Chapter 86
The Queen treated the Saint with the utmost respect. Although the mercenaries were the Queen’s private soldiers and technically not under the Saint’s authority, they absolutely could not be disrespectful in her presence.
The captains of the Omega Squad and the Beta Squad exchanged glances and stepped forward, offering a stiff salute. “We were unaware of the Saint’s arrival. We apologize for not welcoming you properly. May we ask what brings you to our training grounds today?”
The curtain was still being blown by the wind, and when their gazes lowered, they could see the white hem of a skirt inside, but still couldn’t see the Saint’s face.
She remained silent, and Senryu answered for her. “The Saint is here to see Lady Liu Siruo. She has important matters to discuss.”
As if by coincidence—though everyone knew better—they realized that if the Saint took Liu Siruo away, the serious issue at hand might be downplayed or even dismissed entirely.
Naturally, the others were not satisfied. They believed this was just an excuse. “What could be so important that it requires the Saint to personally come and request someone?”
Senryu appeared rather frail in front of everyone, but she didn’t lose her composure. Instead, she remained calm and collected, answering fluently. “It’s regarding the next divine trial.”
At these words, even the two captains found themselves at a loss. Everyone knew the divine trials were matters of kingdom survival; the first trial had even required Princess Tsukiyo to risk her life.
The Saint used the “trials” as her justification, leaving them speechless.
The crowd murmured among themselves. “Could there be news about the second trial? Shouldn’t the Queen summon all of us? Why is the Saint only calling for her?”
“Tsk, Alpha Squad did escort the Saint back from the battlefield. They have a close relationship, something we can’t compare to. Who knows if there’s really news about the trial? We wouldn’t dare ask.”
“I heard that Lady Kitagawa has known the Saint for a long time…”
“Enough.” The Beta Squad captain, sensing they were on the verge of overstepping, turned back to stop them. Then, facing the Saint, he clasped his fists and said, “Please forgive us, Lady Saint, but we cannot allow you to take Liu Siruo away. She has injured someone, and this must be reported to the Queen for her to handle. Even if it involves the divine trial, shouldn’t this be discussed with Captain Hua and the others? Surely, you don’t need Liu Siruo alone.”
Senryu frowned at his words. “Are you implying you don’t trust the Saint?”
The Beta Squad captain waved his hand. “I wouldn’t dare.” But his attitude was firm, refusing to let her go.
“Senryu.”
The person inside the carriage finally spoke. Senryu was about to say something else, but she swallowed her words after hearing this. She obediently walked to the side of the carriage and lifted the curtain for her master, bowing her head without looking up.
The servants following behind quickly laid down a thick layer of soft cushions on the ground, preventing the Saint’s feet from being soiled by the dust of the training grounds.
As her skirt fluttered, they glimpsed her bare feet stepping onto the carpet. She walked forward unhurriedly. Amidst the sea of black uniforms, her pure white robe stood out.
The Saint wore a gentle expression, yet she exuded an undeniable authority.
“Captain Jing, Captain Yang,” she called out the names of the two captains. ” Perhaps you’re unaware, but tonight, the Gods have sent instructions for the second divine trial. The Queen and I need Lady Liu to join us for a discussion. I hope you’ll accommodate this.”
Captain Jing remained unconvinced. “Then why didn’t the Queen send someone to summon her?”
Miki’s gaze fell upon Wakako, and she sighed subtly.
“Didn’t we already send Lord Kitagawa and Lady Lin? They simply couldn’t convince you.”
Lin Lin, previously disregarded due to her lack of seniority, felt elated being addressed as “Lady Lin” by the Saint. She immediately chimed in, “Exactly! We’re here under orders from the Lord and the Saint to take Senior Sister Liu!”
She gave a firm tug on Wakako’s sleeve.
Wakako wasn’t as good at lying as Lin Lin. She hesitated before adding. “Yes… that’s right.”
Invoking the Queen’s authority left everyone speechless. Even Captains Jing and Yang couldn’t argue further. Reluctantly, they ordered their subordinates to make way, watching as the three left the training grounds unharmed.
…
In fact, the Saint wasn’t lying. The carriage was headed towards the palace.
Only the Saint could ride in this carriage. The three of them followed behind on horseback, riding slowly. Lin Lin was the first to break the silence. “Senior Sister, can you tell us now?”
Liu Siruo remained silent, urging her horse forward in an attempt to avoid the question. But she wasn’t quick enough; Wakako swiftly grabbed her reins, preventing her escape.
Wakako stared at her quietly. “Senior Sister, considering we risked ourselves for you, the least you can do is tell us what’s happening.”
Liu Siruo lowered her head, hiding the flicker of discomfort in her eyes. knew her junior sisters stood by her out of loyalty, without knowing the full story. She also knew that the Saint intervened largely because of Wakako…
If she continued to keep it a secret, she’d be failing them as their senior.
After a moment, she sighed, “I’ll tell you both what happened, but you must promise not to breathe a word to anyone else. Can you do that?”
