"Holy Maiden, Holy Maiden?"

The voice whispering in her ear brought the scene before her into gradual focus. Silphiel felt dazed.

The night was thick with darkness. Countless torches illuminated the silver armor of the Knighthood members!

She looked ahead. The sign 'Queen's Desserts' on the shop stood out prominently.

"What's wrong, Holy Maiden? You've been spacing out since earlier. Everyone from the Knighthood has surrounded this place, waiting for your instructions!"

Rodrika gazed at her with large, amethyst eyes, shining brightly.

Silphiel was startled and instinctively stepped back. This left Rodrika utterly bewildered. She tilted her head, staring with a look full of question marks.

Silphiel started to regain her composure. She was in front of the Queen's Desserts shop. Rodrika, Sophia, and the Knighthood members were all there.

So just now, was it a nightmare?

Going down with Rodrika, then being betrayed by her, and then being... by the Hero...

But was it really just a nightmare? How could she daydream in broad daylight?

Besides, for a dream, wasn't it far too vivid?

Silphiel still remembered that heart-wrenching sense of shame!

Just recalling that scene, she felt something was off. She couldn't help but blush slightly. That feeling... why did it linger?

Impossible! She could never enjoy such a thing!

Having once been a man, she liked girls!

It must have been a nightmare. How could Gao Ying sense her intentions? With his brain, how could he devise such a scheming plot to betray her?

But she still felt like something was missing...

Silphiel composed herself and looked at everyone. "Everyone, the Heretics' hideout is below. Which brave souls will join me to capture the villains?"

The hot-blooded young men of the Knighthood stepped forward, pounding their chests.

Silphiel was very pleased. Just as she was about to pick a few reliable ones, Rodrika's voice rang out: "Holy Maiden, for mere Heretics, why bring so many?"

Rodrika leaned in, whispering in Silphiel's ear, "Cracking the Heretics' den alone would greatly boost your reputation."

Silphiel's eyes flickered. For a moment, she was tempted.

But the nightmare flashed before her. Her gaze at Rodrika turned cautious.

It was exactly like the nightmare!

Silphiel didn't think that overly vivid dream was meaningless. In this world with gods, many things considered superstitions in her past life were real.

It might be a premonition, or perhaps...

A past event she'd relived, returning to the start for some reason.

As she thought this, Silphiel suddenly noticed a number above her vision. In Arabic numerals from her original world, it read '9'. Then, under her gaze, it changed to '8'!

Silphiel was startled. She realized things weren't simple.

What did this number mean?

Could it be her remaining save points?

Or did she have to endure that thing eight more times?

No time to ponder. Facing Rodrika's suggestion, Silphiel shook her head. "Heretics are cunning. With only two of us, we might face unexpected dangers."

Under Rodrika's disappointed gaze, Silphiel shouted to the Knighthood: "Squad 1 and 2, follow me to capture the Heretic rebels! Squad 3 and 4, with Sophia, stay on guard. Also—"

"Heretics may have multiple exits. Send a cavalryman to notify Grace—search nearby for suspects!"

"Yes, Holy Maiden!"

After arrangements, Silphiel descended the stairs toward the Heretics' headquarters, escorted by the Knighthood.

If the 'nightmare' was correct, the hideout would be empty. She'd only face the controlled Lelia and her long-lost instructor, Shirley.

As for Gao Ying—

Just thinking about what he did in the 'nightmare' made Silphiel grind her teeth. That bastard! Worse, later in the dream, she actually...

Impossible! She absolutely couldn't accept men!

The 'nightmare' was just a reference, never fact!

Though Silphiel still planned to make Gao Ying her lapdog, she now had to prepare for his possible retaliation.

Recalling the 'nightmare', she felt she'd missed crucial information but couldn't remember what.

As she slowly descended, Silphiel turned to Rodrika beside her.

"Rodrika, do you want to know what happened on the rebellion night six years ago?"

Rodrika's eyes froze. She stopped and looked back at Silphiel on the higher step. The Holy Maiden smiled, leaning close to her ear. They walked on in that intimate pose, whispering.

The young Knighthood elites ahead saw this, instantly confirming old rumors!

'The Holy Maiden and this Heretic's daughter have that unspoken bond!' But the divine oracle declared 'the Holy Maiden is the Hero's lover'. How messy!

Silphiel had no idea these rumors stemmed from last time's wall-pinning incident.

Her focus was manipulating Rodrika. Even if she couldn't win her over, neutrality was vital! Without Rodrika, handling the Hero would be easy—what could he do?

She whispered: "...For six years, I've been uneasy. I saw the truth but couldn't speak it!"

Tears glistened in her eyes, her face full of guilt. Rodrika looked dumbfounded. "Rodrika, I saw your father, Bishop Radel, arguing and clashing with Gregory..."

"Now, all bishops present then—even Gregory's allies—have been silenced. Gregory doesn't know I witnessed everything."

"It's laughable, but I fear revealing the truth would get me killed too."

Silphiel's acting kicked in. A tear rolled down. To the Knighthood youths, it screamed: 'Her true love is Rodrika, but bound by the oracle, she's saying goodbye.'

Ah, the Holy Maiden had watched over Rodrika for years, always appearing to save her. No coincidence—true love!

They'd loved for six years, only for the Hero to steal her away. So unfair!

If Silphiel knew they were shipping her in a yuri couple, she'd kick them. Was this a joke?

Rodrika was simple but not stupid. Crocodile tears wouldn't fool her. She whispered, "Then what is the truth?"

"Your father was innocent. I saw it. Gregory killed the previous Pope and tried to murder the divine envoy. Bishop Radel protected her and fled the Holy Capital. But Gregory framed him as the criminal!"

Rodrika's eyes froze.

"Rodrika, before he left, your father entrusted me to protect you."

Silphiel smiled sincerely, lies flowing effortlessly. "I hid the truth fearing your rashness would get you killed. But serving this Pope—who murdered his master to seize power—has tortured my conscience—"