Chapter 789: Chapter 29: No Need for Assistance (Part 1)

Is there any point to it? She has already been punished, and at this point, there’s no meaning in kicking someone when they’re down. It makes one seem like a petty villain. After all, he and Jane have only met once; he doesn’t have the right to blame this person on behalf of Alandia, because that would only make everyone feel uncomfortable.

Gongsun Ce put one hand in his pocket and said, “I don’t mind. Compared to me, you should apologize to Alandia; you hurt her deeply.”

“I don’t dare face her,” Jane said softly, “I have done too many things to wrong her… I… I can’t show up in front of her anymore…”

She took a deep breath, as if making a resolution, “I know it’s shameless of me, but I would like to ask for your help, sir.”

“Help? With what?” Gongsun Ce frowned.

“I truly thought the Dawn Knight destroyed the armor, because I witnessed the entire process with my own eyes. But now, thinking back, perhaps the truth isn’t so…”

I want to make some amends for past mistakes. Currently, the Dawn Knight is still troubled because of this, but I have no face to appear before her. You are much smarter than me; could you please help me prove Knight Alandia’s innocence?”

Holy Fire Armor. The original reason for them to come to the Country, the case that triggered all of this…

Everyone avoids discussing it—the event that has cast Knight Alandia into deep suspicion.

“Tell me about it,” Gongsun Ce said.

·

The incident itself was not complex. It could even be said to be simple enough to be summed up in a few short sentences.

Shortly after learning about the approaching Colored glaze Disaster, the Dawn Knight proposed collaborating with the Chief Sorcerer to maintain and repair the armors of the Starlight Knights to be fully prepared for the impending calamity.

Alandia herself excelled in creation, and Lawlingless’ lively Spell was particularly handy in this respect. The Country’s upper echelons all agreed, and the repair work commenced. They began from the Seventh Knight’s “Bright Flower” and progressed all the way to the Dawn Knight’s own “Divine Edge.” The process was very smooth, and they indeed discovered some risks brought about by years of use. However, when they reached the old captain’s “Holy Fire,” the situation changed a bit: The Holy Fire Armor had the function of stabilizing a Barrier, and it was usually kept in the secret chamber of the Knight Order’s headquarters. It was not to be moved lightly, and there were only three keys to unlock the Barrier of the secret chamber, held by the former captain, the Queen, and the Chief Sorcerer.

The Dawn Knight and the Chief Sorcerer had arranged to enter the secret chamber in the early morning for armor repairs. However, when Alandia and Jane arrived, the old Mage was delayed. The Dawn Knight had anticipated this and opened the door with the borrowed key from the captain.

After that, things developed somewhat strangely…

·

“At that time, I was standing in the corridor and had not yet entered. Knight Alandia first walked into the secret chamber but immediately stopped.”

“Did she stop?”

“Yes, I didn’t understand why. Almost simultaneously, Knight Alandia used the Impermanence Skill to seal off the entire headquarters of the Knight Order. Then she requested me to go find the Chief Sorcerer and specifically instructed not to use the Impermanence Skill.”

Jane appeared quite confused, “I acted immediately, and found Lawlingless nearby the headquarters building. At that time, Knight Orianna was nearby; I thought something might have happened and called her to come along. But when we entered…”

“What did you see?” Gongsun Ce asked.

Jane hesitated for a while, clutching the hem of her skirt, and said, “We saw Knight Alandia holding a sword near the armor; she seemed to have just come out of Shadow Mist City… Pure white sword light flashed, and the Holy Fire Armor was split in two.”

It was almost a ready-made “crime scene.” If there were only Jane Della, it would be fine, but since even the old fool and Orianna also saw this scene, the possibility of false testimony seemed difficult…

Gongsun Ce thought for a moment and asked, “Mnemonic record?”

“During that period, only Knight Alandia used her power.”

Indeed. It would only be unreasonable if it wasn’t like this.

Gongsun Ce pushed his glasses, “I probably understand. A final question, why would you suspect the Dawn Knight? What motive would she have for committing the crime? Destroying the old captain’s armor, what benefit does that have for her personally?”

Jane looked around and said, “It’s hard to say… but some people believe… it’s advantageous for her. Because in early July, there will be the royal duel. As you know, every five years, the rankings of the Starlight Knights are reshuffled, influenced by the outcomes of the duel.”

It’s truly the first time I’ve heard that your rankings correlate with the duel’s outcome.

This new information quickly led to a thought for Gongsun Ce: “Damn, they wouldn’t think…”

Jane appeared extremely tense; she remained silent for a long while before stating the conclusion.

“Many people say that the Dawn Knight’s action was to disrupt the impending duel, so she could keep the position of the first seat tightly in her grasp. That way, she would inevitably become the new captain.”