Chapter 619: Triangle

"Then please have the Swordbearer of the Silent Bureau examine this piece of evidence and give a just result."

Count Bugald performed a noble salute and made his request respectfully.

For a moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to that exquisitely beautiful and enchanting young girl, waiting for her response.

Everyone understood that her next words would affect the direction of this entire trial.

"Of course. I will examine it very carefully, and then give a fair and impartial result."

Anna covered her mouth and smiled. Her words were gentle, yet carried a hint of soul-hooking charm.

Especially when she said this, she seemed to glance at Muen without meaning to. The swaying allure hidden in her gaze made Muen feel like his bones had gone soft in an instant, and his mind couldn’t help recalling the beauty and sensuality he had once shared with Senior Sister.

Come on, Senior Sister. Examine it hard. I’m waiting for your fair result!

Ignoring the other two icy stares that had gone from sleet to a full-blown blizzard, Muen gave Anna a tender smile.

Anna also seemed to accept Muen’s encouragement, and the smile on her face only grew deeper.

She lifted a hand.

The Eyedemon’s eyeball floated up from the container and fell into her palm, then, with the movement of her fingertips, spun lightly.

But suddenly, as if sensing something, the eyeball jerked into a panic and began darting wildly, trying to flee, only to be helplessly bound by those slender fingers, unable to escape her grasp.

At last, along with the eyeball’s violent trembling, a trace like ink was drawn out of it.

Anna gently stroked that inky trace with her fingertip. As if confirming something, she nodded lightly.

"Do you have the result?"

Count Bugald immediately asked anxiously.

"The result... I more or less have it."

"Really?"

Count Bugald’s face lit with excitement.

"But before I announce the result, can you allow me to say a few words?"

"Say a few words?"

Count Bugald didn’t understand, but Trasweir had already rapped the gavel once.

"Naturally. Go ahead."

"Cough, cough..."

Anna cleared her throat and rose from her seat.

Even the Silent Bureau’s dark uniform couldn’t completely conceal her devilish, seductive curves. Rising so gracefully only made her figure look even more long and slender.

She paused in thought, her gaze sweeping over Celicia, sweeping over the girl shrouded in holy light, and finally sending Muen a covert, flirtatious glance and a reassuring look. Only then did she speak slowly.

"Actually, I think Count Bugald inviting me to perform this test was not a very good choice."

"What?"

Count Bugald froze, not expecting Anna to say that.

"Because you might not know this: Muen Campbell and I are Senior Sister and Junior Brother from Saint Maria Academy. He has always liked calling me Senior Sister, no matter when it is."

As she spoke, Anna tossed Muen another enchanting wink. Unlike before, this time it wasn’t subtle at all, and Count Bugald caught it clearly.

"The relationship between the two of us is very, very good."

"Hah?"

There was something like that?

Count Bugald’s eyes widened in shock.

Muen Campbell actually had such a deep relationship with the Silent Bureau’s new Swordbearer, and I didn’t even investigate it... No, with how secretive the Silent Bureau is, it would have been impossible for me to investigate something like that in the first place.

But... could something like this even happen logically? What virtue and ability does that Muen Campbell have, that not only can he make Her Majesty obsess over him and protect him with all her strength, he can also make someone so breathtakingly beautiful, and so high in position, be just as ambiguous with him?

Is he a succubus reincarnated?

Count Bugald’s excited expression stiffened bit by bit, but the smile on his face did not disappear.

It simply moved onto Muen’s face.

Listening to Anna, Muen couldn’t help recalling those wonderful years back at the academy, and he couldn’t help showing a blissful smile.

That’s right, my dear Senior Sister. Just like this, bring this farce to a complete end.

"Wait. Since you have a relationship with Muen Campbell, you can’t..."

Count Bugald reacted quickly and immediately tried to shut the barn door after the horse had bolted.

But it was already too late. Anna’s next words had already ridden the breeze, reaching every corner of this trial hall, and everyone’s ears.

"My relationship with Muen Campbell is indeed somewhat close..."

"I admit that this close relationship could even affect my judgment."

"But..."

Just as Count Bugald’s face grew uglier and Muen grew happier, the gentle smile on Anna’s face suddenly shifted, turning into the kind of mischievous little-devil grin that Muen knew all too well.

"As the Swordbearer of the Silent Bureau, in matters related to Evil Gods, I must take responsibility, so I declare..."

"The power carried on this eyeball is, precisely, beyond any doubt, impossible to dispute... from some unknown Evil God!"

The air fell silent for a moment.

Everyone seemed to be thinking about what that sentence meant.

