Chapter 169 : She Will Definitely Come

Hall stood in the old courtyard of Saint Catherinesburg’s secluded western district.

There was hardly anyone around here.

The Cult of the Living and Dead had raised many undead puppets here.

And with the Papal State’s people helping to purchase the surrounding properties, many of the old residents had long since moved away.

So at this moment, there were no idle onlookers gathered.

Marquis Yabolun stared intently at the sword of light in the dark-haired youth’s hand.

As one of the esteemed guests of the Saint Gregory family, he certainly recognized it.

“Viscount Hall, could you please explain why Lord Pinalie’s Sky-Striking Sword is now in your hands?”

“Is there even a need to ask such a thing, Marquis Yabolun?”

Christine’s crisp, calm voice suddenly rang out.

She stood at the other end of the courtyard.

Her presence stunned the crowd Yabolun had brought with him.

Yabolun had initially thought Pinalie had Christine under control, but what was going on now?

He wasn’t a fool; seeing how things stood, and after a moment’s thought, he recalled that after Christine touched the magic book a few days ago, he could no longer contact Pinalie.

It must have been then.

“You ambushed Pinalie? Lord Pinalie had intended to save you… Christine, what a venomous heart you have.”

Regardless of the facts, Yabolun immediately started pinning the blame on Christine!

They were already in a standoff here today; there was little room for compromise on either side.

And Christine’s status was rather special; he had to ensure that the elites of the Cateline branch of the Black Knights felt no psychological pressure when they moved against her.

“It was Pinalie who wanted to kill me. I say, Yabolun, at a time like this, is there any need to hide it? The dirty deeds you and Saint Gregory have done, collaborating with the Cult of the Living and Dead, even working with the Necromantic Demon Lord himself, hehe… For your sins, even if you die a hundred times, the Lord will not forgive you.”

Christine was also a master at pinning blame.

Her gaze fell upon the Chief Captain of the Cateline branch of the Black Knights.

The Chief Captain was currently standing behind Yabolun and the Branch Chief.

She keenly observed that his expression when looking at Hall was unusual.

Connecting this to the fact that Hall had been to the Cateline Kingdom before, she reasoned he must have had contact with the local Black Knights when assisting Elizabeth.

Moreover, Hela had once led the Cateline branch of the Black Knights.

As the person Himan called Hela’s closest comrade-in-arms, this man probably knew Hall long ago.

Today, she had guided Hall to kill the necromancer, Morris.

But just the two of them against Yabolun and his elites would still be a tough fight.

She had to find a way to make them turn on each other, then let Hall make his move.

Hall himself had noticed this anomaly as well, and his thoughts were similar to Christine’s.

In fact, Christine’s current meticulous thinking was not just innate; it was also heavily influenced by him from their childhood.

“Saintess Candidate Christine is absolutely right. Lord Pinalie returned that night and attempted to murder her. If I hadn’t been there, I’m afraid Pinalie would have succeeded. As I understand it, you were planning to offer Christine to the Necromantic Demon Lord, weren’t you?”

Hall began to fabricate a story, half-truth and half-lie, pointing the Sky-Striking Sword at Yabolun.

“You people are truly killing three birds with one stone. You gain a powerful ally, eliminate a huge obstacle for Her Majesty’s chosen Saintess Candidate, and you can even pin the blame on the Cateline Kingdom.”

“Viscount Hall, don’t you think what you’re saying is a bit exaggerated?”

Yabolun still tried to argue.

“Furthermore, you are merely a viscount. How could you possibly understand the profound intentions of the Cardinal Council? If you and Christine leave here immediately and remain silent about today’s events, we can guarantee your safety. Otherwise, if you ruin tonight’s plan…”

“Otherwise, what? Marquis Yabolun, I know you’ve made your way in this world with just your words. Why should I believe the nonsense you’ve concocted? As the sole son of the Faxtius family, I know that maintaining the stability of our three nations—the Cateline Kingdom, the Bal Empire, and the Papal State—is of paramount importance. This is my father’s duty, and it is my duty. I swear on the Faxtius name, I will absolutely not allow you to act so recklessly today!”

