Chapter 216: Bard Claire

Several more days passed after Lita was attacked.

During these days, Lita did almost nothing except attend classes. Even the matter of continuing to find suitable property for Cecilia was temporarily set aside.

‘Why can I still attend classes with such peace of mind?’

‘If I don’t attend classes, what would I do?’

Regarding the previous incident, Cecilia could have taken the opportunity to demand an explanation for Lita. However, Cecilia did not do so, which surprised Lita greatly.

“Lita, I know you’re unhappy, but doing this would cause us more harm.” Cecilia had explained to Lita at the time.

“The official reason is that it was the nun’s personal action, and the Church said they would give us an explanation. But if we continue to pressure, not only might it damage the relationship between the royal family and the Church, but what you did might also be discovered, leading to exposure of your identity.”

“Then Lady Cecilia, do we just swallow this?”

“Of course not. If this is the consensus among most high-ranking church officials, then handling it might be troublesome. But if this matter is unrelated to the Church, once I uncover the mastermind behind it, I will personally give you a satisfactory answer without needing the Church’s involvement.”

Cecilia’s expression when she said this was somewhat frightening, reminding Lita of the time in Solus City when facing the nearly defeated Doris. Cecilia had suggested that Lita cut off her limbs until Doris could no longer recover. Although Lita didn’t do it in the end because Doris died, Cecilia’s words had been absolutely serious.

The nun’s purpose remained unclear, but it wasn’t hard to guess several possible scenarios: eliminating potential threats for the Royal Selection candidates or other forces, testing Lita’s true strength, deliberately creating chaos to divert attention, or sending a warning to Cecilia, even the royal family, or the nation itself.

‘Who cares, the person is dead anyway, the clues are cut off.’

‘That’s right, the clues are completely cut off.’

Shalibeier, whom Cecilia suspected to be related to this matter, also died. He died in front of everyone at a Church banquet. It was said that he choked to death on a grape, and many people claimed they saw the blood-stained grape. Someone went up to pat his back to help him breathe, but it had little effect. Soon, Shalibeier’s face turned liver-colored, and he suffocated to death. Such a painful death was beyond even the Holy Magic that the Church excelled at.

However, with Shalibeier’s death, various rumors ran rampant. Things like the royal family and the Church fell out, the royal family and the Church fell out again, the royal family and the Church have never been on good terms, the royal family and the Church are irreconcilable.

‘Are they crazy!’

On the night Shalibeier died, Cecilia’s expression was somewhat grim.

“Lita, this matter has to end here. We couldn’t pursue it before, and now a cardinal has died because of it, so we have no way to pursue it further.”

Indeed, the Church paid the price of a cardinal to appease the dissatisfaction of Lita and even the royal family. There really was no way to pursue it further.

Just as Lita thought this, Cecilia corrected her.

“Perhaps Shalibeier’s death was not the Church’s doing at all. The goal is to make us think the Church wants to quell this matter, and then blame the Church for it. In any case, be careful in everything.”

Okay, back to the present. Lita now lives an extremely cautious two-point-one-line life: either attending classes or returning to the palace. This no longer feels like a college student’s life; it’s more like a high schooler’s.

As for the Church people, Lita didn’t want to interact with them anyway. Now with Cecilia’s orders, she could completely avoid them openly.

‘What? Someone on the street says I’m doing this because I feel guilty?’

‘Take this Mental Attack Snap, see if you dare talk nonsense!’

Lita glanced out of the corner of her eye at the passerby who had just whispered. His body shook violently, then he looked around. Lita continued walking. After a few steps, she heard a commotion from the street corner.

‘Everyone loves gossip, even dream demons. Let’s go see.’

Just as she squeezed into the crowd, Lita regretted it.

In the center of the crowd, two nuns were tugging at a young girl holding a harp, chattering about something. Coincidentally, Lita had seen this girl before. Wasn’t this the beautiful wild pheasant—no, that bard Claire—whom she saw when returning from Solus City to the royal capital?

As Lita looked at Claire, Claire’s gaze lifted and met Lita’s. Then Lita noticed Claire’s eyes light up, as if she had found a savior.

‘No, I have to leave quickly.’

Lita turned to leave, but the space behind her was blocked by several onlookers. Even more unluckily, Claire suddenly exerted force, broke free from the two nuns’ hands, and ran towards Lita in big strides. Although Claire was caught the next second, her hand successfully grabbed Lita’s sleeve.

“Lady! Lady! You have to save me!” Claire cried, tears and snot streaming, looking up at Lita pitifully.

