[Vol. 8] Chapter 219: The Turmoil in Saint Laos
These questions had been building up in Rowan’s heart for a long time, and now they suddenly came pouring out. Even Bevis was briefly stunned by the flood of inquiries, but he quickly recovered and calmly shook his head.
“The identities of those people are indeed extraordinary. As for exactly who they are, you'll naturally learn more as you continue interacting with them. But there is one thing I must remind you of.”
His tone shifted.
“Don’t try to dig into Miss Violet’s identity, Rowan. Her mystery goes far beyond your imagination. Even I… have only touched a vague outline at the edges. Until you’re strong enough, getting involved in such things may actually bring you harm.”
Hearing his master speak more seriously and solemnly than ever before, Rowan couldn’t help but be shocked. But what followed was an even stronger curiosity.
“Master… could she be even stronger than a Saint? Then if the two of you were to spar…”
He had only gotten halfway through his question when he realized how disrespectful it sounded and quickly shut his mouth. But Bevis didn’t seem angry. Instead, he muttered thoughtfully with a hint of emotion:
“I don’t know. Everyone has their strengths. Comparing a cleric and a swordsman based purely on combat power isn’t exactly fair. But even so, even without the protection of Miss Xiao Guang, I still don’t believe that Miss Violet would be weaker in a true fight. It sounds unbelievable, but… that’s just the truth.”
“...Why?”
Faced with his disciple’s instinctive question, the Sword Saint simply looked at Rowan quietly, then slowly closed his eyes and left him with a final, meaningful explanation.
“A being that even Tartanos, a mindless and crazed creature, fears… how could she possibly be ordinary?”
…………………………………………
“Hehe, too easy~”
Under the night sky, a young girl who had just climbed over a high wall into a courtyard looked around and giggled to herself.
Tonight was the priestess’s rare solo operation.
Miss Dragon God was secretly watching over the hero team’s progress and quietly providing them with basic protection. Eudora, not suited for this kind of task, had been left at the inn in the care of Mia and Selna. Being alone made it much easier to handle certain things.
This estate was located in a part of Saint Laos City and was the place that young lady Vera had gone to after she left earlier that day. The reason Rowan was told not to keep following them and was instead sent off to deal with that so-called nobleman Aiden… was because Violet had already come here in person.
While Rowan had been handling the unexpected incident at the market, Violet and Sword Saint Bevis had made a bet. Each would investigate from one side of the conflict and see who could uncover the real truth first by following the clues.
Though it was just a casual challenge to pass the time, Violet could tell that the Sword Saint actually wanted to use this chance to test her methods and how she handled things. Feeling a bit bored herself, the priestess agreed without much thought.
They even placed a small wager, whoever lost would have to give a valuable item to the winner’s disciple and agree to one reasonable request from the winner. As for what counted as “reasonable”… well, to avoid causing trouble, the winner would get to decide that.
Even though it was just a small game, Violet still felt a bit competitive and didn’t want to lose the bet easily. So that very night, she came over to investigate.
This girl named Vera clearly came from a wealthy family, but based on some small details in her behavior, Violet could tell she probably wasn’t a merchant’s daughter like Aiden. And this became even more obvious now that she had entered Vera’s home and seen the courtyard.
Clang...clang...clang...
With flickering torchlight, a group of fully armored guards carrying weapons came closer and closer, their heavy steps and clashing armor making a lot of noise. Violet reacted quickly, she instantly activated her [Chameleon Cloak], which allowed her to blend into her surroundings and hide.
Although the cloak could sometimes be unreliable, leading to awkward or even funny moments, against these regular guards, it worked just fine. The patrol team, which had several members, walked by her without noticing that someone was standing right there in plain sight, hands behind her back, pretending to look calm and mysterious.
As they walked away, Violet narrowed her eyes slightly and thought to herself: Just as I thought.
Vera was probably someone from an official family.
In this world, ordinary citizens couldn’t just wear armor and carry weapons freely. You had to register as an adventurer, or belong to a specific group like a mercenary guild or a merchant caravan’s guard unit. Otherwise, you’d be considered illegally armed.
Big merchant groups were allowed to train their own guards to protect goods and scare off thieves during travel. But according to the laws of the Holy Empire, private forces could carry weapons. But not produce or wear full sets of armor. Armor was allowed, but it had to be irregular, not mass-produced. That was the legal bottom line.
But the patrol team Violet just saw? Their armor and weapons were clearly made as uniform sets. Not top quality, but definitely standardized. Even in the Holy Empire, which was known for being relatively open and free, that kind of thing would be seen as rebellious unless there was a very special reason.
Also, Vera’s courtyard wall wasn’t very tall. People on the street could easily look in. The fact that these guards were walking around so openly and confidently meant they weren’t worried about being seen. Which meant they had backing. They were part of a legal military force.
And in the Holy Empire, especially in Saint Laos, the law is simple: everything belongs to the Church.
They didn’t look like Holy Knights, so maybe... City Defense Troops, or some minor military branch?
“Holy Knight” might sound simple, but it’s actually a very exclusive title. To become one, you have to join the Church, pass multiple strict tests, and prove your character and strength. According to Edwina, there were only a little over 100,000 officially registered active Holy Knights in the entire Holy Empire.
That wasn’t nearly enough to control such a vast nation. So to help out, the Holy Empire created other forces like city defense units. These weren’t as strong as Holy Knights, but they also wore armor and carried weapons. They didn’t fight in real wars but helped keep peace in the cities and dealt with smaller issues.
They were like the police, compared to the army. And funny enough, the “police” in the Holy Empire actually outnumbered the army by a lot.
But then, who exactly is Vera?
She didn’t seem like a priestess, yet her home had what looked like an official military force guarding it. Not Holy Knights, but not private guards either.
Puzzled, Violet didn’t rush to find the young lady she saw during the day. Instead, she casually strolled around the estate to explore a bit more.