Hall raised the grand banner of “maintaining the unity of humanity,” making himself instantly unassailable.

He continued, “I only know that you and Saint Gregory, for your own selfish desires, have colluded with heretics and heathens to act against the Cateline Kingdom. How dare you invoke the name of the Cardinal Council? After I have judged you sinners today, atoned for the souls who died in the Holy Train explosion, I will then petition the Cardinal Council to explain the cause and effect!”

This time, the elites of the Cateline branch were more or less shaken.

Most of them were just following orders.

Yabolun came to the Cateline branch with a command, so they naturally obeyed.

But what if Yabolun had embellished the orders and was deliberately seeking personal gain?

They couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Seeing the wavering in his subordinates, the Vice-Chief said, “Utter nonsense, Viscount Hall! What is your status? How could you know the profound meaning of this Cardinal Council decision? You are but a pawn on this chessboard. You should just do your own job obediently. By insisting on interfering in such important matters, it is you who is acting recklessly!”

“Pardon me, I am now a Chief Captain of the Black Knights Headquarters. In terms of rank, I am your equal. But based on the actual situation, branch positions must prioritize orders from headquarters. You, a Vice-Chief, surely know this most basic rule, right?”

Hall produced the letter of appointment that Istar and Sergey had given him some time ago and stated an important purpose of his trip.

“Within the next year, as the Saintess election concludes, the election for the new Pope will begin. The structure and form of the Black Knights will also undergo reform. I won’t hide it any longer. I am here to incorporate the Cateline branch. From now on, your Cateline branch will be under the direct jurisdiction of the headquarters.”

The dark-haired youth watched the changing expressions of the elites and continued eloquently, “Unfortunately for you, I may be a candidate for the future Grand Marshal of the Black Knights. So today, I do not wish for a conflict with any of you. If anyone wishes to challenge me, you are welcome. But if you wish to remain obstinate with Marquis Yabolun and this Vice-Chief, colluding with heretics and destroying the unity of humanity, then I shall punish you with this sword today.”

After speaking, almost without waiting for the Vice-Chief to say another word.

Hall, a master of weapon arts, activated the Sky-Striking Sword.

In a flash of lightning, though the laser from the Sky-Striking Sword didn’t hit a vital point, it pierced through the Vice-Chief’s right shoulder.

This was extremely debilitating for a swordsman.

Hall had attacked with preparation; he knew this Vice-Chief posed the greatest threat to him.

If the man tried to resist, he would draw the Rainbow Sky Sword and use its special effect to seize the initiative.

And almost at that very instant, the Chief Captain suddenly raised his arm and shouted.

“Viscount Hall, I am at your command.”

His next move was to run his sword through the Vice-Chief from behind as the man was about to tend to his right shoulder.

The Chief Captain of the Cateline branch was no fool.

To be precise, the moment he saw Hall, he was reminded of a young woman.

—Hela.

A girl with beautiful and elegant purple hair, wearing a half-black veil, sitting astride a white horse, her sword swings carrying an imposing aura.

For every member of the Black Knights who had followed Hela to subjugate the Snow Elf tribe,

That name, that girl’s silhouette, was something they could never forget.

Nor dared to approach.

Because, true to her name, she was the goddess of death.

Back when she led them into the Demon Lord’s domain in the far north where the Snow Elves resided, some great lords tried to block their path, but any demon who dared to stand in their way became a soul under Hela’s sword.

There was a saying back then: they only needed to guard Hela’s flanks and rear; the front could be broken through by Hela alone.

She alone was half an army.

Hela never showed any reaction to these internal compliments and praises.

Only a female subordinate officer who was close to her said she once heard Hela sigh, “Actually, if he were here, it would be enough.”

There was no need to guess who this “he” was.

