Chapter 8: The Send-off (Part One)
“May the deity… bless us eternally.”
The scattered, somewhat tuneless prayers echoed from the hall.
“Thus… it couldn’t be better…”
“A hero deserves the treatment a hero gets…”
“Since Her Majesty the Saint has said so… then we…”
The crowd’s emotions gradually calmed.
In such a ceremony, nobody would go against the cleric’s wishes, especially when it came from Margaret’s mouth.
But I think they were all still a little dazed. Things had changed too quickly, and most of the clueless attendees had no idea what the recent events of the last ten minutes—or even less—truly meant.
Honestly, I didn’t fully grasp it either…
Ever since the assassin appeared, I had been keeping a close eye on the empress’s behavior. I thought that person was part of her plan and there must be a follow-up… after all, she had already set the rhythm; there was no way she’d just give up easily.
Yet the truth was, she was standing dazed not too far away, doing nothing at all. Nobody paid her any mind, and she seemed uninterested in anyone either. Only Victoria’s uncle was occasionally throwing anxious glances her way… but the empress was deaf to it, showing no reaction whatsoever.
I didn’t understand what was going on with her.
But I felt like Victoria and Margaret… they must have known.
Ah, the two exchanged glances once again… Margaret seemed to notice me staring and directed her gaze my way, offering a sweet smile.
“Miss Silvya, thank you for your understanding…”
“…Mm.” I replied softly.
Then I watched as she lifted her face.
“…Thank you all for gathering in the church today to send our warriors, our heroes, your heartfelt blessings. Next… let the honorable Sister Teresa take her rest first. We will, under the deity’s watchful gaze, send off our brave warriors.”
As soon as she finished, the black coffin representing Sister Teresa was swiftly carried away by the clerics, disappearing into the depths of the hall. The other coffins were lifted again, and the hymns poured forth from the church, everything ready.
At this point, it was the best outcome possible.
I understood that the church would still hold a send-off for Sister Teresa afterward.
But I couldn’t intervene any longer. If I continued to stop them, it would only result in worse consequences… I wasn’t foolish; I knew these things. My bottom line was simply “not sending off Teresa,” which was already quite willful, and I couldn’t let things get any more complicated.
“Captain of Knights, let them through.”
Upon hearing Her Majesty the Saint’s command, the captain waved his arm at the knights behind him, and they started to move.
But the captain seemed hesitant, whispering an inquiry to Margaret.
“Your Majesty, are we really just letting them go? There could be…”
Margaret interrupted him with a smile.
“Don’t worry.”
At the same time, Victoria hurriedly relayed instructions to Rect, her words rapid. I caught snippets like “keep an eye on the empress… don’t let her out of sight… wait for the ceremony to finish” and saw Rect nodding seriously.
He turned to leave and suddenly glanced at me before he left.
“Miss Silvya, your armor looks beautiful.”
He had a hint of a smile in his eyes, followed by, “Are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
I adjusted my helmet and looked up at his shoulder.
“Is your injury… better?”
“No issues.” Rect replied, “The miracles of Her Majesty are truly stunning. Healing such minor injuries is as simple for her as breathing.”
“Well, that’s good.”
He cheerfully waved goodbye, finding a spot to sit down among the nearby chairs.
The church knights dismantled their perimeter, clearing a path in the hall, revealing the wide-open church doors.
I could faintly hear the roaring cheers from outside.
Out of the corner of my eye, Victoria walked up beside me, extending her right hand again.
“Let’s go.”
“Mm.”
I gently grasped her hand as we advanced together.
From start to finish, Victoria didn’t look back at her mother even once.
Saint Margaret continued walking beside us, enveloping the silver-armored Queen in our midst as we stepped through the crowd and out of the church.
“Boom—”
Under the blinding sunlight, the roar of the crowd surged instantly.
I smoothed my black hair drifting down from my helmet, glancing through the narrow slit to see the ocean of people beneath the azure sky, a seemingly endless sea of .
Those wearing humble clothes and those clad in satin, they looked almost like they belonged to foreign lands. Men, women, children, and the elderly—all craning their necks and cheering, while some raised their fists and shouted as if thunder struck.
“Her Majesty the Queen—!”
“Lady Teresa—!”
“Miss Silvya—!”
The only three names I could clearly hear.
Straight ahead, countless royal guards stood like dragon snakes, perfectly aligned with their spears, creating two rows at the entrance. The line stretched long along the wide street, cutting a path through the crowd, extending toward the unseen horizon.
I supported Victoria as we descended the steps from the church’s entrance, but she suddenly stopped.
The cheers reached a fever pitch in that moment.
“Her Majesty the Queen—!”
“The Hero—!”
“Oh my! It’s Her Majesty the Saint!”
“Her Majesty the Saint has come to the royal city! Look! That’s Her Majesty!—”
The guards closest to us were desperately shouting for silence, but it was utterly useless. The crowd was high on excitement. All they could do was push back against the people in front, trying to prevent anyone from recklessly rushing forward out of overexcitement.
I straightened my slightly crooked helmet and then noticed several silver-armored guards leading three strong, dark-horned horses to our front.
My heart suddenly raced.
Wait, hold up…
In the next moment, Victoria let go of my hand.
She shook her arm, making her black cape flutter, deftly mounted one of the creatures, then turned to look at me.
“Miss Silvya, please.”
The guard holding one of the horses bowed to me, signaling me to get on.
But…
No one told me I had to ride a horned horse…
“Neigh—”
The giant beast blinked its enormous eyes, letting out a soft whine.
Panic surged through me.
I can’t do this… I’m scared of this…
Last time, Bella was there, and I was a nervous wreck, holding on to her for dear life… this time, it was obviously just me… what to do?
My legs went numb, my face stiffened—I’m sure I looked ridiculous… Thank goodness I was wearing a helmet.
Struggling to appear calm, I asked, “Do I have to ride it?”
“Miss Silvya, you are a respected Pope Knight…” I was surprised to find the guard more nervous than me, his words getting tangled, “You’ve saved so many in the royal city… it’s not… it’s not good to have a hero walk the send-off…”
…I wanted to say I wouldn’t mind.
“What’s wrong?”
Victoria’s voice came from right beside me.
I adjusted my helmet and turned my head, seeing her and Margaret already seated firmly on their beast’s back. The clerics carrying the coffins and those who participated in the prayer had already exited the church with the protection of the church knights and were waiting outside.
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
I realized I had no way out.
