Universe Infinite Canteen

The truth was even simpler than Ma Lu had imagined; Goethe admitted that she was the one who had been spreading the rumors in the city recently. Of course, she wouldn't have caused trouble for herself had she not been driven to desperation by someone high up who approached her.

Goethe didn't know who that influential figure was, because the person contacted her through an intermediary. But it's obvious that Goethe was aware of the risks, so when a knight from the Sacred Order of Knights came to her,

she didn't hesitate for too long before she spilled everything.

Hearing this, Ma Lu could already guess who the mastermind behind the scenes was—after Li Wei eliminated Shrike, the one who was most anxious was the leader of the Sacred Order of Knights, Martin.

As the de facto ruler of the Sacred Order of Knights, Li Wei had always been very assertive. Compared to Martin, the only thing he lacked was reputation or to put it another way, seniority.

With the merit of taking out Shrike, Martin had lost the only leverage he had over Li Wei, and during this time, he had been consistently losing ground within the Sacred Order of Knights.

If he still wanted to hold onto his position as the leader, he would definitely need to do something, so capitalizing on Shrike's death seemed like a natural choice.

After all, Li Wei chose to 'carpet bomb' the area and, as a result, couldn't find Shrike's body—only her weapon could be used as evidence.

Even though the Church accepted this explanation, it didn't mean there were no flaws in it.

However, even knowing that Martin was behind it all, proving it would still be no easy task. Martin was also a seasoned politician, and he had occupied the position of leader of the Sacred Order of Knights for decades.

He would certainly be skilled at such machinations and wouldn't leave too much evidence behind.

Wait a second… Li Wei must also be aware of this, yet he still wanted to investigate. It seemed like he intended to use this incident to eliminate more of Martin's remaining influence.

Realizing that this was just an internal political struggle within the Sacred Order of Knights, Ma Lu lost his last bit of interest.

No wonder Li Wei didn't allow him to bring the witch—it seemed like he had arranged everything for what would follow. It looked like Ma Lu's efforts were merely a formality.

So when Goethe told Ma Lu the name and address of the intermediary, Ma Lu was somewhat listless and didn't rush to leave; instead, he leaned towards the window, looking down.

The celebration had already started by then, with the parade occupying the streets. Even in such a lively and cheerful festival, the parade seemed very well-organized.

Floats and musicians were at the forefront, followed by a procession of imposing knights, and then the common folk, some holding plastic flowers, others carrying photos of Prophet Yongyi.

In those photos, Yongyi's eyelids were lowered with a faint smile on his face, looking full of compassion for the world, while the faithful shouted his name, with some even shedding tears.

Finding the scene interesting, Ma Lu was observing everything when suddenly, the ground began to shake, causing the cobbler's two-story building to sway.

Goethe's voice came to an abrupt halt and then resumed, asking in confusion, "An earthquake?"

"No," Ma Lu replied, "It was an explosion."

"An explosion?" Goethe sounded surprised.

She then went to the window and saw dark smoke billowing up from the southwest direction.

"That's… the Holy Light Theater?" Goethe exclaimed in astonishment. As the largest theater in town and a venue for the day's festivities, which she knew well, she hadn't expected an explosion to occur there, and apparently, the explosion wasn't the only one—three more tremors followed.

Based on the proximity of the explosions, the tremors varied in intensity. The closest one was just two streets away from the cobbler's shop.

The procession now descended into panic, scattering in all directions to flee.

Had it already begun?

Ma Lu observed Goethe's expression; the shock on her face didn't seem feigned. Like the vast majority of ordinary people living in this city, she hadn't anticipated an attack at all.

"Who, who has the audacity to attack Holy Temple City?"

"Don't you know? Haven't you been spreading rumors recently that the Shrike isn't dead and will come back for revenge?"

"Ah?" Goethe gaped, "But that was just... false information."

"Well, such is the uncertainty of world affairs."

Goethe then seemed to realize something, her complexion changed, and she suddenly threw herself onto Ma Lu, grabbing his hand in terror, "Sir Knight, please, you must believe me, I am not an accomplice of the Fallen Witches."

"Mm-hmm, I didn't say you were."

However, Ma Lu's casual reassurance did not comfort Goethe. As if she had made a certain decision, she suddenly closed the door, knelt before Ma Lu and pleaded, "Please, save me at all costs!"

Goethe had clearly realized the severity of the situation. No sooner had she finished spreading the lie that the Shrike was alive than the Fallen Witches launched an attack on Holy Temple City. Continue reading at empire

Even Goethe herself wouldn't believe she wasn't considered an accomplice of the Fallen Witches, especially since more than one person knew about it.

Especially that significant figure who had sought her out to spread the rumors would likely kill her immediately afterward to dissociate himself from the incident.

In other words, Goethe's situation had become extremely dangerous. The female informant realized this, which was why she begged Ma Lu to save her.

She also recognized his identity from the Knight's Armor he wore, a Master, a senior member of the Sacred Order of Knights. If he were willing to vouch for her, she might just have a sliver of hope for survival.

Goethe not only offered all of her savings accumulated over the years as an informant but even offered herself, volunteering to become Ma Lu's lover.

"Don't be hasty," said Ma Lu, "things might not be as bad as you think."

While Ma Lu was not optimistic about the Witch Alliance and could not see how they could turn the situation around, what would happen next was indeed still uncertain.

Goethe, however, misunderstood Ma Lu's words, thinking he simply didn't want to get involved with her trouble. She clung to Ma Lu as her lifeline, firmly resolved to not leave his side.

That way, even in the worst-case scenario, at least she would have someone to testify that she had no contact with the Fallen Witches both during and after the attack.

At this moment, Ma Lu continued to survey the crowd in the street. The Knights at the front of the procession reacted swiftly, maintaining order with city police soon after the attack.

Their shining Knight's Armor also played a significant role, gradually calming the surrounding panicked citizens. Additionally, Ma Lu saw from the direction of The Great Tower, warhorses soaring into the sky toward the site of the explosion.

Li Wei had clearly prepared for the attack; the number of Fallen Witches who could infiltrate Holy Temple City wouldn't be substantial. The Order Church had far more troops on its home turf than the Witch Alliance.

A mere terror attack was pointless. Slaughtering civilians might be gratifying, but it would not aid the ultimate victory. As soon as the Holy Knights arrived, the outcome would be beyond doubt.

So what was the real goal of the Witch Alliance?

Ma Lu pondered this question as the city was rocked by a second wave of explosions, and this time, the targets seemed to include the Witch's Home.