Once again, a chilly night hung over the royal borough of Linlisgow, even though it was only an ordinary Tuesday in early September. However, St. Michael is the patron saint of the borough, and he still guards its inhabitants and any strangers who come to the town in the name of the old church. However, St. Michael is always only guarding the spirit of the people, and cannot protect everything in reality. In 1424, a sudden fire caused great damage to the church of St. Michael and the adjacent royal palace of Linlithgow. Over the next 115 years, the church building was largely rebuilt, albeit with a large amount of old stone.

The rebuilt St Michael's Church once again became an important place of worship for the Scottish monarchs, notably Queen Mary, who was born in the palace in Linlithgow in December 1542, becoming the first member of the Catholic royal family to be baptized in the church. As a result, St. Michael's Church became a holy place for the Scottish people, and the water used for the baptism of the Holy Child, Queen Mary, became holy water.

When the ancient bell embedded in the top of the church tower struck the 10th time, "Bah... Bang... Three unusually clear knocks rang out outside the silent church door. A young priest in a black monk's uniform slowly walked out of the room into the flickering candlelight of the church hall, staring motionlessly in the direction of the church door.

When the knock sounded again in the night, the young priest went to check who was knocking on the door. When the priest came to the south gate of St. Michael's church, he listened attentively to the movement outside the door. After a while, in a gentle tone, he spoke in Low Scottish, "Believer, the prayer time is Wednesday afternoon at 12 o'clock, and you can come back tomorrow." ”

The knocker spoke the words of worship to God outside the door, in fluent French: "Father, we praise the magnanimity and embrace of God's grace, God accepts us all because God has found us. Through the Spirit of God, we seek the strength we need for each other, find comfort in sorrow, and fill our partners with joy. ”

"French...? Who will this knocker be? The priest listened attentively and was bewildered, and even more surprised that the knocker was a woman.

"Father, I need God's help, help me." The woman outside the door spoke again.

A woman who spoke fluent French, the young priest considered her to be at least an educated woman. Such a woman must have a certain identity and status. The priest subconsciously asked in French, "Believer, you came here from France?" ”

"Father, can you open the door and allow me to explain it to you?" The woman outside the door spoke in a tone that was a little eager.

"Okay." The priest turned around and glanced towards the bishop's room on the second floor, hesitantly opening the two wooden doors.

The moment the priest opened the door, a silver face suddenly flashed out of the darkness and appeared before his eyes like a devil. "Devil!" The priest was about to utter the word when an object that glowed silver in the moonlight pressed against his throat.

"Don't move, don't scream." From the mouth behind the mask, he spat out a French sentence again.

"Believer, you... What do you want. When the priest was forced backwards by a sword-like object in his hand, he tried to find out what the other was doing.

As the other man's body gradually entered the gate, the priest saw that the other party did not answer him, but raised his left forearm and waved it forward in mid-air. Immediately afterward, the priest saw a scene he could not believe: from the cemetery opposite the church gate, countless black shadows emerged, each holding something like a weapon in their hands.

"You... You will be punished. Now, believing that he had met someone, the priest whispered in Low Scottish to the myriad shadows that had swarmed into the church.

The silver-faced woman standing across from him seemed to hear his curse and said in French, "I don't believe we will be punished, because no one knows what will happen to them after they die." ”

When the priest was forced to retreat backwards into the open space between the altar and the worshippers' seats with the sword in his hand, he saw a young blond man in armor carrying a sword to the woman with a silver face. The woman didn't speak to the man, just nodded. Then, he saw dozens of men in armor and armed with various weapons standing in the hall of the church quickly passing by him, walking towards every corner of the church.

"Let's go, go over there." The silver-faced woman glanced to the priest's left and spoke.

The priest walked silently and obediently to the rows of benches for the faithful on the left side and sat down, when he saw some knights or sergeants-like men with weapons on the second floor of the passage around the church, and some of them had quietly knocked on the doors of several rooms on one side of the passage and penetrated in.

The priest shook his head, tightened his jaw and glanced at the tip of the sword against his throat, and said fiercely, "You devils will never be forgiven by God. ”

"Really? If God knows what I'm doing to you, why don't you let St. Michael expel us all from the church with his angelic sword? The woman standing in front of him seemed calm as she spoke.

The priest did not speak again, but silently watched the uninvited guests. After a long time, when the group of men returned to the hall on the first floor, he saw a large amount of blood on the weapons in the hands of many men. He knew that the bishop and the other clergy had probably all been killed by these men.

Anger was written on his face in an instant, and he gritted his teeth and said in Low Scottish, "Who are you?" Why? Do you know what this place is? ”

The woman who was holding him in restraint with her sword lowered her sword and walked to the side, and another blonde man in armor came up to him and said a few words in Low Scottish, "If I had told you these answers, you would have met the same fate as the other priests." Now, do you still want to know the answers to these questions? ”

The priest felt a cold-blooded cruelty in the other party's cold tone, and thought for a while, "Well, what do you want me to do?" ”

"Tell me, who is the chief guard and captain of the palace of Linlithgow, and how many knights and sergeants does he have to guard the palace?"

"Well, you guys... What do you want to do? The palace is near the church, and if I shout out, the sergeants guarding the palace will come and kill you. ”