[Vol. 5] Chapter 259: The Choice of Two Holy Knights
After comforting the young girl who survived, Edwina had her knights escort her away for rest, examination, and treatnt. Soon after, another Holy Knight, a young man also covered in blood but with a gaze of unshaken resolve and wisdom, arrived at Edwina’s side.
Edwina pulled her holy sword from the ground, purged the tainted blood from it with golden flas, then sheathed it before turning to the newcor.
“Ah, it’s Holy Knight Clatius. Is the battle on your side over?”
“Yes.”
The young Holy Knight, who had joined the raid with the military, removed his helt and glanced at the girl, who was sniffling as she walked away under the guidance of a temple knight. His expression softened slightly.
“A survivor?”
Edwina nodded slightly.
“Yes, it’s an unexpected miracle. While our tily intervention played a role, the fact that life still remains after [Slaughter]’s massacre is perhaps also thanks to the Goddess’s protection.”
“…This has nothing to do with the Goddess. It’s a miracle born of great parental love.”
Clatius only had to glance at the remains of the farm couple to deduce the circumstances, and he voiced his disagreent.
“Perhaps,” Edwina replied with a faint smile.
Knowing that debating such topics with this strong-willed high-ranking Holy Knight was likely pointless, and having had years of experience dealing with Arlin Ulysses, who shared a similar disposition, Edwina knew how to handle soone with his personality. She rely nodded in acknowledgnt and shifted the topic.
“The girl’s parents are gone, and the village has been wiped out. I plan to take her with for now and see if we can find a suitable place to settle her, or perhaps bring her to the Angel City to beco a nun. I checked briefly just now, she has quite a good aptitude for holy light and seems to have so theological education already.”
Hearing this, Clatius frowned, appearing sowhat opposed.
“Is that really wise? We’re on a long-range mission, moving constantly, and there’s always the risk of an ambush. We don’t have the extra resources to care for one person.”
“Besides, we can’t rule out the possibility that she’s a spy, left intentionally by the demons as a spy in our ranks. If she were possessed by a top-level ‘Soul-Eating Demon’, it could easily mimic her behavior, and we’re in no condition to detect such a thing right now.”
Hearing his statent, Edwina lifted her gaze, her golden eyes eting his light blue ones.
But this ti, Edwina didn’t back down.
“Holy Knight Clatius, are you suggesting we abandon that child? Do you think there’s any real chance a girl barely ten years old could survive on her own in a place like this?”
“Acting Commander Edwina, I believe that, as the leader of a force of this size and carrying out a mission critical to the outco of the holy war, now is not the ti to act on sentint or take unnecessary risks for the sake of one or two individuals.”
“……”
Seeing that Clatius still maintained his strict stance, Edwina furrowed her brow, about to respond further. But then, he unexpectedly smiled and added,
“But if we, as protectors of our nation and people, cannot even safeguard a young girl like her, how can we claim to be fighting a holy war? How can we speak of salvation?”
“Hm? You…”
If she couldn’t understand his aning even after this, then Miss Edwina probably wouldn’t be fit to serve as acting commander.
After all, at heart, she’s always been a top graduate from the Holy Academy, certainly not lacking in intelligence.
With this sudden change in attitude, Clatius no longer maintained that stern, serious deanor. Instead, as if acknowledging sothing, he smiled at her with a hint of ease.
“Acting Commander Edwina, you’re truly remarkable. To be honest, those old folks forgot the true essence of the Real Goddess’ teachings. Ah… please keep this between us and don’t tell the people from Lambe… that family that I said that.”
Before Edwina could feel surprised, the young Holy Knight casually shifted the conversation.
“Alright, back to the main topic. The reason I ca to speak with you was to discuss so matters… You’ve probably noticed as well that our recent assault on Angel City has begun to show its effects.”
Clatius took out a strategic map from his coat, crouched down, and spread it on a relatively clean patch of ground.
“Look, we’re currently here. Recently, there’s been a noticeable increase in demon forces moving in the surrounding areas. This suggests that the enemy has beco aware of the threat we pose and is actively trying to locate and eliminate us.”
The prior assault on Angel City hadn’t actually breached the city’s defenses. After launching a large-scale attack, the forces had quickly withdrawn. But ultimately, Edwina’s unit wasn’t aiming to capture the city.
They had only around three thousand cavalry. No matter how elite, nor how underdefended Angel City might be, capturing a fortress-level city with such limited numbers was unrealistic. Even if they managed to win, holding the city would be impossible.
The “Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao” strategy proposed by a certain fox lady hinges on deception and misdirection. They pretended to attack Angel City, only to strike and then retreat swiftly, keeping the demons from accurately assessing the true situation of this infiltrating unit.
Breakdown of the Chinese Phrase: Besieging Wei to rescue Zhao
aning: It’s a Chinese military strategy that involves attacking an enemy’s holand or a place they value, forcing them to withdraw troops from the primary battleground. It’s a way to achieve a goal indirectly by attacking a related but less expected target.
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