Leticia was dragged into a narrow alleyway.
The bustle of the commercial street was left behind.
The scent of cake, the fragrance of perfume, and the shrill voices of noble ladies were all cut off by the high walls, leaving only the cold, damp air and the stench of decay wafting from the depths of the alley.
“Let me go!”
Leticia struggled desperately.
“Do you have any idea what you are doing?”
“I am the Saintess of the Holy See!”
“I am Leticia!”
The soldiers ignored her.
They gripped her arms and dragged her all the way to the deepest part of the alley.
A pile of uncollected trash lay there.
Rotten vegetable leaves.
Broken wooden crates.
Wastewater poured out from the back door of some shop.
And various types of filth that emitted a pungent odor.
Leticia’s pupils shrank the moment she saw the pile.
“No.”
“Don’t you dare—”
In the next moment, the soldiers let go.
No.
It wasn't so much letting go as it was throwing her out directly.
Thud!
Leticia slammed into the trash heap.
Rotten vegetable leaves smeared onto her shoulders, murky wastewater splashed onto her cheeks, and a foul stench instantly enveloped her.
She froze.
It was as if her brain couldn't comprehend what had just happened for a moment.
A moment later, the soldiers' laughter erupted in the alley.
“Hahahaha!”
“Look at that, it actually suits her quite well.”
“Trash like you belongs in a place like this.”
One of them leaned over and asked in a mockingly exaggerated tone:
“I wonder, how does our ‘Miss Saintess’ feel right now?”
“Miss Saintess, is the trash heap comfortable?”
Another round of laughter followed.
Leticia slowly raised her head.
She looked down at the stains covering her body.
The tattered hem of her clothes was soaked in wastewater.
Rotten leaves were stuck between her fingers.
A nauseating smell crawled down her throat with every breath.
Her face twisted bit by bit.
Anger and unbearable humiliation surged within her.
“Damned Filthy Ones...”
Leticia looked up, glaring viciously at the soldiers before her.
“I will definitely kill you.”
The alley fell silent for a heartbeat.
Immediately after, one of the soldiers acted as if he had heard the world’s greatest joke and took an exaggerated step back.
“Whoa.”
He clutched his chest.
“How terrifying.”
The other soldiers immediately doubled over with laughter.
“She said she’s going to kill us!”
“A crazy girl in a trash heap said she’s going to kill Imperial soldiers!”
“What should we do? I’m so scared!”
“Should we all kneel down right now and beg this ‘Miss Saintess’ for mercy?”
Leticia’s gaze grew even colder.
“You will regret this.”
The soldier who was pretending to be afraid suddenly darkened his expression.
“Still glaring?”
He stepped forward.
He raised his leg.
And delivered a sharp, brutal kick to Leticia’s abdomen.
“Ugh—”
Leticia curled up in the trash heap, clutching her stomach with both hands, unable to even make a sound from the pain.
She collapsed on the ground, her forehead pressed against the damp, cold stone slabs, her body shaking uncontrollably.
The soldier looked down at her.
“Oh my.”
“Aren't you the Miss Saintess?”
He crouched down, laughing with a malicious tone.
“Where is your purification?”
“Where is your Holy Light?”
“Come on, use it and show us.”
The people beside him laughed along.
“A lunatic in rags actually dares to call herself a Saintess.”
“Beggars these days really have quite the imagination.”
“Saintess of the Holy See? If the Saintess looked like this, the White Tower might as well be renamed the Trash Tower.”
Leticia lay on the ground.
The pain made even breathing difficult.
Yet she still raised her head, staring at them with eyes that seemed ready to ignite.
It was as if she wanted nothing more than to tear everyone before her into pieces.
The soldiers' laughter paused for a moment.
“Hey, hey.”
He nudged the person next to him with his elbow.
“She’s still glaring at us.”
“She’s still got some spirit.”
“Then let’s give her something to remember.”
Several soldiers surrounded her.
Leticia finally realized something was wrong.
In the next instant, the sound of disorganized footsteps bore down on her.
“Glare!”
“I’ll give you something to glare at!”
“You still dare say you’ll kill us?”
“Wasn't Miss Saintess very noble? Why are you hiding!”
The sounds of kicking and hitting echoed through the alley.
At first, Leticia gritted her teeth and cursed.
“Lowly...”
“You people...”
But soon, she couldn't even form a complete sentence.
She could only curl up, protecting her head with both hands.
Someone passed by the mouth of the alley.
Leticia saw the person’s shoes through the gaps between her arms.
She reached out as if trying to grab onto something.
The person heard the noise in the alley and paused.
He glanced inside.
He saw the armor on the soldiers.
And he saw Leticia, surrounded by the trash heap.
His expression shifted slightly.
Then, he lowered his head, pretended he hadn't seen anything, and hurried away.
Leticia’s pupils dilated slightly.
A second person passed by.
Then a third.
Some heard the noise.
Some saw her.
But once they saw those soldiers, they all averted their eyes.
No one spoke up.
No one stopped them.
Leticia suddenly remembered the past.
She used to stand atop the heights of the Holy See, looking down at the people kneeling at the bottom of the steps.
Their clothes were tattered.
Their faces were covered in dust.
Some begged her to bestow Holy Light.
Some cried, pleading for her to save their children.
At the time, she simply stood on the pristine holy platform and felt that their cries were very noisy.
She hadn't even truly looked at their faces.
Because there was no need.
They were just commoners in need of pity.
The mere fact that she was willing to lower her hand was already a blessing.
Now, she was collapsed by a trash heap in an alley.
She finally looked up at the people passing by.
But no one looked at her.
So, this was what it felt like to be ignored.
So, this was what it felt like to have no response to a cry for help.
So, when looking up at others from the bottom, the backs of the crowd could be this cold.
Another kick landed.
Leticia’s vision went dark.
The hands protecting her head slowly loosened.
The light in her eyes dimmed bit by bit.
She stopped cursing.
She stopped struggling.
Only her body remained, trembling instinctively.
The soldiers finally grew tired of kicking.
“Tsk.”
One of them caught his breath and looked down at Leticia on the ground.
“Boring.”
“Weren't you screaming pretty loudly just now?”
Another soldier spat on the ground.
“Crazy girl.”
“Daring to cause trouble in the noble district.”
Several of them spat on her one after another.
Leticia did not react.
She lay on her side by the trash heap, her messy hair covering half her face.
Her eyes, which had been glaring death at the soldiers earlier, were now as empty as if they were covered in a layer of ash.
The alley grew quiet.
Only the faint, blurry bustle of the commercial street remained in the distance.
One of the soldiers looked at her, his gaze turning somewhat dark.
He raised his hand and gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
The blade was drawn partially from its sheath.
The cold sound of metal rang out in the alley.
At the same time————
On the commercial street.
Vendors were still calling out their wares.
Noble carriages slowly passed by from the end of the street.
People were coming and going.
An older man selling fruit walked past a stall carrying a shopping bag.
The opening of the bag wasn't tied tightly.
A red apple rolled out from inside, clattering onto the stone pavement.
Someone leaned down and picked up the apple.
Then, they walked up behind the man carrying the shopping bag.
“Sir.”
“You dropped your fruit.”
The hand reached out and handed the apple over.
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