Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam
Chapter 86 - 85: Located Above the High Heavens

Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Located Above the High Heavens

The first thing Sister Bi’an did upon waking up was eat.

For the first time in his life, Ethan saw someone who could eat so much, even more astonishing than Miss Keroy. Her subordinates were already accustomed to it. Knowing that the Knight Commander had awakened, they rushed to the town’s taverns and restaurants, bringing piles of food to the apartment, forming a small mountain.

The knights, who had been downcast, regained their morale, as if they had completely forgotten the defeat in Riverside Town.

Ave volunteered to act as a mediator.

This persuasion lasted until evening. They talked a lot, from recent events in the town to the future of the Empire. Finally, seeing the opportune moment, she extended an invitation to Bi’an.

The faked death plan meant that Bi’an could neither return to the Imperial Capital nor follow her subordinates back to the Neseriel Sanctuary; she was destined to live a hidden life. Since there was nowhere else to go, it would be better to stay in Ximu Town, so they could look out for each other.

By evening, the two knocked on Ethan’s study door. At this moment, Ethan had spent the entire day in meditation training to increase the success rate of the "surgery."

"Sister Bi’an said she has a request."

After entering, Ave spoke directly, hesitating before pushing Bi’an forward, "You might as well say it yourself."

"Ethan, I heard a lot about you from Ave, including your dealings in Fireplace Bay."

Bi’an looked serious, and as the Imperial Knight Commander, occasionally showing such an expression was quite commanding, making Ethan tense up. Recently, he had been dreaming of being invited for tea by men in black for smuggling dangerous goods and tax evasion.

The solemn and heavy atmosphere did not last long. As Bi’an spoke again, it was completely shattered. "To be frank, I want to ride the Big Ice Bird you made."

This is the dream of every knight. Fully aware of the surgical risks, she continued, "That way, I can die with a smile."

Ethan thought Bi’an was a complete pessimist. As the saying goes, patients should be more optimistic, which can be helpful for their condition.

"I can fulfill your request, but it must wait for an appropriate time. Let’s discuss the details of the surgery first."

"Then you better hurry up."

Bi’an raised her right hand in front of the two, trying to gather energy in her palm. The white light barely formed before it disintegrated. Her face turned slightly pale, yet she still forced a smile, optimistically saying, "I don’t know how long I can hold on, because this is my first time breaking an oath."

Ave jumped in shock and quickly asked, "How can this be? When did it start?"

She had talked with Bi’an for a long time without noticing anything unusual.

"Little Ave, faith is very idealistic."

When she accepted Ave’s proposal and an anonymous future, she was no longer needed by the Holy Hall or the Empire. The great Knight Lords would not tolerate such self-depraved behavior.

Bi’an, as before, patted Ave on the head, saying, "However, for me now, it’s quite liberating to be without identity and power."

"Let’s save the discouraging words until after the surgery."

Ethan stood up, his right hand once again bathed in golden light. Now was the moment to test the results of his day-long meditation training.

The key was the oath Bi’an had made for the Empire.

He placed his hand on Bi’an’s shoulder. In an instant, his vision twisted, and an invisible, seemingly higher-dimensional force swept him into a place he had never been. But the moment Ethan arrived, he knew it was the Royal City of the Imperial Capital.

Finding this place was not difficult, for while speaking with them earlier, Bi’an’s heart was subjected to the interrogation of the oath again and again.

She stood on the inner city’s walls, beside a towering figure in golden armor, who was looking down at the scenery below the walls—this is his country.

In fact, King Henry VI was the Empire’s strongest knight. In his youth, he led his army to exterminate dragons rampaging at the Empire’s borders and was awarded the title of Dragon Slayer Warrior by the Holy Hall. As a Saint, people once believed the Empire would usher in another Golden Era.

"Bi’an."

The master of the Empire did not linger his gaze on her but instead examined the familiar streets and faces below the city walls, "Can I entrust this country to you?"

This was what happened when she was appointed Imperial Knight Commander.

Ethan could somewhat understand the weight of these words for Bi’an and even feel the joy of a knight’s value being recognized.

The knight’s duty is to protect, and everything visible here is what she must guard.

But Ethan knew the real crux did not stem from their conversation but from something above, something that witnessed the oath.

Ethan looked up at the sky, seeing an endless blue. When the oath was made, it’s as if invisible eyes scrutinized them. This felt very similar to the feeling he had in the Tier 3 area of the contaminated zone, except without the highly spiritually polluted twisted creations.

"You have broken the oath."

At this moment, an unseen presence made the final judgment on Bi’an.

Bi’an seemed to hear that voice, yet she appeared neither to intend to defend herself nor to feel that any defense would be futile before it.

Fighting to the last moment for what needs protecting, even if it has become filthy beyond recognition, this is a knight’s destiny.

At that moment, Ethan saw it clearly.

A giant hand descended from the clouds, constructed from silver-white light, reaching straight toward Bi’an on the city wall.

"From this moment, you are expelled from the Holy Hall."

Bi’an’s body trembled uncontrollably atop the wall. Despite her efforts to maintain a smile, her eyebrows knit tightly in pain. Something was stripped from her body, shrouded in silvery-white light, resembling the power of a knight, or perhaps her soul.

Ethan gradually understood everything.

Or more accurately, he found where to make the incision.

The silver-white light was tainted with a touch of golden, and a cut stopped the hand’s descent.

Ethan didn’t intend to stand up and argue for Bi’an or decry the Empire’s decay. He knew that to those beings above, human arguments were as insignificant as insect cries.

So to make them hear the voice from the human world, he had to take more direct measures.

The golden cut did not dissipate but continued expanding, spanning across the sky.

Until the sky was cut apart.