Chapter 170 : The White-Stockinged Female Knight’s Change of Heart

Three o’clock in the afternoon.

Heavy snow was falling over Saint Catherinesburg.

Himan walked out of the Papal State’s embassy.

Just moments ago, she had told Cardinal Rosso, her maternal grandmother, about her assessment of tonight’s situation.

‘Grandmother doesn’t seem very worried about the presence of vampires in Saint Catherinesburg; she just said not to make a fuss so as not to affect the prince’s affairs today.’

The white-stockinged female knight was lying in the snow at night.

Actually, from a rational perspective, she had also mentioned the matter of being under Christine’s control.

But her grandmother simply said it was fine, that everything was normal.

Those four words nearly made Himan break down.

Hall.

Believe in Hall.

She was getting depressed.

Everyone was saying to believe in Hall.

But the current Hall was indeed in great danger.

But perhaps her grandmother also knew about it three years ago.

Even though Hall’s reputation had been poor for the past three years, the Rosso family had never failed to prepare birthday gifts for the younger generation.

And both her and Hall’s birthday gifts were always of the highest tier.

The standard had never been lowered.

But, even with Hall in the hands of a Vampire Prince, her grandmother was not worried at all, as if he already had the ability to deal with a Vampire Prince.

No, that wasn’t it… perhaps Grandmother also had that mysterious trust in Hall.

‘Maybe this is a special mission? Grandmother is a Cardinal, and she values Hall so much, perhaps she specifically assigned this mission to Hall for his own good… Is that how it is?’

Himan walked along the snowy street, continuing to analyze the current situation in her mind.

Hall had probably already gained the trust of the Vampire Prince.

If he was just selling intelligence on the Cateline Kingdom to the Vampire Prince in exchange for trust…

That would be beneficial to the Papal State.

So, although she felt a little uneasy, she accepted it.

The important thing was that Hall had to be safe.

But she also felt…

Hall seemed to be getting farther and farther away from her.

Ever since they were children, from the first time Hall was selected as a reserve for the Black Knights.

She had been chasing after his footsteps.

During the Ten Rounds Battle, the feelings of the white-stockinged female knight were etched into Himan’s mind, a tangled mess.

Hall was moving further and further away from her, and it felt very complicated.

And there was that not-so-honest… and she felt she was always improving.

…his footsteps.

Himan remembered what her grandmother had said a while ago, that she was an adult now, and had asked her…

“…Could it be… that my feelings for Hall, besides affection, there’s nothing else?”

Himan couldn’t help but think.

For adult men and women, is there nothing more to their feelings than just liking someone?

Himan and Hall were always together as children, as cousins. After they grew up, for three years, she mostly considered how to improve Hall’s reputation.

Between her studies and missions for the White Knights, although she hadn’t thought much about her own feelings, Himan was definitely the type of person who was very serious about relationships.

But to say she liked Hall…

“…If I ask her…”

But it was like she was just running in place.

Every time she thought about her and Hall, what her feelings for him truly were…

‘Hall really is popular.’

She sighed unconsciously once again.

She didn’t know that during this time, no…

Soon, she returned to their lodging, where Maria was also beginning to feel a little agitated with Himan.

Telling Maria about Christine’s feelings would be vexing, especially when thinking of Ye Wangxue, or Julia who was at his side during the Ten Rounds.

And that fierce vampire, and Hall’s not-so-innocent-looking sister.

“Miss Himan, is Christine in Saint Catherinesburg?”

The same words had been said many times.

“She is, but perhaps Lady Christine can’t show herself for some reason. Don’t be anxious, Maria. I want to ask you something.”

You can’t just ask other people.

“What is it, Miss Himan? Please ask.”

“What do you think I am to Hall? To Viscount Hall?”

Moreover, Maria was a nun, so she should…

“I think you are like a cousin to him.”

…

Maria was also stumped.

…fulfill the duties a cousin should.

But Himan couldn’t ask anyone else this question.

She had to ask an outsider, someone who wouldn’t deliberately deceive her.

“What do you think of me… how I treat Hall?”