Everyone knew that Hela and Hall Faxtius were close.

When Hela first joined the order, the two often trained together, ate together, and had even slept in the same tent.

Although Hela and Hall were very young when they first joined, so no one thought anything happened when they slept in the same tent.

But it showed that Hela trusted Hall completely.

And now, even though Hela was no longer with the Black Knights and hadn’t been heard from for years,

The Chief Captain of the Cateline branch didn’t believe Hela would forget Hall.

When Hall needed her, Hela would definitely appear.

What more was there to say?

The Chief Captain decided to switch sides.

He didn’t care who was right or wrong between Hall and Yabolun now, because Hall had Istar’s backing, and Yabolun had Saint Gregory’s.

But it wasn’t that simple either.

Hall and Christine were also close, which meant he had Cardinal Rosso’s support as well, and Hall’s grandmother, Cardinal Rosso, was right here in Saint Catherinesburg.

He felt that his future as the Vice-Chief of the Cateline branch depended on this move.

He believed Hall could win.

If he bet on Hall winning, then the Vice-Chief and Yabolun had to die.

To eliminate any high-ranking witnesses on the scene.

Besides, if things went as expected, Hall would most likely become the Grand Marshal or Vice-Marshal of the Black Knights in the future, which would make him Hall’s direct subordinate.

If he wanted to continue his career in the Black Knights, he had to make this move.

“Marquis Yabolun, do you still think you’re right?”

Seeing the Chief Captain’s defection, Christine knew the victory was sealed and posed the soul-searching question.

Then she added in a feigned tone of regret, “You made great contributions to the Papal State during your life, so even though you committed such a grave error at the end of your life, the Lord will not let you fall into hell. Go in peace.”

“Christine, Hall Faxtius! You two harbor sinister…”

Hall didn’t let Yabolun say anything more.

He had already decided to eliminate him and immediately moved forward.

But before he could act, a Lieutenant Captain from the Cateline branch, mimicking the Chief Captain, ran Yabolun through with his sword from behind.

If he didn’t die, he would only cause endless trouble, making things difficult for Sophia and the others.

As for who to blame for Yabolun’s death?

The Cult of the Living and Dead, of course.

There were plenty of ready-made corpses and undead puppets.

They would also have to deal with Elizabeth’s faction a bit, give Yabolun’s family a generous pension, and make them keep their mouths shut.

Compared to the dead Hall, they could even give Yabolun the title of a hero who “sacrificed himself while bravely fighting the Cult of the Living and Dead.”

Afterward, the Chief Captain and the two Lieutenant Captains brought by Yabolun and the Vice-Chief all came before Hall and knelt on one knee in the snow.

“Viscount Hall, from now on, please give us your orders. Apart from the men the Chief took with him, all remaining elites above level seventy are here.”

“Very impressive, Young Master Hall. You’ve taken down the elites of the Cateline branch of the Black Knights with almost no bloodshed. Congratulations, Lord Istar will surely be very pleased.”

“It’s hard to say. The main sponsor of the Cateline branch is an old noble, and that Chief isn’t here. But the people I’ve won over this time have the blood of Yabolun and the Vice-Chief on their hands, so they’re in the same boat as me now.”

After instructing the elites to start fabricating the scene, Hall went to Morris’s study.

The necromancer had been located by Christine, then pierced through by him using the Sky-Striking Sword.

Because once the location was confirmed, the active effect of the Sky-Striking Sword had a very long range, so the man died almost without reacting.

“See if there are any important intelligence documents. Your talent for languages is better than mine.”

“Not at all. Young Master Hall taught Christine many of the ancient languages. Christine might not understand all of these undead languages either.”

The two began to rummage through the documents in the room.

Soon, they found the action plan for tonight.

“If Yerona is really coming, I just didn’t expect the leader of the Cult of the Living and Dead to come as well.”

“But we’ve already eliminated their bait. How do they plan to enter the Ice Imperial Tomb now? Forcing their way in probably won’t work.”

