104: Chapter 104 A Secret Meeting in a Quiet Room! A Silent Observation! The Aftershocks!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Rowan panted slightly, calming the surging blood and combat qi within his body.

Those three arrows just now, especially the last one, had drained nearly half of his combat qi.

The sense of weakness brought by the combined use of [Blood Rage] and [Blazing] also began to surface faintly.

Killing a High-Order Grand Knight was by no means an easy feat.

Aside from the [Vampire Prince] trait, he had exhausted all his methods to seize that fleeting opportunity.

At this moment, hurried and heavy footsteps along with the clanging of armor came from the periphery.

Commander Calvin, having suppressed the main disturbance in the leyline, barely managed to free himself and was now anxiously rushing over with a squad of Temple Knights.

When he saw the Bloodthirsty Knight's corpse on the ground, eyes still wide in death—

This battle-hardened iron man was also stunned, his face showing unconcealable shock.

His gaze was like lightning, instantly landing on the smooth-edged penetrating wound on the Bloodthirsty Knight's chest.

This wound... was definitely not something holy power or ordinary combat qi could cause; it carried a strange, unknown quality.

He looked up sharply, his keen gaze shooting toward Rowan, who had just put away his longbow, and then glanced at Priestess Aliyah, who stood calmly nearby. His eyes flickered with scrutiny, suspicion, realization, and a hint of indescribable complexity.

Aria calmly interrupted Calvin's scrutiny.

She spoke, her voice not loud, yet it clearly suppressed all the noise:

"Commander Calvin, clear this area and collect the remains. Check the damage to the leyline and the magic circle, put the whole city under martial law, and strengthen security. Meanwhile, reassure the citizens and ensure no one approaches."

"Yes, Priestess!"

Calvin instantly reined in all his emotions and solemnly accepted the order.

Suppressing the countless questions churning in his heart, he immediately and resolutely commanded his knights to act, dispersing the crowd, cordoning off the scene, and handling the corpses.

Only then did Aria turn her head slightly to look at Rowan again.

Her ice-blue eyes lingered for several breaths on his face, which was stained with a bit of dust but appeared even more chiseled.

That gaze was still as calm as a deep well, but deep within, it seemed to have lost a bit of its pure divine scrutiny and gained a subtle nuance, like an undercurrent flowing beneath a layer of ice.

"Follow me."

She said only those three words before turning away, looking at no one else, and walking toward a relatively quiet corridor on the other side of the cathedral's main building.

Rowan's eyes flickered slightly; he could feel countless gazes, both open and hidden, instantly focusing on him.

The inquiry, curiosity, and even wariness within them were almost tangible.

But his expression remained unchanged, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding stares, as he simply stepped forward and followed steadily.

One in front of the other, they left behind the shock and the impending tidal wave of commotion destined to sweep through the city.

Following behind Aria, Rowan's gaze fell inconspicuously on the figure leading the way.

The simple priestess robes closely outlined the lines of her slender yet graceful waist and back.

Her silver hair shimmered with a cool luster under the light.

But it was slightly different from the previous sense of absolute divinity and detachment, which felt like the moon hanging high in the sky, making one afraid to look directly at it.

At this moment, the heart-pounding aura of the Primal Fire within Aria had clearly quieted down.

Clearly, the exertion in the dungeon to fight the Bloodthirsty Knight had been immense.

The iceberg that had always suppressed her burning heart and granted her absolute rationality and divine indifference had temporarily melted due to the exhaustion of the Primal Fire.

Though she remained as cool as ever, Rowan keenly sensed that the inhuman quality about her was fading, and a human aura was faintly emerging.

This discovery caused Rowan's heart to stir slightly.

Perhaps... it was an opportunity?

Her Primal Fire was dormant, and her mental defenses were in a relatively weak period.

Moreover, having just fought a life-and-death battle side by side seemed to have closed the slight distance of unfamiliarity from not seeing each other for many days.

With a thought, his level 3 [Charm] skill activated silently.

At the same time, he began to quickly organize his words, thinking about how to take this opportunity to discuss some deeper topics with her that had been inconvenient to mention before.

For example... her views on the church's celibacy precept, the relationship between marriage and procreation, the importance of offspring for high-tier transcendents, and their devotion to the Goddess...

The aura of [Charm] seeped in like an invisible stream of water.

Aria's figure walking ahead seemed to pause for a moment, but she showed no other reaction and continued forward with steady steps.

This time, Aria did not take Rowan to the usual Prayer Room of Quiet Light, but instead led him directly to her personal Chief Priestess's quiet room on the upper floors of the cathedral.

Pushing open the heavy oak door, a cool, clean air carrying the scent of holy incense wafted toward them.

The quiet room was not luxurious, but it was exceptionally spacious and bright.

Tall floor-to-ceiling windows filtered the sunlight into soft, dappled halos that scattered across the room.

On one side was a massive bookshelf, filled with heavy tomes and dossiers.

On the other side were a simple prayer altar and a desk.

In the center lay a dark, soft carpet with a few comfortable but unpretentious chairs.

Every part of this place radiated rationality, order, and a peaceful atmosphere focused on faith and duty.

This was also the first time Rowan had entered this room.

He took a quick glance around and then withdrew his gaze.

Aria walked to the chair at the head of the room but did not sit down immediately. Instead, she turned to look at Rowan, who had followed her in, and gestured for him to sit in the guest chair opposite her.

Then, she walked to the door and gently closed the heavy, soundproof wooden door of the quiet room.

"Click."

The slight sound of the bolt sliding into place was exceptionally clear in the suddenly silent, expansive quiet room.

Instantly, all the noise, chaos, and prying eyes from the outside world were shut out.

Aria walked back to the main seat and sat down gently.

Inside, only the daylight from the window remained, along with the two people sitting across from each other.

Aria did not speak immediately, but simply looked at Rowan calmly, as if re-evaluating the handsome baron before her who had just displayed such astonishing power.

The scene was momentarily quiet in a subtle way.

Rowan could feel the invisible [Charm] atmosphere quietly flowing within the room.

But the ice-blue eyes opposite him remained clear and deep, showing no sign of being affected.

Meanwhile, outside the quiet room.

The entire Gino City was already in an unprecedented uproar because of what had happened in front of the cathedral!

The news spread with incredible speed through every street and alley, noble manor, merchant guild, and tavern...

"Have you heard? The Church of Dawn was attacked by a High-Order Grand Knight!"

"More than just an attack! That High-Order Grand Knight was slain on the spot at the cathedral entrance by Baron Flynn of the White Cliff Territory!"

"Heavens! Is that true? Isn't Baron Flynn only in his early twenties?"

"It's absolutely true! Many important figures saw it with their own eyes! Three arrows blew apart the Blood Wolf War Avatar!"

"A High-Order Grand Knight... that's a top-tier powerhouse rarely seen even in an entire county!"

"What exactly is going on? Could it be that he really was the one who killed Count Farrell in Mist Whisper Town..."

"..."