Eve listened to their conversation, biting her lip tightly the whole time, her eyes filled with undisguised resentment and unwillingness. But having experienced the temple's methods before, she dared not utter a single word.
"Since Your Highness requests it, then so be it."
Father Barton seemed to understand Maggie's considerations for the temple, and thus agreed to Maggie's request.
Even though Princess Eve offended the temple's dignity, she was still a member of the royal family after her crimes were pardoned. If something unexpected happened on her journey, it would indeed have a negative impact on the temple.
Maggie was willing to take her back, and the priest had no reason to refuse.
"Thank you, Father."
Maggie bowed slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips, seemingly unintentionally.
"Speaking of which, it seems that Your Excellency is quite close to my father. I wonder if this clue will be helpful to your investigation, Father."
She didn't look at Barton's expression; those words were just a trigger, meant to sow the seeds of doubt.
"I have taken note of Her Highness's reminder."
Father Barton remained silent for a moment, looking at Maggie with a probing gaze, before slowly speaking.
Hearing his answer, Maggie was very satisfied. She then turned to Eve and gave her a gentle smile.
"Princess Eve, I'll take you home."
Eve stared intently at Maggie, her lips bitten until they were almost bloodshot. It was clear that she was very dissatisfied with Maggie's suggestion, but because of the priest, she dared not raise any objections and could only nod with a humiliated expression.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Maggie was secretly surprised. Eve's arrogant personality had become so obedient. Could something very interesting have happened yesterday?
Or perhaps... the priest used some kind of torture?
While most light magic is primarily used for healing and recovery, some can also create illusions or even be used for torture and mental torment. If Eve has been ravaged by such magic, her current state is understandable.
...
This was Maggie's second time leaving the temple with a perfectly legitimate reason, and she felt that the sun was shining exceptionally brightly today.
Inside the carriage, he could still see Nesser sitting obediently, just like every time, he would sit in the carriage waiting for her to set off together.
"Your Highness, the carriages outside the temple have been prepared, and Princess Eve's carriage is being guarded by several paladins."
The nun stepped forward, approached Maggie, and spoke respectfully.
But when her gaze fell upon Princess Eve, she could no longer hide the schadenfreude in her eyes.
As for the reason?
She was the nun who had kindly greeted Eve at the temple gate, only to be ordered around by her in a condescending tone. Now, seeing Eve looking so dejected, as if she had just experienced a great disaster, it was hard not to feel amusement.
"Yes, remember to help the princess get into the carriage."
Maggie nodded. Now, Eve was just a piece of cargo to her, a reason to safely reach the Kingdom of Saint Na, a pass to pass through.
Hopefully, she'll have some self-awareness along the way and won't be too noisy.
Maggie suddenly remembered the magic used in the Green Tower to treat the blood servants' vocal cords, and thought that it might be useful.
As she was thinking, she boarded the carriage. As soon as she opened the door, she heard Nesser's childish voice calling her in a clear and crisp voice.
"elder sister!"
Nesser is like a gummy bear that never melts, sweet enough to melt your heart.
Maggie's expression softened as well.
"How's your magic practice going these days? Have you made any progress?"
She recalled the image of relatives asking how her child was doing in school during holidays, and instinctively asked that question.
The cultivation methods of elves are different from those of humans. They rely entirely on primal instincts to break through levels. If it weren't for this, with their exceptionally high affinity for wood elements, almost every elf could reach the level of a high-level mage.
Unfortunately, they not only believed that cultivation should be done naturally, but also thought that humans were making a mountain out of a molehill, and that their long lifespans were enough for each of them to explore the best way to break through.
The elves resisted the creation of magic that allowed them to break through skill levels, resulting in their average cultivation level being roughly the same as that of humans.
Of course, this is still due to the effect of its extremely long lifespan.
"You're already a high-level mage!"
Nesser smiled and tugged at Maggie's skirt, his rosy cheeks practically screaming "thank you!"
"?"
Maggie didn't immediately understand what he was saying; her mind went blank for a moment, like when you've just asked a relative how their child is doing in school.
People tell you that he skipped a grade and went to Tsinghua University last year.
Although the other party did not mean to mock her, Maggie's sensitive and fragile self-esteem was severely damaged at that moment.
Is this the power of a level 9 magic talent?
She felt like a clown after going through so much trouble to break through to the level of a novice mage.
This child is terrifyingly powerful.
Maggie thought sadly.
"Sister? Did I say something wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Instead of the praise Nesser expected, Maggie froze, looking like she'd been struck by lightning. She instantly became cautious, pouted, lowered her head, and began to apologize.
"No, no, Nesser is very capable and deserves praise."
Maggie seemed to snap out of a dream, pulling back her pierced heart and piecing together a resilient smile.
"That's good."
Nesser stared at Maggie's face for a long time, as if to confirm whether Maggie was lying to him. After a while, he let out a long sigh of relief, looking much more at ease.
This little elf was making such mature gestures like a little adult, which almost made Maggie laugh.
The little incident between the two was nothing out of the ordinary on the road. The carriage swayed and rattled along the dirt road. Once they left Santa Fe City, the outside world immediately returned to its primitive state.
This time, the target is no longer the Kingdom of Arnold, but rather the Kingdom of Saint-Nar where the original owner once lived.
The situation in the Kingdom of Saint Na is far better than that in Arnold; it is safe and the people are honest and kind, making it a more attractive place for the poor to live.
There were no power struggles in the entire palace, except for Eve, who was overly pampered and was the biggest variable in the entire royal family.
In the original story, Eve is passionately in love with the God of Light, and is willing to sacrifice herself to see him through various rituals and even unorthodox methods.
As a result, the Kingdom of Saint Na was invaded by the undead.
It was a very close call; the country was on the verge of complete collapse.
The dead are usually like rats in the sewers, living in groups in a certain place where the dead gather, like a cemetery for the dead.
Eve precisely opened a teleportation array, the other end of which led to the most terrifying undead territory in the Western Continent, where undead were pouring out in droves, almost causing a second undead catastrophe.
If the main characters hadn't managed to gather all four of them at that moment, just in time to deal with the undead and shut down the teleportation array, the Kingdom of Saint-Na would probably have already become a land of the dead.
However, this plot will only take place after the crimes of the Zefner family are exposed. It is the beginning of the second volume and can be considered an introduction. The main volume, the ancient ruins of the Coral continent, will follow later.
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