The tense air hung heavy in the concourse of the Rock Convergence Station, like a fragile sheet of ice on the verge of shattering.

A voice, as heavy as a stone, suddenly crashed into the fragile ice behind the line of waiting passengers, sending ripples through the crowd!

Everyone scattered as a newly arrived team of Silent Knights cleared the way. They retreated, their eyes drawn to the source of the voice.

From the path created by the dispersing crowd, a young man in a dark grey suit slowly emerged. He was tall and slender, with a straight nose, tightly pressed thin lips, and a sharply defined face that appeared both serene and aloof under the lights, yet hinted at an unpredictable storm.

The only puzzling thing was the single handcuff on his left wrist, linked to another cuff securing a fair-haired woman with listless violet eyes and a slightly bowed head. She offered no resistance, resembling a dangerous criminal being escorted by a prosecutor.

Soon, without the Silent Knights needing to intervene, those around him instinctively sensed danger and made way, unsure why.

The grey-suited man's pace was unhurried, yet subtly altered the station's atmosphere. Tension and chaos gradually gave way to order under his guidance.

As he finally reached the front of the crowd, standing before the two noble young ladies and the priests, both the aristocratic girls and the Silent Knights around them tensed involuntarily.

More than the commoners, the Silent Branch priests feared the Silent Saint.

Or rather, they knew better what kind of person the Silent Saint was.

The calm yet dangerous aura surrounding him wasn't an illusion. A single wrong word in his presence could trigger unforeseen consequences.

"What's all the commotion?"

The young man's voice rang out again, clearer than before, yet even more inscrutable.

"Lord Annelio."

The high priest hurriedly bowed to the arriving young man in grey. Compared to the two noble ladies they had just apprehended, it was obviously more important to show respect to the Silent Saint, the current number one dangerous figure, and report on the situation.

"We found someone suspected of being a dangerous criminal you're pursuing. We wanted to take her to the Silent Knights' temple for your investigation, but it took us quite a while to persuade them."

His words carried a hint of self-congratulation.

Hearing the high priest address the young man as Annelio, Hyperion's heart leaped into her throat.

Although the fair-haired young man before her appeared refined, even exuding a certain indescribable sense of security, the fear he inspired in the Silent Branch priests indicated how dangerous he truly was.

Her luck was terrible after all; not only had she been inexplicably stopped by the Silent Branch today, but she had also encountered the enemy she least wanted to face so quickly.

Hyperion even suspected that there was a mole within the Church of the Goddess of Fate. However, if there were, something didn't quite add up. The Silent Saint should have tried to capture her in the Northwest Province; there was no need to go to such lengths to lure her to the Box Mountain Province.

She could only focus her gaze on the Silent Saint, afraid to miss any detail that might indicate a crucial shift, but also unwilling to meet his eyes, fearing that this dangerous enemy would discern her secrets in such a situation.

The young man's gaze swept over Hyperion and Mishura, both calm and profound, filled with an inviolable and undeniable authority.

As she waited for the Silent Saint's assessment, Hyperion could feel the cold sweat on her palms. Even as she tried to control her breathing to make it appear calm and even, her heart pounded like a drum, desperately trying to quell the turmoil within.

"Let them go."

The young man's voice was devoid of any emotion as he spoke casually.

He glanced at the documents in the high priest's hand.

Clearly, the two were students heading to the Protos Royal Magic Academy, and the taller one seemed to have been mistaken by the high priest for the suspect, Sigrid, leading to their detention.

The high priest was stunned.

Not only the high priest, but even Hyperion and Mishura revealed expressions of surprise.

They never expected that the first thing this even more dangerous figure would do upon appearing was to simply and decisively let them pass.

"She's my prey. You've got the wrong person."

The grey-suited young man raised his left hand, pulling up the wrist of the powerless girl beside him, still connected by the handcuff.

The high priest's eyes were filled with bewilderment, which soon gave way to understanding, leaving him torn.

"But…"

The high priest's eyes seemed to want the Silent Saint to understand the situation here—

He had already offended these two countess' daughters, and rather than letting them go, it would be better to go all the way and ensure that Count Milford wouldn't cast a stray vote!

"Rather than dwelling on the farce caused by your incompetence, you should seize the time to execute the next task to make up for your mistakes. Lord Askesan's grand plan cannot tolerate even the slightest slip-up due to you."

The grey-suited young man's expression showed a slight displeasure, but this impatience was not due to ignorance of the situation, but rather to his control over it.

His gaze seemed to penetrate everything, not just the barriers of the flesh, but also the defenses of the mind.

"Yes, Lord."

Under such a gaze, the high priest finally understood his own insignificance and stepped aside.

"Are you the young ladies of the Milford family?"

After a moment, the grey-suited young man approached Hyperion and Mishura by half a step. Those simple steps seemed to drop a boulder into Hyperion's sea of thoughts, stirring up layers of emotion.

She didn't let her guard down because of the young man's previous words, but instead felt a deeper sense of confusion and fear due to the various incomprehensible encounters and changes today.

"Yes."

Hyperion nodded in response, her expression betraying nothing.

"Sorry to have frightened you. Study hard after you go to the capital, and forget these unpleasant things."

The grey-suited young man's voice became much more gentle as he looked at the two noble ladies.

Then he turned to look back at the high priest who had stopped them earlier.

"Apologize to the two young ladies. What if Lord Milford's crucial vote leads to Lord Askesan's defeat? How will you take responsibility?"

"…"

Hearing this, the high priest lowered his head, biting his teeth tightly, the veins on his forehead throbbing slightly. Even if he had more malicious intentions towards these condescending young ladies, he wouldn't dare to reveal his thoughts in his expression now.

Finally, the high priest took a deep breath and returned to his initial posture, bowing deeply to Hyperion and Mishura.

"I apologize to you both. Please be generous and don't take this misunderstanding to heart, for Lord Annelio’s sake."

"…"

Neither Hyperion nor Mishura responded, nor did they thank the Silent Saint.

They merely glanced at him after the Silent Saint opened the way for them, and quickly left this checkpoint.

After passing through layers of stairs and corridors, until they reached the new number three platform level, and confirming that no Silent Branch priests were following them, Hyperion's hanging heart finally fell back into place.

This place was already under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Army, equivalent to having left the northern blockade line, and they could go to the south at any time. Even the Silent Branch priests had no right to cross the Protos Defense Department here to arrest people.

It was a feeling of thrill, relief, and survival after a fall from the sky.

"Sister, why would the Silent Saint help us?"

Mishura pursed her lips tightly. She couldn't understand why this most terrifying figure in the Northwest Province would let them go so easily.

Hyperion shook her head, her eyes sitting down on the wide bench on the platform level with an extremely complicated expression, waiting for the train that would arrive at noon.

She had too many things she couldn't understand now.

Of course, she wouldn't thank Annelio, the most notorious Silent Saint in the legends, for helping them, but he seemed to have an indescribable sense of familiarity about him, as if she had met this person somewhere before.

It was precisely this that made Hyperion truly feel danger and confusion, and even began to not understand herself, and she even had the illusion that she could not distinguish between friend and foe.

Mishura saw her sister's deep doubts and didn't ask any more questions, sitting quietly beside her, waiting together for the unarrived train.

(End of Chapter)