Chapter 39

It’s true, it’s true!

As expected, this is truly Her Majesty the Goddess!!

Absolutely unmistakable! Even the unique [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] exclusive to the Goddess and Radiant Saintness can be summoned at will. If this isn’t a divine manifestation, then what is??

As expected of Her Majesty the Goddess. Such a powerful convert from the Demon God Pillar couldn’t even resist and was instantly annihilated.

This is only natural, she is the Goddess of Radiance!

Looking at the angelic girl who effortlessly killed the enemy with ease, Fanya’s admiration knew no bounds.

The angelic girl’s wings scattered halos and glowing white particles, adding a hazy and enchanting sense of sacredness to her image.

The goddess she had always followed and acknowledged had descended to save her life.

Fanya’s heart was filled with indescribable excitement and excitement. She desperately wanted to say something, but there were too many words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

No, no, she must say something upon meeting the goddess! But, what should she say?!

Unable to calm her emotions, her thoughts were in complete disarray. She staggered for a long time but couldn’t utter a single word.

Ah! She had truly witnessed the goddess’s descent. She must express her reverence and ask the many questions she had in her daily life!

Regarding the doctrines, the inner workings of the church, and the future.

Her thoughts were like a tangled ball of yarn. After much sorting, she finally managed to unravel a thread.

And also, her identity!

Ah, it had been so long since Her Majesty the Goddess saved her, and she hadn’t even introduced herself! How rude!

Her Majesty probably didn’t even know who she had saved, right?

Ah! She was so careless! How could she be so impolite in front of the goddess?!

“Th-that! The noble and compassionate Her Majesty the Goddess! Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence and coming to the rescue of your humble and unworthy follower!”

“My name is Fanya Cassian, a descendant of the Cassian family of the Church of Radiance. Ah, you might not know what the Cassian family is. The Cassian family is the descendant of a famous [Champion Knight]. Ugh, you probably don’t know what a [Champion Knight] is either. A [Champion Knight] is the strongest knight selected through a grand tournament within the Church of Radiance…”

“……..”

Vanessa looked at the excitedly chattering girl before her, maintaining a reserved and polite smile, saying nothing.

This silly child’s intelligence is truly unreliable. She actually mistook her for Goddess, thinking it was a divine manifestation of the goddess that saved her life.

Of course, Vanessa wouldn’t correct this notion. In fact, such a claim was quite beneficial to her.

Speaking of which, when she transformed into Vanessa, she did fly down from the direction of Saintness Selina’s Cathedral.

This might have indeed created a significant impression, making people think it was a divine manifestation of the goddess or the saintess, especially for students with a church background.

“Miss Cassian, let’s put your matters aside for now. I must excuse myself to rescue others in peril like you,” Vanessa said, her voice as refreshing as morning dew.

“Oh, oh! I’m so sorry, Your Majesty! I got too excited and wasted your precious time…” Upon hearing this, Fanya snapped out of her own world, realizing she had been too self-absorbed.

She knelt before Vanessa, prostrating herself and apologizing repeatedly, like a loyal dog obedient to its master.

“No worries. In times of crisis, fulfilling the duties of a knight, even at the cost of one’s life, to cover the retreat of fellow students, even though you’re not yet an official knight, such selfless spirit is truly admirable,” Vanessa praised Fanya’s actions without hesitation.

“Heh, heh… Ah! You, you are too kind! As a descendant of the Cassian family, protecting the weak and others is my duty!” Being praised by the goddess, Fanya felt a floating sense of happiness, her head swaying like a dandelion.

But she quickly remembered she was speaking to the goddess and composed herself, kneeling with her upper body straight, putting on an ‘it’s my duty’ demo.

Seeing this, Vanessa smiled without speaking.

This silly child, did she think all her words would be praised?

Hehe, it’s just raising her up before bringing her down.

Praise where praise is due, but that doesn’t stop her from adding her own agenda.

“However,” Vanessa’s tone shifted.

“Huh?!” Fanya’s heart tightened, as if gripped by a claw.

“Miss Cassian, as a knight, you must have the ability to discern right from wrong. You must have your own judgment in all matters. Blindly believing rumors is no different from a headless knight who only knows how to wield a sword~?” Vanessa said with a teasing smile.

“Huh, huh?!” Fanya turned pale, as if struck hard, her previously bright eyes now empty.

What does the goddess mean by this?

Is she criticizing her for lacking judgment?

Yes, she must be criticizing her, right?

She was scolded by the goddess.

She was scolded by the goddess.

And being called a ‘headless knight’ by the goddess, isn’t that a roundabout way of saying she has no brain?

Fanya tilted her head, kneeling there dispiritedly, like a shell with its soul extracted, looking even worse than when she was injured by the fanatics.

“Miss Cassian, don’t be so disheartened. A church knight is not a perfect person without faults, but someone who strives to correct their mistakes and endlessly approaches the ideal of a perfect knight,” Vanessa said in a drawn-out tone.

“You still have a long way to go, but undoubtedly, you are a good child.”

“Mmm, mmm! If I know my mistakes, can I correct them?” Fanya looked at Vanessa with teary eyes.

“Of course, no one is perfect. Miss Cassian, you don’t need to be so hard on yourself. But, as a knight of the church, you must strive to be impartial and perfect,” Vanessa clasped her hands, casting a gentle gaze at Fanya.

“Mmm, I understand. If I can correct my mistakes, will the goddess not dislike me?” Fanya looked pitifully at Vanessa, like a begging chipmunk.

