Chapter 21 Rose Festival 15 (End)
"What? What did you just say? Lord Belran and Anthony are both dead?!"
Zhu Yu had just woken up and was still sleepy when he was awakened by the news brought by Betty.
She sat up suddenly, her heart tightening for a moment.
She had been busy all night, not considering that the two men might have learned her true identity from Mrs. Lucia.
If they were still alive, her image would collapse if she wasn't careful.
Zhu Yu raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, feeling a little scared.
It's really scary.
Although 996 could shield her from the fluctuations of magical power, making her look no different from the Knight of Light, she still didn't want the character she had worked so hard to create to be questioned.
Once someone raises suspicion, even if she is eventually cleared of suspicion, it may affect her future plans.
"Yes, ma'am."
Betty saw that she looked strange, so she immediately stepped forward, put a coat on her shoulders, tidied her messy hair, and added a few details:
"The court interrogated them overnight, but on the way to the interrogation room, the city lord, Anthony, the prison warden and others were all killed by the undead."
It was actually the undead wizard butler who did it.
Zhu Yu pressed the aching solar plexus. She hardly slept last night and slept for only two or three hours. She didn't recover much energy at all.
But she knew that now was not the time to rest, as there were too many follow-up matters waiting for her to deal with.
"Where is Mrs. Lucia? How is she?" Zhu Yu asked.
"After Mrs. Lucia explained everything, she committed suicide."
Zhu Yu's movements paused, his hand resting on the opened quilt.
Even though she had already expected that Mrs. Lucia would not have a good ending, she still felt complicated when she suddenly heard the news that an acquaintance with whom she had chatted and drank not long ago had passed away.
Betty continued, "However, it is said that most of the information she revealed was mainly about the city lord's family and some of the royal city nobles involved."
"She only mentioned that you and she were just business partners, and she didn't reveal anything more than that."
"Not only that, during her confession, she even expressed her hatred for you for discovering her secret and preventing her from doing so."
Zhu Yu listened quietly. She certainly knew what Mrs. Lucia meant by doing this.
As the only surviving witness with the knowledge of the case, Madam Lucia took the initiative to create "hostility" and made the Inquisition mistakenly believe that she was irreconcilable with them, thus allowing her to completely get rid of all suspicion related to wizards.
This not only successfully pulled Zhu Yu out of the storm, but also indirectly solidified her "knighthood".
Obviously, she was the one who exposed Lady Lucia’s plan.
But in the end, the other party chose to protect her and hide everything for her.
Is it because of Helena's prophecy?
Or is it because they are both wizards?
Zhu Yu didn't know what Mrs. Lucia was thinking in the last moments of her life.
Perhaps, this was the last compensation she could make for the mistakes she had made.
She stood there in silence for a while, and finally suppressed her chaotic thoughts temporarily, put on her coat, went downstairs to the living room.
As soon as she stepped into the corridor, a small figure ran towards her quickly.
"Avella?" Zhu Yu slowed down his pace and raised his eyebrows slightly, "What's wrong?"
Avella looked up at her, as if organizing her words, and after a moment she whispered:
"...Actually, I never told you that before the Rose Festival, Lady Lucia once asked me what kind of wizard I was."
"After learning that I was a divination wizard, she gave me a handwritten divination notebook."
Elvira said as she took out a notebook that looked a little old from her arms, opened one of the pages, and carefully pulled out a folded parchment.
"I just discovered that she had put a piece of parchment between the pages of the book."
She handed the parchment to Zhu Yu, who took it and slowly unfolded it.
The paper is slightly yellowed and the edges are a little worn, but the writing is still clearly visible.
Her eyes fell on the top of the parchment.
It was a stick figure drawing of a wizard's hat.
The bottom of the hat was densely covered with names, some of which were marked with eye-catching crosses, while others were circled in red ink, and it was obvious that they were arranged according to some pattern.
Zhu Yu frowned, and just as he was about to tell Betty to investigate these names, Betty beside him took the lead and explained:
"Miss, I have already investigated the origins of these names."
"The names marked with crosses are consistent with the identities of the bodies buried in the backyard of Rose Manor. As for the names circled in red, most of them are Madam Lucia's confidants in the secret society..."
She paused for a moment, her tone becoming a little heavy. "But almost all of them have been arrested during the Inquisition's liquidation operation. They are now imprisoned and forced to drink the 'witch removal potion'... They probably won't live for long."
