The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 80.2

Chapter 80.2: Proof of Spring (2)

The following words felt like a blade at his throat.

Silence descended.

The paladins, heresy inquisitors, every railway worker present, and even Cain, all looked at Lubrick, waiting for his response.

Moreover, with the relevant platform at Mainus Transfer Station closed due to the unprecedented terrorist attack, even the sound of trains was minimal.

A suffocating silence pressed down on them.

Lubrick’s face grew paler by the second.

“Director Lubrick’s loyalty lies with the Kingdom of Airian. Think carefully.”

“Every member of the Lubrick family, down to the newborn babies, has been baptized and registered in the church registry. A truly devout family.”

Pressure mounted from both sides.

Caught in the middle, Lubrick felt like his already doomed life was being torn to shreds.

“Enough.”

Just then, a clear, feminine voice rang out.

Click-clack, click-clack.

Leading dozens of people, a woman walked in.

She wore a bright red dress and held a black fan in her hand.

‘A mask?’

Having been known as the Masked Snowfield King in the past, Cain’s eyes were immediately drawn to the mask that completely concealed her eyes.

It seemed to be magically designed to allow clear vision from within.

“As commander-in-chief, I was on my way to Marquis Belt when I came to the station. What an interesting sight.”

Cain’s eyes narrowed.

He had never met this woman before, but her words revealed her identity.

“Princess Olivia, this humble servant of the Light greets you.”

Even the unwavering Archbishop Barbetta briefly bowed his head. He would not lower his head to anyone other than royalty, so the woman’s identity was clear.

‘Second Princess Olivia Rune Airian.’

She greeted Cain with a friendly tone.

“I see the archbishop often, but this is my first time meeting you. With your black hair and violet eyes, you must be Cain Ethelred.”

She was the woman who threatened Oleciren’s throne, the granddaughter of Marquis McLoud, and had the support of Marquis Ross.

And Oleciren’s younger sister, ‘Fiery Safflower’ Olivia.

Their mothers must have been different, as their physiques and temperaments were vastly different.

‘An enemy. But is she really?’

She made no effort to hide her favorable impression of Cain. Not only that, but her actions spoke even louder.

“Archbishop Barbetta.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I heard that you were planning to put Lord Cain on trial for heresy. Is that true?”

She was graceful.

And at the same time, passionate.

If Oleciren was called the ‘Gypsum Flower,’ then Olivia was like a red rose.

Barbetta glanced at Cain, about to speak.

Snap━.

However, Olivia deliberately snapped her fan shut, interrupting him.

“Words have their nuances. There is a great difference between ‘must be judged’ and ‘should be judged.’”

Barbetta’s eyebrows twitched.

He immediately understood what Princess Olivia desired.

She took a step closer to Barbetta.

“Is there a problem?”

“……No, Your Highness.”

“Then I must have misheard when I heard that you were planning to put him on trial for heresy.”

The archbishop remained silent for a moment.

Then, considering both the Second Princess before him and the First Princess who remained inside the train, he spoke.

“Indeed. We were merely here to escort him for questioning as a witness, not to put him on trial.”

“That’s a relief. Now then, Lord Cain?”

“…….”

Cain deliberately remained silent.

It was clear she was rescuing him from Barbetta’s clutches.

‘She knows I’m on Oleciren’s side, yet she chooses to save me instead of eliminating me now?’

With the Holy See at her back, there was no better time to get rid of him.

However, Olivia gave up on pressing the issue and spoke kindly to Cain.

“I offer my deepest condolences for the attack you suffered alongside my sister at the hands of those unknown assailants.”

“Thank you.”

Cain tried to discern her true intentions, and Olivia continued.

“However, it seems the investigation will take a little longer.”

She gestured behind her. A knight from the royal inspection team stepped forward.

“The third archive, where the passenger list is kept, has just caught fire.”

Director Lubrick’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t as if the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.

However, the archive was heavily protected by magical security, making it impossible for him to tamper with.

“With this situation, even if you were to pressure Director Lubrick, nothing would come of it for the time being, wouldn’t you agree?”

Swoosh━.

She opened her fan once more, covering her mouth with a ladylike smile.

“Then who started the fire at the archive?”

Cain questioned.

Olivia simply shrugged.

“Who knows? It could have been spontaneous combustion, or perhaps elves infiltrated and committed an act of terror. Nothing has been confirmed yet.”

“Or are you not investigating?”

“Me? Why would I do such a thing?”

“…….”

An investigation was unavoidable.

But if the investigation yielded any results, it would be troublesome not only for Marquis Ross but also for Olivia, who was on the same side.

In such cases, the best course of action was to drag out the investigation until everyone forgot about it.

Cain realized that Olivia possessed the qualities of a king, albeit in a different sense than Oleciren.

This political maneuvering, something the kind-hearted Oleciren would find difficult, and her message of letting things slide in exchange for him owing her a favor showed that she was, at the very least, a capable ruler in the political arena.

“So let’s stop here, both of you. It breaks my heart to think of the passengers trapped inside the train, trembling in fear.”

And then, Olivia’s gaze shifted subtly.

She glanced at the door Cain had exited from and raised her fan to her chest.

“Even my elder sister is unable to disembark and can only watch through the window. It truly pains me.”

Whether she was his enemy or not remained to be seen, but one thing was certain: Olivia was Oleciren’s enemy.

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