The truth is simple to test, isn’t it?
The Holy Church’s Saintess, Bai, spoke as a faint white light flickered in her palm like a small night-light.
Cardinal Zefilan introduced her in a deep voice, but to Lita, it sounded more like he was adding fuel to the fire.
“The Church’s magic isn’t limited to healing. It also includes calming mania and soothing the mind. Her Highness the Saintess’s mental magic is the strongest in history. If she personally intervenes, the truth will surely come to light.”
Even without Zefilan’s explanation, Lita could sense the Saintess Bai’s immense power.
The two most important factors in judging a mage’s strength are quality and quantity.
Bai’s output wasn’t large, but the quality was worlds apart from Sister Chun, whom Lita had encountered before.
Lita had always thought she was quite formidable—at least, that no one among the examinees in the Battle of Solus City could defeat her, even without using her Crest’s power.
But Saintess Bai made Lita feel, for the first time, that she absolutely couldn’t win. Even going all-out wouldn’t change that.
Of course, this assessment assumed the Saintess’s Holy Magic was as powerful as her Mental Magic. But Holy Magic was her specialty, wasn’t it!
Barring any surprises, the person before her might well be the strongest combatant in the Holy Church.
Can’t win. Absolutely can’t win. She didn’t even want Bai to touch her!
“Since Her Highness the Saintess is so confident, Lita, let her try.” Cecilia commanded unhurriedly.
Lady Cecilia! What are you doing?!
But showing hesitation here would mean defeat. No, even a flicker of the wrong expression on her face would be seized upon and relentlessly pursued. Even if they didn’t hound her, merely arousing the Church’s suspicion would have dire consequences.
Cecilia couldn’t possibly be unaware that Lita’s only option now was not to doubt, but to obey without question.
“Yes, Lady Cecilia.” Lita gave a slight nod, keeping her face taut as she turned to face Bai. “Her Highness the Saintess, please proceed.”
Both Cecilia’s cooperation and Lita’s reaction surprised the others. Saintess Bai frowned slightly, turning to look at Shalibier as if seeking his opinion.
Even Lita noticed this subconscious gesture; there was no way Cecilia missed it.
The Saintess’s sudden interruption had been far too suspicious. Based on Cecilia’s limited understanding of her, she wasn’t the sort to be so rude. Far from it—the Saintess rarely expressed her own opinions. Everything she did, in Cecilia’s eyes, seemed directed by someone else.
But the Saintess’s status was unique. Even if she acted rudely, others would find it difficult to refuse her outright. It was like her sister Lilia—no one liked her, but that didn’t mean her words carried no weight.
A princess, a saintess—their positions made it impossible for anyone to simply ignore them.
And that unconscious gesture from the Saintess had just confirmed Cecilia’s suspicion. This wasn’t the Saintess’s idea; it was Shalibier’s.
She had drawn him out with ease.
“Your Highness the Saintess, if you believe this person is still a suspect,” Zefilan said gravely, “since she has given permission, there’s no harm in trying. If she truly is guilty, we will proceed accordingly. If not, I will offer my apologies in the name of a Cardinal and provide her compensation to the best of my ability.”
Just as I thought.
Zefilan appeared to be pressing hard, but he was actually the one most eager to uncover the truth. Even if his words were offensive, he was speaking from the Church’s perspective.
Shalibier, on the other hand, had only spoken twice. The first time, he directly raised the issue of Mental Magic. The second time, he seemed to be defending Lita, but it actually sounded more like a signal for the Saintess to begin.
The problematic one was him.
I should raise the stakes here.
“Indeed. I believe Cardinal Zefilan speaks wisely,” Cecilia said. “If Lita’s account is true, then perhaps Sister Chun attacked Lita with Mental Magic and died from the backlash. Otherwise, Her Highness the Saintess should be able to deliver a proper judgment.”
Cecilia could guess how Chun had died. Among everyone present, only she and Lita knew the truth.
Lita wouldn’t lie. She had definitely been attacked, and the attacker must have used Mental Magic on her. Otherwise, Lita wouldn’t have been forced to kill with Mental Magic herself.
So, this was either the Church’s doing, the doing of certain individuals within the Church, or the doing of people outside the Church.