Lita’s face was cold. “You are?”

“It’s me! It’s me! You and Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess once saved me from bandits! And you bestowed a piece of black bread on me, allowing me to escape hunger and cold! Such great kindness deserves my praise!”

‘Although Claire is telling the truth, if it were other thugs bothering her, I might have helped. But I really don’t want to get involved with Church people. Not at all.’

“You’re silent! You remember me! I knew you wouldn’t ignore me!”

“I didn’t say I would help you! Let go! Let go!”

“Lady Lita! Noble Holy Knight! Show mercy again! Let me, weak, pitiful, and helpless, escape suffering once more!”

Whoosh!

The crowd immediately scattered, leaving a large empty space around Lita. Not everyone knew what Lita looked like, but almost no one had not heard of Lita’s name.

The suddenly enfeoffed Exclusive Knight of the Cursed Princess, the one who killed the Church’s nun, and rumored to be involved in a cardinal’s death… Well, now the spectators had become the spectacle themselves.

“Claire…” Lita ground her teeth, but her angry expression made Claire almost cry with joy.

“Ah! Lady Lita! It’s me! It’s me! You remember me! I knew you would remember that journey of ours! Remember the songs I sang for you and Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess!”

‘Hostile! This girl is definitely doing it on purpose!’

Lita really wanted to leave arrogantly like other Holy Knights, but that wasn’t her nature. Bullying commoners would also disgrace Cecilia, so she had to restrain every word and action. Though casually using Mental Magic to snap someone’s forehead was also wrong, of course.

‘No, the focus now isn’t this! It’s that because of Claire, I’ve already gotten into conflict with Church people.’

Lita knew she couldn’t escape. She shook her arm with a bit of force, freed herself from Claire, and turned to face the two nuns who still held onto Claire.

As Lita shook off Claire, the two nuns also let go of Claire one after another, then performed the Church’s ceremonial greeting to Lita. Even though they bowed, Lita could see the hostility in their eyes. No help for it: many commoners believed she was behind the cardinal’s death, and the Church’s internal opinion of her would only be worse.

“Sisters, may I ask what crime this bard has committed that you are arresting her?” Lita asked softly.

“She has spread unfavorable statements about the Church, slandering the Holy Church’s reputation among the people. Therefore, we are arresting her.” One nun replied.

‘Oh, I knew it.’

Although Lita didn’t really like the Holy Church people, to be fair, the Holy Church still had considerable prestige among commoners. They wouldn’t arrest people randomly. Ninety-nine percent of the problem lay with Claire.

“Hmm?” Lita turned her gaze to Claire.

“I-I didn’t!” Claire immediately argued loudly, but her voice grew smaller and smaller, until it was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz: “I-I only wrote a song.”

“What song?” Lita asked casually, but both nuns’ expressions turned ugly simultaneously.

Claire, on the contrary, became extremely excited. She immediately took off her harp: “Lady Lita! I’ll sing it for you right now!”

After hearing just two lines, Lita couldn’t hold it together.

What she sang was simple, and the story was very familiar to Lita. It was the tale of how she nearly was assassinated a few days ago by the “Eight-Claw Spider” and a Church nun working together. Only, it had undergone a tiny bit of artistic embellishment.

At least in Lita’s memory, those people weren’t spies from the Insect Race, couldn’t actually turn into giant spiders, and she didn’t fight them for three days and nights until covered in injuries, only to be ambushed by the nun and nearly die together.

“Enough!” One nun glared, then bowed to Lita in apology: “Lady Lita, I shouldn’t be so rude, but this… this is simply outrageous!”

‘As for Claire, Lita only wanted to say: Serves her right!’

‘Saying the Church colluded with the Demon Race to assassinate a Holy Knight, even unofficial histories don’t write that. Who else would the Church arrest? Arrest! Arrest her immediately! See if she dares write like this again!’

Unfortunately, after Lita appeared, the two nuns seemed to have changed their minds temporarily.

“Sister.” The other nun tugged the angry nun’s hand. “Since this bard knows Lady Lita, perhaps we should report to the Church. Being discourteous before a Holy Knight like this damages the Church’s reputation.”

“You’re right.” The angry nun’s expression softened somewhat, then she turned to Lita again: “Lady Lita, please forgive our rudeness just now. In that case, we will take our leave.”

The two nuns turned and left. The onlookers, seeing the commotion end like this, also dispersed, muttering the unofficial tune Claire had just created.

Lita had a face like she had eaten a bitter melon. She turned her head to look beside her.

Claire was blinking, looking at Lita with an excited expression.