Chapter 115: Light and Dark (Twelve)
“Margaret.”
Oddly enough… it was like, in an instant, all the anger and anxiety I had melted away. The only feelings left in my heart were the gentle ripples of sadness and despair.
I tilted my head, casting my gaze down at the crowd below.
“I don’t have time to waste talking to you. I’m not asking you to believe me…”
In the grand hall, people were neck and neck, craning their necks, whispering, and pointing at us—standing at the top of the back hall. The chaotic buzzing noise swirled around like a swarm of flies, and their complete lack of urgency stirred a strange annoyance within me.
Ugh, my head…
My temples were throbbing, and an indescribable mix of emotions was brewing inside me.
“If you really want to save people, do as I say. First, get them to a safer place, hurry!”
Leave the rest to me…
I can’t rely on her anymore.
“The soldiers outside, those heretics, and the Abyss… even the bishop I killed. None of them will adhere to your rules. Only I care about what you think. So please, see clearly who the enemy is, okay?”
Shaking my head, I decided to ignore the Saint.
Iliush still hadn’t shown up.
Where on earth is she hiding…
“You might be misunderstanding me… but never mind, that’s not important.” Margaret gently shook her head, “I will evacuate the civilians as you said. Pope Knight Silvya, if you have no other words to say, then I shall enforce control measures against you in accordance with the doctrines of the Holy Church as the 89th Saint.”
What!
My eyes widened, incredulous as I stared at her.
“I can’t let you continue like this. Please believe me, it’s for your own good…”
Margaret’s expression was serious, her aquamarine eyes keenly observing my every move, and then she slowly pulled out a golden necklace from her chest, which seemed to have a pendant.
She wasn’t like the typical vain women adorned in gold and sparkling jewels. For just a fleeting moment, I caught a glimpse of what seemed like a fragment of some creature’s skeleton clasped tightly in her palm.
Thump, thump!
My heart leaped unexpectedly, and a strange yet familiar warmth washed over me. Instantly, the anger that was about to boil over was smoothed out, and a strong sense of peace made my mind drift, my vision losing focus.
This is…
Suddenly, brilliant golden light burst forth from the necklace in Margaret’s hand.
“Do not resist… I will never harm you…”
Her voice became hazy, like words spoken in a dream.
“Miss Silvya, since the day we first met… or perhaps even before that, I realized your kindness and your friendliness towards humanity. After interacting with you, I became even more convinced that your nature is not bad. Unlike those mindless monsters who only know how to devour, you are an emotional being… much closer to humanity than the Abyss.”
I vigorously shook my head.
In my hazy vision, Margaret slowly approached me.
“I used to disagree with you in my heart. But now, I sincerely hope you can live a healthy and peaceful life. I wish for you and humanity to become eternal friends, and I also hope… that you and I can be friends. Miss Silvya, you’re my friend… forgive me for taking the liberty to say that. But please believe, this is my true thought.”
“You are my friend… and that’s exactly why I can’t just sit back and watch you fall, watching you gradually step into darkness without doing anything… until eventually, I have to strike down with the Holy Lance of punishment. I don’t want to see such an outcome, not at all.”
In a daze, countless golden beams shot out from the necklace Margaret held tightly, swirling around me like snakes, coiling around my body.
The familiar scent intensified.
Something’s not right…
That déjà vu feeling…
I instinctively wanted to back away, but a fleeting thought that popped up was quickly suppressed, and I remained rooted in place, unable to act. I felt no impulse to resist, not even a flicker of defiance; instead, a sense of comfort almost like lying in Abyss mud made me drowsy.
“Margaret… you…”
The Saint had now come before me, her unclear face with thin lips still moving: “Do you remember what I said to you when we first met?”
What… did she say…
“Your danger doesn’t relate to your will, but depends on the Abyss within you… that is a terrible power capable of easily destroying everything, even yourself. I understand it better than you, Silvya…”
Margaret seemed to let out a soft sigh.
“You don’t understand what you’re facing. You don’t realize that if this continues, the Chaotic Power will eventually consume your goodness, demolish all your inner defenses, and turn you into someone who is no longer you. By the time that happens, it will be too late for anything… I won’t let that happen.”
“So sleep now…”
“Set everything aside temporarily, rest well beside Her Majesty the Queen… you can’t k*ll anymore… leave everything that comes next to me…”
The entire world began to blur and sink. The Saint’s figure and her words grew increasingly distant, like something far off on the horizon.
What is she saying… what does it mean… what’s happening to me…
My vision was gradually filled with warm light.
So sleepy…
Alright, just a quick nap…
Whoosh—
Suddenly, thick black fog burst through the golden light, rising up and twisting into a shape that rushed forward. My legs buckled, and in that daze, I fell with a thud, banging my head.
Ouch…
But I was awake.
“Silvya, what do you think you’re doing!”
I heard Margaret’s angry shout. In that split second, she quickly reacted, seemingly teleporting to a distant spot. I raised my head, my mind still bewildered by the dead smoke swirling around me as I couldn’t see where Margaret was, and instinctively shouted, “It wasn’t me!”
What happened…
What was that thing just now?! Margaret could manipulate my consciousness!!!
The shock within me was overwhelming.
But no matter what, I wouldn’t wield the power of the Abyss against Margaret; the dead smoke wasn’t unleashed by me. It had to be Iliush! She’s right here, probably watching us!
I scrambled to my feet, flames igniting in my hands, my eyes darting frantically around as I continued shouting, “It’s that little girl! Margaret, hurry and find out where she is!”
In the next moment, the dead smoke swirling around me suddenly gathered above my head, morphing into a thick smoke snake that flew off the temple roof, zooming past the terrified crowd below, rushing towards the church’s exit.
“I’m about to start… sister.”
The little girl’s voice echoed dreamily in my ears, jolting me. I turned to look at Margaret in the distance: “Did you hear that?!”
“Hear what?!”
Margaret was equally alarmed.
She stood far off on the side of the temple, seemingly unable to hear Iliush’s words but clearly realizing that this dead smoke wasn’t my power.
“Can you sense her aura?”
I shook my head. “No!”
Suddenly, I heard shouting in the distance.
“On fire…”
“Fire! The church is on fire!”
Looking toward the direction of the sound, I saw smoke and flames sneaking up in the church’s front hall, mostly blocked by the columns and arcades of the grand hall. The people below were in a frenzy, rushing toward the back hall. A few nuns were caught in the tide, getting pushed around as they waved their arms and shouted, but no one was paying them any attention.
Further away, countless armored guards poured in like a tide from all the intersecting streets surrounding the church. And that fleeing dead smoke twisted in the air above the soldiers, swooping down at the most densely packed area.
…Iliush purposefully avoided the civilians; her target was those guards!
The instant I realized this, I paid no mind to Margaret, the icy mist coalescing around my feet. With a thundering crash, a sharp ice pillar surged upward, propelling me into the air.
