Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 47 The Holy Spirit's Secret
"What do you mean? What did you say? Royal Knight?" Xiren asked in quick succession, grabbing the old woman's robe and even sitting on the ground, holding onto the hem, disregarding his manners.

"Oh dear, it's very simple. This kid will soon become a Royal Knight." The old woman smiled with a face full of wrinkles. "Once he becomes a Royal Knight and is summoned by your side, even the most serious injuries can be slowly healed. Even if his physical body dies completely, he can become a Heroic Spirit."

"He was just one appointment away from becoming a Royal Knight, but alas... Renn deceived him. He didn't want this knight to continue serving you; he felt threatened."

The old woman chuckled and said, "What a pity, what a pity. He will never hear your command again. He can only receive it at your grave, right? There were once young and handsome knights who wanted to serve me, but they didn't know how to cherish it back then. What a pity..."

Xilun's eyes were filled with unspeakable sorrow. He remained silent for a long time before asking, "Who are you?"

“Oh? Me?” The old woman narrowed her shrewd eyes again. “Samantha Evans, Royal Mage, currently the resident mage of Speyside. It’s an honor to meet you, Bishop Delland.”

Xilun glanced at her. The old woman's silver-white hair was neatly combed into a bun. She wore a magnificent blue-purple robe that shimmered with arcane light. In her left hand, she carried a basket covered with a white cloth, and in her right hand, she carried an iron lantern.

"Were you the one who cleared the snow that day? I thought you were one of Rennes's men," Siren said, his mood clearly sour and his words somewhat barbed.

“Oh—I’m just helping him out. After all, that guy promised not to mess with my mage tower, so I’ll give him some respect. Besides, the Icemen are a common enemy, and I can’t just watch Speyer suffer.” Samantha smiled, her eyes narrowing.

“I see.” Xiren nodded, continuing to look at Logan lying on the ground.

“But now, I think you’re better—after all, someone who can make such a good knight willingly serve you must be as beautiful as I was back then, right?” Samantha laughed.

Xiren ignored her somewhat rambling and teasing remarks, and Samantha's skirt gradually disappeared from view.

Mathilde sat beside him, looking at him with concern, while Kyle walked in from outside, looking sadly at his companion on the ground.

They were graduates of the same class, studied together at the Pontifical Knights College, and were later selected together for the Guard of Bishop Spesse, becoming the only two survivors.

Silence fell all around. Raine had already left, unsure which crisis to deal with first. His soldiers had all gone too, leaving only the dilapidated floor and walls as evidence of the fierce battle that had just taken place.

Mathilde looked at Siron, biting her lower lip hard. After a long while, as if she had made up her mind, she said forcefully, "I... have a way to let you speak to him one last time."

"What did you say?!" Xilun grabbed her abruptly, then suddenly snapped out of his daze and apologized for his excessive strength. "Sorry... I got a little agitated. What do you mean?"

Mathilde licked her lips and bit her gums: "My sacred site's special divine magic... allows you to communicate with people's souls, and it takes effect for half an hour after death."

Xiren looked at her, wanting to plead, but then he suddenly realized—if it were a simple divine spell, Mathilde would have used it long ago.

“You…” Xiren wanted to say something, but saw Mathilde turn her head and shout at Kyle, “Get out.”

"Okay, okay." Kyle quickly ran to the door, glancing at the empty space beside him. "Let's go, brother, don't stare at her anymore."

Mathilde took a deep breath, and a faint haze of holy light spread out around her.

When casting divine spells, one can deliberately control the shrinking of sacred relics, but this requires additional mental energy, so Siren generally doesn't hide them. However, Mathilde... seems to have stopped revealing sacred relics ever since the day she represented the Evangelical Church to offer condolences.

Now, she stands amidst the ruins, golden light spreading behind her, and a complete picture emerges. The background is a bustling working-class community, evidenced by the people's clothing and the crowded, filthy scene, while a girl plays joyfully among them... But the picture contains not only the image of Mathilde, nor only one working-class community.

The background appears to be a composite of a pre-apocalyptic working-class community and a residential area in Speyside, featuring Mathilde as a child, as a teenager, as a young adult, and as she is now.

They are active in every corner, sometimes living in other communities, sometimes visiting others with gifts.

Xilun remained silent.

So that's how it is... All the events of her life up to this point have condensed into a sacred relic. Once it is seen by someone, her identity will be directly exposed.

There were no monasteries, no seminaries, and no wealthy families.

And this was the first time that Siren had met the real Mathilde—

She was a girl who grew up in a working-class community.

"So what's your name?" Siren asked.

“Mathilde,” she said. “Mathilde Carter.”

Carter (the coachman), an ordinary surname, whose ancestors were of low social status, far inferior to "de Clermont," whose name alone suggests nobility in the Bonassis Empire.

But Siren finally smiled slightly: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mathilde."

“Alright, none of that matters.” Mathilde held the cross. “Let’s begin.”

Looking at Logan's broken body on the ground, she sang aloud, "The Holy Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. Who knows the things of a person except the Spirit who is in him?" (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)

Divine Art: Holy Spirit Pact!

It connects people to each other and establishes dialogue between spirits, just like in the workers' community where people's souls, wills, and passions are forged into one. It is the secret language between the Holy Spirits and the bond of trust and love.

Logan radiated a divine light, as if spirituality emanated from him, and a faint murmur arose, which invigorated Xiren!
“Logan.” He placed his hands on the knight’s shoulders. “I, Siren Delland, in the name of Bishop Speyer, hereby appoint you as my Royal Knight!”

He spoke urgently, but the murmur paused, then fell silent, and nothing happened.

Siren looked at Mathilde blankly, and she simply shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.

But at that moment, Kyle, who was outside, sensed the magical fluctuations and rushed in.

“No, Your Grace, this is not how a knight of the Royal Court is conferred!” he shouted.

(End of this chapter)