Zhu Yu lowered his eyelashes and looked at the parchment again.
If this is the case, then this piece of parchment is undoubtedly the general list of members of the secret society in Beleriand.
——Those marked with a cross are dead.
——Those circled in red are about to die.
If we remove these two types of people, the ones left are the real survivors of the secret society.
Mrs. Lucia handed the list to Elvira, no, more precisely, to her——
Her meaning couldn't be more obvious.
She hoped Zhu Yu would come to deal with and clean up the remaining surviving wizards on the list.
Whether it was to help them escape from Beleriand or to completely eliminate the traces of the Secret Society in Beleriand, this difficult task fell into her hands.
This heavy responsibility immediately made Zhu Yu feel overwhelmed.
Just as she was thinking about how to deal with this matter, footsteps were suddenly heard in the corridor.
Zhu Yu raised his head and saw George appear at the door.
She subconsciously refolded the list in her hand, stuffed it back into the book, and handed it back to Elvira.
George walked over quickly with a serious look on his face.
"Sister, someone from the Inquisition is looking for you outside."
Shouldn't the people in the court be busy arresting people for questioning at this time? Why did they come to her?
Zhu Yu walked to the door with full of doubts, and saw Isabella there. She seemed to have just been notified.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Captain Rhine of the Inquisition.
He nodded slightly to the two of them, then said:
"The situation in Belran City has been reported to the higher authorities. The royal family will send a newly appointed city lord and relevant officials to take over the city affairs in the near future."
"in addition--"
Captain Rhine fixed his gaze on Zhu Yu, paused, and said solemnly:
"You have made great contributions in this incident. We have decided to award you the 'Kingdom Wings' badge of honor to recognize your bravery and contribution."
"Kingdom Wings" badge of honor?
When Zhu Yu heard the news, his eyes lit up.
Her originally lazy mood suddenly became excited.
Especially when she noticed that the law enforcement officers behind Captain Rhine were looking at her with undisguised admiration in their eyes, she subconsciously straightened her back a little more.
Her story has been widely spread.
The title of "Wings of the Kingdom" is an extremely rare honor in the knight system. It symbolizes protection and responsibility. Usually only knights who have made outstanding contributions in war or crisis are eligible to obtain it.
Those who are awarded this badge are often respected by countless believers and the public.
Zhu Yu realized instantly that this was not just a commendation, but also meant that her "Knight of Light" personality had been completely stamped and established!
"In addition," Captain Rhine continued, "since your reputation has spread throughout Belran City and even the surrounding towns, in order to appease the people, we will arrange some public events in the next few days. I hope you can attend."
He turned his gaze to Isabella who was standing beside Zhu Yu, and added: "Of course, we hope that Miss Isabella can also participate."
Isabella smiled slightly and replied in a gentle tone: "It's my honor."
Seeing this, Zhu Yu also nodded in agreement.
For a moment, the scene became quiet. Zhu Yu waited for a while, and seeing that Captain Rhine was standing there without moving, he asked:
"Mr. Rhine, do you have anything else to say?"
Captain Rhine coughed lightly, revealing an unnatural look, and then shook his head and said, "No more."
Zhu Yu couldn't help but complain in his heart. The court had a strong sense of ceremony. Was it necessary to send someone in such an important position to make a special trip to notify in person for such a small matter?
But she still said politely:
"Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come and tell us this news."
Captain Rhine nodded and was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly he stopped and blurted out:
"Miss Draka, have you ever considered working for the Inquisition in the future?"
Zhu Yu: “…”
She was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting the other party to suddenly ask such a question.
Seeing that she did not answer immediately, Captain Rhine realized that his question might be too abrupt, and quickly added:
"Generally speaking, in addition to joining the royal family or the knights of the great nobles, knights usually choose to serve in the Inquisition... However, Miss Draka, you are a noble, so the question just now was indeed a bit presumptuous, please forgive me."
As he spoke, he seemed to want to drop the topic and say no more.
However, just as he was about to say goodbye, Zhu Yu suddenly called out to him:
"Wait a moment, Lord Rhine."
The other party was slightly startled, stopped and looked back at her.
Zhu Yu hesitated for a moment, and then she said:
"I will rest for a few days after I return. After that, I am willing to go to the Tribunal."
