Chapter 65: The Most Perfect Noble Young Lady?

Rose looked at her, the smile on her lips deepening by several degrees.

In that smile, aside from playfulness and vigilance, there was also a hint of excitement from being challenged.

It truly was interesting to encounter an Inquisitor like this in Hela City.

Gently stroking her cheek, she became languid and charming once more.

“My dear Inquisitor, sometimes being too enthusiastic and righteous will lead to one stubbing their toes against a steel plate.”

The moment those words left her mouth, she pointed a finger toward Mephia.

The terrifying Magic Power of a Grand Witch surged forth like a tidal wave.

The battle had begun.

—

After an unknown amount of time, deep within the alleyways, Rose finally stopped.

She leaned against the cold stone wall, gasping for air as her chest heaved violently.

Sweat slid from her brow, mixing with the streaks of blood oozing from a shallow sword wound on her shoulder.

Drop by drop, it fell onto the stone pavement beneath her feet.

She looked down, taking in her current state…

Her dark green long dress had been slashed in several places by sword energy, revealing the fair skin beneath.

One of her sleeves had been sliced off, her hair was a mess, and several strands of wine-red hair clung pathetically to her sweat-soaked cheeks.

“Damn it…”

Her voice trembled, carrying the weight of an unbelievable exhaustion.

“How… how can an Inquisitor from the Inquisition here be so powerful?!”

Just barely.

She had been just a hair’s breadth away from being caught!

That young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was terrifyingly strong in every move she made.

Even when Rose used the magic she was most proud of, she could not manage to harm her in the slightest.

It was too frightening.

She looked up, gazing at the distant streets.

The jagged rooftops stood quietly under the moonlight, silent like a crouching giant beast.

She suddenly remembered what someone had once said.

“It’s just a bit of a hassle.”

That was Nightingale.

The young Grand Witch she had thought was merely low-key had said those words so nonchalantly when talking about the Hela City Inquisition.

Just a bit of a hassle.

The corners of Rose’s lips twitched slightly.

Just a bit of a hassle?

The Inquisitor who had almost taken her life was merely “a bit of a hassle” to her?!

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Nightingale…

Just who was she?

And how many secrets was Hela City still hiding that she didn’t know about?

She struggled to stand up, supporting herself against the wall as she limped deeper into the alley.

She had to leave this place.

After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and whipped her head around.

The entrance to the alley was empty.

Only the moonlight spilled over the stone slabs, shimmering with a cold light.

“*Whew — !*”

It was a false alarm; no one was chasing her.

That Inquisitor had nearly left her traumatized.

At the same time, she knew that the Inquisitor must be somewhere at this very moment, quietly watching this night and guarding the peace of Hela City.

In which direction were those golden eyes looking now?

She didn’t dare think about it.

She simply quickened her pace and vanished into the deeper darkness of the alley.

She would have to keep a low profile for the next few days.

Once she had completely mastered the Heart Gem, she would flee this terrifying place immediately.

On the other side, Mephia sheathed her blood-stained longsword and let out a soft breath.

“A Grand Witch? She really was quite capable.”

Initially, she had thought this Witch was as weak as Nightingale, but after actually making contact, she discovered that the woman was very powerful and her Magic was quite bizarre.

Although she had let her escape this time…

To be honest, the woman didn’t give her the same sense of being troublesome as Nightingale did.

If they met again, she was 100% certain she could catch her.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, her heart stirred.

She pulled the Crystal Ball from her bosom.

Under the dark night, it sparkled like a star.

—

The carriage slowly came to a halt outside the gates of Hela City.

Before the dust kicked up by the wheels could fully settle, a hand pulled back the window curtain.

A head poked out of the window, peering into the interior of Hela City.

The afternoon sun was somewhat piercing, casting a grayish-white light over the jagged rooftops.

The maid, Xiao Ai, followed the gaze of the carriage’s owner, Lina.

A curious expression appeared on her face as she said, “Miss, Hela City is just ahead. It’s said to be the territory of Count Harris.”

After a few glances, Lina pulled the curtain back down and voiced her disdain coldly.

“Hmm, from its appearance, it feels far worse than the Imperial Capital.”

Hela City was considered a decent major city within the Count’s territory, but Lina had lived in the prosperous Imperial Capital for a long time.

In her eyes, a city like this was practically no different from the countryside.

Especially those City Guards watching the gate; although they also wore shining silver armor, their temperament was far inferior to the soldiers of the Imperial Capital.

They looked a bit like fierce bandits, not elegant at all.

Xiao Ai followed her lead and said, “That is natural, Miss. The Imperial Capital is the most prosperous place in the entire Empire. The city walls alone are more than twice as high as these, not to mention those magnificent palaces…”

She paused, stole a glance at Lina’s expression, and added, “How can a small place like Hela City compare to the Imperial Capital?”

Lina didn’t speak, only giving a soft “Hmph” through her nose.

Xiao Ai’s eyes darted around as she continued to play into her master’s thoughts.

“You were so full of anticipation before, Miss. Looking at it now, if we had known it was such a dilapidated small city, we should have delayed our arrival a bit longer.”

Lina finally turned her head and glanced at her.

There was no blame in that look; instead, it held a trace of satisfaction that said “you finally got it right.”

However, she still replied with some helplessness, “Delay? If I delayed any longer, the Master and Madam wouldn’t have agreed.”

She turned her gaze back to the dusty city walls, her voice tinged with self-deprecation.

“You have to remember, I’m here to take refuge.”

Xiao Ai quickly jumped in.

“You can’t put it that way, Miss. It’s just that the people in the Imperial Capital are too sinister and narrow-minded. You didn’t do anything wrong, Miss. It was all their conspiracy!”

Her tone was exceptionally firm, as if she had personally witnessed the planning of those conspiracies.

These words clearly struck a chord with Lina, causing the corners of her mouth to curl up unconsciously.

“Right,” she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Xiao Ai.

“The matter I asked you to investigate, have you looked into it clearly?”

Xiao Ai perked up and hastily pulled a small notebook from her bosom.

She flipped to one of the pages and cleared her throat.

“I’ve looked into it, Miss. There are actually quite a few nobles living in Hela City, but the most famous one is actually the daughter of Count Harris, Miss Celestia.”

She looked up at Lina’s expression.

Seeing that her master was listening intently, she continued.

“Legend has it that she not only possesses breathtaking beauty but is also pure and kind-hearted. No matter who stays with her, their heart will feel exceptionally peaceful.”

She closed the notebook, a hint of longing appearing on her face.

“She is the most perfect noble young lady.”