What just happened? Death’s Blade was dead, lying at the feet of that great Demon Lord. Why did she kill her?
I watched her, back to me, take a cell phone out of her black windbreaker and start taking pictures of the corpse for her own amusement. She even specifically chose an angle where the face was clearly visible!? Eek, if that’s not a pervert, what is?
I’m already fifteen years old; I can’t shrink back anymore. It was understandable for my sisters to be afraid of her, but I am the Saintess. If even I submit to her tyranny, what hope is there? I finally mustered the courage and took a step closer to her.
“…What exactly did you come here for?”
“Don’t come near me.” Her back was to me as she ordered me to stop. I froze in place, watching her turn off her phone and put it back in her pocket.
“My combat instincts have been awakened. Which one of you wants to be the first to die?” she said coldly.
Combat instincts? Has she truly degenerated into someone who thirsts for slaughter?
“What are you talking about—”
I was halfway through my sentence when Sister Aijieliya grabbed my hand.
“Little sister, don’t you see? She was drawn here by the magic of Death’s Blade stepping over the threshold of the magic abyss, just like when she was hunting adventurers.”
I suddenly understood. Maybe it really was just as Sister Aijieliya said. This was also part of the plan to bring magic to a standstill. Now that her goal was achieved, was she preparing to leave? It’s always, always like this. She appears for no reason and leaves for no reason. Just when I’m about to forget her, she appears to remind me of her existence. She’s simply my nightmare!
This time, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I emotionally shouted at her retreating back:
“I know all about your plan! You want magical technology to stagnate, don’t you! I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely stop you!”
Sister Liwei and Sister Mouyue were shocked. “Fei’er, how can you provoke her?”
I glared at her resentfully, so agitated my breathing became erratic, my chest heaving. Honestly, just seeing her makes me furious. The emotions I’d suppressed for so long just burst out.
She stopped in her tracks upon hearing my declaration of war. I hadn’t thought it through; I hadn’t considered if these words would get me killed.
If she wanted to kill me, I’d probably already be dead.
Then, she turned her head toward me. The expression on her face was dark and angry, making me shudder. At the same time, I felt a pressure that rooted me to the spot.
Just then, I was surprised to see Lian Qi step forward, spreading her arms to shield me. Was she worried the Demon King would do something to me?
Immediately after, Sister Aijieliya stepped out to block in front of both of us. Sister Mouyue and Sister Liwei did too. I never thought everyone…
That person stared at me with furious eyes and said coldly, “Just be a good little Saintess, and don’t get in my way.”
Was that a warning? But I won’t go back on the words I’ve said! I’ve made up my mind to stop her. I won’t let Lian Qi face her fate alone!
This will be a war. On one side, it’s me and my group of sisters. On the other side, it’s the Demon King and her… “Holy Twelve” or whatever.
After tossing out that warning, that person turned her back to me and covered her head with the windbreaker’s hood. I watched her receding back, feeling a deep, suffocating gloom.
Sister Liwei let out a sigh of relief. “I thought a fight was unavoidable. Thankfully, it was just a scare.”
“Little sister Kefei’er, I’ve discovered that being with you brings special luck. I’ve already escaped disaster twice now,” Sister Mouyue said, patting her chest to calm herself.
Back then, the hunt targeting adventurers caused widespread panic. An encounter with the Demon King meant certain death. I remember when I first met Sister Mouyue, the Demon King let her go for no apparent reason.
Lian Qi watched the direction the Demon King had left, silently lowering her arms.
“The Demon King’s expression just now was awful. It looked like she wanted to kill you,” she said to me.
I gave a bitter smile. “That’s the first time I’ve seen her be so fierce with me. It seems she really has changed.”
It’s like she’s a different person. She’s no longer the gentle Sister Xubai I once knew.
“Death’s Blade” Yelijia was dead, and the rest of her personnel were all captured. The assassination organization “Seven-Leaf Tree” had fallen apart. I believe the capital will be much more peaceful from now on, right?
Three days later, at noon on a sunny day, I heard from Tristina that Sister Phylicia had gone to the martyrs’ cemetery, so I went to find her.
Before me, pure white tombstones stood in rows, stretching endlessly. In this place that seemed to have no end, Sister Phylicia’s lonely figure gazed at the tombstone in front of her.
I approached her. The name on the tombstone was—Aisitingna.1 I remember that name. She was one of Sister Phylicia’s subordinates who died after her cover was blown while infiltrating the rebel army. Sister had her cremated and buried here.
“I sensed a figure in white approaching and guessed it was you. Why did you come?” Sister Phylicia said to me, her eyes still fixed on the tombstone.
“I heard from Tristina that you’re returning to the northern front this afternoon, so I wanted to see you off.”
“Yeah. Seven-Leaf Tree is gone, so my mission in the capital is complete. It’s time to return to the battlefield.”
I watched her gently stroke the pure white tombstone.
“So, Sister, you wanted to say goodbye to the subordinate resting here before you left?”
“Yeah. See this row? They were all my subordinates.”
“Ah?!?!”
Sister’s words sent a chill down my spine.
“Some of them died in the past, and some died fighting Seven-Leaf Tree. There’s an old saying, ‘The camp is iron-clad, but the soldiers flow like water.’2 For me, that’s really what it means.”
Infinite sadness crossed Sister’s face. I watched her silently, suddenly feeling a pang in my heart.
“The price is too heavy…”
“They sacrificed themselves to protect the kingdom.”
“Sister, now that you’re leaving, I don’t know when you’ll be back again.”
I’ve actually known Sister Phylicia for about as long as I’ve known Tristina. But because of the war, I rarely get to see her. Even this time, it was a year after she was last back from the northern front.
“It probably won’t be long,” she said softly.
“Eh?”
“News came from the front last night. The entire high command of the rebel army died suddenly overnight.”
“Eh?? How could they all die suddenly?”
“The specific situation isn’t clear. We only know that the rebel high command underwent a major shake-up. The newly appointed rebel leader is a young man named Leon. With their morale unstable, this is a great opportunity for us. That’s why I’m in a hurry to get back to the front.”
“I wish you could come back soon, Sister,” I said from the heart.
“Yeah. If I come back, it will mean the war is over.”
Sister gave a faint smile.
“Go on, your little friend is still waiting for you. Let me have a few last words with my subordinates.”
Hearing her say that, I looked back—Lian Qi was waiting for me in the distance.
“Sister, I’ll get going then, okay? I’ll be waiting for news of your triumphant return.”
I waved goodbye to her. A gentle breeze blew past. Sister smiled at me, brushing her hair at her temple, her crimson-red hair fluttering lightly in the wind.
I ran toward Lian Qi, ran back to her side.
“How come you’re back after just a few words? Isn’t your sister heading to the front? You’re not going to chat with her more?” Lian Qi asked, one hand on her hip.
“It’s fine. Because… Sister will be back very soon.”
“Oh?”
I grabbed Lian Qi’s hands and happily started pulling her along.
“From today on, come with me to the Church, okay?”
“What? Me, go to church with you?”
“Didn’t you say you were going to protect me? Of course you have to follow me,” I said with a laugh.
“In the past, I was always the one revolving around you. From today on, you should step into my life, too.”
End of Volume 3
Footnotes
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爱丝 缇娜 (Ài Sī Tínà): A phonetic transcription of a name, likely “Estina” or “Aestina.” ↩ -
铁打的营盘流水的兵 (Tiě dǎ de yíngpán, liúshuǐ de bīng): A common Chinese proverb meaning that the institution/organization (the iron-clad camp) remains, while the people (the flowing water soldiers) are transient and always changing. ↩