Lin Lin asked, “Not even to our masters?”
Liu Siruo gritted her teeth. “Absolutely not!”
Lin Lin deflated. “Alright.”
After some hesitation, Liu Siruo finally whispered, “One of the men I beat up… his surname is Zuo.”
The injured man had been covered in wounds, his face swollen like a pig’s head, making it impossible to recognize his original appearance. Lin Lin thought about the surname “Zuo” and realized who it was. “Wait, you mean Master Carol’s Beta lover?”
Wakako was startled. “Since when did Master Carol have a lover?”
“Just while you were getting ready for your wedding. Not long ago, maybe ten days or half a month at most,” Lin Lin said. “Master Carol’s good at teaching people, isn’t she? That man asked her for help with training, and they got along well. Senior Sister, why did you attack him?”
Wakako noticed that the word “lover” deepened the shadows in Liu Siruo’s eyes.
In a soft voice, Liu Siruo confessed. “I came back from outside and saw him and his companion… going to a brothel. I couldn’t hold back and attacked.”
It was common for nobles to frequent brothels. They had seen too much of it during their missions.
However, from the very beginning, Hua Yumu had warned everyone that their mercenaries were absolutely forbidden from engaging in such activities, violators would face severe consequences.
But that was a rule specific to Alpha Squad. It seemed other teams were lax, allowing their members to frequent such places openly.
Lin Lin was young and was particularly sensitive to such matters. She immediately frowned, her expression full of disgust. “They were wrong in the first place. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Liu Siruo remained silent.
Wakako, seemed to understand and subtly signaled Lin Lin to drop the subject.
Carol was over thirty and still unmarried. In their kingdom, someone her age might already be a grandparent, yet she remained alone.
She had once been engaged multiple times to Omega partners. Trusted by the Queen, the mercenaries often received matchmaking offers from nobles and ministers.
Strangely, before any wedding could occur, her fiancés and fiancées mysteriously died of illness—three times in a row. This fueled rumors among the nobility, branding her as cursed and bringing misfortune to anyone who dared to marry her.
Devastated by these losses, Carol began to believe the rumors herself. She resolved to remain single forever. As a result, when the Queen bestowed marriages upon suitable mercenaries, she was excluded.
Gradually, Lin Lin pieced it together. “You were afraid that if you told the truth, it would hurt Master Carol?”
Wakako shook her head. “It’s more than that. The Zuo family is also of noble status. While visiting brothels isn’t scandalous among nobles, you assaulting him over it will undoubtedly spark unfavorable rumors about Master Carol.”
“Especially since mercenaries report directly to the Queen and already have a tenuous relationship with the nobility…”
Liu Siruo’s clenched and unclenched her fist around her whip.
“I beat Zuo up so badly. If people find out the reason behind it, they’ll only say that Master Carol is the one who injured Zuo to this extent…”
Lin Lin exclaimed, “Then are you going to take the blame for this? What if Master expels you from the team?”
A complex mix of emotions crossed Liu Siru’s face before she finally sighed in resignation.
“Then I’ll stop being a mercenary.”
Wakako couldn’t help but protest. “You’re willing to give up your position over someone like him? It’s not worth it.”
But no matter how they tried to persuade her, Liu Siruo remained resolute. Seeing that they’d reached the palace and fearing they’d be overheard, they reluctantly dropped the subject.
The Saint’s words weren’t false. She did have important matters to discuss with the Queen and went directly to the Queen’s study.
The three of them waited in a pavilion outside the study. From afar, they saw a servant rushing towards them.
The servant bowed. “Greetings to the three Masters.”
He had obviously heard about what happened at the training grounds. He then lowered his voice, and because of his previous friendship with Hua Yumu, he offered a warning. “Captain Jing and Captain Yang have arrived at the palace gates with their men. They’re here to… formally accuse Lady Liu of assault…”
Lin Lin jumped up. “No, we need to find our masters, now!”
“According to the information we received, Master Hua is already on his way back. He should be here soon.” After saying this, the servant bowed again and entered the study to deliver something the Queen needed.
Lin Lin paced anxiously outside the pavilion, unable to devise a solution.
Wakako glanced down at the wounds on Liu Siru’s fist. “You’re hurt.”
“I hit them too hard and scraped my skin.” Liu Siruo replied with a half-smile, leaning against the railing, lost in thought.
After a while, she said, “That Zuo guy kept trying to win her over. It was the first time in years she’d opened her heart…”
Wakako paused. “You really overstepped. You could have told Master Carol and let her handle it. If she knew he was unfaithful, she’d have ended things herself.”
Liu Siruo said, “I know, but I couldn’t control myself.”
She clenched her fist, causing the scabbed wounds to reopen. “He already had her… Why wasn’t that enough?”
Wakako called out to her softly, telling her to stop. “Senior Sister, that’s enough.”
Master Carol was an Alpha herself; she wouldn’t be interested in other Alphas.
They all knew that.
