Chapter 119: Emilia is Simply a God! (Patreon)

Meanwhile, on the streets of Priestella's Third District, a line of black-robed figures trailed behind the real Emilia.

At the center of the group, Sirius had been bound tight in her own chains. Puck had cast a powerful silence spell on her, so all she could manage were furious, resentful whimpers. Her one exposed eye gazed with clinging devotion at Geuse beside her, putting him under enormous pressure.

To overawe any remnants of the Witch Cult, and to guard against the two mysterious Witch Cult powerhouses coming back for another round, Emilia had squeezed her acting skills to the limit the whole way and put on an utterly majestic front.

Her chin was tilted slightly, her pure pale-violet eyes half-lowered, her expression as cold as ice that hadn't melted in ten thousand years. Every step she placed on the floor carried unquestionable resolve and authority, and her whole body gave off a pressure no one dared meet head-on.

And that bearing, overbearing and unfathomable in the eyes of onlookers, combined with the thunderous title she'd declared earlier, "leader of the Witch Cult's moderate faction," was enough to send the bard Liliana, tagging along at the back, straight into fangirl mode.

"Hehehe… Lady Emilia… what a dignified presence! What a beautiful face, like a goddess come to life!!"

Liliana hugged her lute, her big eyes brimming with admiration and longing. Emilia fit her mental image of a heroine so perfectly that she giggled dreamily, practically drooling at the corners of her mouth.

"So this is the legendary… 'Kind Sin Archbishop'?! She has the terrifying power to freeze everything with a snap of her fingers, yet she uses it to punish evil and uphold good! Beneath that cold exterior hides a compassion that would save all living things, and in that haughty gaze lies a silent pity for fragile mortals… Uwaaah! What a dramatic being, so full of contrast and beauty!!"

If she hadn't been wary of the bone-chilling aura radiating from the woman, the genius songstress would probably have thrown herself at Emilia's boots and started composing on the spot.

Unable to contain the creative surge churning in her chest, Liliana quietly slowed half a step and turned her gaze to the smallest-looking member of the group on the flank, the blue-haired little girl who seemed the easiest to talk to.

"Hey, hey! You there, cute little sis!"

Liliana tiptoed up beside Meili and lowered her voice to ask:

"That awe-inspiring silver-haired big sister… who exactly is she? Is she really a Sin Archbishop? How does she live day to day? Does she have any earth-shaking, legendary tales?!"

Meili tilted her head and looked at this fangirl who'd been completely won over by Emilia. The woman was about the same height as she was, yet had dared to call her "little sis." A mischievous, wicked smirk curled Meili's lips as the idea of giving her a scare popped into her head.

"Do you really want to know, big sis? Mother's exploits are pretty terrifying, you know? Not only is she a genuine Sin Archbishop, she has dangerous people like the 'Bowel Hunter' Elsa under her command, and even another Sin Archbishop swears loyalty to her."

The "Bowel Hunter" was fairly well known in Lugnica. Hearing Meili mention her name, the graceful, bewitching black-haired beauty glanced back with a smile. Liliana's pupils shook. She realized she'd been standing right next to the fearsome "Bowel Hunter" all this time without a care, and she couldn't help swallowing hard.

"So… that's Miss Elsa Granhiert? Ahaha… seeing really is better than hearing a hundred times! Better than hearing a hundred times, indeed!"

Liliana forced out a laugh, her little heart pounding in her chest. That was the Bowel Hunter! She was truly afraid that one wrong move might anger the woman and get her gutted in the street, her insides hanging out in the most literal sense.

"Right? It's an honor to see Sister Elsa from this close. Most people are already corpses by this distance, big sis~"

Meili sidled up beside Liliana with a wicked grin and an outrageously comical smile. Liliana swallowed hard again. She couldn't even imagine what kind of master the moderate-faction (supposedly) Witch Cult Sin Archbishop must be, to command Elsa's wholehearted loyalty.

"Oh, right, speaking of which, big sis, do you know about the great purge that happened in the royal capital a while back?"

