Proof by Fingerpointing Also Requires Basics...

When Connie spoke, everyone present was taken aback, and then Great Knight Stone curiously leaned in.

"Williams? You mean that cultist?" As he spoke, Stone squinted, sizing up Fang Zheng for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands. "Hey, now that you mention it, he does kind of look like him." So you hadn't even bothered to care about this before! Hearing Stone's words, Fang Zheng helplessly rolled his eyes. He'd been with Stone for days now, and the other had never brought this up. Fang Zheng had assumed Stone didn't know about Williams's situation, but it turned out he simply hadn't given it a second thought!

"Cultist? Williams?" Hearing Connie's words, Malte paused. He glanced at Fang Zheng, then shook his head. "Don't talk nonsense, Connie! How does Mr. Fang Zheng look anything like a cultist?"

"Huh?" Faced with her commander's reaction, Connie was stunned. Her comrades had all died pursuing Williams, and because of that, this female knight hated him to the bone. She had carved his face into her very soul, which was why, the moment she saw Fang Zheng clearly, she recognized him instantly and launched a desperate attack without a second thought. Connie had assumed that once she revealed Fang Zheng's true identity, Malte and the other knights would swarm him and behead this vile cultist on the spot. But to her surprise, not only did Commander Malte not believe her, even the other colleagues behind him wore expressions of disbelief. As for Great Knight Stone over there, he seemed to have completely brushed it off.

What was going on? Connie was utterly baffled. She had no idea that while her words surprised Malte and Stone, that was all they did—surprise them. In fact, as far as they were concerned, Fang Zheng couldn't possibly be Williams. The reason was simple: Malte knew full well that Fang Zheng had cast Holy Light Healing on them before. Not to mention anything else, that calm, balanced feeling was already at the level of a bishop's healing magic. And everyone knew that cultists worshipped evil and chaos, and their power carried that same chaotic taint. Power itself couldn't lie, so for Malte and the others, the idea of Fang Zheng being a cultist was laughable—since when did a cultist understand the Power of Order better than a Temple Bishop? Who was the real cultist here?

As for why Stone didn't believe it, that was even simpler. He had personally witnessed Fang Zheng's Holy Guardian. If you said Fang Zheng was a cultist, then that meant the angel had come to protect a cultist? Wow, saying that out loud would get you burned at the stake.

"Are you alright, Fang Zheng? What the hell happened? How did you end up fighting Connie?" "How should I know? I was just talking normally, and she turned around and swung her sword at me like she wanted us both dead. What could I do? I'm pretty desperate myself." "Nonsense." Hearing Fang Zheng's reply, Stone helplessly shook his head, then turned to the soft-spoken girl beside him—poor kid, she'd been scared stiff by their earlier fight and still hadn't snapped out of it. "You tell me."

"Ah..." Hearing Stone's question, the soft-spoken girl seemed to come back to herself. She timidly glanced at Connie, then lowered her head and spoke. "It was like this. I was talking with Mr. Fang Zheng when Miss Connie came over. She saw Mr. Fang Zheng, called him a cultist, and then drew her sword and attacked..."

"I was afraid he would deceive you! Cultists are all smooth talkers and no good!" Hearing the soft-spoken girl's reply, Connie quickly cut in. "I'm certain he's a wanted criminal of the Temple. His Star Pattern has already been sent to every City Hall. If you just check..."

"Mr. Fang Zheng's Star Pattern check was done by me." Perhaps because this touched on her area of expertise, the usually soft-spoken girl uncharacteristically interrupted Connie. "I can guarantee that Mr. Fang Zheng's Star Pattern is not on the list."

"How can that be..." Hearing this, Connie gritted her teeth. She turned her head and stared hard at Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng snorted coldly, not even bothering to put on a polite face. He wasn't the type to go easy on women. Back when he worked overtime, the female employees under him complained bitterly, but he never gave them a special day off. They were his employees, not his wife—why should he be soft? It was the same here. Sure, Connie wasn't bad-looking, but Fang Zheng couldn't stand her explosive temper. She'd come at him wanting to fight to the death—how could he tolerate that? Besides, as they say, no comparison, no harm. With a cute, gentle girl like this by his side, Fang Zheng felt that even Connie's looks weren't all that impressive anymore. It seemed inner beauty really did enhance outer beauty.