Christine pondered for a moment.

Although Yerona and the Cult leader were strong, their side clearly had more people.

And as long as they notified Sophia in advance, this plan was doomed to fail.

“And Judgment Division Five. It seems they mentioned the name of Judgment Division Five in the intelligence, but they don’t know their location…”

“With Judgment Division Five present, Yerona and the leader of the Cult of the Living and Dead won’t be able to get Elizabeth’s body. Besides, Yerona might not necessarily be loyal to Samigina in the first place.”

“But Judgment Division Five will definitely kill Elizabeth and Yerona.”

Hall knew there could only be one Saintess of Eternal Winter.

According to the Judgment Division’s style.

Elizabeth, Sophia, Yerona—tonight, two of the three were bound to die.

“If that happens, the worst-case scenario is that the Cateline Kingdom declares war on the Papal State.”

Hall continued.

“That’s true, but Hall, how are you going to protect them? They don’t even know the location of Judgment Division Five, so how can you and I find it? And the division chiefs of the Judgment Division have the authority to act first and report later… If you try to stop them by force, they might kill you too.”

This was what worried Christine.

As the most violent institution since the founding of the Papal State,

The high-ranking members of the Judgment Division dared to touch even monarchs, let alone Hall, the son of a duke.

And from a perspective of benefits, Hall’s current value couldn’t compare to the threat that two Saintesses of Eternal Winter posed to the Papal State’s hegemony.

“Regardless, if they want to enter the Ice Imperial Tomb, they still have to rely on Yerona. Yerona isn’t stupid; she understands the Papal State’s intentions. Tonight won’t be that simple.”

Hall began to ponder.

The deaths of Morris and Yabolun were only the prelude to this stage’s performance.

Then, he thought of someone.

Someone who might know the Judgment Division’s movements.

“Ahhh… she got away again, how could she…”

Himan had been chasing Parousia for over an hour.

But she didn’t complain at first.

Because she was thinking about another problem: Parousia was with Hall and Christine.

Since Parousia was in Saint Catherinesburg, Hall and Christine must be here too, right?

Maybe they were near the courtyard where Parousia had just come from.

So she went back and searched, only finding Christine’s unfinished, cold milk and bread on the second floor, which no one had cleaned up.

This small detail let Himan know that Hall and Christine had definitely been there earlier.

But because it was snowing heavily in Saint Catherinesburg today and the temperature was very low, she couldn’t determine how long ago they had left.

And she was still thinking about whether Christine had deliberately taken Hall away.

Right now, she wasn’t thinking it was Hall’s fault; she thought it was all Christine’s fault.

‘But, does Hall trust Christine that much? I already found them, but maybe he didn’t notice me. Probably. The fact that they can hide for so long means Christine has extensive counter-surveillance experience.’

‘But why are they hiding until now?’

Himan couldn’t figure it out.

‘Wait, if Parousia escaped alone, wouldn’t that mean Christine and Hall are now unsupervised?’

‘That’s not right either.’

Seeing how Parousia ran the moment she saw her, Himan didn’t think Parousia was qualified to negotiate with the Cult of the Living and Dead.

She stood dazed in the snowy street, when a terrifying thought suddenly struck her.

‘Could there be a Vampire Prince in Saint Catherinesburg right now?’

‘Something this important.’

‘I must inform Her Highness of Cateline… no, I must inform Grandmother.’

‘Her Highness should have a relatively relaxed meeting with Cardinal Rosso.’

‘Yes, Cardinal Rosso is a very kind person, but she said we must find Hall and Christine within three days and cannot delay any longer.’

‘That’s not a problem. Since Hall and Saintess Candidate Christine are here, and Cardinal Rosso is also a researcher of magical theory, she might have sensed their presence. Perhaps she already knows.’

At twelve-thirty in the afternoon, after a not-so-long meeting.

Theresa accompanied Sophia back to her chambers.

