Chapter 75: I knew you would come

Litt couldn’t figure it out, either.

Although the rope was a bit old, she had checked it herself—it was thick, and there was absolutely no way a strong wind alone could snap it.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that any further.

The moment the rope broke, shrill screams erupted from the shore.

This small fishing boat, under the raging winds and towering waves, was like a leaf in a storm.

If they stayed on it, there was simply no chance of survival.

Tessaia cried beside her, the fishing boat drifting further and further from the shore with the current.

Everything was almost exactly as she’d seen in the script.

A huge wave crashed into the boat.

The hull let out a teeth-grinding creak.

Litt clung desperately to the side of the boat, holding Tessaia tightly with her other hand, barely managing not to be thrown overboard.

But even so, waves of seawater kept slapping over them.

Litt choked and coughed, gazing at the lights of the altar on the shore, the flickering white flame torches, and the indistinct shapes of the crowd.

In that moment, she hesitated.

If she reverted to Letia’s form, even without Red’s help, she could get Tessaia safely back to shore.

But that would mean she had to take off the mask.

With so many people watching, her identity would inevitably be exposed.

Yet the situation was even worse than she had imagined.

The wind was simply too strong.

If she hesitated a moment longer, and the boat drifted even farther from shore, even she wouldn’t be able to use the cross’s chain to pull herself and Tessaia back.

“Big Sister Litt… I’m scared… Are we going to die?”

Tessaia clung tightly to Litt’s nun robe, her face etched with utter despair.

But Litt continued to comfort her, whispering softly, “It’s alright, we’ll be safe.”

Right then, Litt silently started a countdown in her mind, her hand subconsciously moving to her face.

If the countdown ended and Red still didn’t come, she would have to act herself, or else they would surely die here.

Ten.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

The strength of Litt’s hand on her face increased bit by bit.

And just then—

“Hand of Gaeboa!”

A massive silver mechanical arm reached out from the magic circle, gripping the little boat tossed about by the waves.

Red stood on the shore.

Once he saw the mechanical arm seize the fishing boat, he finally let out a breath of relief.

Then, with a gentle tug of his right hand, the huge mechanical arm summoned from the array began to slowly, carefully drag the little boat through the waves, inch by inch, back toward the shore.

When the crowd saw the boat make it safely to land, a burst of cheers erupted.

Litt sat in the boat, looking at Red before her and the church members gathered around.

She had known this would happen, but… when it actually did, it still brought an indescribable sense of joy.

Looking at Litt’s calm expression, Red spoke slowly.

“Litt, you don’t seem very scared.”

Hearing this, Litt replied with a smile as pure as an angel’s.

“Because…”

Her voice was gentle, but it cut through the rain and crowd, landing clearly in Red’s ears, “I knew, Red, that you would come.”

That smile, filled with unwavering, almost miraculous trust, struck Red’s heart like an invisible arrow, catching him completely off guard.

A surge of guilt for not arriving sooner—and another, inexplicable emotion—flooded his chest.

Almost reflexively, he reached out to Litt in the boat, his hand gently, tentatively settling on her soaked hair.

But as soon as it landed, he realized he might have crossed a line.

He hurriedly drew his hand back.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

“Not too late,” Litt gently enclosed Red’s withdrawn hand in her own, speaking softly, “After all… the Baiyang Dawning Festival isn’t over yet.”

Although there had been a small incident, the Baiyang Dawning Festival still came to a perfect conclusion.

When the festival ended, Litt and Red took Tessaia to Granny Natalie to let her know she was safe, and then brought her home.

Since the hidden enemy in the shadows still hadn’t been found, Red added some extra features to the Bloodhound he’d given Tessaia, just to ensure her safety.

As for bringing her home, that was to ask exactly what she’d been through.

Once the three returned home, Red said to Litt and Tessaia, “You two should go take a bath first.”

While taking off his gear, he added, “Otherwise, you’ll catch a cold all wet like this.”

The cold, damp clothes clinging to their skin made them shiver.

“Ah… why don’t you go first, Red?”

Litt asked in a small voice.

But Red just shook his head.

“My constitution’s better than yours. Go ahead, no need to wait.”

“…Alright.”

Litt didn’t insist.

She gently tugged Tessaia’s cold little hand.

“Come on, Tessaia.”

The two of them, dripping wet, walked into the warm bathroom.

But just a few seconds after the bathroom door closed, it cracked open a sliver.

Litt poked her little head out.

Her bright blue eyes, unusually serious, stared straight at Red as he sorted his equipment outside.

“No peeking!”

Bang!

The door shut tightly again.

Red froze mid-action.

Hadn’t Litt ever made a point of mentioning this before when she bathed?

Today… what’s gotten into her?

Inside the bathroom, Tessaia had already taken off all her clothes.

She looked back and saw Litt was still wearing her soaked nun robe, and asked in confusion, “Big Sister Litt, aren’t you going to change?”

“You go in first. I’ll tidy up here.”

Because of the Disguise Mask’s properties, Litt had to first remove the mask, take off Letia’s clothes, then put the mask back on to appear as naked Litt.

It was a hassle, but if she didn’t do it this way, the magic of the Disguise Mask would become unstable and might be seen through.

Once she confirmed Tessaia wasn’t looking, Litt quickly finished the whole process.

After putting the mask back on, the clothes on her body vanished completely.

She then entered the bathroom, sat behind Tessaia, and said, “Let me wash your hair for you.”

“Ah… okay.”

Tessaia nodded timidly, but didn’t refuse.

She just didn’t know why, but after agreeing, she felt a chill down her back.

“Ooh~ Tessaia, you’re developing pretty well, you know.”

That chilly feeling on her back got even stronger!

Outside the bathroom, Red heard the laughter and playful voices of Tessaia and Litt and couldn’t help but sigh.

The friendship between girls is really something special.