“How could I dislike you?” Vanessa placed a hand on her large heart, a pleasant smile on her lips. “I love each of you equally and offer the same salvation to all.”

“Let our souls become purer and nobler.” With that, Vanessa slightly closed her eyes, her hands in a prayer position.

Mortals pray for the goddess, and the goddess prays for mortals.

Fanya watched, tears streaming down her face.

“I, I understand!”

“Protect yourself, Miss Cassian. Before you have the strength to protect others, protecting yourself is also a duty,” Vanessa nodded slightly, spread her wings, and flew into the sky, soon disappearing from sight.

“I understand! Your Majesty! Please watch over me! In the future, I will definitely become a knight who can discern right from wrong!” Fanya shouted towards the sky.

Although she received no response, she knew the goddess must have heard her oath. The lack of response was because the goddess was always watching her future actions.

She must not disappoint the goddess!

However, in reality, Vanessa had already left after dropping that profound statement, not hearing what Fanya said afterward or the vows she made.

The purpose of those words was merely to tease this little fool, nothing more.

Later, under a sky of rolling dark clouds, Vanessa flew like a beam of dawn light to the side of the bloody altar.

She looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds seemed stirred by a giant spoon into a chaotic vortex, much like the current situation, with no glimmer of hope in sight.

Vanessa threw her mace, which flew out like a boomerang. Before it could hit the bloody altar, it was deflected by an invisible force.

As expected, so troublesome.

The mithril mace in Vanessa’s hand now bore a noticeable dent, and her expression grew serious.

This mithril mace had been with her for a long time, having smashed through demons, Demon God Pillar cultists, and their minions, yet it had never suffered such severe damage. This shows just how sturdy the mace was.

Now, just throwing it at the bloody altar’s barrier had caused it to bounce back like this.

Vanessa tried to see inside the bloody altar, but it was shrouded in thick black mist, making it impossible to see anything.

She knew that the students who had consumed the demonic potion and were under control were inside.

Right now, they had no idea what they were doing, or perhaps their minds had already been corrupted, irreversibly transformed, and their former selves were no more.

There was no way to break into the bloody altar.

Vanessa tried to get closer to the altar but found herself unable to approach, as an invisible force pushed her back.

At this distance, the [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] couldn’t reach.

Heart-wrenching roars and wails stimulate her nerves.

She involuntarily looked up at the bloody altar, where souls were bound to blood-stained stone pillars with chains, screaming in pain and misery.

Who would have thought that just a day ago, they were lively young students laughing with their friends.

Vanessa clenched her fists, biting her lips slightly.

[Bronze Blood]…….

You’ve gone too far!

Now she finally understood why so many saintesses would rather sacrifice their lives to eradicate Demon God Pillar cultists and demons in the war.

If the cancer of the land is not removed, it will harm all living beings.

Meanwhile, in the student council’s higher echelons.

“What are you saying? Miss Mirexia, do you know what you’re talking about??”

“Ask us to wait a bit longer? How can we afford to wait?? We don’t even know what that bloody altar is summoning. Given its scale and setup, it wouldn’t be surprising if it summoned the Demon God Pillar itself. And you’re asking us to wait??”

“Miss Mirexia, this isn’t about us being selfish. If something goes wrong, it won’t just be our Carillian Academy that suffers.”

“Now that Carillian Academy has been targeted, if [Bronze Blood] succeeds and destroys the Order Spire, the consequences will be unimaginable! The order of the Terraria continent will completely collapse!” the dean with a cane said gravely.

“None of us want to harm our students, but what can we do? If we don’t act, it’s not just humanity that will suffer, but the entire continent. We have no choice.”

“Destroying the foundation of the bloody altar is the last resort of the worst options. We all know that, but what else can we do? If there were another way, who would choose this??”

“Miss Mirexia, or rather, Princess Mirexia, I’ve always thought you were a righteous person who wouldn’t forsake great benevolence for small affections. Don’t disappoint me,” the dean frowned.

“So, Miss Mirexia, what do you think?” The old man standing at the center of the array wasn’t in a hurry to refute Mirexia.

Beneath his feet was a magic circle the size of a sports field, each section filled with intricate runes. Even the most authoritative magic circle scholar would likely be overwhelmed trying to decipher it.

Now, the array was almost half activated.

“Vice President, please give us a little more time,” Mirexia, under the pressure of the higher-ups, stared intently at the old man at the center of the array.

“Give us a little more time. Then, Miss Mirexia, you must clarify whom we’re giving time to. If you can’t name a specific subject, such vague words won’t convince anyone,” the old man said.

“We…….”

“Vice President, just now, there were widespread rumors in the academy that the goddess has manifested, or rather, the saintess has manifested. Many students claimed to have seen the manifested goddess emerging from the direction of Saintness Selina’s Cathedral, rescuing many students before rushing towards the bloody altar,” [Boneless] Morinkate spoke up.

“I believe this is what Princess Mirexia is referring to.”

“The Goddess of Radiance has manifested?” The old man shook his head. “Such rumors in times of crisis are just that, rumors. Do you still believe them, Morinkate?”

“No, in fact, I don’t believe it either. But just now, I saw with my own eyes a pink-haired angel, like a beam of dawn light, rushing to the bloody altar and now confronting it,” Morinkate replied.

“Is she a registered student?” The old man frowned. “Such behavior is extremely dangerous.”