Positive little sun, magical girl, I am awesome

The cloyingly sweet scent of cardamom, so intense it made one's throat feel tight, formed a tangible, viscous mist that heavily enveloped the road, pressing down on the backs of passersby. They all moved aside, and regardless of their piety, they couldn't help but bow down and pray for the mercy of the God of Light.

The journey was forced to a halt. Lilith reined in her horse, her brows furrowing as she stared intently at the long procession before her. The very front of this white river had already disappeared into the city gates of Goredia. She had never seen such a sight in all the years she had spent at the academy.

Has something changed at Highgarden again? Are these people after the academy, or after Catherine?

The girl was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't immediately notice that at the edge of that solemn and majestic white torrent, scrutinizing eyes were also falling on her and her companions.

The reason is simple: the two young men who suddenly appeared at the crossroads were so strikingly good-looking that it was hard not to attract attention.

Even under the slightly overcast sky, the blonde hair of the girl at the head of the group shone with its own luster, not to mention her bright and flamboyant face. The black-haired boy beside her was calm and out of place with his surroundings. His posture on horseback was as straight as a javelin, and he seemed oblivious to the vast church procession in front of him. His gaze was fixed on the girl beside him the whole time.

On this road filled with weary travelers and merchants, most of whom showed reverence for the Church of Light, the two handsome young people walking side by side stood out as unusually calm.

Were they noble ladies and gentlemen taking advantage of the cool weather to go horseback riding? — Several knights of light guarding the outer perimeter exchanged glances, having already made up their minds. However, some, under the cover of their helmets, still lingered on the girl's beautiful figure.

Which family's young lady could she be? A ripple of excitement stirred in the young knight's heart, and he felt that the beautiful girl in front of him looked more and more familiar.

As the horse was about to cross the fork in the road, the knight's gaze swept over the girl's slightly raised chin one last time. As he turned his head, he felt that this scene suddenly overlapped with a scene from his memory!

The blinding sunlight, the ear-piercing screams, the splattering blood and the towering flames—a figure slowly rises into the air under the watchful eyes of the crowd, golden hair dancing wildly in the heatwave…

"Kneel down—"

Fragments of memory were brutally chiseled into my mind!

The young knight's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, and he abruptly tightened the reins. Sensing his master's sudden tension, the white horse beneath him reared up and neighed uneasily, breaking the monotonous rhythm of the procession.

"you!"

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. A voice filled with shock and anger rang out from the ranks of the Knights of Light. The volume was not loud, but it was particularly abrupt due to the surrounding silence.

Lilith and Ian looked in the direction of the sound almost simultaneously.

A knight of light stepped out from the crowd, his face mostly obscured by his helmet, but his eyes, fixed on Lilith, revealed an incredulous horror.

"Witch!!!"

Lilith was taken aback: What the heck?!

"Clang—!" The sound of the Knight of Light raising his hand and drawing his blade was enough to make your teeth ache!

The longsword was raised high, trembling as it pointed at Lilith on horseback. He no longer suppressed his voice, and a panicked roar exploded above everyone's heads.

"It's that heretical witch who killed Bishop Quincy!! Seize her!!"

The white dragon in motion seemed to be paused, the chanting abruptly stopped, and everyone who heard the roar, whether monks or knights, turned around and looked in the direction the longsword was pointing.

Thick white smoke billowed as the ranks shifted.

The shock lasted only a moment. Lilith, who always flirted with danger, had almost honed it into an instinct. Without time to think, her body twisted sharply before her mind could react, shouting at Lulu and the others behind her who were still slowly advancing, completely unaware of the situation:

"Run! Back to the city!" Only by escaping back to the city of Goredia, back to the academy, or at least to the city's defenses, would they have a way out!

"Lilith!" As she called out, a tremendous force slammed into her side! Ian actually pulled Lilith and tumbled off the horse, rolling around with her several times on the muddy road.

"Boom——"

A thunderous sound exploded almost right next to Lilith's face. She saw her and Ian's hair fly up uncontrollably, and a tingling sensation ran through her face and body. She turned to look in the direction where the two had fallen. The pony she and Ian had ridden all the way was now two charred lumps, lying in a slowly expanding pool of blood.

A chosen one of the gods! And a chosen one of the gods who excels in offensive magic! Amid the screams of the surrounding civilians, Lilith pulled Ian up, her face icy cold.

For the past six months, she had stayed quietly in the academy. The duel and trial in the High Court was a faded memory for her, almost forgotten after being washed away by her more bizarre experiences.

Lilith hadn't anticipated that, for the Church of Light, the incident was never truly over. Bishop Quincy's death was clearly etched in the memories of some, who, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, pinned the blame on her. Even worse, they recognized her from a single glance on the street!

"With the thunder of light, purify this unclean one!"

More figures in white robes approached, discarding the incense burners that represented purification and letting the precious spices spill into the mud. Accompanied by chanting, dangerous lights of various colors began to shine around them, mercilessly pouring down on the two who had just stood firm!

"Lilith!!"

Lulu and the others were shocked by the sight before them and quickly cast spells to protect them. In a moment, they understood their situation. This church procession, guarded by the Knights of Light, actually contained so many God-given individuals. This was a fully armed elite force of the church!

A magnificent green light shone amidst the screams of the crowd, colliding violently with the spells thrown by the chosen ones, and swathes of mud were kicked up from the ground!

Some innocent pedestrians who were slow to run fainted on the roadside under the impact of such magic, but they did not receive a shred of pity from the God-favored One. The spells continued to be cast at the crowd, not caring whether innocent people would be harmed.

Such recklessness, such a huge disparity in numbers! Lilith kept using magic to cope under immense pressure, but her heart sank to the bottom. She knew very well that the only safe thing to do at this moment was to run back to the academy, but the road was blocked by a long line. How were they supposed to get out?

While Lilith was pondering, the Knight of Light swung his sword at her, but it was blocked by another sword that cut across her. Ian turned to the side and stood between Lilith and the cold light, protecting her tightly behind him.

The Knight of Light was furious: "Those who harbor heretics shall be punished as accomplices!"

Ian remained silent and refused to back down.

"Clang—!" Cold steel slid into her hand. Lilith had already moved forward, dodging a magical attack while taking down the knight of light together with Ian.

Where he fell, pale ghost knights emerged from the ground and slowly made their way toward the Church of Light's procession. Lilith turned around and saw Hannah, her face pale, holding her book of the dead and chanting incessantly. The magic circle beneath Lulu and Jaina's feet was about to take shape. Clearly, none of them intended to listen to her and retreat first.

Lilith's eyes welled up with tears, and she commanded Ian beside her, "Their target is me, I'm going—"

“I’ll hold them off.” Ian suddenly grabbed Lilith’s wrist and whispered in her ear, “Find a way to escape. I know you can do it, Lilith.”

He didn't look at Lilith, but instead squeezed her wrist until it ached.

Having said that, under the cover of magical radiance, he charged into the ranks of the chosen ones like an arrow!