[Vol. 8] Chapter 269: If You Can Talk, Then Talk More
As one of the heroes chosen by the goddess, Ayla naturally also knew Judgment Saintess, Frederica. She slightly bowed her head in greeting.
“I have met Your Holiness before. Eilush and I are like-minded friends. We live together and study knowledge side by side. This time, a great disaster suddenly struck our country. After working together for a long time, we finally found some clues. Since the border is very important and the war cannot be lost, Her Holiness the Pope sent us here to help.”
When facing a chosen hero, the Saintess clearly acted warmer and more friendly than she would toward outsiders. Although she didn’t plan to overdo it and reveal the other person’s true identity, she still smiled and said,
“To create such a powerful space teleportation device, I naturally do not doubt your abilities. May I ask what your plans are now? I have already sent people to prepare your lodging. Do you wish to rest first?”
The group looked at each other. Ayla subconsciously glanced at a certain priestess next to her, only to see that woman acting the same as always, pretending to examine the surroundings with a “none of my business” attitude. So Ayla took the initiative to reply.
“The curse of flesh is very serious and cannot be delayed. Rest can wait. Please, Your Holiness, send someone to take us to the military camp. In times of war, the army is the key to holding the situation. We should check there first to make sure everything is fine.”
Frederica immediately showed approval.
“Alright. No need to send someone, since this is so important, I will personally take you there. That way, we can avoid unnecessary trouble.”
Without much small talk, she removed the silver sealed coat she had been wearing, clearly for protection against spatial turbulence during teleportation and not normal clothing, and changed into her own travel outfit. Then, leading the newcomers, she took them out of the temple toward the camp.
As one of the most prosperous fortress cities on the Holy Empire’s border, Purple Mist City had two military camps, one inside the city and one outside. The Holy Empire followed an elite-soldier policy, focusing on quality over quantity, so its armies were not especially large.
At present, the main battlefield against the Austre Empire was still within the buffer zone, so Purple Mist City was still half a rear city. But because of its importance, it still stationed three whole Holy Knight legions, about thirty thousand soldiers in total. Ten thousand guarded the city itself, working with city guards and other forces to keep order, while the other two legions were in the outer camp, ready to move at any time.
The city was huge. Going from the temple to the gates would take at least half a day even by carriage. So Frederica decided to first take them to the inner city camp, which was close to the temple, full of strong fighters, and well equipped. The best place for their first inspection.
Riding in the carriage toward their destination, the Saintess gave the newcomers a brief introduction to the city and shared some local stories. She spoke in a way that wasn’t boring, and with Eilush, a chatterbox who never seemed to stop joking, adding her playful comments, the mood stayed lively.
Before long, Frederica noticed a black-haired girl who had been staring curiously out the window the whole time without joining the conversation. After hesitating a moment, she asked cautiously.
“By the way, Miss Violet, I recall that Miss Elunie and the others should have left the Holy Capital with you, correct? And there’s also Miss Xiao Guang, your two maids, and little Eudora. That should be quite a few people. Why…”
The priestess turned her eyes back from the window and smiled casually.
“They’re still in Theo Province, of course. Like I said before, I only came back to the capital to find Edwina, and happened to run into this matter, so I came along to take a look.”
“That place was hit by a great disaster, and the situation is still unstable. This is exactly the time when heroes are needed, so they can’t just run around. As for me, the ruins I care about most have already been sealed off, and I don’t know when they’ll open again. Staying there had no point, so I decided to travel instead.”
“Anyway, it’s easy enough for me to come and go. I won’t be here for long, after staying a bit, I’ll go somewhere farther with Mr. Bevis and the others. When that happens, Ayla and the rest will be depending on you to take care of them~”
"I see, that makes sense..."
Frederica nodded slightly in understanding. But before she could continue speaking, the priestess suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right. Back in Theo Province, there was a young guy who was desperately trying to come to the border. He said he had some top-secret news that he had to report to you in person, Lady Saintess. I didn’t meet him myself, so I don’t know the details, but it’s possible something big might happen here soon. You’d better be careful."
"The [World Sustainers] can’t possibly be focusing only on Theo Province. Unfortunately, there were too many accidents along the way, and that kid ran into all sorts of trouble. In the end, he still didn’t make it here. A shame..."
The others, who didn’t understand the situation, were surprised to hear this. The Saintess didn’t seem shocked that Violet knew about such strange matters. But from her tone, Frederica seemed to sense something sad. She lowered her eyes and sighed softly.
"They are all loyal and brave people."
Without realizing it, the mood inside the carriage had turned a little heavy. Even Eilush, who usually loved to chatter, opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. After a moment, Frederica spoke again in a gentle voice.
"Miss Violet, can you tell me his name? A hero who sacrifices for the greater good shouldn’t be forgotten. After the war, I want to have his name carved on the memorial."
"Oh, I think his name was Ricardo... Wait, hold on. That guy’s not dead. Why are you putting him on a monument?"
"?"
"?"
Everyone looked at each other, confused, with big question marks practically floating above their heads.
"But... didn’t you just say he never made it—"
"Because Theo Province went into lockdown! Plus, he was infected by the flesh-and-blood curse, so the Church is keeping him under watch. They’re not letting him run around. How would he come to the border?"
"......"
The corners of the Saintess’s eyes twitched slightly. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, and in the end didn’t say anything impolite.
She had to admit, although the woman in front of her was someone extremely important, someone she absolutely could not offend, sometimes she was just...
The thing the Saintess didn’t dare say out loud, Eilush blurted out without hesitation, laughing so hard she almost doubled over.
"Hahaha! See? I told you this one always talks in a way that makes you want to hit her. If she didn’t have some real skills, someone would’ve probably tossed her down a well eight hundred years ago, hahaha!"
"Ow! You hit my head again!"
…………………………………
About half an hour later, the Church’s carriage carrying the group arrived at the military camp inside Purple Mist City.
"We’ve arrived. Outside vehicles aren’t allowed to move freely inside the camp, so we’ll need to switch to military wagons or walk. That’s the rule, sorry about that."
"No problem~"
Violet stepped out of the carriage, and the first thing she saw was a majestic fortress in the heart of the city. Flags flapped in the wind, and towering stone walls, dozens of meters high, completely surrounded the camp, making climbing or crossing them by normal means nearly impossible.
Countless elite holy knights in white armor stood guard on the walls. Just by standing there, they gave off an invisible sense of authority and solemnity, silently declaring to everyone passing by. This is a restricted area, no outsiders allowed.
While casually reassuring the Saintess, who had apologized for the inconvenience, Violet was looking around at the grand military camp. In her heart, however, she was quietly feeling suspicious about a few things.