"Uh… you mean the incident where the entire Council of Wise Men was overthrown and a lot of nobles got dragged in too? That had all of Priestella in a panic, everyone afraid it was some Witch Cult plot or—"

Meili smiled faintly and cut her off.

"Exactly. That whole affair was orchestrated by our Mother. Using the chaos of the hunt for Witch Cult spies, Mother already took control of the entire royal capital. Nobody dares call her the 'silver-haired half-demon' or anything like that anymore."

"As for the fools who disrespected her before… heh heh, the weeds on their graves are probably several meters tall by now. It's only a matter of time before all of Lugnica falls into Mother's hands. So, what do you think, big sis?"

A suffocating feeling surged into Liliana's chest, and she nearly blacked out. The news was so heavyweight that even by a bard's standards of embellishment and tall tales, it was far too outlandish.

"Oh my… oh my oh my oh my! Lady Emilia! She really is a goddess!"

Liliana clutched her heaving chest. In just a few seconds, her fear was, incredibly, crushed and swallowed whole by a feverish creative frenzy.

"Power enough to turn the world upside down with a flip of her hand, commanding the entire realm, and yet she's a good soul who cares for innocent lives and stands up for the common folk of Priestella! This, this is an epic that comes once in a century!"

"It's decided! I swear in the name of a songstress: I will compose a legendary piece of seven full movements! I'll call it 'The Silver-Haired Witch's Hymn of Salvation'! Let the whole world know that a silver-haired half-elf can be a hero who saves the world, too!"

At the very front, Emilia was working hard to keep up her aloof, icy expression, but her pointed elf ears had already turned redder than a ripe apple. She could only clutch the hem of her skirt tightly, and a silent wail rose from deep in her heart:

Meili… please, please stop spouting nonsense! Taking over the royal capital, weeds several meters tall on graves… If Subaru hears that, I'll never be able to hold my head up in front of him for the rest of my life!

And so, to the sound of Liliana's praises, the whole group soon reached the entrance to the cellar beneath the Muse Company, their temporary base. They happened to run into Kiritaka, who was leading a band of white-robed men armed with all sorts of weapons as they escorted civilians there to take shelter.

The white-robed men were members of a mercenary group called the White Dragon's Scales, distinguished by the dragon-horn emblem on their hoods. Much like Anastasia's Iron Fang, they were effectively the Muse Company's private troops, answering directly to Kiritaka himself.

Even with the White Dragon's Scales at his side, when Kiritaka saw Emilia returning with a crowd dressed like Witch Cultists, his heart gave a lurch and he felt not the slightest bit safe.

"Hey! Mr. Kiritaka!"

It was Liliana who broke the standoff, darting out from the group. Stars in her eyes, she ran up to her "number-one patron," tugged eagerly at his sleeve, and pointed at Emilia.

"Do you see her? Just now, outside, I met this peerless heroine… no, goddess! Why are you making a face like you've bitten a bitter melon? She not only defeated that unhinged Wrath Sin Archbishop, she's even allowed me to turn her heroic deeds into a song!"

Kiritaka was stunned. He watched Liliana, the songstress he thought of day and night and revered like a deity, tugging at his sleeve and gushing endlessly over a suspected Witch Cult Sin Archbishop, and his mind turned to mush.

A heroine? A goddess? Turning her into a song?! Miss Liliana, if you're being threatened, blink twice! Please, don't do this to me, I'm genuinely scared!

"M-Miss Liliana…" Kiritaka stammered, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. "You… you haven't been put under some mental suggestion, have you? That person is…"

"Honestly! Mr. Kiritaka, you're so thick-headed!"

Liliana puffed out her cheeks, put her hands on her hips, and scowled.

"Lady Emilia is a wonderful person who hides her strength! In the plaza, to protect everyone, she fought two monsters single-handedly, and she even dealt with that crazed bandage woman. And you still doubt her!"

As Kiritaka stood there looking pained, unsure what to say, a gentle voice came from behind him.

"Please, do not be alarmed, Sir Kiritaka."

