"I am not a pawn in their display of force, nor do I wish to beco such a tool."
"And if they want to forcibly make us submit... well, they can go ahead and try."
"If they indeed make that kind of decision, then they no longer belong to the light."
He finally retreated to the edge of the barrier, with a cold smile, sneering, "A sun that acts willfully is eventually shrouded by mist."
The Knight Commander's thoughts were straightforward and direct.
Since the Sun Church had imperiously issued a "request," then the Mist Monastery would not stand on ceremony.
If you do not respect us, then we have no obligation to respect you.
Equivalent exchange.
An eye for an eye, blood for blood.
Yet, both sides had been intimate "comrades" against evil for many years, not yet to the point of tearing faces, so their ans remained sowhat subtle.
After hearing these words, the Ashen Bishop restrained her anger and, surprisingly, looked at the Knight Commander, who unknowingly had distanced himself by more than a dozen ters.
She nodded appreciatively, saying, "To co to this realization, hmm... you have indeed grown up. Not the child who lost composure and fought with that fool who only knew how to sleep back then."
The Knight Commander gave a bitter smile at these words, helplessly saying, "Your Grace, it's been over a hundred years since that incident."
"But you two are still bickering, aren't you?" the Ashen Bishop snorted.
What's the act?
The two of you never stop arguing, do you?
Even as Cardinals, still so immature.
"...Yes, but I have to explain, he always provoked first—I only reacted defensively." the Knight Commander explained weakly.
The Ashen Bishop ignored him, nodding, "Your thoughts are right, those guys have indeed gone too far, they need a lesson—let's do as you said."
"Moreover, after saying all this, do you already have a suitable candidate in mind?"
The Knight Commander nodded, whispering, "Yes, I have a few candidates."
"It's a rare opportunity to go to the Holy City of Radiance, and there are many Cultivators in the monastery who follow the Sun God and fit the Angel Battle Armor; they are suitable candidates."
"Apart from that, I have one more candidate I'm most optimistic about... Herbert."
Bringing up this young man made the Knight Commander hesitate slightly, but he still spoke earnestly,
"Your Grace, you may doubt my thoughts and not want him to take risks, but he truly ets the requirents."
"Earlier, I was also unwilling to let him venture outside, thinking the risk too great, but he has never disappointed ."
"Whether training alone in the misty mountains or leading a team into the Dark Territory, he has passed every test perfectly... and improved remarkably each ti!"
The Knight Commander reminisced about the changes he noticed in Herbert each ti they t, filled with emotion.
"He is not a fragile flower that would wither in the storm, but a great tree that shines through adversity!"
When the Ashen Bishop heard Herbert's na, she fell silent.
She wanted to say, "Is that supposed 'genius' the one currently gnawing on my tail?"
Yet, the Knight Commander misinterpreted the Ashen Bishop's silence, mistaking her for indecision.
Thus, he teasingly added, "Besides, with his handso looks, he fits the role of a decorative piece."
"Judging by past deeds, although young, his courage is indeed extraordinary, very bold."
The Knight Commander jested, smiling rarely, "If I say so myself, once he puts his mind to it, not only would he take a blade to legends, but also dare desecrate epic beings..."
But before he could finish, a low growl broke the mont.
"Enough!"
The Ashen Bishop clenched her teeth, restraining herself from outright summoning and beating this cheeky fellow.
What did you an by those words just now?
Are you hinting at ?
Are you?
Are you deliberately hinting at ?
"Uh!!?"
Anger dominated the Ashen Bishop, while the scolded Knight Commander looked utterly bewildered.
He swallowed hard, utterly stunned.
What happened?
Wasn't I just joking?
Why so angry?
Fine, I won't joke anymore...
A mont of bravery traded for a lifeti of inferiority.
The Ashen Bishop saw his utterly overwheld state and soon realized her own loss of composure, softly saying, "Anyway, just leave."
The Knight Commander sensed the Ashen Bishop's unstable emotions and couldn't help but ask, "Your Grace? What happened to you?"
However, his concerned inquiry finally shattered soone else's restraint.
The Ashen Bishop could no longer hold back, suddenly raising her head to roar, "I want you! Now! Get out!!!"
Get out of here!
"Yes!"
Having been berated again, the Knight Commander seed to make so kind of decision, or perhaps felt finally permitted, and left swiftly, diving into the departing rift.
He no longer wished to know what had happened to the Guardian; he just wanted to leave here quickly!
Off I go, off I go!
"..."
Once the space was devoid of others, the Ashen Bishop no longer needed to hide—she acted.
She picked up her longsword, slowly raising it and, without drawing it, swung it hard under her skirt.
Whoosh—thud!
The scabbard smacked down on the "tail licker," like a golf club, sending him flying!
A figure shot out from under the skirt, straight toward the floating bookshelf in midair.
Bang, bang, bang!
He crashed through four bookshelves, eventually stopping in the fifth before being buried by falling books.
Crash!
Within five seconds, Herbert erged from among the fallen books, turning to spit out bloody foam.
"Pfft, cough cough."
But actually, that wasn't the blood from his serpent tail... it was from his own mouth.
Bumped his teeth!
Though the area struck on his backside sent waves of pain, Herbert only looked battered but hadn't taken any real damage.
The Ashen Bishop had been careful not to use too much force.
"Oh, ow..."
Herbert stood amidst the pile of books, rubbing his bottom and muttered to the Ashen Bishop, "Don't be so rough with the derrière."
His complaints t no teasing, only the Ashen Bishop's icy gaze from the shadows.
"What did you do?" the Monster Girl cloaked in a Cardinal's robe coldly questioned.
She interrogated the disrespectful youth with a calm yet utterly unpeaceful tone.
"You're asking ?"
The youth appeared remarkably at ease, nonchalantly replying, "What I did just now was perhaps only kiss the knowledge."
Herbert grinned, revealing bloodstained teeth, offering a smile mixed with brilliance and blood to the Ashen Bishop.
"It's not my fault—that knowledge you showed was just too tempting; I was deeply enchanted by it."
The Ashen Bishop embodied various secrets; in a sense, she could be deed knowledge itself.
He observed the unresponsive Ashen Bishop, a strange glint in his eyes, softly stating, "So, this is the secret you've been trying to hide."
Herbert sighed, and before the Ashen Bishop anticipated him leveraging this for demands, he spoke earnestly.
"Rest assured, I will not use this to blackmail you for anything—I'll keep this secret well protected."
He bowed slightly in a special gesture towards the Ashen Bishop, respectfully saying, "Because I, too, am a Secret Keeper of the Secret-Keeping Institute, am I not?"
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