Positive little sun, magical girl, I am awesome

The summer air was stretched into thick, sugary threads during the standoff, but the princess's skirt still swayed lightly within them, slowly flowing towards the Knights of Light.

"What do you intend to do with them?" The princess's voice suddenly softened.

The knight commander didn't dare look up; he wasn't sure if the words were addressed to him or to the bishop. If it was him, these men would naturally be taken back to Highgarden by the Knights of Light, and then—

"It depends on the extent of my friends' injuries and the damage to the farmland outside the city."

The knight commander looked up in astonishment and realized that the princess had turned to ask the witch, who was indeed being very rude, as if she wanted to settle scores with the church.

...So they were the ones who needed to be dealt with? The Knight Commander felt dizzy.

The first to succumb to the princess's wrath were the magicians' guild officials who were originally only responsible for mediating and accompanying the church.

The scorching sun of Goredia had driven them to madness, and in desperation, they resorted to an even more prestigious pretext in an attempt to bring the princess back to her senses: "Your Highness, we have come to Goredia on the orders of His Majesty the King."

This was clearly a foolish move. Bishop Aldington shook his head inwardly when he saw Princess Catherine turn around and the smile on her face when she faced Lilith completely vanished.

“I don’t think things have gotten to the point of no return, Your Highness,” the bishop stepped forward in time.

"If a problem arises, then let's solve it first. Since this is a misunderstanding, the church will naturally compensate for the damage to the farmland outside the city. As for the innocent students and civilians who were injured, there are divinely favored individuals in the procession who are extremely skilled in healing."

He gestured behind him, and sure enough, several girls wearing holy robes stepped forward.

“With the blessing of light, that child might recover quickly. I think that instead of arguing here, what we need now is to take them to the clinic to help treat the injured. What do you think, Your Highness?”

Although he was speaking to the princess, his gaze remained fixed on Lilith behind her. Catherine felt Lilith's hand twitch, clearly indicating she was somewhat tempted.

After all, Bishop Aldington's words were gentle and sincere, and the proposed solutions seemed reasonable: compensation for losses, provision of treatment, characterizing the bloodshed as a misunderstanding and quickly moving on. Moreover, he accurately grasped what Lilith was most concerned about at that moment: the safety of her companions.

How could such a person remain unknown among the twelve bishops of the Church of Light, only recently catching her attention? Catherine observed coldly, a hint of wariness rising in her heart.

She recalled their brief conversation before. Was he doing this for Lilith again?

Catherine looked at her friend, and thankfully, the other's clear blue eyes showed no sign of being moved by the bishop's protectiveness.

Catherine's mood suddenly improved.

“Come on, child.” The bishop extended his hand to Lilith, as naturally as an ordinary elder: “Perhaps you would like to show me around the place where you live?”

Thus, a somewhat strange situation arose: Lilith and Bishop Aldington strolled through the streets of Goredia, followed by several chosen ones, heading toward the location of the infirmary.

"This is my first time in the city of Goredia."

Bishop Aldington paid no attention to the earlier conflict and was observing the shops and buildings on both sides with great interest, even though the girl next to him was not very interested.

"In Highgarden, whenever Graceia is mentioned, your winery is inevitably brought up. Unfortunately, I haven't smelled Shelley wine since I left Shelley Town."

He spoke of the past with nostalgia in his eyes, then added with a hint of reproach, "Gorting and Gretia are so close, you never thought of bringing a drink to visit me?"

“…You don’t drink alcohol.” Lilith replied dryly. Bishop Aldington was the most devout believer she knew who adhered to the church rules. Mary had often used his name to educate her when she was a child.

She was so quiet, how could Aldington, who had watched her grow up, not know that she had emotions?

"May the light purify the fire of anger in your heart." The bishop gazed at the towering Goredia Castle ahead, clasped his hands in a prayer gesture, and asked in a gentle tone, "Lilith, what are you angry about?"

The girl's lips slowly tightened, and she did not answer.

His Holiness the bishop did not take offense at her rudeness. He had already guessed the reason: "You are a responsible child. When you got into trouble as a child, you never let the children of workers take the blame for you."

His tone became more serious: "But when you and your friends caused such a ruckus in High Court, you should have expected that this day would implicate them. It was almost inevitable. How can the authority of the Church be challenged at will?"

"So you came all this way with me just to lecture me?" Lilith turned her head.

Bishop Aldington shook his head: "The lessons I couldn't teach you when you were young are probably useless to teach you now that you're grown up."

Lilith is innocent yet bold, and has been full of mischievous ideas since she was a child. She leads the children of town to play wildly everywhere, which gives Mary, who takes care of her, a lot of headaches. However, because of her noble status, she cannot be beaten or scolded at will. Therefore, Mary often asks Aldington to teach Lilith.

Aldington never refused, but at the time he thought: it doesn't matter if she's a little naughty, she's a child blessed by the light, destined for a bright future, and once she becomes a member of the church, even if she causes trouble, the church can protect her.

But who could have predicted that she would gradually walk to the opposite side of the light...

Which step? Which step went wrong? Bishop Aldington lowered his eyes to hide the turmoil that flashed across them.

"How about I wear a dress like Mrs. Withers when I visit you at Highgarden next time?"

“…What?” Aldington seemed to be distracted for a moment, failing to keep up with Lilith’s rambling words. Mrs. Withers? Oh, the municipal official who had just been in charge of receiving them.

“Her Highness Catherine doesn’t like corsets, and in recent years, the Imperial dresses that she often wears have become fashionable in Grégoire,” Lilith explained, then looked at the bishop beside her: “Don’t you remember the style of Lady Withers’s dress just now?”

“I have indeed forgotten,” Bishop Aldington said with a smile and a shake of his head.

Lilith stopped and stood still: "Yes, we only met once, how could I remember it so clearly?"

Bishop Aldington was about to say something when his smile suddenly froze.

"It's been half a year since that duel trial. My hair has grown short and long, and my height and appearance have changed over time. Yet your subordinates can recognize me on the roadside at a glance. That's truly impressive."

“I do feel guilty for putting my friend in danger, and I thought you felt a little guilty too, sir.” Lilith looked into Bishop Aldington’s eyes.

From the moment Lilith met Bishop Aldington, she no longer felt that everything that had happened today was a coincidence. If it wasn't a coincidence, how could Bishop Aldington, as the leader of this trip, have been completely unaware of it?

Bishop Aldington's seemingly etched benevolent smile cracked slightly: "Lilith—"

“Why am I angry?” Lilith’s tone grew colder. “You keep mentioning the bond you taught me in my childhood, reminding me of how close we used to be. Of course, I do love you, trust you, and feel ashamed of you because I have failed your expectations.”

"So if you want to know anything, just ask me directly. Why drag unrelated people into the battle? My partner, the civilians on the road, and even those knights of light are all innocent."