"I didn't expect you to come before me like this."

Standing before the Archbishop of the Green Robe was the Holy Maiden of the Empire.

The defectors who had returned claimed that:

The emperor of Dibiles had kidnapped the Holy Maiden and was using her as a hostage, keeping her imprisoned.

However, when the Green Robe saw the hostage walking towards her willingly, looking at her with an unconstrained demeanor, she immediately denied this claim subconsciously.

"I have always been worried about your safety, but now it seems that those concerns were unnecessary."

The Green Robe started with a sigh-like tone.

"Shoyo, based on your understanding of me, you should have guessed what's going on."

Calling her by a familiar nickname, her eyes now looked at the other person as tenderly as a mother looking at her child.

"The truth is... you were not imprisoned by the emperor of Dibiles, and it was not out of necessity that you didn't return to the Empire. You chose to stay voluntarily."

"Now that Shoyo has guessed it, I won't explain further."

"Yes, you don't need to waste time on such matters. Just state your intentions."

The Green Robe's straightforward attitude led to a direct inquiry:

"For my sake, is Shoyo willing to retreat?"

Facing Shoyo, the Green Robe was blunt, telling her:

"Personally, I do not wish to see this war happen..."

As if waiting for the continuation of the conversation, Shoyo stood still as if frozen until the next words reached her ears.

"But there's no choice. The pope has shown no intention of stopping the war; even if I had the authority, all I could do is call back the troops from the front lines, without the power to retreat on my own."

"Even now, Shoyo still listens to that guy obediently. If only I had been tougher with him back then!"

Shoyo regretted only two things in her life: failing to protect her loved one and letting the pope live until today.

"Please go back, I want you to leave as if you had never been here."

The Green Robe lowered her head towards Shoyo in a poised and almost exemplary gesture.

The response she received was just as she had anticipated from the beginning:

"Draw your sword. I will reveal secrets if needed to be here, to protect this country he cares for in his absence."

For the will of that person, Shoyo was even willing to face the girl in battle.

Shoyo's plan was to capture the core of the army, thereby dismantling the forces of the Empire and protecting Dibiles.

"I really don't want to fight you. After all, you are a close friend of the family and have taken care of me since I was young..."

To make the other party take her seriously, Shoyo, in front of the Green Robe, removed her pendant in the shape of an inverted cross.

As it transformed into a cross sword, Shoyo firmly grasped the hilt.

"Come, let me see how far that child I carried in my arms has grown!"

At this point, the situation had escalated beyond avoidance for the Green Robe.

Reluctantly, she took off the ornament around her neck, opposite to the one Shoyo wore - a tiny cross.

"With your permission, then let's fight."

In an instant of transformation, the cross became a weapon.

The blade shimmered like glass, appearing more like exquisite jade than an indomitable weapon.

This blade was named "Unyielding."

It was an artifact bestowed upon the pope a hundred years ago by the gods, making it the fastest sword of its time.

In terms of hierarchy, the Green Robe Archbishop ranked third, following the Blue Robe and Purple Robe; however, in terms of strength, she was on par with the Purple Robe, but her status was limited due to the pope's apprehension.

With this divine blade in hand, the power the Green Robe could unleash was undoubtedly superior even to the Purple Robe!

Unlike Charley, who lacked sufficient intelligence, the Green Robe closed her emerald eyes without waiting for Shoyo to hypnotize her.

In her childhood, due to a certain incident, she had once practiced simulated combat without relying on eyesight.

At that time, with her eyes closed, she was not weaker than when her eyes were open.

This unique fighting style couldn't be copied by the other archbishops; it was her exclusive tactic.

"Your hypnotic spell is powerful. I have to close my eyes to avoid being controlled. If my impoliteness has upset you, I apologize sincerely."

This politeness was a quality the Green Robe had learned from Shoyo.

As the daughter of a dear friend and also somewhat of a disciple, watching her grow brought a sense of comfort to Shoyo.

In stark contrast to her gentle demeanor, Shoyo's expression in the following interaction was more cold and ruthless.

As she engaged in battle with the Green Robe, the siege warfare unfolding around the capital also entered a new phase.