"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Fang Zheng." Malte seemed to know Connie's temper well. Seeing her like this, he let out a long sigh, probably knowing this female knight wouldn't apologize on her own. So he had to step in himself and offer an apology to Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng nodded and didn't say much more. He'd gotten along well with Malte over this time. Though he couldn't stand that crazy woman, Fang Zheng wasn't the type to take his anger out on others. Even though his reborn body looked young, having lived two lives, Fang Zheng was still steady and mature, so he didn't give Malte a hard time.

Malte also knew the atmosphere was awkward, so he didn't say much. He just apologized on Connie's behalf, promised Fang Zheng that Connie would be severely punished, and then led the others to another area. Clearly, this wasn't the time for bonding. Fang Zheng, for his part, wasn't in the mood for chatting either. He immediately started casting Holy Light Flash on himself. That crazy woman had real strength. Fang Zheng's right hand had taken considerable damage in the earlier fight—the entire forearm was torn open by lightning. At the time, Fang Zheng had been too furious to care, but now that the battle was over, he realized his whole body was burning with pain... Time to cast a quick heal to calm his nerves.

"Alright, don't keep that sour face." Seeing Fang Zheng's displeased expression, Stone patted him with a smile. "Being able to beat that arrogant woman into the ground is already quite an achievement. If word gets out, do you know how many people in the Temple would give you a thumbs up?"

"Great Knight Stone, is Miss Connie famous?" Hearing this, the soft-spoken girl beside him asked curiously. Their encounter with Connie was no different from Fang Zheng's encounter with Knight Conan—they'd been teleported, found her surrounded by Undead creatures, rescued her, and then traveled together... Only the outcome was worlds apart.

"Yeah, that girl is the most outstanding of the younger generation, known as the God's Favored Daughter. But maybe she's used to smooth sailing, so her temper is just as big. Plus, her father is the Knight Commander, so most people don't dare to cross her. Over time, that's the personality she developed." Stone shook his head as he spoke. "Malte is her mentor, and he's had to clean up after her more times than he can count. This Young Lady has no self-awareness... And since her strength is indeed impressive, no one could rein her in, so her eyes have practically grown to the top of her head. Hah, this time she finally learned that there's always someone better."

Hearing Stone's lament, Fang Zheng finally understood why, even though that crazy woman was closer to Malte and the others, none of the knights had spoken up for her. They'd probably suffered plenty from that madwoman's temper too.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Malte was staring sternly at Connie. "You were far too reckless. Attacking without distinguishing right from wrong—did you memorize your knight's code for nothing?"

"But Commander, he really is a cultist!"

Facing Malte's accusation, Connie was still utterly unconvinced.

"I'm certain of it—he looks exactly like that cultist!"

"And what does that prove? There are plenty of people in this world who look alike. We are followers of the Goddess of Order—we need evidence to speak! All along this journey, we've fought side by side with him, and we have a thorough understanding of his power. That is definitely not the Power of Chaos. On top of that, Great Knight Stone is his mentor, and the Star Pattern doesn't match either. Do you still have a problem?"

"B-but maybe all of this is just his cover!"

Hearing this, Connie still wanted to argue.

"Perhaps that cultist used some method..."

"Enough!"

But this time, Malte didn't let Connie finish. His face ashen, he cut her off.

"Remember, without sufficient evidence, we have no right to casually accuse someone of being a cultist! You should know very well—this is an ironclad rule of the Holy Temple! No one wants another tragedy like the Dark Fallen Moon. Remember: we are Guardian Knights of the Order Holy Temple. What we protect is what we uphold! If you still don't understand this, then take off this armor. Do you understand?!"

Facing Malte's merciless reprimand, Connie was silent for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

"I understand..."