Zefilan’s eagerness to get to the bottom of things showed he genuinely mourned Chun. If even a Cardinal didn’t know the truth, then the entire Church couldn’t be behind it.
As the Church’s representative, the Saintess was theoretically in the dark as well—Cecilia had confirmed this through her observations.
What Cecilia wanted to determine now was the second possibility. More specifically, whether Shalibier was involved.
“Died from backlash? Lady Cecilia, what do you mean? I didn’t know you studied Mental Magic.” Lita’s eyes widened.
Good. Lita understood what she was hinting at. Of course, this was a lie. Lita not only knew it but had used it on ordinary people right in front of Cecilia to vent her anger. Playing dumb was the best move right now—insisting she knew nothing would clear her of suspicion.
“Therefore, I believe it’s highly likely that something went wrong, causing the Mental Magic to backfire and kill Sister Chun.”
“Fourth Princess, that’s impossible.” Zefilan immediately retorted. “Chun was an excellent sister. Whether she had a reason to attack Lady Lita aside, even if she did, how could she be killed by a backlash!”
“No, it’s possible.” The speaker changed to Crest Knight Nata. “Perhaps you are unaware, but Lady Lita once used her Crest in a fight with Master Xingxian and subsequently fainted.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“I suspect Lady Lita cannot fully control the power of the Golden Blood, causing a backlash on herself. Her Highness the Fourth Princess did not perform the proper ritual when granting the Golden Blood, so I cannot predict what effects might arise. But the Golden Blood is deeply intertwined with the soul. If Mental Magic touched power it shouldn’t have, the consequences are equally unimaginable.” Nata paused, then gave Cecilia a meaningful look.
“Back then, Her Highness the Fourth Princess feared the Golden Blood’s power would affect me, which is why she forbade me from examining the injured Lady Lita—to protect me from harm. I was rather skeptical before, but only today do I understand Her Highness’s thoughtful consideration.”
Though Cecilia hadn’t actually thought that way, since Nata’s conjecture filled in the gaps even better than the excuse she had prepared, she decided to go along with it.
“Actually, I was just worried back then. During the Battle of Solus City, Doris once attacked Lita with Blood Magic and subsequently died from backlash herself, so I didn’t want to take risks.” Doris had indeed died on the spot because her body couldn’t handle it, so Cecilia wasn’t lying.
“Absolutely not!” Zefilan’s face darkened. “How can we risk Her Highness the Saintess’s safety! Your Highness, do not do anything so dangerous!”
Not long after, this troublesome meeting finally came to an end.
The consensus was that Chun had attacked Lita. Even Zefilan acknowledged this under the weight of the evidence. He had no choice. It was Church property, and witnesses had seen Chun leading Lita in that direction. There was no way to refute it.
Shalibier was definitely suspicious.
He had tried to pressure them, betting that Cecilia wouldn’t allow Bai to directly access Lita’s memories. But when Cecilia agreed, it threw off his subsequent plans. Then Cecilia’s proposed theory completely sealed off Shalibier’s room to maneuver. He couldn’t let the Saintess take the risk of actually contacting Lita, nor could he make an issue of it. In the end, the matter was dropped.
These were just Cecilia’s conjectures, without solid proof. But reasoning didn’t require perfect evidence. Those who present all the pieces for you to examine are either fools or small-time schemers.
Fortunately, Shalibier wasn’t a fool. He chose to cut his losses and completely distance himself from Chun.
But after this incident, Lilia couldn’t stay at the Church anymore. At Cecilia’s request, Lilia was brought back to the Royal Palace, with Nata temporarily looking after her.
But why would someone do this? Was it part of the Royal Selection? Were other factions trying to create chaos? Or were certain people in the Church trying to make an issue of it? These weren’t questions Cecilia could answer with her current leads.
But one thing Cecilia knew for certain.
Lita’s cooperation during the meeting wasn’t feigned ignorance. The girl was genuinely clueless.
Still, the result was the same, so Cecilia didn’t pursue the matter further after tapping Lita on the head a few times.
However, another outcome was far from reassuring. No matter what, a rift had formed between the Royal Family and the Church because of this incident.