Charlotte had no suitable reason to stop them from entering. Even if she did, it would only delay the inevitable, serving no purpose other than arousing more suspicion. She quickly snapped out of that mysterious state, reclined properly on the sickbed, silently praying for the Blood of the Sealed to bless her, and feigned weakness: "Cough... come in..."
The door opened gently, and Priestess Lottie reappeared. Behind her trailed seven or eight people, making the already cramped ward feel even more crowded. Charlotte's gaze swept slowly over the visitors, easily discerning they belonged to three different forces.
The two in front wore the same uniforms as the knights who had stormed the basement last night, one male and one female—presumably Demon Hunting Knights. The next two dressed identically to Lottie, their attire emblazoned with the ringed cross symbol of the Holy Royal Court, likely also priestesses from the church hospital. The final group wore far more luxurious clothing, clearly nobles. The portly man at their head even felt familiar to Charlotte, someone from the original body's memories, accompanied by a young noble swordsman.
Analyzing the situation swiftly, Charlotte's attention fell on the female Demon Hunting Knight trailing just behind Lottie. A tall woman with shoulder-length black hair tied into a neat high ponytail. A horrific scar ran diagonally across her cheek, marring what would have been a beautiful face and making her appear extremely ferocious.
She wore a blank expression, exuding an icy aura. Everyone except Lottie, who led the way, trailed half a step behind her. The few nobles occasionally cast glances at her filled with awe and apprehension. Even the young noble swordsman, clearly the most powerful among them in terms of aura, kept his grave gaze fixed on the female knight.
Strangely, however, Charlotte felt no oppressive force from the female knight. This only made her tenser. Being unable to sense her power yet witnessing her being feared by those stronger than herself... This could only mean the female knight's strength was so immense that Charlotte couldn't even begin to fathom it!
"Miss Charlotte, this is Captain Kara, a Silver Moon Second Order Demon Hunting Knight and one of the most promising transcendents in Bold Duchy to step into Blazing Sun Third Order in recent years," Lottie said gently.
Charlotte wasn't surprised; she had already guessed the female knight's identity. Pushing down her vigilance and nervousness, she put on a timid, pitiful act. She shrank deeper into the quilt, and her ignorant big eyes inadvertently met Captain Kara's.
Time seemed to stop in that moment. Those were a pair of deep black eyes as cold as ice, shimmering with faint silver light. Cold, profound, like a bottomless abyss or a sword that could pierce through everything, filled with scrutiny and inquiry...
With just one look, Charlotte felt as if she had been stripped naked and completely seen through. The female knight's eyes flashed, and in Charlotte's vision, her image seemed to grow infinitely, surrounded by a vast sea of blood and skeletons, with tangible killing intent crashing over her.
She felt like a tiny boat facing a storm, or a hare on the prairie targeted by a cheetah, at any moment liable to be destroyed by overwhelming force. How many people had this woman killed?! Charlotte was horrified in her heart.
"Kara, you're scaring her! She's not a interrogation subject but a victim and our hospital patient!" an elderly voice rang out, tinged with a hint of helplessness.
The speaker was one of the two church priestesses following behind, an old man who appeared to hold a high position. The female knight paused and withdrew her gaze. Only then did Charlotte break free from that terrifying oppressive feeling. Her chest heaved violently, and her vigilance toward the female knight reached an all-time high. This was definitely a "god of slaughter"!
"Apologies, Miss Charlotte. Kara has worked at the Demon Hunting Institute for years, accustomed to killing and interrogation. She didn't mean to startle you," the old priest said with an apologetic look.
"This is our Dean Raoul, also a Silver Moon Second Order," Lottie quickly introduced to Charlotte.
Silver Moon Second Order... Blazing Sun Third Order... Were these the tiers of transcendent power? What was she now? Apprentice Tier? Tier Zero? Charlotte's mind stirred.
Raoul was a kindly old man. With white hair and beard, holding a divine staff, he emanated a sacred aura, his image instinctively reminding Charlotte of Gandalf the White from The Lord of the Rings. Stepping forward to stand beside the female knight, he first placed his right hand over his chest in a ringed cross gesture, piously intoning, "Praise the Lord," before comforting her gently:
"Miss Charlotte, I am Raoul, Dean of Bold Church Hospital under the Holy Royal Court. I know everything that happened last night has left you frightened and painful, but for your safety, the church needs to ask some details before Kara conducts your physical examination."
He whispered a few words to the priest beside him, who turned to signal the following nobles to leave. The faces of the nobles instantly fell. The portly noble at the head furrowed his brows: "Dean Raoul, this incident involves ducal nobles. We represent the Duke's Mansion and have the right to know about this matter."
Dean Raoul rubbed his temples wearily, looking to the female knight with a difficult expression. Captain Kara didn't turn around, but her cold, calm voice brooked no argument: "Non-essential personnel, withdraw."
Concise and indifferent. The nobles didn't move. Kara glanced at them indifferently. She didn't repeat herself, but the uncompromising tone was reinforced in her cold gaze and the slightly raised silver sword.
Seeing the silver sword glinting coldly, the nobles paled. The young swordsman also looked grave. Frowning, he was about to speak when the portly noble stopped him: "Very well, we will heed Lady Kara's words."
The portly noble forced a awkward smile, then frantically signaled to the others, forcefully pulling the young swordsman back. Before leaving, he even threw Charlotte a friendly, beaming smile.
Once the nobles departed, only the church priestesses and Demon Hunting Knights remained in the ward. Priestess Lottie breathed a sigh of relief. However, the female knight's gaze soon fell on her, the remaining priestesses, and the Demon Hunting Knights.
Lottie: ...
"Captain Kara, Dean, we shall withdraw first," she immediately grasped the meaning, gave a wry smile, and left the ward with the other priestesses and knights.
Only Captain Kara and Dean Raoul remained by Charlotte's bed. It was a strange combination. The nobles clearly feared Kara but showed some disdain for Raoul. Yet the female knight seemed to respect the old priest.
The number of people had decreased, but Charlotte felt the atmosphere grow even more oppressive. Dean Raoul cleared his throat, breaking the indescribably heavy atmosphere, then looked at Charlotte and smiled:
"Miss Charlotte, now it's just me and Kara. Please relax. We're only asking some simple questions. It's okay if you can't answer, but please don't stay silent or lie..."
Charlotte poked her little head out from under the quilt, nodding gently like a small animal, trying to act calm and obedient despite her fright. She had calmed down. The more critical the moment, the less she could afford to slip up.
However, just as Charlotte mentally prepared herself, the old priest's question made her heart rise again: "Miss Charlotte... How did the wound on your abdomen heal?"