[Vol. 8] Chapter 90: The Stubborn Holy Knight
After getting a sincere and honest answer from the Pope, Violet exchanged a look with the dragon girl sitting next to her. Then she casually took the teacup Edwina had just handed her, smiling as she did.
“To be honest, I never thought that the strict and old-fashioned little Holy Knight, who used to talk about laws and rules all the time, would one day rise to such a high position. But it looks like you really are the right person for this role. If someone writes the story of Edwina Cecilia’s life a hundred years from now, it will probably be an amazing and grand tale.”
Hearing this teasing, the blonde girl blushed and lowered her head a little awkwardly.
“W-What grand tale... I’m still far from anything like that. In the end, I was just lucky. Without your help and the help of everyone else, I probably would’ve been stuck forever in the Forgotten Land during that training mission with the Human United Kingdom...”
“Aah~ That’s where you’re wrong.”
The priestess smiled and gently shook her head.
“Xiao Guang and I have met and traveled with so many people on our journey, hundreds, maybe thousands. But why is it that the one who achieved great things was you, Miss Edwina? Fate is shaped by many small chances and important moments all mixed together. Some things matter more than others, but everything plays a part.”
“In the end, I never give people help for no reason~”
Not wanting to go deeper into that topic, Violet quickly moved on to the main point.
“Also, being the Pope of the Goddess Church at a time like this is not a safe job. There are many problems and even dangers that you’ll have to face using your own strength. I’m sure you’ve already noticed that, haven’t you?”
Understanding the hint, Miss Holy Knight's smiling face became more serious. She nodded slightly.
“You mean… the assassins, right?”
“Yes. I was almost killed by an assassin not long ago. And it’s not just me. Over the past few weeks, many high-ranking members of the church, and even leaders of allied nations have been attacked in different ways.”
“From what we’ve learned, the methods they use are very creative and hard to stop. They’ve tried poisoning food and water, sneaking in for surprise attacks, and even disguising themselves as close friends or servants before striking.”
“Even though most of the attacks were stopped in time, at least a dozen leaders from different areas and positions were still killed. This has caused a lot of trouble for public safety and war preparations. In fact, just a few days ago, Queen Lilya of the Human United Kingdom was openly attacked by a mythical black dragon. The battle shocked the entire royal capital. Now, the City of Courage is on high alert. This… is a very clear warning.”
Seeing the serious look on Edwina’s face, Violet oddly didn’t show much emotion. She casually asked,
“So, what did the assassin who attacked you look like? How strong was she?”
“Hmm...”
The Pope thought about it for a moment, then raised her hand and made a few simple gestures as she spoke.
“Well, it happened about a week ago. I was visiting an orphanage with some priests, just a regular check-up. She somehow disguised herself as one of the nuns there and tried to attack me when we were off guard. Her plan was to kill me with one strike from behind.”
“Also, unlike normal assassins, this one didn’t use regular weapons. Instead, she attacked with something long, thin, and sharp, like a part of a living creature. It looked like a spike that shot out from her sleeve. It was hidden so well that even the Holy Knight Order didn’t notice it during their initial security check.”
As she spoke, the Pope scratched her head with a sheepish smile.
“She was actually pretty strong, but you know me… I’m not some weak noble lady who stays locked up behind high walls all day. Those security checks and the bodyguards are mostly just for show.”
“When she attacked with that tentacle-like spike, I cut it off with one sword strike. But the scene was very chaotic, and I was more focused on protecting the scared children, so I didn’t attack her again right away. I let my subordinates handle it.”
“But the assassin was very skilled. She shot out more of those tentacle-like things from her sleeves and quickly took down several elite Holy Knights while trying to escape. I didn’t have much time, so I only managed to slash at her from a distance.”
“But what was really strange is, my sword strike was serious, strong enough to cut nearly halfway through her body. Even so, she didn’t seem much affected by it. And the blood that came out wasn’t normal blood, it looked like a blue-green… gas?”
At this point, Edwina shook her head with a confused expression.
“That weird sight shocked everyone. She used that moment to break through and escape. She disappeared very quickly.”
“The Holy Knight Order chased after her for a while, but it looked like she had already prepared an escape plan. They couldn’t catch her at all. At that time, the Angel City was full of people from all over the world who came to pray, so we didn’t want to cause panic. Since it looked like she was only targeting me, the church decided not to make it public.”
“She wants to assassinate me? Let her try. I don’t really mind... In fact, I kind of hope she attacks again so I can catch that strange assassin.”
“You... seriously need to care more about your own life.”
Violet, seeing the Pope acting so carefree, shook her head with a helpless smile. But she didn’t say much more, because Edwina’s confidence wasn’t without reason.
In truth, after everything she had gone through, especially after receiving her [Divine Blood] in her body and being blessed by the priestess during the descent of the god at the [River of Time], Edwina had grown far stronger than before. With both the [Sword of Origin] and the divine power of [Radiance] flowing through her body, she had gone through a complete transformation in both body and soul.
At this point, Edwina Cecilia could no longer be simply called a human or a descendant of the gods. She had become something more, something like a [Child of God], a mythic being blessed by the laws of the world themselves.
In a way… she had become a unique being, directly linked by blood and fate to the priestess. She could be seen as the start of a new species, one that might pass on its divine blood to her future children and eventually form a new mythic race.
Of course, that would be something for the distant future.
As for her current power level, it was hard to judge with a simple number. Too many factors influenced her strength. But judging from her fighting ability, according to Edwina herself, she once had a practice duel with Yuna the Brightlight Saintess, who had already reclaimed the real [Crownless Crown] and reached the peak of Demigod-level strength.
Because their powers were similar, they fought for more than half a day without using their strongest secret moves, and the match ended in a draw.