### Chapter Ten: Falling Flowers and Flowing Water (Part One)
Leaves rustled above my head.
“What are you thinking about?”
At Victoria’s question, I shifted my gaze from the ships engulfed in flames and looked up at her face.
“It’s hot.”
That was my honest answer.
Victoria probably felt the same way. She had removed her helmet, her golden hair cascading in the wind, droplets of water running down her temple.
So I took off my helmet too, holding it at my side, and raked my fingers through my sweat-soaked hair to fix it up a bit.
Much better.
“What about those kids from the orphanage?”
I glanced at the flawless profile of Victoria and asked softly.
“They’re temporarily settled in the church.”
“And after… will it be the same as before?”
“It will be better.”
Her answer was so simple that it felt dismissive.
But I understood this was the promise from Her Majesty the Queen. If she said so, she would definitely help the children, both in their current lives and future hopes.
I felt a bit reassured.
After a brief silence, I asked her again, “What about that pearl?”
“It’s gone.”
“Gone?”
I furrowed my brows.
“When you were in the cellar, Teresa handed it off to someone and took it out of the Royal City.”
… Handed it off to someone?
“Who was it?”
“The gatekeeper of Cataloma, Pier Leonard.”
The gatekeeper?
Isn’t he the little old man who led me during my first trip to Cataloma?
“He is The Gate of Truth…”
“I had someone check his background. Name, identity, even age—all fabricated, but he has been lurking in the Royal City for ten years.”
Ten years…
I suddenly recalled Teresa’s notebook. Those random notes… it seemed like they referred to a ‘experiment’ that involved using human bl**d, starting several years ago. The bones mentioned in the notebook must refer to the spinal bones I saw.
“d*mn heretics… they must have started making preparations long ago.”
The Gate of Truth has been plotting for such a long time; it couldn’t be as simple as just breaking the egg. The focus was on that bl**d pearl that Teresa sacrificed herself to deliver.
I suspected it might… have something to do with the Land of Dragons.
“What is that pearl… the Tear of the Goddess?”
“I don’t know.” Victoria shook her head. “Let’s not discuss this right now. Come to my mansion early tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Looks like I can’t go back to the academy anytime soon… which is fine, as I’m not in the mood anyway.
Though the disaster in the Royal City has ended, so many people died without a clear reason, and there’s so much I don’t understand… I have this unsettling premonition, like “something bad might happen.”
The Gate of Truth…
For the children who died in the orphanage, I will come find you.
…………
The distant singing had unknowingly come to an end.
Before the unburned ships could sink, they vanished from sight, turning into little stars on the river surface. The farewell ceremony had concluded, and Margaret returned after finishing her prayers.
“Your Majesty, Miss Silvya, it’s time.”
Victoria nodded in response.
She mounted her beast again and turned to ask me, “Where are you going?”
I tilted my head in thought.
“Back to the church.”
Aili was still over there.
According to Margaret, when I was unconscious, it was Aili who cried, wanting to do something for me, and she had been taking care of me seriously for the past three days. I wanted to talk to her, see if there was anything I could do… at least say thank you.
Actually… after going through all that, I was a bit worried about her mental state. Although Aili looked just as vibrant and healthy when I woke up, thinking back on the scene… it was really too much for a child to handle.
“Alright.” Victoria nodded decisively. “Then let’s go together.”
I looked at her with some confusion.
“You want to go to the church?”
With the Royal City in such disarray, she must have been overwhelmed these past couple of days—there would surely be a ton of things to deal with… why go back to the church?
Victoria didn’t answer me directly, just extended her hand, “Come on up.”
“I don’t want to.”
I quickly took a step back, shaking my head like a bobblehead.
“You all go ahead, I’ll… I’ll get there by myself in a bit.”
Victoria blinked her sparkling golden eyes, gazing at me for a moment before saying, “Coward.”
Wait, why suddenly be insulting…
I quickly widened my eyes in denial, “I’m not!”
“Then get on.”
“I… I just remembered I have other things to do, so I’ll go first!”
With that, I didn’t wait for her reply and, ignoring Margaret’s somewhat perplexed stare, hurriedly bolted away.
Laugh at me all you want… I’m just scared, okay…
Reaching a street nearby, I put my helmet back on. I had wanted to find a war chariot to take me over but discovered that due to the ceremony, nearby streets were all blocked off. Armored soldiers were everywhere, and there wouldn’t be any vehicles passing through at all.
… Fine, I’ll just walk there; it’s not too far.
By the time I took a shortcut back to the church entrance, it was nearly noon, and the heat inside my armor made me feel like I would explode.
Most people had already dispersed, but many church knights still lingered around the church, which had its doors tightly shut. Several members of the Sword of Kanli were also hanging around nearby.
The ceremony had ended; why hadn’t they left? What were they doing…
As I approached the door, ready to ask a question, two knights stepped forward, “Excuse me, are you Miss Silvya?”
I took off my helmet and shook out my long hair.
“I am. What do you need?”
“Please come in; Her Majesty is already inside.”
The knights did not provide further explanation; they respectfully opened the door for me, gesturing for me to enter.
… What’s going on?
A bit puzzled, I stepped into the church and heard voices speaking.
“Do you think I want you to d*e…”
I recognized that as the voice of the Empress.
Click.
The door closed behind me.
The church hall was still bright, sunlight streaming through the ornate stained glass and casting shadows on the disheveled woman in the center.
The earlier worshippers had long since left, leaving behind a scene of chaos. Many rows of chairs were toppled over, and a plump middle-aged man lay on the ground, clutching his chest and groaning.
In the center of the hall stood Margaret, Rect, the church knight captain I had met before, and several more knights clad in golden armor, surrounding the disheveled woman.
And standing before her was Victoria, her face as cold as ice.
“Mother, does it mean anything for you to say this now…?”
I stepped forward and, once I clearly saw the woman’s face, recognized it as Victoria’s mother, the Empress of the Royal City.
What in the world happened here…
“Meaning?”
The Empress began to laugh.
“Victoria… you’ve always been clever, too clever. Many things that others take a lifetime to understand, you see through at a glance… do you know? You’re just like your grandfather.”
