Driven by Carol, the griffin flew swiftly towards the northern part of Twilight City, to the main camp of the Crusader Army.
Unlike the main city of Twilight City, the Holy Army camp looks like a huge military camp with a mix of various buildings.
The wooden longhouses inhabited by orcs, the low houses built of stone by werewolves, and the tall, pointed sanctuary repaired by elven craftsmen...
Before Carol even reached the camp gate, a sharp warning rang out from afar. Two Valkyries, armed with spears and carrying bows and arrows, approached the orc from both sides on griffins, ordering him to land immediately.
As the Valkyrie reached for her quiver, Carol gritted her teeth and slowly descended toward the plaza of the Crusader camp.
Carroll landed the griffin at the foot of a black dragon statue that was tens of meters tall, then jumped off his mount, spreading his arms to indicate that he was not carrying any weapons.
You made a mistake.
A Valkyrie pointed her spear at Carol's nose and shouted, "Dereliction of duty, storming the market, and stealing a griffin! Any one of these offenses warrants a severe sentence!"
Carroll lowered his arm and said in a deep voice, "I heard that some people in the Crusade arrested my companions... Barbara and Randall..."
The Valkyrie who had spoken earlier paused, then exchanged a glance with her companion before looking at Carol and asking, "Is this why you came here?"
"That's right."
The two Valkyries exchanged a glance.
One of them said, “You may return to your companions now, but your crimes will be judged later!”
Carol nodded indifferently and strode towards the temple in the camp.
Upon entering the Dragon God's Temple at the very center of the Crusader camp, Carol was immediately struck by the sight of a vast throng of alien races.
Orcs, werewolves, elves, dwarves, tauren... members of many races gathered busily in the temple's hall, cautiously conversing about something.
"I've always found it strange that the Crusaders would tolerate the existence of a human being?"
"The bloodlines of all Crusaders have undergone purification rituals; we should not have any of the old human species among us."
"I've heard that an elven woman has fallen in love with that human Crusader."
"Fall in love with humans? Aren't those foolish elves coming to their senses? Wasn't that elf named Jacqueline the best example?"
"Watch your words! If you dare to insult our race again, I will file a complaint and seek arbitration with the assembly!"
Hearing the gossip around him, Carol clenched her fists, the veins on her forehead bulging, and she looked like a powder keg that could explode at any moment.
Carroll made his way through the crowd to the front of the temple hall.
Five shamans, including Minnie, sat below the dragon god statue, looking down at the audience with solemn expressions and remaining silent.
Between the shaman and the crowd was a specially cleared area, where the two factions stood on the left and right, facing each other.
The group on the left was much larger, roughly twenty or thirty people, mostly elves, with a few minotaurs and dwarves.
On the right, there were only two lonely figures: Randall and Barbara.
Because of her anger, the light blue markings all over Barbara's body flickered like flowing light, and her two pointed ears tucked back. Both her movements and expression made her look like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Who I love and who I want to be with is my business!" Barbara shouted angrily, waving her arms and letting sparks dance on her fingertips. "I simply don't understand the point of this trial today!"
From the very back of the elven group on the left, a woman emerged and slowly walked to the center. Her eyes, filled with endless sorrow and resentment, looked at Barbara.
Upon seeing the woman, Barbara's eyes widened, and she whispered, "You're Jacqueline, the one who was deceived by humans..."
Compared to before, Jacqueline looked much thinner and paler, the blue markings on her body dull and lifeless. She said to Barbara, "My sister, the same expression, the same words, I see my past self in you. You are making all the mistakes I made back then..."
Barbara frowned and said, "I'm not like you..."
"That's what I said back then too. I'm different from those people of my kind, and my lover is different from those humans. Our love is pure and noble, and shouldn't be slandered or questioned... But in the end, what happened?"
Jacqueline's face drained of color, and she swayed precariously, only managing to stay upright thanks to the support of an elven kinsman behind her.
"Humans who haven't undergone the purification ritual have selfishness, cruelty, and deceit buried deep in their blood and souls, which can never be eliminated! This is their inherent flaw! It is their nature that can never be changed!"
Jacqueline reached out to Barbara: "My sister, look at me, look how miserable I am now... It's not too late to wake up..."
Barbara took a step back and shook her head, saying, "I'm not like you..."
Randall stepped forward, shielding Barbara with his body, and said in a deep voice, "This conflict started because of me; you shouldn't be targeting her."
Upon hearing the first human voice, the elves were enraged and began to loudly rebuke Randall.
An old elven shaman sitting at the head of the table slowly stood up, raised his hand to stop the accusations of his kin, and said slowly to Randall, "There is a rumor in the Holy Crusade that before the conversion ceremony, there was a group of children who were the first to be chosen by God, and Barbara was among them. Is there any truth to this?"
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