“Bang~ Bang~ Bang~”
Early the next morning, a round of knocking sounded once again from the Manor.
Qingshamu had everyone up bright and early, making Bai Yuge · Rose and Hei Qi Long · Rose both put on their full sets of light armor, and she herself donned the newly purchased female Knight Armor.
Grabbing her Special Sword, she went to open the door.
“Click~” The door opened.
Outside stood even more Saintly Officials than before—a whole company of Holy Knights, along with a squad of White-robed Priests, and finally a large group of Senior Priests whose only real talent was talking.
They surrounded the entire Manor; retreat was impossible today.
Among them, one luxurious Coach stood out especially.
A young cleric opened the door, and an elderly Saintly Official clad in a long purple robe slowly stepped out, making his way to the Manor’s entrance.
This man’s rank was not low; as a Purple Bishop, he was second only to the Pope and the Cardinals.
The Pope and Cardinals stayed in the Royal City, controlling the central region, while someone of his position was generally responsible for all church activities in a given area— a sort of Holy Church “regional lord.”
“Hero Shami, it’s been a long time.” The Purple Bishop spoke.
“So you came in person? Ou Tuo Bishop.” Qingshamu sneered.
Such blatant disrespect caused the surrounding Saintly Officials’ expressions to harden, but Ou Tuo Bishop had already instructed everyone before coming— not a word out of place, no useless talk, negotiations were his responsibility alone.
“Hero Shami…” The Purple Bishop wanted to say more.
“My name is Qingshamu now,” Qingshamu coldly corrected him. “The church has already erased me; the name you gave me means nothing anymore.”
“Miss Qingshamu, the unfair treatment you suffered before was my own mismanagement. That did not represent the Holy Church’s will, merely some individuals of poor character acting in private. We’ve dismissed all those involved and demoted them to the lowest-ranked clerics,” Ou Tuo Bishop said.
“Passing the blame to your subordinates, are you? Baldy.” Qingshamu still showed no courtesy at all.
The faces of the Saintly Officials grew even stiffer.
To insult the bishop was to insult them all, but what could force such an arrogant group to swallow their pride and persist anyway?
After all, the Saintly Officials were known for their domineering ways, never giving anyone the time of day—not even the king.
“Miss Qingshamu, for old times’ sake, may I come inside to speak with you properly?” Ou Tuo Bishop asked without losing his temper.
“I know what you want to discuss, but I won’t let you get your way. I’ve been through it; do you really think I’ll agree? Please leave, Bishop.” Qingshamu snorted coldly.
With that, she retreated inside, preparing to shut the door and send them away.
But the sharp-eyed Holy Knight Captain immediately grabbed the wooden door, preventing her from closing it.
“Holy Knight Captain, is it?” Qingshamu smiled. “I don’t know who you are, but you once taught me swordsmanship. Do you really think this many people can stop me? I’ll show you some respect—scram.”
“Qingshamu, you should know what a Hero means to the Human Race. The Human Race cannot be without a Hero,” the Holy Knight Captain said.
“Of course I know. It means being a tool you can cast aside at will, sent deep behind enemy lines as an undercover agent, completing missions, then cast out by the Holy Church when I’m no longer useful. Find someone else.” Qingshamu mocked.
“You—” The Holy Knight Captain was getting angry.
Qingshamu glared, her body surging with Moonlight Magic. Instantly, a full moon rose in the sky.
The next moment, a rain of Moonlight Swords fell from above, sending the Saintly Officials scrambling with shrieks.
But every flying sword stabbed straight into the ground, avoiding them entirely.
Of course, that was intentional—Qingshamu was showing restraint. If she wished for a massacre, every last one of them would have had their skulls pierced through.
“……” The Holy Knight Captain was stunned as well.
The former Hero’s power had far surpassed his expectations—she was much stronger than before.
“Others may fear your Holy Church, but I don’t. I have nothing left to lose.” Qingshamu said.
“This…” The Holy Knight Captain quickly signaled to the Purple Bishop, hinting they should move on to the final plan.
“Child, you know the Holy Church will not give up on this matter. This time I’ve come; next time it will be a Cardinal, and after that, the Pope himself. This has never changed for thousands of years. We don’t know why the Prophecy shifted so quickly—this is a mystery to us as well. Please, let us talk things over.” Ou Tuo Bishop’s tone had grown somewhat humble.
“Bring out the ones involved.” The Holy Knight Captain knew force would not work and ordered his subordinates.
The Holy Knights dragged out several low-ranked clerics—the very ones who had been so arrogant with Qingshamu last time.
There were also a few unfamiliar old men, presumably their superiors who were implicated by this incident.
“Miss Qingshamu, I have a letter of commission here. It stated we were to discuss Hero Retirement and compensation with you, but these people acted on their own, speaking presumptuously and making their own decisions, which led to this misunderstanding,” Ou Tuo Bishop explained.
“If you’re still not satisfied, these people have endangered the Human Race’s future for their own selfish reasons—an unforgivable crime. We’ll execute them on the spot right now.”
“Draw your swords,” the Holy Knight Captain commanded coldly.
The Holy Knights drew their swords, preparing to execute all those involved right then and there.
“Stop.” Qingshamu raised her hand, looking at the Holy Knight Captain with a helpless smile. “It seems you really do know my weakness.”
“You were raised by us.” The Holy Knight Captain said.
No matter how sharp her tongue or how fierce her manner, she was still a Hero—she couldn’t stand seeing people die because of her.
“How despicable—exactly what I’d expect from the Holy Church. Come in.” Qingshamu shook her head helplessly and returned inside.
Ou Tuo Bishop, the Holy Knight Captain, and a White-robed Priest entered the Manor together, closing the door behind them.
Qingshamu led them to sit at the small table in the middle of the courtyard, not bothering to invite them inside the house.
She crossed her arms as soon as she sat, remaining silent.
“We arranged your Hero Retirement because the Holy Church received a new Prophecy—a New Hero has been born,” Ou Tuo Bishop said. “Generally, each Hero serves for about fifty years. For a new Prophecy to appear so soon—this is a first for us.”
“Remove a Hero if you want, but what’s with this ‘retirement’ nonsense?” Qingshamu sneered. “Why are you even here? I’ve already been removed; I have nothing more to do with your Holy Church.”
“Because the Prophecy said the New Hero would be born right here, in this Manor,” Ou Tuo Bishop answered.
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