Chapter 49: Grim City on the Brink of Ruin

Green City, located at the border of the Elva Empire, had lost its once-famous natural defensive walls after the Night of Calamity.

A bottomless chasm, hundreds of meters wide, now split the entire city in two, completely severing it.

Ruined walls and debris lay everywhere, emitting a rotten stench, and the sight of decay was visible to the naked eye.

Even though a month had passed, not a single bridge had been built to cross it.

Today, two people arrived in Green City.

Leading them was a woman wearing a beige European-style long dress, with a graceful figure and a pretty face that carried a hint of heroism.

Her golden hair was tied into a ponytail with a beige ribbon, and at her waist hung a silver-sheathed longsword, giving her a valiant and extraordinary presence.

Behind her followed a slightly overweight middle-aged man, with a hooked nose, sharp eyes, and a pointed chin.

He was dressed lavishly, wore a constant hypocritical smile, and hid cruelty within his gaze.

These two were none other than the disguised current Sword Saintess, Eve, and the Dark Night Knight, Hespie.

“The destruction is even worse than I imagined.”

Eve frowned slightly as she looked at the bottomless chasm.

“Hmph, little Alice had already reached the peak of the lower Saint rank 30 years ago. With the Holy Ring: Heavenly Punishment in her hand, no one of the same rank could match her head-on.”

Hespie snorted with disdain, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Hearing this, Eve turned back and gave him a deep look, her voice rising slightly as she warned him.

“The name ‘Witch of Evil’ is forbidden. As a titled knight, mentioning a taboo name privately is knowingly breaking the law.”

Hespie sneered, looking down on Eve’s naivety from the bottom of his heart.

“Sword Saintess, you should worry about your own safety. The previous two Sword Saintesses didn’t even live past ten years.”

Eve’s face showed clear anger.

A golden glint flashed in her eyes as her hand tightened and loosened repeatedly on her sword hilt.

In the end, she did not draw her sword, stopped speaking to him, and turned to walk into Green City.

Hespie looked coldly at her back and clicked his tongue in disdain.

The task of slaying the Witch of Evil would ultimately fall to him.

The current Sword Saintess was far too lacking.

.

Eve looked at the dried corpses scattered throughout Green City, and the hatred in her eyes deepened.

She approached one of the bodies, moved aside the armor, and examined it carefully.

The skin of the corpse was like dried tree bark, completely devoid of moisture.

The twisted face still retained the terror from before death, yet showed no signs of pain.

It seemed they had lost their lives without even feeling suffering.

“How exactly did the Witch of Evil do this…”

“Who’s there!”

“What are you doing!”

Just as Eve was murmuring to herself, two patrolling Church Knights noticed her beside the corpse.

They immediately assumed combat stances, their expressions tense with a trace of fear as they drew their swords.

“She is the esteemed Sword Saintess Eve. There’s no need to be afraid.”

At that moment, the Dark Night Knight Hespie arrived and spoke with disdain as he looked at the overly nervous knights.

“Oh?!!!”

“You are!!!”

“Lord Dark Night Knight Hespie!”

“You’ve finally arrived!”

“We pay our respects to the Dark Night Knight and the Sword Saintess!”

Not everyone had seen Sword Saintess Eve, but in Green City, no one didn’t know Hespie.

Even though he was dressed like a wealthy merchant, the two knights recognized him at a glance.

They quickly sheathed their weapons and knelt on one knee in respect.

“Lord Dark Night Knight, now that you’re here, Green City finally has hope!”

The admiration in their eyes was unmistakable.

“Heh, rise. Under the radiance of my lord, I will slay the Witch of Evil.”

Hespie clearly enjoyed their admiration.

“May our lord’s radiance endure forever!”

The knights were filled with excitement.

After finishing her examination, Eve stood up and asked the two knights,

“Why are there so few people in the city now? There are far more corpses along the way than what was reported.”

According to the report they received, about a thousand Church followers died during the Night of Calamity.

The garrison and civilians suffered around another thousand deaths, bringing the total to less than 2,500.

But the number of corpses they had seen far exceeded that figure.

Hearing her question, the knights’ expressions stiffened.

Suppressing their pain, one of them answered,

“After the Night of Calamity, over 5,000 knights and priests were deployed here from various regions. Along with more than 10,000 troops from the Elva Empire, reconstruction was progressing smoothly.”

“But…”

“However…”

“About ten days ago, another demon came to Green City!”

“It was a little girl! With golden hair, wearing a luxurious dark red dress, and she brought overwhelming demonic energy that swept across the entire city!”

“We were escorting civilians to another city with the Radiant Knights at the time, and we witnessed Green City being engulfed in crimson blood mist…”

“Ugh—”

The young knight’s face twisted in grief and pain.

As he spoke, he turned and vomited, unable to continue.

The other knight hurriedly took over.

“The Church Knights and the Empire’s army in Green City… all perished. Even the two Radiant Knights…”

“It all happened in just a few minutes…”

The knight lowered his head deeply, unable to go on.

Eve pressed further,

“The civilians of Green City weren’t harmed? Which direction did that golden-haired girl go?”

“The commoners of Green City were completely unharmed… but all the nobles died.”

“The demonic mist seemed to head toward the Arkan Empire. We don’t know the situation there now.”

“Recently, more and more high-level magical beasts have been emerging from the Sealed Demon Mountain Range. Now, aside from Church Knights and priests, only poor civilians remain in Green City. Anyone with a bit of wealth has already left.”

Eve nodded.

Although she had an important mission, she felt that the events in Green City could not be ignored.

“Who is currently the highest commander in Green City? Where are they?”

The knight quickly replied,

“It’s Lord Radiant Knight Aisor. A nearby town was recently attacked by magical beasts, so he led the knights there to eliminate them.”

Eve ordered,

“Prepare a good horse. Take us to meet Radiant Knight Aisor.”

Just as she finished speaking, the Dark Night Knight behind her interrupted with a gloomy expression.

“We have our own mission. The magical beasts of Green City will be handled by others. As for that golden-haired demon…”

At this point, Hespie’s body trembled slightly, and his brows furrowed as he buried the fear deep within his heart.

“In short, do not meddle in unnecessary matters!”