### Chapter 109: Light and Dark (Part Six)
The journey was short, but I kept my guard up to the max, always ready for another sneaky ambush.
Yet after those three guys from the Gate of Truth bit the dust, it was as if the whole area suddenly relaxed. Aside from a few panicked civilians darting around, I didn’t see a single soldier on my way.
Just three people, huh…
That’s for the best.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Amidst the whistling wind, I landed a short distance from the church entrance and started jogging toward the door.
“Who goes there!”
“That’s…”
At the church entrance, a small squad of guards loitered around. They froze for a moment when they saw me, then clang clang—swords were drawn, and the commander started signaling. They were clearly trying to corral me.
“Get out of my way!”
I shouted angrily while not slowing my pace. But those soldiers weren’t intimidated; instead, a fierce look crossed their faces when they spotted the person I was carrying.
“Stop her! Stop her!”
“Don’t let her in! If you do, we’re all dead!”
Oh, for crying out loud…
Just d*e already!
With a series of spine-chilling explosions, sharp ice spikes began to form in front of me, ready to launch, just as a brilliant golden light erupted overhead.
The Golden Bell…
My hands trembled, and my instincts told me to retreat, but then I remembered: it was Margaret.
She was going to interfere again…
In that moment of anger, an attack rained down from the sky.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Five intricately carved holy lances crashed in front of me, embedding themselves deep into the ground and blocking the soldiers’ advance. As debris flew everywhere, the sounds of hooves and Margaret’s indignant voice echoed from the street: “Who gave you the audacity! This is a sacred church!”
But those guys didn’t seem to have any plans to give up. After their initial shock, they quickly regained their senses upon recognizing who had arrived.
“Steady, don’t be afraid! The Saint can’t k*ll!”
“Let’s take out Elizabeth first! We’ll be rich—”
“Either way, we’re dead…”
“Hahaha!”
The soldiers’ hands trembled violently as they gripped their swords in fear, yet they couldn’t contain the twisted excitement bubbling deep inside. The enormous temptation warped their faces into grotesque masks as they screamed madly, not caring about their heads bleeding from being hit by stones, as they rushed past the holy lances once more, swinging their blades at me.
Knowing nothing about their own doom…
Whoosh—
In the next moment, several ice spikes shot out simultaneously, piercing through the chest plates and throats of the frontrunners, impaling them and emerging from their backs. Their faces froze in shock, vibrant red splattering everywhere, and despite the inertia, they stumbled a few steps before falling silent to the ground.
At the same time, I crouched and jumped onto one of the upright holy lance handles, steadying myself.
With my right arm wrapped tightly around the person in my arms, I let go with my left and faced down, palm down.
“Silvya, enough!”
Enough?
I didn’t think so…
Bang, bang, bang!
The Ice Mist erupted from beneath me, engulfing all the soldiers in its frosty grip.
This blow left no room for them to struggle or shout; they were instantly frozen into ice sculptures.
Blue-glimmering ice crystals scattered in front of me.
I turned and jumped down from the lance handle, striding confidently toward the church.
“Silvya!”
Just a few steps in, I heard Margaret’s shout from behind. She seemed to have hurriedly dismounted and the sound of her footsteps echoed loudly as she chased after me.
“They don’t know anything!”
They don’t know anything?
I didn’t even glance back. “But they want to k*ll Victoria. And me.”
Margaret caught up, walking beside me: “They are just a bunch of pitiful, ignorant, and stupid soldiers!”
“But people like that… in the Royal City, they k*ll civilians and r*pe women.”
Ignorant? Stupid?
Isn’t that the very reason most people commit evil?
The Saint fell silent all of a sudden.
“Margaret, I’ve seen it all.”
Seeing her stop, I turned and locked eyes with her unfocused gaze.
“I’ve seen what they were doing in the city. I think… what you’re doing is wrong. This isn’t kindness; it’s allowing evil… but right now, I don’t want to discuss this with you.”
I tried to keep my voice calm, without any negative emotions.
“You know I want to save a king who is gentle and cares for the people. So I just want to beg you… please don’t waste any more time. Is that okay?”
Margaret’s eyes flickered as she took a deep breath.
“Who are you to talk to the Saint like that!”
Suddenly, an old voice came from behind.
Who was this fool…
Suppressing my annoyance, I turned to see an old man in robes, striding towards us with a few clerics, pointing at me from afar, and scolding, “Where did you escape from? Are you one of Cataloma’s children? Why are you even standing here! You…”
As he walked and scolded, he suddenly got a good look at the person I was carrying and his mouth shut instantly.
He glanced at me again, then at Margaret, and realizing she was silent, he shifted his gaze back, his expression a mix of confusion and shock. Clearly, he was beginning to grasp the situation’s nuances, awkwardly rubbing his hands, stammering, “You are…”
“Shut your mouth.”
Margaret spoke out suddenly.
Her firm and merciless tone made the old man’s face freeze, and he felt a little embarrassed, yet the next moment, he forced a smile.
“Saint, you’ve finally returned…”
Ignoring his flattering demeanor, Margaret turned to the nun behind her and directed, “Get some towels, a basin of clean water, and have someone guard the church doors. Set up a Sin Barrier. If you see anyone loitering outside, warn them once, and if that doesn’t work… come find me.”
The nuns responded and left.
Then Margaret looked at the slightly awkward old man, “Where’s a quiet room?”
“Upstairs—”
“Take us up.”