Turning around, he saw two dazzling figures approaching at an unhurried pace. The purple-haired young man in front wore a wrinkled, tattered old black coat, and had deliberately pulled his hood's brim low to hide his eyes. Even so, the noble bearing in his every move and that familiar sigh let the well-traveled Kiritaka recognize him at once.

And the red-haired young man half a step behind wore a Royal Guard uniform white as snow and without a speck of dust. Even though the Dragon Sword at his hip hadn't been drawn so much as half an inch, his innate, sacred presence and flawless good looks were a mark unique in all the world!

"S-Sir Julius?! And… the current Sword Saint, Sir Reinhard?!"

Kiritaka's eyes went wide. Under Liliana's utterly unsurprised gaze, he couldn't help asking:

"What are you two doing here? Could it be that the Royal Guard already knew of the Witch Cult's scheme…? But…"

Julius kept his hand on the brim of his hood and gave a light cough as a reminder.

"The situation is special. We have infiltrated in secret under orders to lend support. At the moment I am 'Yuri,' merely a passing wanderer, and he is not the current Sword Saint either, merely a kindhearted citizen of Priestella passing through, named 'Rhein.' I would ask that you keep this secret for now, Sir Kiritaka."

Before Kiritaka could recover from his shock, he witnessed something that shattered his worldview. The current Sword Saint Reinhard, the undisputed strongest man in the kingdom and a model of virtue, relaxed his guard the instant he saw Emilia. Quite naturally, and even with a measure of sincere respect, he bowed to the silver-haired half-elf girl whom Kiritaka had regarded as a dangerous figure.

"Forgive the wait, Lady Emilia. Mr. Yuri and I have confirmed that the crisis at the First and Second Control Towers has been averted for the time being. We trust you to take command here."

"?! I'm so glad you're both safe!"

Emilia seemed to have a great weight lifted from her heart. She patted her chest lightly, and her true, innocent, warm and radiant smile appeared on her face.

Kiritaka finally understood everything.

With the current Sword Saint and the Finest Knight vouching for her, and Miss Liliana's near-worshipful testimony on top of that, how could she possibly be a villain? Even if she was a member of the Witch Cult, she was surely the moderate sort, an unquestionably good person!

"I am terribly sorry, Lady Emilia…"

Kiritaka coughed, his face red, and bowed deeply to Emilia.

"Doubting your position earlier was my own foolishness. Thanks to the help of you all, Priestella has been fortunate enough to survive this calamity. Please accept my sincere apologies! All the resources of the Muse Company and the White Dragon's Scales are at your disposal!"

"Please, lift your head, Mr. Kiritaka. You were only trying to protect the citizens, and I completely understand your concerns."

Emilia soothed him gently. At the same time, she had the White Dragon's Scales and her robed followers take the tightly bound Sirius to the load-bearing pillar deep in the cellar and keep her under close guard.

Just then, Reinhard, behind them, turned slightly and tossed the limp figure he'd been carrying onto the smooth stone floor.

Draped in a tattered black coat with his hood pulled low, the wanderer "Yuri" slipped through the door first. Right behind him came Reinhard, carrying Roy Alphard, wrapped head to toe in magic chains and slack with exhaustion, like a dead dog. He tossed him casually onto the smooth wooden floor.

"Thud!"

Roy slammed heavily into the ground. Dried, blackened blood still crusted the corners of his mouth, and his matted, filthy brown hair spilled out around a withered, sallow, hideous face filled with sharp little teeth.

"Lady Emilia, this is one of the Gluttony Sin Archbishops we captured at Control Tower One in the First District: the 'Evil Eater,' Roy Alphard," Julius said in a low voice.

"Gluttony…?!"

Emilia instinctively stepped back half a pace. Puck, the gray cat floating beside her in midair, arched his back slightly, and a few faint sparks giving off a bone-chilling aura poked out from his paw pads.

Yet before Emilia could ask anything, the gazes of Elsa, Clarissa, and Meili, standing nearby, turned decidedly interesting.

Well, well, isn't that Roy? Haven't seen you in a while. How'd you end up so pathetic?