"Wait a moment. Her Highness the Saintess has a message for Lilith, and I am to relay it," Moran said, stopping Schubert. As anxious as Schubert was, he could only let Moran finish speaking. "Back then, Lilith and her little friends threw Her Highness the Saintess into the ravine outside the manor. Those noble families all made amends later."
"Now that this incident has been dredged up again, the reputations of these noble young ladies have taken a huge hit. As such, Her Highness the Saintess and these families are now even."
"But from the time it happened until now, Lilith has not paid any price. Her Highness the Saintess went to the Divine Hall of Light and used Lilith’s identity to pursue her grand plans. This will serve as Miss Lilith’s compensation to Her Highness, and with this, the score between them is settled."
Seeing Danit about to object, Moran rolled her eyes. "She’s already getting off easy. At least she’s alive and well. Our Saintess is still lying in bed, frail and sick. If you ask me, Her Highness should have been more ruthless and destroyed her magic talent. It’s a shame she’s too merciful at heart, to think she’d let her keep running wild."
"Oh, right. One more thing. Her Highness the Saintess said that everyone is busy building the Divine Hall right now. Once it’s complete, the Divine Hall will conduct aptitude tests on the first day of every month. No matter who it is or which family they come from, the Divine Hall will treat everyone equally."
"How insolent. No matter what, Lilith is still the Saintess of the Divine Hall of Light. It’s not our place to criticize her," Schubert said, glaring at his daughter Moran. "We really must be going. Take care, you two young masters."
Watching their footsteps quicken as they walked away, Dennis finally sighed. "Let’s go back. Her meaning is already very clear."
Danit still felt disgruntled. "We’re just leaving like this? We’re letting two followers send us away?"
Dennis glanced at him. "She is now the most honored Saintess of the Dark Divine Hall, not just our sister. If you keep treating her like she’s merely our sister, of course she won’t accept it."
"I just feel so aggrieved! Lilith has been ruined by her, and the family’s reputation has hit rock bottom... And what about her? She just used our family as a stepping stone to become the coveted Dark Saintess. All the good fortune is hers alone."
Danit muttered, "She caused the family so much trouble..."
"Stop it," Dennis interrupted his complaining. "You only ever see things from your own perspective. You’ve never tried to see it from her position. Talent is determined at birth. She wanted to fight for a path to survival for herself. In my eyes, there’s nothing wrong with that."
Dennis closed his eyes as he spoke. "No wonder Father and Mother only dare to curse her at home but don’t dare to come see her. They know they’re too ashamed to face her, so they pushed us out here instead."
"I never knew she used to live a life like that."
"It was just the jealous meddling of a young girl, but now it’s been magnified into a conflict between the Light and Dark factions. The two sides just have different stances and belong to different camps. If you have to assign blame, perhaps the mistake was made at the very top, right from the beginning."
Danit looked at Dennis as if he were an idiot. "Have you been brainwashed by her or something? You’re a member of the Edmonds family. Adina has already made it clear she wants to leave the family."
Dennis gave a bitter smile. "I haven’t been brainwashed by her. I’m just reflecting... if there had never been this conflict between Light and Dark on the continent, would things be completely different today?"
"Even with her Undead talent, Adina could still have had her own faith. She wouldn’t have had to scheme for her own survival at such a young age. That’s why I say if there was a mistake, it lies with the very god we used to believe in. He’s the root of all of this."
Danit pursed his lips, thoroughly convinced his brother had lost his mind. But when he thought about how many times they had come without even getting a glimpse of Adina’s face, Danit’s mood turned foul.
"What do we do about Lilith? She’s been crying and throwing tantrums at home these past few days."
Thinking of the scenes with Lilith at home, Danit couldn’t help but furrow his brow. "I can’t handle her, and I’m not the Family Head. She made this mess, so she should be the one to deal with it."
Danit continued, "Her position as the Saintess of Light is a real hot potato now. And with the Divine Hall of Light having practically collapsed across the continent, it won’t be easy for it to regain its former glory."
Dennis saw things very clearly. "The fall of the Divine Hall of Light is inevitable. It’s impossible for any one side to hold absolute power. Besides, the Divine Hall of Light in the Imperial City has been destroyed now, so just let Lilith focus on her training at home."
"Adina is already a seven-star Mage, and Lilith is only a two-star Mage." At this point, Dennis couldn’t help but frown. "She enjoyed the family’s generous supply of resources and had a uniquely advantageous training environment at the Divine Hall of Light, yet she’s only a two-star Mage."
"They’re the same age, but their power levels are worlds apart. I feel embarrassed for her just thinking about it."
Danit spoke up for Lilith. "If it weren’t for that surge of Divine Power, could she have jumped two levels to become a seven-star Mage?"
Dennis shot him a look. "Even so, a twenty-two-year-old Five-star Mage is still the first in history."
Danit could no longer maintain his biased stance. "A twenty-two-year-old Five-star Mage... It makes me jealous just thinking about it. Brother, you’re only a Four-star Mage. You’re nowhere near her level."
Seeing that Dennis looked ready to teach him a lesson, Danit quickly spurred his horse and rode off, though he still felt resentful. ’Human hearts are inherently biased,’ he thought. ’If you favor one side, you’ll stick with them even if the other party is completely in the right.’
They entered the gates of the Edmonds family estate one after the other, and a guard immediately came to invite them to the front hall. The front hall was packed with people. Aside from Dumont, Catherine, and Lilith, several of the family’s influential elders were also present.
Seeing that only Dennis and Danit had entered, the elders were all somewhat disappointed.
One of them, a white-haired elder, was the first to speak. "Did you see Her Highness the Dark Saintess?"
Dennis took a deep breath. "No. We only saw two of her followers, Schubert and his daughter, Moran."
The elder frowned. "What did they say? How is Her Highness the Saintess’s condition?"
Dennis recounted Schubert and Moran’s words in detail, without any embellishment. The more the elders listened, the more tightly their brows furrowed. It was clear they all understood Tan You’s meaning.
Catherine started to speak but was stopped by an elderly female Mage. The elder stroked the Magic Beast Crystal Core on her staff before speaking slowly, "So, you’re saying Her Highness the Saintess only mentioned Dumont, Catherine, and Lilith, and not the rest of the Edmonds family?"
Dennis thought for a moment and said cautiously, "Yes. She had someone relay a message that the Dark Divine Hall will hold aptitude tests on the first day of every month, and anyone can participate, regardless of family or background."