‘If it’s just this, I can handle it. I’m just afraid that Cardinal Rosso has a hidden agenda. She can’t have come here to do nothing.’

‘It’s hard to say, Your Highness. Perhaps she just came to see Prince Hall and Lady Himan. They are both juniors she cares about a great deal.’

‘I hope so. But I have a feeling that something big will happen tonight. If only Sister could come earlier…’

A trace of worry crossed the white-haired girl’s eyes.

‘Although Her Highness Elizabeth is outstanding, you must also trust in your own abilities, Your Highness. Some things cannot be forced.’

Theresa was halfway through comforting her.

When a female Cateline official came rushing through the heavy snow.

“Your Highness, bad news! An anonymous letter reports that Marquis Yabolun’s body has been found in the western district of Saint Catherinesburg. Many undead puppets were found with him. There was a battle there. Should we immediately dispatch a large number of people to investigate?”

“Yes, we must investigate.”

Sophia made a judgment after a brief moment of surprise.

They had to issue an official statement before the matter escalated.

Otherwise, the state banquet tonight to which Cardinal Rosso and a host of Papal State dignitaries were invited would be difficult to manage.

“Hall, it seems something big has happened.”

At one in the afternoon.

Christine and Hall had not returned to their rented courtyard, as he had already determined that the Judgment Division and the Cult of the Living and Dead would be making a move tonight.

He planned to stay with Christine and observe the situation quietly.

They were now sitting by a window in a small corner shop on the street.

In front of them was a local Cateline dish of freshly stir-fried yak beef, along with some special seafood from the North Sea.

It was fresher than what Hall usually ate in Saint Louis.

But just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he saw many swift figures rushing towards the place they had just come from.

“From their skills, they look like Cateline’s elite agents.”

“Yabolun’s death has probably been exposed. And since Morris is dead, even though we checked for any uncontrolled undead puppets afterward, we can’t be sure there weren’t any stragglers.”

“If it were just undead puppets, they wouldn’t send so many elite plainclothes agents to deal with it, because the number wouldn’t be that large.”

Christine said, “It’s very likely that Yabolun’s body has been discovered.”

Hall’s original plan was for Yabolun’s body to be discovered naturally tomorrow at the earliest, so before the elites of the Cateline Black Knights branch left,

He had specifically warned them not to leak any information.

Besides, there were no ordinary residents in that vicinity.

And in such cold weather, even if Yabolun’s body were left in the large courtyard, it would be impossible for anyone to find it for at least three to five days.

“Do you think someone reported it to the Cateline Kingdom’s intelligence department?”

“It might be more than just that.”

Christine said, “Perhaps today’s Cateline Evening News will publish the news that the long-missing diplomatic minister, Marquis Yabolun, has been mysteriously found dead in Saint Catherinesburg.”

“That would be really troublesome. Do they not want tonight’s state banquet to proceed smoothly?”

“No, it’s more likely to attract attention,” Hall thought.

Christine tapped her finger on the tabletop.

Initially, she felt that sitting by the window in a corner shop with Hall was a bit like that scene from her memories, and she had started to let her mind wander.

But now she had to start considering serious matters.

“Perhaps. I think I’ve already guessed who did it.”

He glanced at the wall clock in the small shop.

Then he looked at the girl across from him.

“Let’s eat first. We’ll need our strength for tonight.”

At the same moment.

Also in the western district of Saint Catherinesburg.

Someone else was looking at a clock—a watch on their wrist.

“This afternoon at four o’clock, and again at seven in the evening, a Holy Train will arrive from outside the city. Your three groups are responsible for monitoring these two incoming Holy Trains. Due to the heavy snow, they might be delayed, but it is certain that she will definitely come.”

“Understood. May you successfully complete the Cardinal’s mission, Eaton.”

The person on the other end of the magic communication device did not call him “Marquis Eaton,” who was missing according to the papers.

But rather—”Vice-Chief Eaton.”