Chapter 51: An Urban Crisis Caused by Salted Fish

When Sylvia returned to the annex, she was completely dazed.

Everything that had happened during the day had struck her like a thunderclap.

The collapse of the holy statue.

The dimming of the sacred light.

And those inexplicable interpretations by others.

She had only wanted to quietly admire the architecture.

Yet it had turned into an apocalypse.

“I really didn’t do anything…”

Sylvia collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained.

She buried her face in the soft pillow.

The maids had long since withdrawn discreetly.

Leaving her alone in the room to face this absurdity.

In the silence, the scenes from the day replayed relentlessly in her mind.

The pope’s fanatic, glowing eyes.

The knights’ shocked, distorted expressions.

And that statue which had inexplicably toppled on its own.

“Why did it end up like this…”

Sylvia turned over.

Her blood-red eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

She was used to a quiet life.

Except for occasional care from her mother and sister, she mostly stayed alone in peace.

The feeling of being watched, discussed, and speculated on by countless people made every cell in her body protest.

“Sleep, sleep… once I fall asleep, I won’t have to think about anything.”

She closed her eyes, trying to force her mind blank.

But the harder she tried to sleep, the clearer her thoughts became.

Tossing and turning for half an hour, Sylvia finally gave up.

“This must be the first time I’ve had insomnia in my life…”

She smiled bitterly and sat up.

Her silver hair was disheveled against her pale cheeks.

Instinctively, she touched the inconspicuous Moonstone Pendant around her neck.

It was a gift her mother had specially made so she could have a moment of peace.

It could completely block all magical detection and aura sensing.

As long as she wore it, not even her mother herself could sense her location.

The room was stifling.

Heavy curtains blocked out the moonlight.

The air was stagnant.

She needed to get some fresh air.

Sylvia quietly got out of bed.

Pushed open the door carefully and listened.

The corridor was so quiet that only the sound of the wind rustling the curtains could be heard.

The guards were probably patrolling the perimeter.

She tiptoed out of the room, making her way toward the backyard.

There was a small garden behind the annex.

It should allow her some quiet time.

Moonlight spilled over the bluestone path.

The silence was so profound that even the chirping of insects was unusually clear.

Sylvia took a deep breath of the cool night air.

Her tense nerves finally relaxed.

“This is so much better…”

She sat down on a stone bench, tilted her head back to look at the full moon in the sky.

No one was staring at her.

No one was whispering about her.

No one was saying those baffling things in front of her.

This was the life she wanted.

Just as Sylvia was enjoying this rare peace, something major was happening on the other side of the annex.

Avira tossed and turned in her room, unable to sleep.

Her mind unsettled.

A sense of foreboding lingered heavily.

“Sylvia went through such a big shock today… She should be alright, right…”

The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.

Finally, she decided to check on Sylvia.

Avira tiptoed to Sylvia’s door.

Gently pushed open a crack.

The room was eerily silent.

She peeked inside.

The bed was empty.

Her mind instantly went blank.

“Where is she?”

She rushed in, threw back the covers.

Checked under the bed, searched every corner.

She was gone.

Completely disappeared.

“Sylvia is missing!!!”

A stifled, frantic roar echoed through the annex.

Avira’s sanity snapped.

Her first thought was that someone had kidnapped Sylvia.

Those damned humans!

They had just done those strange things to her at the Chapel during the day.

And now they dared to act at night?

“Corvus!”

Avira’s voice dripped with murderous intent.

The head of the Asamai Clan appeared instantly.

Dropping to one knee.

“Your Highness, your orders?”

“My sister is missing!”

The flames of madness burned in Avira’s eyes.

“Gather everyone immediately! Dig up the earth if you must—find her at all costs!”

“If it’s those humans…”

Her voice turned dangerously cold.

“I’ll make the entire Dawn City run red with blood.”

Corvus shuddered inwardly.

He knew all too well how terrifying the princess’s protective instincts for her little sister could be.

If anything happened to the little princess, tonight this city would turn into a living hell.

“As you command!”

***

In the next moment, the entire annex sprang into action.

Dozens of powerful figures scoured the night skies of Dawn City in search.

Panic began to spread.

Ophelia sensed the disturbance almost the moment Avira lost control.

She appeared instantly at the annex.

Seeing Avira on the verge of madness, she immediately understood what had happened.

“Where is Sylvia?”

Ophelia’s voice remained calm.

She closed her eyes.

Her immense perception swept across the annex,

then the entire Dawn City…

Nothing.

Sylvia’s presence had completely vanished.

Ophelia’s eyes snapped open, her heart shaken violently.

Her first thought was the Moonstone Pendant she had crafted with her own hands.

“Did she put on the pendant and go out to clear her mind?”

The thought lingered for only a moment, then she decisively dismissed it.

No!

She knew Sylvia’s personality best.

Timid, home-loving.

Especially after the chaos at the Chapel today.

She would only hide in her room.

There was no way she would venture out alone in the dead of night.

To her, that was scarier than facing an army.

Eliminating this simplest possibility left only one explanation—there was a being of equal rank.

Right under her nose.

Using extraordinary means beyond Sylvia’s understanding to abduct her daughter, and erase all traces!

Combined with everything that had happened at the Chapel during the day, Ophelia’s expression turned as cold as eternal ice.

It was those humans!

They had sinister designs.

Now they had finally made their move!

In her blood-red eyes,

a raging killing intent began to surge.

If humans had really kidnapped Sylvia, she would make the entire Holy Radiance Alliance pay with blood.

“Seal off the city.”

Ophelia’s voice was terrifyingly calm, yet the storm contained within distorted the entire space.

***

In the next moment, a dreadful pressure descended upon Dawn City.

The power of the “Authority of the Night” unleashed instantly!

All spatial teleportation was prohibited.

All flight abilities sealed.

The entire city became a massive cage with only entry, no exit.

Citizens awakened from sleep by the oppressive pressure.

Panic spread quickly.

“What’s going on?”

“What is that pressure?”

“Are the blood clan making their move?”

Chaos began to swell on the streets.

Rumors flew.

The night watch soldiers sensed the abnormality,

reporting to their superiors in waves.

News soon reached Uther VII.

“What? The blood clan has sealed off the whole city?”

The pope leapt from his bed, face pale.

“Are they declaring war?”

“Unclear, but blood clan search squads are everywhere.”

The reporting knight’s voice trembled.

“They’re frantically searching for something.”

A strong unease swelled within Uther VII.

The blood clan searching the city at night was definitely not a good sign.

Could it be related to what happened at the Chapel today?

“Summon the commanders of the Seven Great Knight Orders at once!”

He gave an urgent order.

“Everyone to battle readiness!”

Dawn City instantly became a powder keg.

The blood clan frantically searched.

Humans prepared for war.

Tensions between both sides reached a breaking point.

And the “culprit” behind it all was leisurely admiring the moon in the backyard.

Sylvia had no idea how chaotic things had become outside.

She sat on the stone bench watching the stars.

Her mood finally calm.

“It’s so peaceful here…”

She whispered to herself.

“Finally, I can rest properly.”