RNP Page 50
Page 50
Chapter 68 Please call her Goddess!
Almost simultaneously, in the basement, the command token on the chest of Grand Master Erwin of the Knights vibrated.
"Send a message from the border!" Erwin's breathing quickened slightly.
This is a consumable communication token that is only sent directly to all paladins in the most urgent moments. The last time it was used was when the hero Mino was captured by the demons!
At this moment, all the knights in the capital, and even His Highness Ota, had received a text message from the border commander knights:
"—A fierce conflict has erupted at the border, with a suspected battle between the Rose Shadow Demon and the Ice Saintess. Lady Lena has vanished?!"
"They really are demons?!" Erwin was shocked.
Although we had already guessed that the current situation was extremely bad, it turned out to be the worst possible scenario!
The chill in the basement grew increasingly biting... Saintess Lena was protected by her icy heart as if sealed away. What kind of battle could have injured the Saintess to this extent?!
“The demons couldn’t possibly possess that kind of power… It’s the Heart of Ice! The Heart of Ice’s weakness has been discovered,” Archbishop Hope said, his face pale.
Frost continued to grow, and the temperature had dropped to an extremely dangerous level. Kalia hugged her arms, her body trembling slightly from weakness.
Erwin quickly led the archbishop and Kalia back into the church. Outside, the sounds of people talking could already be faintly heard.
"This is troublesome!" Erwin exclaimed gravely.
"Heroes and saintesses are the core forces of the human camp in fighting against the demons! They are beings who truly possess divine protection, and their status in the hearts of the kingdom's people is almost like that of pillars."
"When the Mino Warrior was captured by the demons, it caused panic throughout the entire territory... It only gradually calmed down after the memorial speech and the Warrior Awakening Ceremony, but of all times, it happened at this time!"
Erwin clenched his fists: "Damn demons, they've actually schemed to this extent?!"
A look of sadness and helplessness flashed in Kalia's eyes. As royalty, she was all too aware of the gravity of the situation.
Although Shana has awakened and become a hero, she cannot replace Mino's place in the hearts of the people in the short term.
In such a short time, not only was the strongest hero in human history defeated, but even the Ice Saintess, known for her defense, was completely defeated by the demons—it was as if the goddess's wings had been broken.
Once the news gets out, all the previous hard work will be in vain, and the kingdom will be plunged into unprecedented panic!
Border villages will be torn apart, and terrified citizens will flock to the capital like helpless lambs, leaving countless people homeless... The demons will once again bring the flames of war to the kingdom's borders.
She raised her head, gazing sadly at the statue of the goddess in the center of the church, and murmured softly:
"If, if Brother Mino were still here... it certainly wouldn't have turned out like this."
"Your Excellency Archbishop, something terrible has happened!"
A high-ranking clergyman stumbled in, looking quite disheveled. Ignoring his own appearance, he looked up anxiously and said, "The commoners of the entire western district of the capital have gathered in the church square, wanting to know the Saintess's current condition... Your Excellency Archbishop, is Lady Lena really...?"
"All members of the Knights, go out and maintain order immediately!" Erwin interrupted the priest's question, ordering in a stern tone.
""yes! ""
The elite knights inside the church shouted in unison, and filed out, carrying the high-ranking priest out of the church. The noise outside was already deafening... Erwin knew this was just a temporary measure.
Right now, only the common people in the nearby western district are gathering, but soon, all the citizens of the royal capital will be flocking to the pilgrimage church!
If not handled properly, the capital city alone will be thrown into turmoil!
"Archbishop Hope, we must find a way to explain the strange phenomena at the Holy Church... We absolutely cannot let the people associate them with Saint Lena!"
Holding Archbishop Hope's shoulder, Erwin said:
Hope gave a bitter laugh. It wasn't that simple... The Holy Church connected with the sacred artifacts and relics blessed by the goddess. The anomalies were beyond their control to begin with, and the resounding nine bells were already the most serious anomaly—
The same extraordinary phenomenon will only occur when the saintess is selected. Other phenomena that can be explained on the spot are unlikely to be hidden from the eyes of the entire nation and will only cause a greater sensation.
"There's only one way..." Archbishop Hope murmured, then suddenly closed his eyes and smiled.
"The death of an archbishop should provide a reasonable explanation for this anomaly—"
As the papal legatee and the sole authority of the Holy Church, he could communicate with the Holy Church and send out warning signals even before his death, if he so desired.
"Archbishop Hope!" Erwin and Kalia were shocked, their mouths agape.
Hope's expression was calmer than ever before:
"There's no other way... If Saintess Lena's backlash weren't so severe, perhaps we could have gotten her to step in and cover it up, but now it's backfiring."
“Archbishop Hope.” Erwin took two steps forward, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.
Hope laughed and waved her hand: "No need to persuade me, my mind is made up."
Swah——
“In that case, I will see you on your way.” Erwin drew his longsword cleanly and swiftly, his face full of gratitude.
