!!!!!
Like a sunlit holy radiance, it burst forth just as Sanks lifted his head to look. The tremors of a divine miracle resonated in the sky, and from behind the ice mountain, a brilliant beam of gold shot up like a meteor, piercing the snow mist. It approached with murderous intent and a hint of rage and hysteria, reaching the girl in the blink of an eye.
“You! Should! d*e ah ah ah ah—!”
Sanks faintly heard the sharp roar emanating from the golden light.
And the girl appeared almost completely unprepared.
Oh no…
Whoosh—!
With an attack filled with hatred and full power, the piercing wind howled even from a distance. Sanks’s heart raced to his throat, and he instinctively shouted in that direction, “Be careful—”
Of course, the girl couldn’t hear him.
In that instant, images flashed in the man’s mind of the girl taking the terrifying hit directly, her frail body enveloped in golden light, torn apart by the roaring blast… As these thoughts raced through, his face turned ashen.
It’s over…
Boom—!!!
A staggering explosion arrived as expected from the top of the ice mountain.
The terrifying golden light did indeed erupt from there, but Sanks couldn’t recognize what sort of divine miracle it was. He had never seen such raw, head-on, hard-hitting faith power. He couldn’t even fathom how someone could unleash such astonishing combat strength after enduring the earlier horrendous “Falling Ice” bombardment. If anyone could, they had to be someone extraordinary in the church.
To think there was such a person among the Knights Order…
It seemed they truly intended to wipe them out.
That Refugee Girl, even with her unbelievable power of Order, with her weak body, was probably in dire straits against such a powerful opponent closing in on her…
cr*p.
Countless thoughts flew past him, and Sanks felt utterly drained, ready to close his eyes.
But in the next moment, he suddenly discovered that the situation was entirely different from what he had imagined.
With a “rumble,” the wild torrent exploded outwards like a shockwave, fierce winds blowing everyone back. Some soldiers rushed over to protect Taku’s body, and in the chaos, Sanks followed suit, dropping into the snow while keeping his eyes fixated on the figures clashing atop the mountain.
Then he saw it.
The girl, who he thought would take a devastating hit, was swallowed up by the shimmering light, her body fleetingly visible. She simply raised a hand, gently grasping the attacker’s incoming fist.
That movement was indeed very casual.
As if lightly pinching a flying mosquito or fly.
In the midst of the tremendous impact, the girl’s cloak was whipped and torn by the raging winds, its remnants scattering in the air. She looked battered, but in reality, her footing never shifted even a bit, the ferocious golden light crashing against her tiny form as if it were splashing against an immovable steel pillar—completely failing to budge her.
Then, in Sanks’s eyes, deep within the blinding radiance, the girl gripped the enemy’s hand, twisted her body, and yanked down with all her might—
Bang!
The dull sound wasn’t particularly surprising.
But immediately after that dull sound, the seemingly unbreakable ice mountain cracked open at its peak, a massive gash appearing. Cold mist swirled, carrying countless crystalline shards, and with a thunderous crash, it spread apart. At the same time, the previously dazzling golden glow abruptly dimmed…
Then disappeared.
