Harlan slowly withdrew his arm only after hearing Maggie's affirmative answer, his tone revealing undisguised joy.
"I only need Her Highness's permission, and I will take care of the rest."
Maggie strode out the door, not stopping for a second as Harlan's voice echoed behind her.
Sure enough, she couldn't ask him to do anything in the future. This time, she clearly achieved her goal without any loss, but she still felt extremely uncomfortable, as if she had been taken advantage of.
Harlan only withdrew his slightly regretful gaze after Maggie's figure had completely disappeared around the corner.
The whispered words she heard last time still seemed to echo in her ears. This time, she had once again evaded his touch. Thinking of this, Harlan's slender fingers curled slightly, and a sigh dissipated into the air.
"Your Highness is truly a vengeful prince."
...
When Maggie returned to the cathedral, as expected, the priest was already waiting for her inside, his expression serious and warning.
“Your Highness, as the person in charge, leaving your seat without permission will damage the temple’s reputation.”
In the empty cathedral, the priest's voice sounded like a judgment from heaven, but Maggie stood still and slowly turned around, revealing a polite smile.
"I did make arrangements for leaving the venue. The Green Tower and the Paladin can maintain order in the competition. There is a reason why I returned in such a hurry."
Maggie was confident that Burwin would not ignore her once he saw her leave.
To please her, helping to ensure stability on site is just a small favor, and it will also earn her her favor, so why not?
The panic caused by the inexplicable deaths of players is not difficult to resolve; it can even be handled with just a Paladin.
The attack was far too obvious.
Maggie lowered her eyes, a cold glint in them.
Ever since she chose to 'escort' Eve back to her country last time, Father Barton has been giving her a warning from time to time, to keep an eye on her and prevent her from having any ulterior motives.
They probably realized she was no pushover.
"Oh? I'm all ears, Your Highness."
Father Barton snorted coldly, holding the "Divine Laws" in his hand, adopting a "I'll listen to your sophistry" attitude.
"Your Excellency has heard that the magician who participated in the competition died on the spot for some unknown reason, turning into a pool of flesh and blood without bones or tendons."
Maggie's voice was calm, and her tone was neither humble nor arrogant.
"I noticed his unusual behavior before the match, and that's why I came back."
She looked up and stared directly at the priest, without the slightest fear.
Anyway, the priest probably saw through her previous act of being weak and pitiful, and continuing to pretend would only be exhausting for both of them. Maggie didn't like doing things that were pointless.
Besides, the priest was a fairly reasonable person.
"What insightful opinion does Your Highness have?"
Father Barton had clearly only heard the gist of the story and didn't know the whole picture. When he heard Maggie say this, his expression became somewhat solemn.
"I suspect it was done by the dead."
Maggie was completely at ease, and no one could tell that she was actually hiding anything.
The undead act without restraint, but she is human, which is also a bargaining chip that can be used to threaten Ivy.
"oh?"
Father Barton frowned slightly, then his expression turned serious, as if he had made a connection to something.
"Since this is a magic competition managed by Her Highness the Saintess, I will not question Her Highness's actions for the time being. However, the matter of the undead is of the same danger level as the Calamity of Demons. Since Her Highness the Saintess wants to investigate, she should take full responsibility for it."
He's a pedantic old man, but if the matter is important enough, persuading him isn't impossible.
Upon hearing his permission, Maggie finally nodded with some sincerity, acknowledging his agreement.
“However, since you have chosen to serve the God, you must not have any other intentions. Although I am old, I still have some ability to judge people. Put away all your resentment in the temple.”
"Power is nothing but external possessions; our task is to serve God wholeheartedly."
Father Barton's words sounded like some kind of brainwashing Bible. Maggie's gaze fell on the book in his hand, and she was speechless with disbelief.
This is probably why the old man could never win against the Pope, and even when the Pope died, he still condemned Harun; he was frighteningly upright.
“The priest is absolutely right.”
Maggie agreed with a forced smile, leaving the details of how to proceed to her.
Finally spared by the old man, Maggie pondered for a moment, then decided not to leave the temple immediately, but instead returned to her room.
Going out now is not a wise move; we might run into Ivy, who's come to collect a debt.
Leaving the temple means losing protection.
She needed to organize her thoughts first.
...
On the other side, after a period of chaos, the competition finally stabilized. The death of one person was not enough to interrupt the Magic Competition.
Burvin breathed a sigh of relief, standing in the VIP seat looking down while listening to his family report to him.
"No suspicious activity was found."
The magician bowed respectfully to Burvin.
"Then forget it. I just wanted to do someone a favor, there's no need to make a big fuss."
Burvin was just making a simple attempt to see if he could find the murderer directly and send him to the Holy Maiden of Light, which would also serve as a bargaining chip during the transaction.
Unfortunately, the mastermind behind it all was very cautious.
His gaze fell on the center of the arena, where a fiery red-haired fire mage stood. His strikingly handsome appearance drew gasps from the crowd as soon as he appeared, captivating the noble ladies who had come to watch the competition.
However, there are actually two such entities.
However, this is a one-on-one competition, and the other person is standing outside the arena waiting.
Anyone could tell they were twins.
"twin..."
Burvin's expression was complicated as he muttered to himself.
In fact, twins are considered extremely unlucky on the continent of Coral. Their birth is believed to bring disaster, ranging from the death of family members to the extinction of the entire race.
This is why twins are rarely born on the continent of Coral, and are extremely rare.
As time goes by, twins become fewer and fewer, and some even disappear altogether.
This fable has become irrelevant and few people know about it, but the Green Tower is a scholarly organization that claims to have the most comprehensive knowledge reserves in the entire continent.
Burvin knew something about this.
So when I saw the twins, a shadow immediately fell over my heart.
"If we're here, what if the match doesn't go well..."
Burwin was genuinely worried about Maggie, so much so that he lost interest in watching the exciting match that had the entire audience cheering and marveling.
Standing on the stage was the older brother, whose dashing and handsome spellcasting style, like a superstar surrounded by spotlights, easily attracted everyone's attention.
But when he looked triumphantly toward the VIP seats after being declared the winner, he only saw that Maggie's seat was empty, with no one sitting there.
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