“…Okay.”
Then we stepped into the church’s hall.
As we passed through the first archway, a chaotic chorus of voices flooded in like a tidal wave. Countless affected civilians were crying and shouting, almost crowding the vast foyer. Some were injured, with nuns crouched beside them, radiating a faint golden light.
I glanced around roughly, but there were just too many people, and I couldn’t find Sophia.
“These are the residents from nearby, gradually escaping here. I’ve already…”
The old man walked alongside Margaret, deliberately slowing down a step. He waved for the clerics to retreat, hesitating as he tried to communicate with the not-so-happy-looking Saint.
I trailed behind them, staring at the old man’s face until it clicked—I recognized him from the funeral ceremony, he was apparently promoted to Bishop after Teresa passed.
Margaret didn’t respond to his words; her attempt to suppress her emotions was obvious even to me. The old bishop, being more cautious, tentatively asked again, “Saint, what’s going on here…”
“What are you doing?”
Before he could finish his question, Margaret turned her head to glare at him, her eyes subtly blazing with fury.
The old bishop looked confused, seemingly not understanding what the Saint meant, unsure how to reply.
In the next moment, the Saint raised her voice.
“What are you doing?! What was happening outside just now? Why is there a guard unit in front of the church? What are they doing?!”
“They are…”
“What’s going on in the city, do you know?!”
“I know…”
“You know? Knowing yet letting all this happen? How many civilians are dead now?!”
“Saint, I have organized efforts to assist as best as we can…”
“Assist? Is that all the Holy Church’s duty is? Just to assist?!”
Margaret’s voice grew angrier, and the old bishop began to sweat.
“What you mean is…”
“You don’t need to worry; I’ll take it from here.”
“This…”
For a newly appointed bishop, this was practically a d*ath sentence.
By the time we reached the second floor and entered the room, Margaret still didn’t give the old bishop a friendly face.
“Go out and shut the door. Also… if this matter leaks, I’ll only hold you responsible.”
“Yes…”
With a click, the door closed.
I gently laid Victoria on the bed, propping her up comfortably.
She looked terrible, her brow furrowed, her face even paler than before. This made me increasingly anxious, but I had no idea what to do to help, so I turned to Margaret.
“Leave it to me,” she said.
The Saint gathered herself and began to examine her seriously. She checked the Queen’s eyes, felt her breath, and with the other hand, gently pressed on her chest.
“Injured in the lower back,” I couldn’t help but speak up.
“Help me roll the Queen over.”
“Okay.”
Together, Margaret and I supported her shoulders, while the other held her ankles, gently flipping Victoria onto her stomach. Then we lifted her dress to expose a fresh bruise, dark and swollen.
Just as Rect had said, the wound wasn’t serious; it was merely a surface cut, and it looked like it didn’t bleed much, plus it had been treated with medicine, yet the poison was still spreading, causing the surrounding veins to swell up darkly, sending chills down my spine.
“What now…”
“Don’t talk.”
Margaret stared at the wound for a moment, then closed her eyes and clasped her hands in a prayer position.
Buzzing…
Brilliant golden light illuminated the entire room, emerald glimmers danced within the golden radiance, swiftly diving into the wound. The cut healed almost instantly, and the golden glow continued for a moment before gradually fading.
But while the wound had healed, the dark veins showed no signs of change. Margaret lowered her hands, a frown forming.
“This is a bit troublesome.”
“What’s wrong…”
My heart sank further.
“The spreading of the poison has likely stopped for now, but to truly heal it will require another method…”
“What kind of method?” I grabbed Margaret’s arm, asking urgently, “What do you need me to do!”
Margaret shook her head.
“You can’t help… but don’t worry. I’ve seen this poison before, back in the Eastern Continent.”
“Eastern Continent?”
“Yeah. The Eastern Continent, Eborista… a land turned upside down by wild, misguided heretics.”
Heretics…
Of course, it’s the Gate of Truth again…
“Don’t worry; I know how to cure the poison; it just requires some time.”
Needs time…
That’s alright, it’s alright… as long as she can be saved…
“You… you must save her…”
“Once the Gate of Truth is involved, the Church can’t sit idly by, and I can’t act against the tenets. But… Silvya…”
Margaret pushed my hand away, her beautiful eyes staring directly at me.
“In a short time since entering the city, you… have killed quite a few people, haven’t you.”
“……”
I averted my gaze slightly.
Then I heard the Saint let out a light sigh.
“I’ve seen it all… those black flames… and the souls of the people…”
The room fell silent.
After a moment, Margaret continued, “I can heal the Queen, but you must promise me something.”
A condition…
I put my hands behind my back, standing on my tiptoes, looking down at the floor.
“If…”
I knew what she was going to say.
“Margaret.”
Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head and locked eyes with her deep gaze.
“I promise you. I won’t k*ll indiscriminately. Because I am not a monster. So this, I assure you… until I d*e, I will not break my promise.”
“But…”
I paused.
After a moment’s hesitation, I felt I had to say these words, to tell her.
To make her understand.
“But I’m seriously telling you. It’s precisely because I’m not a monster, I have feelings, just like those… walking on the streets, I’m no different from them… I can be happy, angry, sad, and heartbroken… so… please understand me too.”
“I have made my decision.”
“Margaret… I have never acted irrationally or thoughtlessly in my own affairs. But from now on… if anyone dares to hurt someone I care about, I… will not hesitate, and I certainly won’t let them go.”
