Maggie lowered her head, her frail body trembling uncontrollably under the accusations of the crowd, like a flower about to wither, poignant and desperate.
A mocking glint flashed in Yarlin's eyes. Anyone who saw Maggie now would think that she was trembling because she was afraid of being exposed and powerless to refute.
Maggie could barely suppress the urge to smile, but she lowered her eyes to hide her excitement and prevent her facial expression from becoming too distorted and frightening others.
"Is there really... no room for negotiation?"
Maggie's voice trembled, making her sound even more pitiful, but to the enemy, it only fueled their emotions and made them even more eager to drive her to the dust.
Just as Maggie was putting on a great performance and the play was about to reach its climax, a noble and elegant male voice came from the church entrance.
"Your Excellency, there might be some misunderstanding here."
Harlan stood against the light at the cathedral entrance, like a prince descending from the heavens to rescue a helpless princess.
pity.....
Maggie is not a princess.
Harlan's untimely appearance gave Maggie a murderous urge, and she almost ground her teeth to powder.
"..."
Maggie's chest heaved violently twice. She was quite annoyed at being interrupted, but unfortunately, she couldn't lose her temper now. She could only quietly adjust her breathing to suppress her emotions and force the story to move on to the next step.
“No, Your Excellency, I do not wish for the glory of the Holy Maiden of Light to be tarnished. I can prove myself.”
Maggie turned around, her gaze towards the Archbishop resolute and earnest. Her soft voice, however, was firm and resolute, interrupting Harlan's next words and just missing the hint of inquiry that flashed in Harlan's eyes.
"In that case, Your Highness will have to make this difficult."
Archbishop Ford sighed deeply, his deeply lined old face full of helplessness, as if he had no choice but to step forward to uphold justice.
Maggie's eyebrows drooped, her gaze growing increasingly resolute, until she pointed at the first priest who had jumped out to accuse her of faking her talent.
“I know that the honor of the Temple of Light cannot be desecrated, and as the Holy Maiden of Light, I must defend it with all my might. Therefore, I would like to challenge this priest who has slandered me to a battle, regardless of life or death.”
"It's not too late to test me after the competition is over."
Maggie loves to invoke the banner of the Temple of Light. As long as it's related to the temple, the archbishop is unlikely to refuse her requests.
Upon hearing this, the church fell completely silent.
"You want to challenge me?"
The pastor stood there stunned for a long time before hesitating to speak, seemingly not believing that Maggie would make such a request.
"yes."
Maggie nodded slowly, her expression serious, not like she was joking.
Whether Ford was faking it or genuinely surprised, he also showed a look of astonishment.
"Your Highness, are you serious?"
An eerie atmosphere gradually filled the cathedral. The temple was a place blessed by the God of Light, and the nuns, priests, and clergy here had little combat ability. The paladins were disciplined and rarely engaged in private fights.
This was the first time in the temple that someone had proposed to prove innocence through a duel.
"I'm very serious."
Maggie's eyes were open and her tone was calm.
Now the people in the temple finally believed that Maggie was really going to have a life-or-death duel, and they began to look at each other in dismay.
It's not that it's impossible, but when the saintess was chosen, there were thousands of witnesses, and every noble lady who participated was a level nine magic apprentice, and Maggie was no exception.
Although she is now a Holy Maiden of Light, she is still young and was not a formal magician when she entered the temple. More often than not, she was a mascot with potential.
The idea that a magic apprentice would dare to challenge a full-fledged priest of the temple sounds like a fantasy.
It's important to know that those who can become official priests have all reached the intermediate level of magic. Even if a priest is not good at combat, the difference of two whole levels means that very few people can defeat a magician who is two levels lower.
Besides... Maggie is also a light-elemental mage, and the combat ability of a level nine light-elemental magic apprentice is practically nonexistent.
Are you scared?
Seeing that the pastor remained silent, Maggie asked again.
"Huh? How could I be scared? You must be joking!"
The pastor looked as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world; his ugly, unkempt face was full of disdain, showing his contempt for Maggie.
"If you want to fight, then fight! Who's afraid of who?!"
He shouted, his whole body radiating provocation.
"Um."
Maggie nodded and looked at the archbishop again. Neither of them had any objections to the duel. Given his cunning nature, he wouldn't refuse such a wonderful show.
"Alas, since Her Highness has made her decision, I naturally agree."
Ford shook his head, looking helpless.
...
The training grounds of the Temple of Light were usually only used by paladins, but today they stopped training and gathered outside the field.
Harlan stood ramrod straight, in a knightly posture. There were two people standing on the training ground, but his azure eyes were fixed only on the slender figure among them.
The atmosphere on the field was tense, and the pastor's arrogant demeanor was extremely unpleasant.
"Your Highness, if you die by my hand today, you can only say you're unlucky."
The pastor's gaze swept across Maggie's face, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, indicating that he disliked Maggie quite a bit.
Maggie hadn't intended to speak, but after noticing his inexplicable emotions, she suddenly spoke up.
"Which family do you come from?"
Her tone was flat, sounding like an interrogation, which further agitated the priest. In reality, she was just too tired from acting and now that everyone was outside the training ground, far away from them, Maggie was too lazy to keep up the act.
"What? Is the eldest daughter of the Zefnia family planning to take revenge on my family?"
The pastor sneered, his tone sharp and sarcastic.
"No."
Maggie calmly stated the fact that she was simply curious.
"Telling you won't hurt. I come from the Motley family, because you no longer have the chance to take revenge on me."
As Motley finished speaking, a look of understanding appeared on Maggie's face.
"Your sister is Motley Lynn, right?"
After she uttered that name, Motley's expression suddenly became even angrier, almost to the point of lunging forward.
"So what if it is! You're the one who stole my sister's position as the Holy Maiden."
He could no longer contain his anger, and his magic surged as he began to chant a spell.
"A person with such a volatile temper is not suitable to be a pastor."
Maggie stood still, muttering to herself with a hint of regret.
As Motley cast his spell, his eyes were fixed on her. Seeing that she didn't move, the priest became even more agitated, as if he hadn't expected that a mere magic apprentice would not dodge his spell.
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