In the darkness surrounding the annex.
Assamite clan assassins lurked in the shadows.
Hands pressed against their daggers, murderous intent solidified.
Opposite them, the Templar Knights gripped their sword hilts tightly.
Every nerve was taut.
Both sides were at the brink of battle.
The slightest movement from either side would ignite the fight completely.
Avira stood at the entrance of the annex.
Her crimson eyes burned with a mad killing intent.
Her entire being radiated danger.
“Hand over the person who kidnapped my sister!”
Her voice suppressed the fury on the verge of eruption.
Every word was dripping with bloodlust.
“Or I’ll show you what true fear really is!”
The Templar Knights exchanged glances.
They had no idea what was happening.
The little princess missing?
Since when?
The knight captain at the front broke out in cold sweat.
“Your Highness, we truly don’t know what you mean.”
He spoke cautiously.
Afraid to utter a single wrong word.
“We’ve been guarding the perimeter the entire time, no abnormalities.”
“Nonsense!”
Avira drew her sword, “Wail.”
The blade hummed ominously in the night.
A bloody glow began to spread.
The air thickened, heavy and suffocating.
“My sister vanished without a trace!”
“Who else could be responsible but you?!”
Her sanity snapped completely.
In Avira’s heart, Sylvia was her taboo.
Anyone who dared touch her sister must die.
***
At the very moment the two sides were about to clash, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended.
Ophelia’s figure materialized in the moonlight.
Her blood-red eyes scanned everyone present.
A demigod-level aura instantly enveloped the entire area.
The Templar Knights found it hard to breathe.
Several of the weaker ones collapsed to their knees, trembling all over.
“Where is my daughter?”
Ophelia’s voice was chillingly calm.
But the killing intent within it made the air freeze.
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
Frost began to form on the ground.
“Whoever dares lay a finger on her, I will bury the entire Dawn City with her.”
The knight captain’s face instantly turned pale as paper.
His legs began to shake.
“Your Majesty, we… we truly don’t know.”
His voice trembled so badly it was almost incoherent.
“The little princess has been inside the annex all along, we have not—”
“Enough!”
Avira lost all patience.
Bloody thorns began to spread at her feet.
The World of Heart’s Image was about to unfold.
“Since you won’t speak, then all of you shall die!”
At this critical moment, a startled shout came from afar.
“The Sacred Body has appeared!”
“The Sacred Body has appeared!”
A young knight responsible for rear-guard patrol stumbled over.
His voice shook with excitement.
His eyes glowed with fanatic fervor.
“In the back garden! I saw the Sacred Body!”
Avira and Ophelia turned their heads instantly.
Their powerful perception locked onto Sylvia’s location.
In unison, they vanished from where they stood.
***
The next second, they appeared on the path in the back garden.
Moonlight poured over the bluestone pavement, silver and liquid.
A petite figure was strolling back slowly.
Silver-white hair danced in the night breeze.
Her blood-red eyes showed confusion.
That innocent expression. Completely unaware she had nearly sparked a war.
“Sister!”
Avira rushed forward immediately.
Scooping Sylvia up into her arms.
“You scared me to death!”
She held Sylvia tightly.
Her voice visibly trembling.
The terror of nearly losing her sister had almost driven her mad.
“I thought those humans had taken you…”
“Sister?”
Sylvia was bewildered by the sudden embrace.
Question marks popped over her head.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
She had no idea what had just occurred.
She was only out for a walk.
Why did her sister look like she was about to cry?
Avira loosened her grip.
Inspected Sylvia from head to toe.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Did anyone do anything to you?”
“I’m fine…”
Sylvia blinked in confusion.
Her voice soft, with clear puzzlement.
“I just couldn’t sleep, so I went out for some fresh air…”
Ophelia stepped forward.
Gently stroked Sylvia’s silver hair.
“You wore the pendant, so we couldn’t sense your location.”
Her voice returned to calm.
But the concern in her eyes was evident.
“We thought something had happened.”
“Ah…”
Sylvia suddenly remembered the moonstone pendant around her neck.
She instinctively touched the small, inconspicuous stone.
“Sorry, I forgot to tell you…”
Her voice tinged with guilt.
She really hadn’t expected to cause such a commotion.
At that moment, Uther VII arrived hastily, accompanied by a large group of Templar Knights.
He froze upon seeing Sylvia safe and sound.
The fanaticism in his eyes instantly shifted to confusion.
“Your Highness… you’re unharmed?”
The Pope’s voice brimmed with disbelief.
“But just now…”
“I… I was just out for a walk. The moonlight was so nice.”
Sylvia spoke weakly.
Her voice so soft she could barely hear it herself.
Speaking in front of so many people made her uneasy.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I wanted some air…”
‘It’s just that simple, no one would overthink it, right?’
She prayed silently.
However, these words triggered an earth-shattering mental leap in Uther VII.
His eyes snapped wide open, his body trembling.
A walk?
Moonlight was nice?
No!
This was definitely not a simple stroll!
Why was the Sacred Body taking a “walk” alone in the dead of night?
Why hide her aura?
Why make everyone unable to find her?
This was clearly a sacred trial!
The Sacred Body had used her “disappearance” to test the response of the Holy Radiance Alliance!
To test their loyalty!
Uther VII understood everything.
Trembling with excitement, his eyes ablaze with fanatic flames.
“I understand now!”
He suddenly dropped to the ground, prostrating fully.
“Your Highness, Sacred Body, it is my foolishness!”
“For failing to comprehend your divine will!”
“Please forgive my ignorance!”
Sylvia: “???”
She had no idea what nonsense this old man was spouting again.
More question marks popped over her head.
‘I only said I was taking a walk—why is he kneeling now?’
“You tested our loyalty in this way!”
Uther VII’s voice quivered with passion.
Each word trembling with devout reverence.
“To test whether we truly protect you wholeheartedly!”
“We have succeeded! The entire Alliance mobilized for you!”
“This is the answer you sought, isn’t it?”
Listening to these words, Sylvia felt utterly defeated.
What loyalty test?
What divine will?
She was simply suffering from insomnia.
She just wanted to get some fresh air!
How had this old man turned it into some sacred trial?
“No… I really was just…”
She tried to explain.
But Uther VII was completely lost in his own world.
Not hearing a single word of protest.
“Your wisdom surpasses mortal comprehension!”
The Pope continued his prostration.
His voice growing more impassioned.
“Using the simplest means, you tested the whole Alliance’s true hearts!”
“We will forever remember this teaching!”
The surrounding Templar Knights also knelt down in unison.
Their voices uniform, filled with fanatic zeal.
“Long live the Sacred Body!”
“Thank you for your guidance!”
“We will always be loyal to you!”
Sylvia looked at the sea of kneeling zealots.
Her heart utterly shattered.
‘I just wanted some peace…’
‘Why has it come to this…’
She glanced at Avira.
Hoping her sister could clear things up.
But Avira’s face was full of killing intent.
She stared coldly at the kneeling knights.
The dangerous glint in her eyes sent chills down spines.
“Sister, you’re not allowed to run off alone anymore.”
Avira held her even tighter.
Whispered in her ear.
Her voice trembling with obvious fear.
“It’s too dangerous. If something really happened…”
“I will kill everyone involved.”
Sylvia felt the seriousness behind her sister’s words.
Obediently nodded.
“All right… I understand…”