Due to Cortana's warm hospitality and the fact that Misako and the others' identities had already been revealed, making it unsuitable to stay outside, they decided to stay in the Shien family estate, just like Jaya and the others.

  "…I thought she’d at least maintain a little dignity as the head of a noble family," Misako remarked as she watched Cortana pying in the courtyard with the children, her demeanor that of a kindergarten teacher.

  To be honest, though, the way Cortana acted now made her seem far more like the true image of a nun in Misako's mind. Compared to her, those so-called knights and the church seemed like utter scum, so much so that even a trash bin would likely say, "Don’t put these things near me."

  "By the way, Miss Jaya, don’t you mind not going?" Farkonia gnced at Jaya, who was sitting nearby. Her pitch-bck hair and eyes, paired with the elegant dress she wore, gave off an aristocratic aura. But her slightly embarrassed expression surprisingly added an innocent, sheltered young dy charm.

  It was said that Cortana had noticed how filthy the children's clothes were and how wearing them could lead to illness. So, while the children went to bathe, she took the opportunity to change their clothes, sending the original garments off for cleaning and repair.

  However, for the other children, their outfits were chosen for convenience, ensuring they could move freely. Only Jaya wore an outfit reminiscent of a noblewoman's.

  "Miss Jaya, you look so beautiful."

  "You look just like a noble dy..."

  Surrounded by children who gazed at her with sparkling eyes, Jaya's sense of embarrassment reached its peak.

  This is exactly why I didn’t want to go! she mentally replied to Farkonia's question, struggling to maintain a polite smile as she fended off the children’s compliments.

  "I need to use the restroom. You all stay here and behave."

  "Hmm? Wouldn’t 'pick flowers' be more fitting to say?" one of the children mused innocently.

  "..."

  The children's curiosity and learning ability were incredibly high. In just one day, one of them had already picked up phrases that only noblewomen would use.

  But Jaya didn’t have the time to dwell on that; she simply wanted to leave for a moment to catch her breath.

  ...

  "…Ugh, this is so embarrassing…"

  Escaping the children’s attention, Jaya found herself in the estate’s front courtyard.

  Looking into the pool before her, she saw her own reflection—bck hair and eyes, an impeccably clean face. For a moment, she barely recognised herself.

  Having lived in the slums, where even clean drinking water was scarce, she had never cared much for her appearance. The most she ever did was wipe her face with an old, worn towel.

  "It really feels like a dream..." she muttered to herself.

  Tap tap tap.

  Suddenly, a sound of footsteps caught Jaya’s attention, drawing her gaze toward the source. But before she could react, a loud boom erupted from the main gate, and the shockwave from the explosion sent her flying a short distance.

  "Cough cough cough!"

  Coughing from the smoke, Jaya slowly got to her feet and turned to see the figure emerging from the haze.

  "...It's been a while... or rather, a single day apart, and you chose to greet me dressed like this?"

  "You are...!?"

  ...

  "!?!"

  Cortana, who had been watching the children py, suddenly wore an expression of shock. Both Misako and Farkonia’s faces turned serious as well.

  "What’s wrong, Sister Cortana?" one of the children, now used to calling her "sister" after spending the day with her, asked, concern in their voice.

  But unlike the innocent children, Cortana’s face was now filled with intense anger.

  "...You all go hide in the greenhouse over there, quickly..."

  "Don’t even think about it, none of you are getting away."

  With that, a group of knights, cd in armour, appeared and surrounded them.

  "You stand accused of betraying the Church. The Tribunal and the Church Knights are here to arrest you. Surrender immediately, and you’ll be spared the worst of the punishment."

  The knight at the front, whose armour was the most eborate, spoke with authority.

  A closer look revealed that the knights surrounding Cortana’s group could be divided into two factions: one wore white-armoured suits with golden borders, representing the Church Knights responsible for protecting key figures; the other wore grey cloaks over their armour, the Inquisitor Knights tasked with purging heretics.

  "Utter nonsense! You broke in without permission—do you not respect the Shien family!?" Cortana retorted as she shielded the children behind her.

  "Hmph! How dare you speak back, heretic. No need to listen to her. Attack!" The command was given, and nearly all the knights charged towards them.

  "Ahh!!"

  In an instant, a group of knights were sent flying by an unknown force, their screams echoing through the air.

  "What’s going on!?" one of the knights shouted, surprised by the turn of events.

  Through the gap left by the thrown knights, a figure cloaked in a white mantle—someone resembling the leader of the Inquisitors—emerged slowly.

  "Knights... it seems assassins and knights don’t quite get along," she murmured, her voice soft and childlike.

  Her words, though spoken in an innocent tone, carried a mysterious meaning that left everyone puzzled. It was clear that she had once been taught about the enmity between assassins and knights, likely by some impudent little girl, leading her to associate the knights with the way assassins were portrayed in some foreign "game."

  "That's... heretical power! Attack, kill her!" one of the knights yelled in fear, misidentifying her ability.

  "...Hmph, it’s just my inherent skill," she muttered in response.

  Using their fear, some of the knights who couldn't handle the pressure immediately belled her as a heretic.

  However, what they had witnessed was simply her applying her inherent skill to its deepest level—a power that altered the very essence of the soul.

  Facing the incoming knights, she casually raised a hand.

  "Deviation!"

  In that instant, the knights’ trajectories were altered, their movements shifting from forward to upward. They fell, plummeting from an incredible height—easily ten stories—before crashing into the ground with immense force. The additional impact from their fallen comrades further amplified their injuries.

  But that wasn’t the end. The girl, with a sudden burst of energy, thrust one leg backwards and then propelled it forward in a mighty kick. The combination of her dragon-born strength and inherent abilities resulted in a colossal shockwave, sending the clustered knights flying and scattering them across the courtyard, their bodies carried away by the bst.

  "Consider this your ticket to meet the sun," she muttered, her hand rising to her forehead as she looked towards the horizon, watching the knights turn into distant specks as they disappeared from sight.