Prelude

Aphra and Oscar, under the protection of many Dragon-Slaying Guards, walked towards the Church of Creation.

For their arrival, it was naturally necessary for the former Pope, Randolph, to personally greet them.

Seeing the two Highnesses, Randolph stroked his long, snow-white beard.

With a warm smile on his face, he stepped forward to converse with them.

“Greetings, Your Highness Oscar, Your Highness Aphra.”

Facing this highly respected former Pope who had been blessed by the gods.

Even the noble Oscar and Aphra showed respect.

Oscar quickly took a step forward, made a gesture to support Randolph who was about to bow, and said in a respectful tone.

“Mr. Randolph, it has been a long time. How has your health been recently?”

Randolph replied with a cheerful smile.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Although these old bones can’t compare to the vitality of you young people, I am still quite healthy. By the grace of the gods, living a few more years shouldn’t be a problem.”

Compared to Oscar’s concern, Aphra was not very interested in this old man.

Out of royal etiquette and basic respect, she showed a smile and said in a crisp voice.

“Grandpa Randolph, you are the former Pope, a person blessed by the gods. You will surely be healthy and live to be over a hundred years old!”

Hearing this, Randolph laughed heartily.

He gently patted Aphra’s head and said.

“Her Highness the Princess still has the sweetest mouth.”

After a few simple pleasantries, the group was guided to their seats in the viewing area.

Sitting high up, looking down at the sea of people below, Aphra’s lively eyes were searching for something in the crowd.

Unfortunately, after scanning for several rounds, she couldn’t find the figure she was looking for.

The one Aphra was looking for was Black.

For some reason, ever since their last few encounters, she had always wanted to find an opportunity to tease Black.

Some time ago, she had wanted to send someone to directly summon Black to the royal palace.

Unfortunately, this matter was discovered by the Empress.

Elizabeth had criticized her at the time, warning her not to keep staring at him just because he was Alice’s guard.

Otherwise, when Alice woke up and found out that Aphra had been bullying her guard, she would surely cause trouble for her older sister.

Aphra thought about it and felt that it was indeed the case.

That little sister of hers… she felt that her mother’s words were very reasonable.

Alice was indeed not someone who could take a joke.

She could only give up resentfully.

Aphra had thought that since tonight was the Sacred Rite, Black would surely come to watch.

But it seemed that he still hadn’t appeared.

She could only let out a bored sigh and put the thought aside.

At this moment, the crowd once again erupted in deafening cheers.

Aphra and Oscar turned to look at the church doors.

It was Kristine.

As the central figure of tonight’s Sacred Rite, the Saintess, she had finally appeared.

At this moment, Kristine was wearing the holy robes specially prepared for the Sacred Rite.

Her silver hair was loose, her ruby-like eyes shone brightly, and her expression was serene.

She wore an ivory-white silk long dress that flowed with a soft luster under the lights.

The dress was well-tailored, cinching her slender waist, and accentuating her graceful figure.

A lily pattern, exquisitely embroidered with silver thread on her chest, rose and fell slightly with her breathing, as if a real flower were blooming.

She held a scripture in her hands and walked forward, step by step.

She first nodded to Oscar, Aphra, and Randolph in the viewing seats.

Aphra gave her a playful wink and praised her in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.

“Kristine, you look so beautiful tonight!”

Facing her friend’s teasing, Kristine smiled helplessly.

Then she turned and walked to the very center of the church’s front portico, facing the tens of thousands of believers and common people below.

She bowed devoutly.

In an instant, the roaring crowd below quickly quieted down.

Everyone’s gaze, regardless of age or gender, was focused on this Saintess.

Kristine slowly opened the scripture in her hands.

Before the Sacred Rite officially began, it was customary for the Saintess to read some important scriptures.

Since the content of the scripture was very long, this ceremony would take a considerable amount of time.

Before she began to read, Kristine’s gaze looked in the general direction of the orphanage.

She silently said in her heart.

‘Black, Irena, everyone… you must succeed.’