——She agreed.
Captain Rhine's eyes lit up, and a hint of surprise appeared in his originally restrained expression:
"We welcome you and look forward to seeing you, Miss Draka."
After the people from the court left, Zhu Yu suddenly remembered something, then called up the system panel and his eyes fell on the progress bar of the reputation value.
It was 18% yesterday, but now it has soared to 45%!
She blinked. This progress... is almost halfway done?!
It seemed like her decision to take a risk last night was the right one.
In this world, if you want to quickly accumulate fame points, you must change your identity.
In this turbulent world, knights, especially the Knight of Light, are undoubtedly the most ideal choice. This identity is far more popular than wizards who need to hide their whereabouts.
*
In the next few days, Zhu Yu and Isabella participated in various activities arranged by the new city lord.
They apologized to the people in the square, listened to the demands of vendors in the market, and personally visited civilians affected by the plague and fire, delivering food and medicine to many poor families.
Zhu Yu had been mentally prepared for these scenes, but when she actually stood on the streets ravaged by the fire and looked at the civilians with weather-beaten faces, she couldn't help but feel a little heavy.
"The feeling of standing here is completely different from being in Rose Manor or Belleland Mansion, right?"
Isabella stood beside her, looking at the scene ahead, her tone tinged with emotion.
Zhu Yu glanced at her sideways and nodded, "Yes."
This series of activities undoubtedly pushed her fame to the peak, and her fame value rose another 8%.
At the final awarding ceremony, Zhu Yu personally received the "Kingdom Wings" badge of honor from the new city lord.
When the new city lord put the badge on her, the crowd in the square burst into thunderous applause.
According to custom, after the awarding ceremony, the new city lord needs to hug the meritorious person to show the loyalty between the knight and the kingdom.
I wish I would do so.
However, the moment the two of them got close, she heard an unexpected word -
"Give Janet my regards."
Zhu Yu's body stiffened and his pupils shrank slightly.
But before she could react, the new city lord had already let go of her shoulders, raised the corners of his lips slightly, and winked at her.
The ceremony ended with applause and cheers, and Zhu Yu was about to embark on the journey home.
On the day of departure, a light drizzle fell from the sky.
Zhu Yu sat in the carriage, watching the rain slowly sliding down the window lattice.
Since I learned that the new city lord is also a wizard, the ownership of the parchment has naturally been revealed.
The answer to what the survivors of the secret society should do next is already obvious.
Before leaving, she received good news.
Isabella also awakened her magical powers and became a natural wizard.
When hearing the news, Zhu Yu couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.
This is unexpected, but also reasonable.
This "Goddess of Flowers" lady was kinder and more resilient than she appeared from the very beginning.
And now, like her sisters, she finally has the power to control her own destiny.
More importantly, she and Cecilia decided to stay and rebuild Beleriand with the new city lord.
No, it should now be called "Victoria City".
As luck would have it, the new mayor's name just happened to contain the word "Victoria".
When Isabella and Cecilia heard the news, the two sisters hugged each other and cried secretly that night.
They did not show excessive excitement in front of others, but when it was late at night and no one was disturbing them, the emotions buried deep in their hearts finally burst out.
Zhu Yu recalled the scene the next day when he saw their red and swollen eyes and how they tried to cover the marks with foundation, and the smile on his lips deepened a little.
She rested her elbows casually on the window sill, her eyes fixed on the golden rose emblem in her palm.
This was forced upon her by Isabella and Cecilia before they left.
"Keep it as a souvenir." Isabella said half-jokingly at the time, "After all, you are the lifesaver of our sisters."
After learning that the two of them had secretly produced several imitations of the Golden Rose badge, Zhu Yu could not refuse their kindness and accepted the generous gift.
The air in the car was a bit stuffy, so she raised her hand and opened the curtains, letting the cool breeze brush across her cheeks.
The scenery outside the window remained the same, the familiar streets, the continuous eaves, and occasionally the citizens of Victoria walking in the rain. Everything seemed to be the same as when she came.
But Zhu Yu knew that some things had changed.
The returning team was much larger than the one that came here. It included not only Lady Janet's caravan, but also the mercenary group and the Inquisition team that escorted them along the way.
Perhaps, some deeper changes were also happening to her without her realizing it.
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