“You treat Viscount Hall very well.”

Maria said.

“I wasn’t always good to Hall in the past, was I? A sister… besides, with how Viscount Hall was before, he really did need guidance.”

“I mean…”

Himan felt Maria’s answer wasn’t getting to the point of her current frustration.

“I mean, whenever I think about him being surrounded by so many girls, I get very annoyed.”

“Oh… is that so? The girls around Viscount Hall are indeed a bit numerous. What you did was right, Miss Himan. He has to face so many temptations, and he can’t firmly choose one. You helping him establish the right values… isn’t that a good thing?”

Seeing Himan’s expression, Maria thought she was being too strict as a cousin.

“Isn’t it right to be a little strict with a younger brother? Miss Himan, as his cousin…”

“Who do you think is the best match for Viscount Hall?”

Maria thought Himan was asking for her own opinion, but considering Himan’s troubled state, she ventured an answer.

“Well, Miss Himan, if you have such worries, you should help Viscount Hall choose a suitable person… and help them have a good relationship… Of course, you shouldn’t choose Lady Christine. She is participating in the Saintess election at the end of this year and is unlikely to be in a relationship. Even though Viscount Hall is indeed excellent…”

“Of course I won’t choose Christine.”

Himan got annoyed just thinking about Christine.

“That person… she completely violates the rules for a Saintess Candidate.”

“Oh, then who does Miss Himan plan to choose? Viscount Hall has a fiancée, but she is the princess of the Xia Kingdom…”

“Ye Wangxue is not an option. In the future, regardless of whether it’s Hall or Ye Wangxue, it would be very difficult for them if they truly became husband and wife.”

Himan continued to reject the idea.

“If the Seventh Princess Ye is not an option, then the only one left who is a good match for Viscount Hall is Princess Leticia, right? I think she’s a very nice girl. Besides, if Hall marries her, the strength of the Faxtius family will greatly increase…”

Maria was being honest.

She thought Leticia was a good choice.

There were no status barriers, and if Hall married her, it would even be considered marrying up.

Himan was persuaded by Maria’s words, but she still felt something was strange.

‘Is Leticia really okay?’

She seemed to have discussed this with her mother before.

It was rejected back then, so should she agree now?

“I’ll think about it again.”

“Well, Miss Himan, if it’s really too difficult… I actually think you are quite suitable for the Viscount.”

Maria brought up the thought she just had.

“Ah, me?”

“Why not? You and Viscount Hall are the same age and grew up together. Although you are cousins, you don’t actually share a close blood relationship. And even if you were siblings, such things are not unheard of in the history of the Papal State.”

“That’s true…”

Himan nodded, agreeing with Maria’s statement.

If she became Hall’s girlfriend…

It didn’t seem impossible.

Besides, she didn’t dislike Hall…

In fact, she quite liked him…

It’s just that every time he…

Then let it be so.

As a girlfriend, she could stop the other women.

If Christine and the others do anything too excessive, she would be the one to…

Just as Himan was thinking this.

Vice-Captain Lucy suddenly arrived at the house where she and Maria were staying.

“Himan, there’s something you need to come with me for.”

The time was 4:50 PM.

It was almost five o’clock.

Due to the heavy snow, the sky was already dark.

Hall knew that the guests for the evening banquet in the royal palace would arrive before 6:30 PM.

The appointed time was 7:00 PM.

From that time on, it would be when the security around the main gate and outside the royal palace was at its weakest.

That was when the Cult of the Living and Dead would act.

And the people from the Judgment Division.

For the rest of the afternoon, he was actually exchanging and deducing various pieces of intelligence with Christine.

If he had any oversights, Christine would help.

With the two of them together, there would be no oversights.

With himself, who had the game version’s knowledge, and the queen with the sharpest mind in the game joining forces.

In the short span of three or four hours in the afternoon, they had already simulated all possible scenarios.

Yabolun’s death was naturally very strange.

‘The intelligence was probably from the Judgment Division. Either you were followed at the time, or the Judgment Division’s people had already discovered the undead hiding nearby. They had already been watching Morris, but we intercepted them…’

This was the theory Hall thought was possible.

