At the heart of the ceremony venue, Saint Christine of the Moon Goddess Sect had begun the "Dance of Moon Goddess." Layers of moonlight ripples spread outwards, creating a mesmerizing aura.
Simultaneously, clouds in the sky gathered, and a radiant moonlight, akin to a flurry of snowflakes, descended.
A vivid image of the full moon then appeared, larger and brighter than the usual moon, suggesting that Christine's dance was successfully communicating with the Divine Realm, drawing the attention of the Moon Goddess's divine power.
However, suddenly, her dance faltered for a moment, and the surrounding luminosity began to dim. This unexpected interruption caused surprise among the audience.
This performance was the opening act of the ceremony, carrying immense significance. Christine was known as the most special and talented Saint in the history of the Moon Goddess Sect, always radiating the Goddess of Moon's luminous blessing.
Yet now, her radiance flickered erratically.
Whispers and speculations arose among the crowd.
"Could it be? Is there something wrong with Saint Christine of the Moon Goddess Sect? The Sky Curtain's detection might have been right; something seems off about her condition," various leaders and nobles murmured.
Disappointment appeared on many faces, particularly among the followers of the Moon Goddess Sect.
To them, Saint Christine was a near-divine figure, an emissary of the Goddess in the Human World, and the most likely person to summon a deity.
But now, some unknown issue was causing flaws in her "Dance of Moon Goddess."
While minor imperfections might not prevent the Goddess of Moon's descent, repeated mistakes could lead to no response from the deity.
This would cast a shadow over the followers of the Moon Goddess Sect in Rivenland, like the onset of darkness.
Alan observed these developments and then headed towards the outskirts of the area.
With the disturbances surrounding Saint Christine's performance, there were now subtle movements not just around the plaza but even within the royal court itself.
The protagonists were likely plotting something, and the antagonists, too, were looking for an opportune moment to act.
Alan pondered briefly before heading towards the Royal City Palace.
His movement didn't attract much attention from those present, as the paladins of Beaconburg had never successfully summoned the Almighty God, God of Light, in previous ceremonies.
As a result, their performances or displays of power were often not taken seriously by the audience, who saw them more as bystanders than key participants, unlike leaders of factions favored by other deities.
As Alan made his way to the Royal City Palace, Bishop Flower Sepal of the Flower Church, whose guilt had been established, was being escorted by order officers towards the paladin group.
Alan passed by and instructed his paladins to take the protagonist, Bishop Flower Sepal, away.
He then scanned the surroundings and noticed several individuals lurking and watching him covertly. These people, he surmised, were protagonists planning a rescue.
In the protagonist chat group, the protagonists were engaged in intense discussions.
"Lavin has been handed over to the Beaconburg paladins, and it was their leader, that suspected antagonist, who took charge of him."
"But there are several paladins around him, and they seem quite strong. Should we attempt a rescue?"
"I'd say let's not risk it. It is too dangerous right now, and the order officers might side with the paladins."
"However, the paladin leader does not seem very interested in the ceremony. He is not heading towards the venue. Could this be an opportunity?"
"Let's follow and observe for now. Rol, Hart!"
The protagonists communicated amongst themselves, weighing their options and planning their next steps cautiously.
After completing the handover of the prisoner Bishop Flower Sepal, Alan did not rejoin the paladin ranks or proceed to the ceremony venue to continue watching the performances. Instead, he wandered alone near the royal palace, seemingly lost in thought.
Noticing Alan isolated, several protagonists exchanged glances and murmured among themselves in secrecy.
"Something feels off. Has he noticed us?" one of the protagonists questioned with a frown.
"It's unlikely, but he could just be naturally suspicious," another speculated.
"Also, there's a possibility his lingering here has nothing to do with us but with the Royal City Palace," a third protagonist added.
"After all, we still don't know the nature of the connection between Rivenland's Queen Agatha and Alan, although they might have been secretly corresponding."
"It might be about some political interests. Queen Agatha might just want to balance the power of the religious factions within the country."
"But it's unlikely that she would completely abandon the Flower Church and Moon Goddess Sect to side with the Beaconburg paladins."
"Right, let's wait and see. The Paladin General of Beaconburg, being an antagonist, is probably troubled that his faction can't summon the God of Light, the Almighty God. He might be looking to ally with others."
As the protagonists whispered among themselves, suddenly one of them, who was listening intently, froze and pointed towards the side entrance of the Royal City Palace.
Where Alan had been standing just moments ago, there was now empty space.
A sense of foreboding emerged behind them, spreading from the depths of their hearts. Their backs were soaked with cold sweat, dampening their clothes and sticking to their skin.
Slowly, the two protagonists turned their heads to look behind them. There, crouching on the rooftop, they saw a very familiar and strikingly handsome face. It was Alan.
"I think I just overheard someone discussing me… is that right?"
His words startled the two protagonists, their faces draining of color in shock.
"You, you… I, I wasn't…" stammered one of the protagonists, struggling to find words to explain themselves in the face of the powerful antagonist before them.
The two protagonists assigned to monitor Alan were actually the most inconspicuous members of their group, both only Level 1 and of low status.
This made them ideal for surveillance since they were less likely to be noticed. However, to their surprise, Alan had effortlessly discovered them.
"What are you doing here? What are you waiting for?" Alan asked with a smile.
Caught off guard, the two protagonists hesitated.
One of them, still frozen in place, was nudged by the other, who then pulled out an identity plaque from within his clothes and handed it over.
"Hello, Paladin Leader of Beaconburg. We are secret investigation officers of the order, responsible for monitoring suspicious individuals in the city during the ceremony."
"You mean to say I am suspicious?" Alan raised an eyebrow.
"No, no," the protagonist who claimed to be a secret investigator hurriedly explained with an awkward smile.
"You are our honorable guest, and logically, you should be at the ceremony venue, not here. So, we were just making sure there were no other unusual occurrences in this area."
"Right?" he said, looking at his companion for support.
"Exactly," the other protagonist nodded vigorously. "We are just performing routine checks. It has nothing to do with you, sir. This area is just our assigned sector."
"We have already surveyed the area and found nothing unusual. May we leave now?" he asked, sweat soaking his back.
"You may," Alan responded, gesturing with a hand in a 'please' motion.
The two exchanged glances, stood up, and walked briskly towards the edge of the rooftop.
With each other's help, they mimicked the movements of ordinary soldier-tier order officers and slowly climbed down from the roof.