Wandering Swordsman |

Every word in the diary was like a red-hot nail, driven deep into her heart.

She would not have become the Vatican's "Faceless".

She was a child who was forcibly taken from her father!

She was a political sacrifice meticulously planned by the Pope to contain a powerful foreign lord!

They not only kidnapped her, but also caused her to fall into a trap and be disfigured during her escape. Even after she lost her memory, they trained her to be a heartless killer, making her personally eliminate all resistance. Perhaps in the future... she might even be ordered to deal with her own biological father!

Tears welled up at that moment.

But she didn't cry out loud.

He just bit his lip hard until he tasted blood.

"If... I hadn't met the Heavenly Demon God..." she murmured, her voice trembling like a candle flickering in the wind, "Would I have continued like this? Continuing to wear this mask, carrying out his orders? Becoming the executioner of the Holy See?"

She looked up at the majestic temple spire outside the window.

That place was once her only faith.

Now, it's just a cage cloaked in a sacred guise.

She slammed the book to the ground, knelt down, covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders convulsed violently.

At that moment, she was no longer "faceless".

She was just a girl who finally found out the truth about what happened back then—Alice.

......

As night falls, a thin mist swirls through the rose garden.

Alice was standing in front of a blooming red rose, her fingertips gently brushing the dewdrops on the petals.

Having just calmed down, she decided to go to Shen Mo to discuss countermeasures.

Just then, a gray-robed deacon hurried over, his quick steps breaking the tranquility of the garden.

"Faceless Lord." His tone was respectful, yet carried a subtle sense of oppression. "His Holiness the Pope summons you."

Alice's heart tightened.

She remained expressionless, her pupils slightly contracting beneath the mask.

"when?"

"Immediately." The steward paused, then added, "His Majesty specifically instructed that you must bring Shen Mo along."

These words struck her mind like a thunderbolt.

Why now of all times?

Why bring Shen Mo along?

Is it a coincidence? Or does he already know something?

Her mind raced.

The Pope, who was usually unsmiling, summoned him personally this time and specifically requested to see Shen Mo...

Did he realize that the secret room's notebook had been stolen?

Or has he already guessed who has gotten hold of the record?

Could all of this be a test?

A game of cat and mouse?

Her fingertips were slightly cool, and her palms were already damp with cold sweat.

But she couldn't show it.

As "Faceless," she had long since learned to hide all her emotions.

"I understand," she replied mechanically, her voice coming through the silver mask, flat and indifferent.

After the steward left, she immediately turned around and walked quickly toward Shen Mo's residence.

The wind swept through the courtyard, ruffling her long hair.

Her steps were firm, but her heart was already churning with turbulent emotions.

When he saw Shen Mo, his fingers tightened slightly: "Heavenly Demon God, the Pope summons us..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Shen Mo did not respond immediately, but slowly raised his eyes and looked at the observatory on the holy mountain. The moonlight shone down, making the cross on the mountaintop appear cold and dazzling.

In that instant, his eyes changed—no longer gentle and refined, but like a wisp of light rising from the depths of a cold pool, cold and sharp, as if it could pierce through layers of mist and glimpse the decay hidden beneath the sanctity.

He already knew in his heart that the Pope's summons at this time was no ordinary event.

Alice sensed something was amiss, so he spoke in a low voice, a hint of fear barely perceptible in his tone, "This summons... is probably not a simple reception."

Shen Mo nodded, his expression calm: "I know."

He walked slowly to the window, looked out at the pitch-black courtyard, and after a long while said, "We can leave now. Let's leave this place and return to the Tsarist Empire."

He paused, then turned to look at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "Or, we could go see him."

Alice's pupils contracted slightly, and her breath hitched.

"Go see him?" she murmured repeatedly, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes." Shen Mo nodded slightly, his voice deep but undeniable. "I can lead you in, and I can bring you out safely. Even in front of the Pope, I can protect you."

He said this in such a calm tone, as if he were talking about something perfectly natural, without any boasting or deliberate emphasis, yet it made it impossible to doubt its authenticity.

Because he is Shen Mo, a person who has broken through the limits of human martial arts; the "Sword God" who single-handedly forced back the Japanese Emperor; and the master of the Heavenly Demon God Sect - the Heavenly Demon God.

"Whatever you choose," he said, looking into her eyes, "I can ensure your safety."

It was a confidence stemming from absolute strength, needing no ostentation, yet as imposing as a mountain.

Alice was stunned.

She looked at the man in front of her—he was obviously too young, yet he gave her a suffocating feeling, as if she were facing an abyss.

His words were brief, yet like a ray of light, they pierced through the gloom in her heart.

For years, she wore that cold, silver mask, walking amidst blood and fire, killing countless people without ever hesitating. She was the Inquisitor "Faceless," the sharpest blade in the Pope's hand, a heartless killing machine.

But now, this face no longer needs to be hidden, and that heart is no longer willing to remain asleep.

She thought of her father, Odin, the invincible ruler of the seven stars in the far west;

She remembered that she used to be a little girl named "Alice";

I recalled those forgotten fragments of memory, which are gradually piecing together a complete picture.

The answer to all of this lies on that sacred mountain.

If she runs away and doesn't face it, she will never be able to escape the cage of fate.

She raised her head and looked at Shen Mo, her eyes shining with an unprecedented determination.

Then, she nodded slightly.

"I want to go."

There were no grand words, no passionate pronouncements, just a simple gesture, yet it spoke volumes.

Because she knew that as long as Shen Mo was by her side, she would be fearless even if there was an abyss or a thousand troops ahead.

When Alice and Shen Mo walked side by side into the stargazing terrace atop the sacred mountain, the sight before them made their hearts sink.

The terrace below was filled with people on both sides.

On the left are the cardinals and the deacon council, holding scepters and looking solemn;

On the right is the Judgment Knight, clad in silver armor, wielding a halberd, his gaze fixed on the two like that of a hawk;

Several masked monks were hidden in the shadows, their auras obscure and unpredictable; they were clearly the Vatican's most elite "shadow" force.

The entire space was filled with an extremely oppressive atmosphere, as if it were not a reception, but a premeditated public trial.

Shen Mo did not stop walking. His eyes swept across the entire room, but a faint, cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Heh... Quite a show of force."

He knew that the real storm had only just begun.