Then, she composed herself, and her clear voice spread throughout the area as she began to read the scripture.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep…”

Meanwhile, in a remote corner several kilometers away from the Church of Creation.

A group of people in black cloaks, their faces hidden under their hoods, were carrying out a secret operation.

They were dragging several carts, covered tightly with tarps, and stopping at predetermined locations.

The contents under the tarps were bulging, making it difficult to see what was inside.

One of the shorter cloaked figures seemed a little nervous and said in a low voice to the leader.

“L-Leán, are we really going to do that? If we disrupt the Sacred Rite, it’s a serious crime!”

“We’ll be arrested by the Knight Order and thrown in prison!”

Hearing this, the leading cloaked figure threw back his hood, revealing Leán’s face.

Leán glared at the person who had spoken and said irritably.

“You brat, are you trying to back out at a time like this?”

“Think of Little Nightingale in Drunken Breeze. Isn’t she your favorite?”

Little Nightingale was one of the top courtesans at the famous pleasure house in the capital, “Drunken Breeze.”

Not only was she stunningly beautiful, but she also had a low and melodious voice. A single song could make countless men fall for her.

Sure enough, upon hearing the name Little Nightingale, the boy who had been uneasy just a moment ago held his breath, his mouth almost watering.

A strong struggle flashed in his eyes, and finally, he stomped his foot and hardened his heart.

“Forget it! For those two thousand gold coins, for my Little Nightingale, I’ll go all out!”

“Even if I get thrown in prison afterward, I’ll accept it!”

Leán wasted no more words and began to direct everyone to move.

They lifted the tarps on the carts, revealing the mountain of magic scrolls underneath.

Under Leán’s command, everyone did as they were told.

They moved these magic scrolls to the various locations Black had specified beforehand.

On the other side, the main hall of the royal palace.

Standing at the highest point of the royal palace, Elizabeth gazed calmly in the direction of the Sacred Rite.

She wore a simple white long dress, like a flowing cloud cut from the bright moon.

The light silk clung to her graceful figure, cinching at the waist to create a breathtaking curve.

The neckline was slightly open, revealing a hint of the soft, snowy skin of her chest, which rose and fell with her breathing.

The skirt fell from a high slit, her long, slender legs showing a pearl-like luster under the thin gauze.

The moonlight shone through the white dress, vaguely outlining the shadow of her crossed legs.

It was like looking at a flower in the fog, utterly captivating.

At this moment.

A light flashed beside her, and a slender figure appeared.

“Another year.”

Noa also looked in the direction of the Sacred Rite and said meaningfully.

Elizabeth glanced at her and commented faintly.

“Another year, and your figure has grown even smaller.”

“Peeking into fate always comes with a price. This is nothing.”

“It’s just that if my body is too small, I won’t have much authority in front of people.”

Noa sighed and said slowly.

“What happened with the conflict with Randolph?”

Elizabeth changed the subject and asked.

“You found out? It’s simple. The Church’s reach is too long. I just went to chop some of it off.”

“Besides, that old fellow is probably plotting something we don’t know about.”

Noa said, but there was not the slightest bit of worry in her voice.

Hearing this, Elizabeth gave her a slightly surprised look.

“With your personality, since you suspect the other party is plotting something, shouldn’t you go and investigate it thoroughly?”

Noa shook her head.

“It might have been like that before, but now, that child will handle it well. I believe in him.”

“You trust and think so highly of him?”

Elizabeth knew very well who “that child” referred to.

“Not just me, aren’t you the same?”

“If you didn’t have high hopes for him, even if he were Alice’s guard, you would have probably cut him down with a single sword, right?”

“The young girl who used to carry a longsword and, in front of everyone, declared that she would sever fate and the gods, now also believes in fate.”

Noa chuckled softly.

Hearing this, Elizabeth was noncommittal.

“You’re waiting for him to grow, right, Elizabeth?”

“To grow enough to perform that so-called dual cultivation with you, right?”

Elizabeth’s brow furrowed slightly, and she changed the subject.

“The current Pope is not a problem, but what the former Pope, Randolph, is thinking is not certain.”