Chapter 131: Taking Her Away

Wrath’s divine blessing?!

Peretti couldn’t help but recall the petite figure of a girl from before. She too had possessed the blessing of Wrath. Back then, she had been nothing more than an ordinary girl who couldn’t even kill a chicken—yet the surging fury within her heart had allowed her to drag her dying body forward, crush Josuna, and even track Peretti by scent, ultimately defeating her.

That terrifying resilience—so long as one is not dead, anger becomes endless combat power—still sent chills down her spine whenever she thought about it.

And now, the one wielding this pseudo-divine blessing wasn’t an ignorant young girl, but a battle-hardened knight commander who could cleave through armies with a single swing.

A cold chill crept up her spine. Her throat tightened, and even her breathing became uneven.

“Yeah… I didn’t expect this either.” Anasha sighed. “During those scattered clashes after Fakenna’s rebellion, quite a few knights reported seeing a strange blue flame… Sigh, at this point, all we can do is wait for reinforcements.”

As she spoke, her shoulders visibly slumped, bitterness and helplessness swirling in her eyes.

To ordinary people, she already stood at the peak of strength—but in front of someone with divine blessing, her power felt as insignificant as a dying candle in the wind. She lowered her gaze to her own hands, feeling as though something was stuck in her throat.

“Requesting reinforcements at a time like this… won’t that raise suspicion from the upper ranks of the Church?” Peretti asked quietly. “The Brest mission has already been delayed for so long. Not only have you failed to resolve it, but now you’re asking for aid… And this is just a heretic case in Zone X—normally it wouldn’t require such a large mobilization. Besides, this is a border region. If something goes wrong here, it’s never a small matter.”

“I already said it—I’ll bear all the consequences myself.” Anasha lifted her gaze, looking at Peretti with a hint of confusion. “But you… I remember you strongly opposed killing Fakenna back then. Why are you now suggesting we spare his life instead?”

Peretti took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety in her chest as her tone turned serious.

“Don’t you think Fakenna’s actions are… strange?”

“Strange?” Anasha looked puzzled.

Peretti spoke slowly, “Do you remember what he looked like the first time we met him? As the commander of a knight order, he was only wearing a broken shoulder guard. Despite commanding over seven hundred subordinates, fewer than thirty surrounded us—and not a single one was wearing armor.”

“Attacking the Regulation Squad is a capital offense. Your rules clearly state that such offenders can be executed on sight without question. There’s no way Fakenna didn’t know that. And yet he still chose to act… I have a feeling he’s plotting something.”

Anasha froze slightly.

Scenes from the past suddenly replayed in her mind—the composure Fakenna displayed during the attack, the looseness of his subordinates, and that Wrath blessing confirmed by countless witnesses… which he had never actually used.

A chill ran through her body, her back stiffening.

So many flaws had been hidden in that attack—and she had never noticed.

“What about Kane? Did you get anything useful from him? Like what Fakenna used to be like?”

Anasha shook her head helplessly, frustration filling her eyes. “Nothing useful. At best, it’s just vague references. It doesn’t help at all.”

“Sigh… that makes things troublesome.” Peretti let out a soft sigh, her voice tinged with indescribable bitterness.

She wasn’t just talking about the situation—they applied just as much to herself.

Her magic was sealed. Josuna’s surveillance followed her like a shadow. Right now, her only hope was for Feiye to wake up soon—even if it was just to shield her from Josuna’s edge for a moment.

She subconsciously touched her chest. The small creature nestled there still showed no reaction. By all logic, after so much time—and since Lirna hadn’t exerted much force—Feiye should have recovered enough to wake up.

So why was she still asleep?

As the two of them stood there, brows tightly furrowed over the situation, a faint ripple suddenly spread through the air.

In the next instant, Mingtong’s figure appeared out of nowhere between them—followed by a woman clad in black robes, her face veiled beneath a layer of dark gauze.

A cold wind swept past, stirring the hem of her robe. The veil concealed her features, leaving only a pair of unfathomable eyes visible—eerily deep.

“May I ask… are you Miss Peretti?”

The woman’s voice was calm and flat, like water soaked in ice, carrying a chilling undertone.

Peretti snapped back to her senses, staring blankly at the woman. Alarm bells rang instantly in her mind. This sudden stranger—and that oppressive aura—made her instinctively step back.

“Yes… that’s me. Who are you?” Her voice carried clear caution.

Beside her, Anasha’s expression darkened the moment she recognized the woman’s attire. Her brows knitted tightly, displeasure surging in her eyes.

Almost instantly, she drew the sword at her waist. The blade gleamed with a cold, sharp light as she positioned herself firmly in front of Peretti, shielding her.

“People from the Forbidden School? What are you doing here?” Her tone was icy with hostility. “I don’t recall Brest’s affairs being any of your concern.”

The woman inclined her head slightly, the black veil swaying gently in the wind, her voice as calm as ever.

“Greetings, Miss Anasha. We have come under orders—specifically to escort Miss Peretti back to the imperial capital.”

“Miss Peretti, would you be willing to come with us?”

“R-return to the imperial capital?” Peretti’s pupils shrank sharply, panic flashing across her face.

The imperial capital gathered the vast majority of the empire’s strongest individuals. If she really went there… whether she could ever come back was another question entirely.

“Escort? You?” Anasha let out a scornful laugh. “Or rather, your so-called Forbidden School?”

“Others might not know your filthy dealings—but I do.” Her voice dripped with disdain. “This ‘escort’ of yours—are you sending her to serve as a high-ranking priest of the Church, or taking her away for experiments? Brainwashing her into a puppet with no self?”

She glanced back at Peretti, who stood behind her in visible panic, and a trace of pity stirred in her heart.

She understood Peretti well. Despite her unparalleled talent, she had never wanted to be entangled in the conflicts between the Church and the nobility—she only wished to live freely as a traveler.

But the empire’s upper ranks would never let someone like her go.

In their eyes, any powerful individual must submit absolutely to the Empire. No matter the means, they would seize control.

Anasha still remembered those who had been destroyed by the Forbidden School—those hollow, puppet-like shells. The memory remained a permanent shadow in her heart.

That was why she felt nothing but deep, bone-rooted disgust toward them.

The black-robed woman paused slightly. Beneath the veil, her gaze seemed to turn colder.

“Miss Anasha, this is an order. You have no right to refuse. Focus on handling your own mission.”

“Hehe~ don’t worry.” At this moment, Mingtong stepped forward with a cheerful smile, trying to smooth things over. “As long as big sister behaves obediently, nothing bad will happen to her. She might even be granted a noble title by Her Highness the Princess~”

Anasha knew Mingtong wasn’t lying.

But with Peretti’s personality… would she really agree?