When Maggie woke up, it was already daylight outside. Her head was throbbing so badly it felt like it was going to explode. She only remembered having a strange dream last night, but she couldn't quite recall the details of the dream after waking up.
All she remembered was that this dream gave her the same feeling as the last one—both were terrifying and made her very uncomfortable.
The smell of blood and death still seemed to linger on the tip of my nose.
She rubbed her throbbing temples and struggled to get out of bed. Today, the team was to start afresh, and she had no right to stay in bed.
"Your Highness, it's time to set off."
Before Maggie could finish tidying up, there was a knock on the door, and the paladin's respectful voice rang out.
A short while later, Maggie straightened her collar and skirt, adjusted herself to her best appearance, and walked out the door.
"Let's go, thank you for your hard work."
Maggie wore a gentle smile, which made the paladin who had come to urge her blush. He turned around awkwardly and coughed twice to pretend to clear his throat.
"This is all the paladin's responsibility, Your Highness, you need not worry about it."
Maggie's eyes curved into a smile. It seemed that even though she hadn't rested well, the allure of her beauty hadn't diminished.
The trailing train of the saintess's robes moved slowly behind her until the paladin accompanied her to the village entrance, at which point the village chief finally arrived.
The dwarf village chief hurriedly ran to Maggie and solemnly handed her a long box containing the staff that Maggie had given him the night before.
Opening the long box reveals an additional layer of shimmering light, the effect of the mermaid's tears.
It looks even more perfectly forged than Maggie imagined.
Even the staff's splendor remained undiminished; the star diamonds on it still shone brightly, making it look even more magnificent and expensive.
"Thank you, village chief."
Maggie's expression softened slightly as she sincerely thanked the village chief.
It's clear the village chief put in a lot of effort; otherwise, the final product wouldn't be so stunning.
"Haha, this is nothing. If it weren't for Her Highness the Holy Maiden, it would be a different story whether I could even stand here today. Saying thank you is just a formality. It's better to do something useful."
The village chief waved to Maggie in a boisterous manner, his voice rough and unrestrained.
"I hope I will have the opportunity to forge weapons for Her Highness in the future. I swear on the honor of the dwarves that I will use all my knowledge to create the most suitable staff for you."
The dwarves are never secretive about their sincerity; they will treat those they trust without reservation, just like they are now.
Maggie was also infected by his smile, which became more genuine.
But all things must come to an end. After exchanging pleasantries, Maggie boarded the carriage that had been prepared and left the village in the direction of the temple.
Jasper remained hidden until Maggie left, at which point he emerged from the shadows behind the tree.
As it happened, they ran into the village chief who had just seen Maggie off. The dwarf village chief immediately glared and started chasing Jasper all over the village.
"You brat, you ask people for favors and you can't even be bothered to see them off. Is this how I raised you?!"
The village chief's loud voice was extremely penetrating, and soon the whole village knew that Jasper had been beaten up by the village chief again. Despite having a tough-guy face, he always looked pitiful and got beaten up when facing the village chief.
Dwarves are skilled in forging, and their muscles are incredibly strong. A punch from a fist the size of a sandbag would leave someone either dead or bedridden for two days.
Even as Maggie moved further away from the village in the carriage, she could faintly hear agonizing screams.
"?"
She looked toward the village with a puzzled expression, feeling that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
but......
Time was of the essence, and returning to the temple was more important, so Maggie didn't dwell on the matter any further.
...
The carriage swayed and rattled through the territory of the Kingdom of Saint-Navi, returning to the city of Saint-Fei.
When Maggie stepped off the carriage, she looked somewhat dazed. After spending several days in the dwarf village and speeding up the rest of the journey, she felt nauseous.
Fortunately, we made it back to the temple before the magic competition began.
After calming down, Maggie skillfully walked through the fountain in front of the cathedral and prepared to go directly into the cathedral.
But when her gaze fell upon the statue of the god of light, Nophiel, Maggie's steps unconsciously slowed considerably. Her eyes lingered on the statue, and she felt inexplicably strange.
She had a feeling that she had seen what the statue would look like after it came to life.
A living...moving...God of Light.
But she had only ever seen it in comics.
The paper cutout and the real person are not from the same dimension; she shouldn't have met them.
Thinking of this, Maggie felt a chill run down her spine. Could it be that she had been in the temple for too long and had been infected and assimilated into the faith in the God of Light to the point of madness, hallucinating that the statues were moving?
But she can still clearly see the little ghost and Roy.
As Maggie pondered this, she walked into the cathedral and stood before the altar, where Father Barton was waiting for her.
"Your Highness, your time is precious. Don't waste it on trivial matters next time."
Patton's tone was authoritative, with a hint of warning.
Maggie lowered her eyes slightly, and once again gained a direct understanding of the efficiency of the temple staff. She had only just arrived at the temple, yet Barton already knew everything that had happened to her on the way.
She was ashamed of her own speed.
"May God forgive me, it won't happen again."
Maggie nodded meekly, choosing not to refute or explain, for a mascot had no say in the temple's affairs.
Talking too much now will only cause you trouble.
Barton's expression softened slightly, and when he spoke again, his voice was no longer cold.
"It's good that Your Highness knows this. Students from various magic academies will be arriving in Saint Fe soon. As the Holy Maiden of Light of the Temple, you will need to put in a lot of effort recently."
Maggie knew from the beginning that she was called back to take charge of the magic competition. More people meant more trouble and thankless work. There was no other choice but her, and she had no room to refuse.
"Of course, I won't let the temple lose face."
Maggie smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.
If she had to say, she was actually very much looking forward to what would happen after the start of this magic competition. It wouldn't be a complete mess, but... dragons, dragon knights, slave traders, the Silver Wheel, the Green Tower, and the Temple of Light all gathered together.
I really don't know how exciting this competition will be.
There's even a magician who has a contract with a mage, and a water elemental spirit that was forced to bind itself to a human before the Age of Gods.
If given the chance, Maggie would like to rescue it.
Of course, it wasn't that she coveted its power, but Maggie felt uncomfortable just watching elemental spirits like Roy and the little ghost being enslaved to the point of exhaustion in the comics.
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