"Hah?"

"Hm?"

"What?"

And when everyone finally understood what Anna’s words actually meant, all kinds of bewildered expressions surfaced one after another on all kinds of faces.

Who am I, where am I, what did I just hear?

What Miss Anna just said... and what she said a moment ago. Aren’t they a little... contradictory?

"I-Is that so?"

Count Bugald was the first to react, and couldn’t help bursting with joy. Then he pressed on eagerly.

"Then is the power on it connected to Muen Campbell in any way?"

"Connected. About that..."

Anna’s beautiful eyes turned as she looked at the Muen who was already standing there like a wooden chicken. In her heart, a desire immediately surged up to eat him on the spot, but she suppressed it well and said with a light laugh:

"Detecting what an Evil God’s power belongs to is actually a very troublesome thing. Please forgive me. My power is limited, and for now I can’t produce a definite result."

"Then..."

"So..."

Anna lifted her head and said to Trasweir:

"Your Honor, I propose that Muen Campbell be transferred to the Silent Bureau, and that I personally examine him, to determine whether he has colluded with an Evil God!"

"Transferred to the Silent Bureau... then how long will this examination take?"

Trasweir still hadn’t answered when Count Bugald grew anxious again and asked.

"How long? Let me think... This is a process that can’t tolerate mistakes, and it’s extremely troublesome. I must perform the most meticulous examination of Muen Campbell from top to bottom, even every single strand of hair, therefore..."

Anna licked her red lips and smiled meaningfully.

"Three years... five years... or... who knows? In any case... it will be very long."

"..."

In an instant, the hall fell quiet again.

Never mind the bewildered Count Bugald and Judge Trasweir.

Even Muen, still dazed, shuddered, and it was like a bomb exploded in his head.

Those certain uneasy thoughts buried deep in his mind, thoughts he had been suppressing, after these simple few sentences, could no longer be ignored. They grew wildly like water weeds, until at last they completely rose to the surface.

That fantasy of peaceful coexistence was, in the end, false.

Under some terrifying filter, when Anna’s words flowed into Muen’s ears one word at a time, it was like a boss’s health bar in a game had already hit bottom, yet it suddenly began speaking long, drawn-out, inexplicable lines...

The background music abruptly changed, from a warm, sweet little tune into a magnificent piece composed of organ, trombone, and cello...

No more self-deception. No more papering things over.

Second phase, hundreds of times more terrifying than Count Bugald’s accusation, and more terrifying than Judge Trasweir’s judgment... began, so abruptly, just like that.

...

...

"Kid, sorry."

Pink Bear patted Muen’s shoulder and said with a solemn face.

"I really want to save you, but... sigh, the ones you’re about to face next are too terrifying. Please forgive me, I’m powerless too."

"Wait. You can’t abandon me!"

Muen snapped back to himself and grabbed Pink Bear. Seriously, at a time like this, how could he be allowed to bear the coming terrifying storm alone? At the very least, he had to find someone to drag down with him, so when he ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) hit the ground, it wouldn’t be quite so miserable.

"It isn’t what I want. The situation is forcing my hand."

At this moment, Pink Bear finally displayed the dignity of an older-generation powerhouse. The bloated body shook, and somehow, incredibly slickly, Pink Bear slipped out of Muen’s grab, and then...

"Yah!"

Pink Bear suddenly flipped Trasweir off and cursed, "Grandson bastard!!"

"You..."

Trasweir, still equally lost in confusion, hadn’t even had time to explode in rage when Pink Bear was already packing up everything with nimble hands and feet.

"Contempt of the tribunal, huh... I get it, I get it. I’ll just exile myself. No need for you to trouble yourself."

Pink Bear shot Muen one last pitying look.

"Sigh... poor kid. You were usually so indulgent, not like me, keeping myself pure. Now the retribution’s here, huh. Don’t worry. If you can’t survive this disaster, your little yellow books... no, your will, I’ll inherit it for you!"

After saying that, before the furious Muen could smash a fist into that bear face, Pink Bear turned around fast and trotted off at top speed.

Leaving only Muen alone, like a small boat on the sea, bearing the baptism of the storm that was about to arrive...

...

...

"Wait, three years? Five years?"

After hearing Anna’s words, Count Bugald’s expression changed again.

"Isn’t that too long!"

If it really took that long, before it was even confirmed whether Muen Campbell had colluded with an Evil God, the Bugald family would have already been scattered to the winds by Her Majesty the Empress, scattered along with nine generations of relatives.

Unfortunately, his rebuttal received no response at all.

