Chapter 16
I… fell into chaos.
My thoughts unconsciously drifted back to four years ago.
Night.
The reflection of the crimson moon shimmered in a pool of blood.
Sister Xubai’s small, thin figure stood in the blood. The wind blew the hem of her windbreaker, making it flap… flap.
A few minutes earlier, the melody had abruptly stopped. I watched with my own eyes as the carousel horses leaped off the rotating stage, chasing and trampling, vying to bite all the adventurers to death.
How could this be…?
Wasn’t that… magic that Sister Xubai created just to make me happy?
Now, it had become a twisted, depraved tool for murder?
I looked in horror at the blood-stained carousel horses. Their hooves trampled the bloody spray, their eerie horse faces turned to glance at me.
No—!
Don’t come over—!
The hand I used to grip Sister Mouyue’s sleeve trembled slightly.
I’ve never ridden those carousel horses!
And this person in front of me… she can’t be Sister Xubai—
“Mouyue of the Stars.” The person with Sister Xubai’s appearance, spoke with Sister Xubai’s voice, cold as ice. “Why did you not flee? Why did you choose to protect someone you just met?”
“I was the one who brought this child out here. I have a responsibility to return her safely to the Royal Capital.” Sister Mouyue spread her arms to shield me, panting as she spoke. “I’ve lived for eight hundred years, anyway. Your target should only be me, a Platinum-rank adventurer, right?”
Sister Xubai’s hand suddenly moved toward her windbreaker pocket. For a split second, I almost thought she was about to attack. But the moment passed, and nothing happened. She said nothing, and turned to leave.
I snapped back to my senses, realizing that if I missed this chance, I might never see her again. I don’t know where I got the courage, but I dashed out from behind Sister Mouyue’s protection, determined to get a clear answer—
“Y-You, stop—!”
I yelled at Sister Xubai’s back!
But she ignored me, continuing to walk forward.
“Why did you kill those people???”
…
“Why have you fallen to become what you are today??”
“Say something!?”
I still received no answer from her.
“Are you still the Sister Xubai I knew???”
Perhaps seeing that I was overly emotional, Sister Mouyue hugged me from behind.
“There’s no need to chase… she’s already long gone…”
I stared at her back, crying as I hurled this one last sentence at her—“Fine, then! I will never acknowledge you again for the rest of my life!”
She seemed completely uninterested in listening to me. Her only reaction was to silently pull up the hood of her windbreaker.
After the pitch-black hood covered her, her receding figure seemed to grow even deeper, even darker.
From then on, I’ve referred to her as… “That person.”
The deep, dark back of That person vanished.
…Was it a dream?
It’s already been four years. I can’t believe I’m still having this kind of nightmare.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes. The sky was already bright. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the floral-print curtains, shining onto the bed.
I was about to sit up when I realized… my other arm was being held in Qifeng’s embrace. Eh? No wonder my arm felt a faint, soft, and squishy sensation. As for what it was… my face flushed faintly red—Uwaah! It goes without saying, doesn’t it?
I glanced at Qifeng’s sweet, sleeping face. She showed no signs of waking up. I didn’t want to wake her, so I very, very carefully slipped my arm out of her embrace.
Then—
I looked over at Lian Qi, sleeping on my other side.
Oh, right—
What they ganged up to do to me last night… I’m starting to remember. It was simply… indescribable…
Shamefaced, I tugged at the hem of the nightgown spread over my knees, but I couldn’t help staring at Lian Qi’s sleeping face. I found it’s actually… quite nice to look at?
I noticed her eyelashes are really long when her eyes are closed.
My gaze shifted down a bit.
I saw that the collar of her pajamas was loose, revealing a smooth shoulder.
It gave off a visual impression of being completely defenseless.
I nervously swallowed. This feeling… is really embarrassing…
This is what I mean. After a shameless and restless experience like sleeping together, waking up to this kind of scenery every day becomes commonplace.
But Lian Qi did remind me—are the straps of my nightgown loose too?
…As I thought.
They’re loose…
And so, a brand new day began with me pulling up the straps of my nightgown.
Because of what happened yesterday, and my smashing the doors of the Inquisition Hall in a fit of anger, I didn’t want to go to the Church and face those people for the time being. I decided to take Qifeng out to relax, maybe go shopping, and buy her a few new outfits to cheer her up.
The three of us had just opened the door to leave when we were greeted not only by the smog, but also by Church knights lined up at my door.
Qifeng tensed up, gripping my arm even tighter.
“…Th-They… they’re not here to arrest me again, are they?”
“Silly girl. As long as I’m here, what are you afraid of?”
I took the initiative and stepped forward, shielding Qifeng and Lian Qi behind me. A person stepped out from the ranks of the fully-armed knights. I looked closely—isn’t that Bishop Bahr’s confidant, Temple Knight Mia?
“What are you doing here?” I asked, puzzled.
“Saintess-daren, Bishop Bahr sent me to escort you back to the Church,” Mia said with a grin.
The moment she finished speaking, she gave a signal, and the knights lined up at my door dropped to one knee in unison.
Don’t try this on me.
In the past, I might have softened.
But I know this is all just a routine now.
I crossed my arms and said with great interest:
“How did Bahr know I didn’t want to go back to the Church? So he specifically sent you all to… ‘escort’ me?”
“B-Because… the entire Holy Light Church knows you smashed the doors of the Inquisition Hall in a fit of anger yesterday,” she said with an awkward laugh. “You are the incarnation of the Holy Light. Please don’t lower yourself to the level of a few old men.”
“But I’m still angry right now. I don’t want to go back yet.”
“…If you don’t go back, it will be very difficult for me to report back,” she said, looking troubled.
“That’s easy. Just go back and say, ‘The Saintess is in her rebellious teenage phase right now. What can you do about her?‘” I said, mimicking Bahr’s tone from the Inquisition Hall.
Lian Qi froze. “…Ha? Rebellious teenage phase? You—?”
“Lady Saintess, please don’t joke. I-I wouldn’t dare say such a thing.”
Just then, I happened to notice a blue-haired head hiding behind a wall at the street corner, peering out and staring at me.
Isn’t that person—
From the White Tower…
The magic scholar…
Loroshe?
I waved at her—“Hey! What are you hiding over there for? Do you need me for something?”
It really was her.
Seeing me greet her, she shyly stepped out from behind the wall and walked over.
“Lady Saintess, this person is a member of the Druid organization,” Temple Knight Mia warned.
“I know,” I said, unconcerned.
Lian Qi stared at Loroshe and frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to recruit Fei’er to be your Druid organization’s environmental public welfare ambassador again.”
“The Saintess of the Holy Light Church as an environmental public welfare ambassador? Absolutely not—!” Temple Knight Mia looked horrified.
I ignored her wailing and asked Loroshe directly: “Did you need me for something?”
“…Saintess-daren, I actually wanted to invite you to visit our community, ‘Nature’s Home.’ I believe that after you visit, you will definitely have a different perspective on our Druid’s environmental protection cause.”
“…Hm? Isn’t that what Professor Einstein founded?” Lian Qi said.
“Sure, I’ll go.”
Right in front of the Holy Light Church’s Temple Knight Mia, I accepted her invitation, with a total ‘what-can-you-do-about-it’ attitude.
“Go back and tell Bahr… and the other bishops… that I’m going to the Druids’ Nature’s Home to inspect for a few days. See you. Bye-bye.”