And this theory would indirectly prove…

That the Judgment Division was not directly on the side of Saint Gregory and Yabolun, and there were ways to avoid direct conflict.

Besides that, there were the last two unaccounted-for missing persons from the Holy No. 7.

Archbishop Malik and Marquis Eaton.

Archbishop Malik should be in contact with his disciple, and moreover, he would prioritize reporting that Christine would not become an enemy.

As for Marquis Eaton… Hall keenly sensed that this person had not appeared until now and must belong to a major faction.

He could be someone under a certain Cardinal, or perhaps even from the Judgment Division.

It was hard to say.

Because high-ranking cadres of the Judgment Division all had normal, public identities on the outside.

“If they want to act against Elizabeth, they still need to find the location of the Ice Imperial Tomb. Hall, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“I’m sure. It’s at that small lake on the edge of the Cateline royal city. When the Saintess of Eternal Winter wants to enter the Ice Imperial Tomb, she will submerge herself in the lake. Then she freezes the lake surface, and when the lake is completely frozen, a gate will open at the bottom.”

“You know it so clearly…”

Christine’s mood became a little subtle.

As Cateline’s most secret and important place, Hall could clearly describe how to enter it.

He must have been taken in by Elizabeth, Sophia’s sister, many times.

She remembered that scene in the heavy rain, the way Hall fed ice cream to Elizabeth.

Just how close were they?

Was the degree of trust between them greater than that between her and her sister?

The young Saintess couldn’t help but think this way.

If Hall knew what she was thinking, he would surely cry foul.

The method for entering the Ice Imperial Tomb was like this in the game.

He knew how to get in even if Elizabeth didn’t take him.

Of course, the ritual had to be completed by someone with the bloodline of the Saintess of Eternal Winter.

Time began to tick by.

At 5:30 PM.

Many of Cateline’s evening newspapers were published on time.

Hall and Christine got a freshly printed copy at a newsstand.

As expected, it reported the news of Yabolun’s death and the incident in the western district involving a large number of undead puppets.

This would have caused a panic, but fortunately, there was an official statement from the Cateline government, saying that the undead puppet incident in the western district was under control and asking the public not to worry.

As for the reason this news was published, it was more likely to give the Papal State a proper explanation later.

After all, for a diplomatic minister to die like this was somewhat inexcusable.

“Hall, should we go take a look at the lake now?”

“Yes, let’s go to the area now. If the people from the Cult of the Living and Dead come, they will first look for Morris. But Morris is dead. And there are many Cateline intelligence agents from the investigation department still near that area…”

Hall thought this as he eliminated Yabolun and Morris first.

But he still felt a slight sense of incongruity as he walked.

Although there was a script there, and he and Christine were two unstable factors,

He still paused for a moment.

“Hall, don’t overthink it. Her Majesty Sophia has to entertain Cardinal Rosso at the palace tonight and can’t be there in person. This means the authority to open the Ice Imperial Tomb is in the hands of the other party. Their stance on Her Majesty Rosso will be key.”

Christine held his hand.

Walking in the snow, the place where their hands were joined felt a wave of warmth.

“Yes, we must win Rosso over.”

He actually had another concern.

This… this was the thing Hall was most concerned about.

What on earth would happen if Elizabeth came…

And when he saw the city lake at the edge of Cateline’s royal city and began to have a momentary vision, he seemed to understand.

…

“Hall…”

Someone was calling him. It was Christine’s voice.

But the voice wasn’t coming from the Christine beside him, but from within that memory.

The sky was pouring down with rain.

The city lake of Cateline’s royal city, as the entrance to the Ice Imperial Tomb, had no streams flowing into it, and no one managed it. It was speculated by scholars that the lake water was formed from the melted ice cones that fell into the abyss within the Ice Imperial Tomb.

In short, the water here was related to the mysterious power of the Ice Imperial Tomb.

So in the heavy rain, the entire lake’s surface was agitated, with nowhere to drain, yet it did not overflow.

