“So… Miss Dawn, you were just brought here like this?”

 

At the Holy Spring in the main hall of the Bright Light Temple within the Bright Light District, the Saintess, dressed in a pristine white and gold robe that accentuated her graceful curves and abundant bosom, with a radiant crown on her head, looked at the white fox lady standing before her.

 

She sighed and held her forehead, her pure and beautiful face showing a mix of amusement and helplessness.

 

“To be honest, I’m really curious now, Miss Dawn. I wonder what kind of face you have hidden behind that mask. There are at least ten thousand masked outsiders in Bright Light City. It’s such a small matter that could have been solved with a simple check, yet it ended up on my desk. Sigh… It’s truly unexpected…”

 

“Hey, hey… you’re not thinking something weird, are you? Let me just say in advance, there’s nothing wrong with my face. But just like the artifact you’re wearing, Miss Yuna, some particularly important things can’t be casually removed and handed over to others, right?”

 

Hearing this seemingly righteous defense, Yuna could only smile wryly and shake her head repeatedly.

 

“Alright, alright, I suppose you could call this a fateful encounter. I had thought Miss Dawn might make a wasted trip today and even prepared a gift to apologize. But now it seems I won’t need to give it after all.”

 

“That’s not really important… So, what exactly happened last night?”

 

As Violet spoke, she leaned closer to the Saintess, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear.

 

“Could it be… this is part of your and the old man’s plan?”

 

“How could that be? There were real casualties involved… although… no, never mind…”

 

The blonde girl gave a somewhat ambiguous reply before shaking her head again. She then waved dismissively at the Knights Templars standing nearby, who were completely stunned by the evident familiarity between the two.

 

“Praise the Goddess. Thank you all for your efforts, but Miss Dawn is an esteemed guest of mine. Her identity is not in question. I’ll personally take care of her from here, so you may return to your duties.”

 

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

 

Since the Bright Light Saintess, the highest authority in Bright Light City both publicly and behind the scenes, had spoken, the knights, despite their curiosity, couldn’t question her any further. They saluted by pounding their chests, then turned and departed.

 

After sending off the “enthusiastic” Knights Templars who had escorted her here, Violet finally found herself alone with the Saintess. Observing the bustling activity around the temple’s main hall, with many priests, clerics, and residents seeking help, she took the opportunity to ask the questions on her mind.

 

“Is this case really that serious? It seems even you were alerted, forcing you to temporarily change your plans.”

 

*Sigh…*

 

Looking at the clear water bubbling up in the nearby holy spring, Yuna let out a barely noticeable sigh and then pointed in a particular direction within the church.

 

“This isn’t the place to talk. Please follow me, Miss Dawn. It just so happens that I was about to go inspect the situation myself.”

 

Led by the Saintess, the two young women passed through the busiest part of the temple’s main hall, entered a side corridor, and continued walking for quite some time until they arrived at a relatively secluded area outside a quiet room in the rear garden.

 

Here, they found that the area was heavily guarded, with a large number of what appeared to be Knights Templars surrounding it, making the place impenetrable.

 

Violet noticed that there were at least dozens of these knights, and from the designs on their armor and the symbols on their shields, it was clear that they were higher-ranking holy warriors than the patrol squad that had apprehended her earlier.

 

These knights were at least at the level of 【Steadfast Knight】, which, in adventurers’ terms, was equivalent to the “Obsidian Steel” level.

 

Noticing that the white fox lady was observing the knights along the way, Yuna quickly offered a considerate explanation.

 

“These are elite Holy Knights, directly funded and independently trained by my Summerfield family. They operate under a completely different structure from the Knights Templars. In a sense, they don’t belong to the Church but answer directly to me. They are quite powerful and typically only deployed when dealing with particularly strong demons or heretics. What do you think, Miss Dawn?”

 

Although Yuna’s explanation was somewhat vague, Violet immediately understood what she meant.

 

So, it’s something like a private army for the Summerfield family. It seems that no matter which country it is, those in high positions always have similar forces at their disposal—just like Lilya’s 【Shadow Guard】 or the 【Wings of Freedom】 of the Feathered Emperor.

 

“They do seem quite impressive. If they’re here, it means you believe that the one causing trouble this time is indeed very dangerous, right?”

 

Before the Bright Light Saintess could respond, the white fox lady posed another particularly pointed question.

 

“In that case, why did you send those Knights Templars to carry out a large-scale search for the criminal? Even if they manage to find the perpetrator, wouldn’t they just be sacrificing themselves if they run into them?”

 

“……”

 

Faced with what seemed like a deliberately difficult or even nitpicking question, the Saintess walking ahead of Violet fell silent for a moment before responding.

 

“Miss Dawn, someone has to face the danger. If I could, I would personally lead the Holy Knights to keep all threats at bay, but… that’s impossible.”

 

“Right now, our enemy is hidden while we are exposed. Whether it’s to narrow down the search area and concentrate our forces where it matters or merely to maintain appearances and reassure the public, their actions are far from meaningless.”

 

“Even if it means they might sacrifice themselves?”

 

Yuna turned around, her smile still pure and untainted, as if untouched by worldly concerns.

 

“The Goddess has bestowed her grace upon us, granting us greater strength than the common people. This means we must bear greater responsibilities and risks. If everyone only seeks to hide in safe places, compromising for temporary comfort, then… when true disaster strikes, her protection will ultimately leave us.”

 

“Oh…?”

 

Miss White Fox’s silver-blue eyes narrowed slightly beneath her mask.

 

“Is Miss Yuna really talking about this particular situation?”

 

However, the Saintess simply continued to smile enigmatically, offering no further clarification.

 

“I’m just stating a fact. Please don’t find it amusing, Miss Dawn~”

 

As they chatted, the two young women arrived at the entrance of the quiet room guarded by the Holy Knights. The knights, clearly recognizing the Bright Light Saintess, acted as if they hadn’t noticed the white fox lady beside her.

 

The lead knight, a handsome young man wearing a white six-winged emblem, immediately knelt on one knee along with the entire squad of Holy Knights.

 

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

 

The blonde girl smiled and raised her hands in a gesture of modesty.

 

“Please rise. Pedrick, has everything been checked?”

 

The young man named Pedrick, who was equipped with a large double-bladed sword and dressed in rugged gear that made him look more like an Arbiter than a Holy Knight, nodded solemnly and stood up.

 

“Yes, Your Highness. All four victims and the sole survivor have been placed inside and are ready for your inspection and questioning.”

 

Yuna smiled, placing her hand on her chest in a simple and standard gesture of devotion.

 

“Thank you for your hard work. Praise the Goddess. Lead the way.”

 

“Yes, praise the Bright Light.”

 

Without further ado, the clearly high-ranking and capable young man, who belonged to the Summerfield family, turned and opened the door. After giving a gentle nod to the white fox lady, Yuna followed him inside.

 

Although curious about what might be inside the quiet room, the priestess lady was still somewhat preoccupied with Pedrick’s offhand remark.

 

“Praise the Bright Light, huh…”

 

Once inside the quiet room, the Holy Knights outside promptly closed the door behind them.

 

The white fox lady glanced around discreetly. The room, though quiet, was spacious and well-lit. The walls had windows, through which faint sunlight filtered in from semi-transparent paper coverings, making the space feel serene rather than ominous.

 

However, Violet, with her keen senses as a priestess, immediately detected a faint smell of blood and death lingering in the air—an odor that could only be emitted by the deceased, something more than just a simple smell.

 

The room contained little else besides several stretchers arranged side by side in the center, all covered with white cloths.

 

Clearly, these were the bodies of the victims from last night’s attack, as mentioned by Pedrick.