Looking at the longsword held to his neck, Hope fell silent.
"You won't even give me a few words to say my last words...?"
"It's too late," Erwin said helplessly. "You've already analyzed it all. Unlike the Mino Warrior incident, the entire nation is now waiting for our explanation."
"There is no buffer time. Apart from your 'passing away,' there is no other way... We can't just choose another saint on the spot, can we?"
The voice just fell.
"Eh?"
Hope was taken aback.
"Ok?"
Erwin was also taken aback.
The two stared at each other for a moment, then their gazes turned simultaneously and landed on the gentle and pure-looking girl in the center of the church.
Princess Kalia blinked in bewilderment as she looked at the two who had suddenly stopped.
Head Maid Ruth asked in confusion, "Your Excellency the Archbishop, Your Excellency the Commander, what are you talking about... Why are you all looking at Princess Kalia?"
Erwin took a deep breath, strode forward, stopped Ruth, and gently pushed her three meters away from Kalia.
With a serious expression, Erwin said, "Please watch your manner of speaking, Miss Ruth."
"Within the Holy Church, all titles are used uniformly—"
"Please stay away from 'Saintess Kalia'!"
"Even if you are her servant, you cannot come within three meters of her sacred body!"
"Huh?" The head maid froze on the spot, and soon she couldn't help but exclaim again:
"what--?!"
"No! It's not the saintess!!"
His eyes suddenly gleamed, and Archbishop Hope excitedly shook his arm, muttering to himself:
"What is born tonight is not a new saintess, but the will of the goddess! The pure and immaculate jewel of the kingdom, through her devout daily prayers, has drawn the goddess's favor, and she has thus bestowed her will upon the pure and noble royal family—"
Turning to Princess Kalia, who was still in shock, Hope said with certainty:
"Princess Kalia is the incarnation of a goddess walking among mortals!"
"Huh?" Kalia's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide with shock as she stood there in disbelief.
Even the goddess statue behind her seemed startled... and its aura twitched imperceptibly twice.
Chapter 69 How could someone tell such a huge lie?
"Huh? Wait a minute?!"
Kalia's expression gradually became flustered, and her cheeks flushed slightly:
“Archbishop Hope, Commander Erwin, you must be joking. How could I be compared to the holy goddess? ... This is a blatant lie and a great disrespect to the goddess.”
"Your Highness, this is the best solution at present," Hope said earnestly.
"Our initial intention was to stabilize the kingdom's situation and prevent more citizens from being displaced. We believe that the Goddess, knowing all this, would tacitly approve!"
"But...but..." Kalia clasped her hands together in front of her chest, still somewhat unable to accept it.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at the goddess statue in the center of the church, and said with a mixture of worry and uncertainty:
"This is a lie we're telling the entire nation! Such a serious incident... can it really be covered up?"
Kalia knew that this was the best solution at the moment. Hope's death would not solve the problem and would only bring great sorrow to the kingdom... Not to mention, how could she possibly end a life with her own hands in the Holy Church?
"Princess Kalia, your arrival at the Holy Church tonight is the greatest guidance from the Goddess!"
Archbishop Hope spoke with unwavering conviction, as if he had already believed it:
"The goddess foresaw that something bad would happen tonight, so when the people of the church square saw you walk out of the church, everything would be resolved!"
"After all, it can't be a coincidence... Princess Kalia just happened to be in the Holy Church on the very day of the anomaly!"
"You only need to show up; the rest will be handled by the clergy of the Holy Church... no, by explaining!"
Kalia's mind was in a bit of a mess. Her keen political intuition told her that this was the solution that would minimize the impact of time, but as a devout believer who had faithfully followed the goddess since birth, she still couldn't quite get over that hurdle.
"There's no time, Your Highness." Erwin, sensing the chaotic clamor and questioning outside the cathedral, took a deep breath.
"Besides the Minotaur, only the goddess holds a reassuring place in the hearts of the people. But sadly, the Minotaur is no longer here..."
“Brother Mino…” Kalia’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she thought of the people who had already experienced a round of grief, and her responsibilities as royalty.
At that moment, Kalia made up her mind.
"I understand……"
At the entrance of the Holy Church.
Almost all the residents of the West End gathered in the square. Even though it was late at night, the tranquility of the night could not keep them from falling asleep.
Looking at the white light still lingering on the cross atop the cathedral, many civilians showed fear and worry on their faces.
"What exactly happened...? This strange phenomenon should only occur in the most serious situations, right?"
"Could something have happened to Saintess Lena?!" During the day, the believers who had just bought the Lena doll were more uneasy than ever before, and their voices, like seeds of fear, took root in the hearts of the crowd.
"No! The Holy Maiden will be alright! She is the Holy Maiden known as the Ice Queen! It is said that she already possesses strength equal to that of the former Ice Hero!" A small group of people said with a glimmer of hope and a sense of complacency.
"Stop deceiving yourselves!" some steadfast believers retorted.