What he could see was a drenched girl standing there.

“I came to find you…”

The blonde girl across from him spoke slowly to him.

The him in the memory actually stood there, drenched like a fledgling, but did not immediately step forward to protect her.

Instead, he seemed stunned for a moment before letting go of one hand to walk towards Christine.

The owner of that hand was a white-haired girl. She looked a bit younger than Sophia, but Hall was certain she was Elizabeth.

In the heavy rain of Saint Catherinesburg, his past self, who had cherished Elizabeth, met the drenched-like-a-drowned-rat Christine.

This scene was enough to fry the current Hall’s CPU.

‘Damn it, what the hell was I doing back then?’

‘Can you not be so ridiculous?’

He was numb.

Before he had much time to think, the scene zoomed in rapidly.

His past self had already reached Christine’s side, taken off his coat, and covered Christine’s head with it.

And the large umbrella they were both holding was now solely in Elizabeth’s hands.

The two girls looked at each other from a distance across the heavy rain.

Their gazes were not the same.

Compared to Elizabeth’s bewilderment, Christine was, as always, calm.

And he could hear her say, “Hall, who is she?”

Then she greeted Elizabeth, “Hello, I am Christine, Hall Faxtius’s maid. Four years ago, he saved me and my sister.”

Christine appeared very calm.

So much so that Hall, recalling this past event, felt slightly relieved.

Indeed, with Christine’s calm personality, even in this kind of scene, which greatly resembled a “Shura Field” from certain novels, she should be able to handle it.

“I am Elizabeth Cateline, the Empress of this country. Are you the girl Hall saved?”

“I was saved by him from the midst of a chaotic army. I thought I was going to die back then. Of course, if we trace it back further, he had already saved me from the brink of death when I was four years old.”

“When you were four?”

It was obvious the two girls were comparing.

And in this comparison, Christine seemed to have a slight disadvantage.

Then, the blonde girl fell silent.

She said nothing more.

Finally, she said, “Her Majesty Cateline, I have come to take Hall back.”

The vision did not last long.

This memory fragment ended, but if he continued to think about it, his head would start to ache badly.

Hall’s strength once again increased slightly.

He originally planned to find a secluded bench by the lakeside with Christine and sit there to observe the situation.

But the two of them sat there for an hour.

Until the sky turned completely dark, they gained nothing new.

Instead, the time for the state banquet was getting closer.

The people from the Cult of the Living and Dead and the Judgment Division were about to arrive.

“Christine, can you sense any necromantic aura?”

“Not yet…”

“It’s 6:45 now.”

He glanced at his watch.

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

She caressed his hand with her small one.

“Mm.”

But they failed to encounter the people from the Cult of the Living and Dead or the elites of the Judgment Division in the snowy darkness.

Instead, Theresa appeared on the road at seven o’clock.

She brought with her dozens of agile guards.

Hall had no intention of disturbing them, but seeing them, he still went forward to ask.

“Viscount Hall, it’s like this. We discovered Marquis Yabolun’s body in the western district during the day and, under Her Majesty’s orders, cleaned up the undead puppets there. There weren’t many, and it was done quickly, but… just now, undead puppets appeared there again.”

Theresa lowered her voice at this point and continued, “It seems to be the three Vice-Captains who went missing on the Holy No. 7.”

“?!”

Hall and Christine stood up slightly from their chairs.

They, of course, knew that these three…

The undead puppets were supposed to appear in the core area tonight.

But the Cult of the Living and Dead obviously had insufficient manpower, so these three Vice-Captains became undead puppets.

But they quickly calmed down.

“It’s not very safe outside tonight. You two should enter the palace and meet up with Her Majesty soon.”

Leaving these words, Theresa led her people away.

Meanwhile.

On the outskirts of Saint Catherinesburg.

A Holy Train was speeding along the snow-covered tracks.

In an inconspicuous seat on the train.

A purple-haired girl wrapped entirely in black clothes opened a pocket watch.

Looking at the hands of the watch, and the photograph inlaid within.

“Christine, Hall, you two… wait for me.”

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