That Swordbearer of the Silent Bureau never once let her gaze fall on him from beginning to end. Even now, as she said this... it seemed she was staring through the air, locking eyes with Her Majesty the Empress.

Their gazes were calm, but the focus of that stare felt like lightning and thunder.

"What is going on here, exactly?"

At this point, even with the biggest information gap imaginable, Count Bugald began to sense something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Not to mention this trial seemed, from beginning to end, to have never followed his script... Her Majesty the Empress’s opponent also seemed to not be him at all.

He understood these people’s moves less and less. All his political wisdom had nowhere to be used, as if, from the start to the end, he and these people had been standing on different timelines.

...

...

"Swordbearer, what do you mean by those words?"

Celicia finally no longer carried her earlier laziness. She sat up with a commanding posture, and her cool gaze stabbed at Anna like a sharp sword.

"Even an examination wouldn’t take three years... or five years."

"An examination needs to be thorough, doesn’t it?"

"Then how about I give you three days? That should be enough."

"Heh. Is Your Majesty granting me alms?"

Anna did not fear Celicia’s pressure in the slightest. She laughed softly.

"Should I thank you for your great favor?"

"In that case, not even one day."

Celicia’s little face turned cold.

"Perfect timing. I’m also disgusted with those bugs around him that can’t be driven away."

"You’re calling us bugs. Yet your fiance seems to like bugs quite a bit. Bugs fluttering around him, and there have always been plenty."

Anna tapped her lip with a finger, as if savoring something.

"Oh, saying the word fiance right in front of you is actually kind of special fun. Mm, maybe calling it out at certain times would be even more fun. Don’t you think so, little sister from the Church of Life?"

"I-I... that makes sense... no, that’s not what I meant!"

With the story having developed to this point, even the seemingly most uninvolved young girl of the Church of Life had no choice but to step in.

"I just think exclusivity is very bad! And also... also... if we want to test whether there’s any connection to an Evil God, my Church of Life is also extremely authoritative. Muen should be sent to my Church of Life. Right, Your Grace, Archbishop!"

"..."

The archbishop cast a pitying glance at Muen, who had almost turned pale, then, not minding the spectacle... no, choosing to support the saintess of his own side with heartfelt enthusiasm:

"That’s right. Muen Campbell is still an honorary cathedral knight of my Church of Life. By rights, this kind of matter should have been handled by my Church of Life in the first place. Since when would it be someone else’s turn?"

"Mm, mm, that’s what I mean too. Let Muen come to the Church. I’ll handle it very fairly! Mm... probably just three years, five years, ten years will do!"

The holy light swayed for a moment, as if showing the young girl’s resolve.

But in the other two’s eyes... this was no different from a declaration of war.

"Heh. I thought you were the most harmless little white rabbit. Turns out your ambition isn’t small at a time like this."

Cold light flashed in Celicia’s eyes as she rebuked:

"But this is an imperial matter. Since when did it become the Church of Life’s place to interfere with my empire’s internal affairs?"

"Since when did it become internal affairs?"

"He is my fiance. The empire’s future prince consort!"

Celicia raised her voice, declaring coldly:

"Does the Church of Life want to detain a great nation’s prince consort? Something that could spark a continental dispute. Even His Holiness the Pope would not permit it."

"Wu..."

"Not to mention His Holiness the Pope. Her Majesty the Empress’s imposing authority is not lacking at all."

Anna smoothly took over.

"But since it’s internal affairs, and it involves an Evil God, wouldn’t my Silent Bureau be the most qualified to handle it? Wasn’t that the purpose of establishing the Silent Bureau in the first place? Does Your Majesty also want to violate a rule that has existed for hundreds of years?"

"So you still remember the Silent Bureau was established by the empire."

Celicia narrowed her eyes and sneered.

"By rights, you should count as my subordinate, Anna Kaplin!"

"Well, yes."

Anna pushed out her chest and smiled, totally unconcerned.

"But in this regard, I think I’m the elder sister."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere froze to the point of ice again.

One side was the Silent Bureau, specialized in dealing with Evil Gods, yet it was constrained by the empire.

One side was the empire’s highest ruler, yet she had no way to do anything about the number-one church on the continent.

One side was the church’s second-in-command, yet in this matter, it held the lowest degree of legitimacy...

Thus, a perfect, solid triangle, mutually restraining, yet mutually unable to do anything to the others, took shape.

And to obtain the triangle’s only solution, after another brief bout of intense exchange through their eyes, the three all coincidentally turned their gazes toward the only person who could produce an answer...

"So, Muen, what do you say?"

The three looked at Muen and asked in unison.