Not far from the room, just around the corner of the corridor, I ran into Selina.
“Well, well, little Celia, and Ilyas too? What a coincidence.”
Selina approached with light steps, her gaze quickly sweeping over the two of us before a meaningful smile curved at the corner of her mouth.
She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.
“You got up just in time. Any later… that old woman’s patience outside would probably have run out.”
She said, winking toward the direction of the main hall.
“When I came over, she was already getting impatient. I’d say she was about one prayer away from barging in to fetch you herself.”
Celia’s heart tightened.
She instinctively grasped the hand of Ilyas beside her and asked in a low voice, “Will she give you a hard time?”
Ilyas squeezed her hand back.
Her fingertips were cool, but she tried to make her voice sound light.
“It should be… probably fine. The Chief Inquisitor… she’s actually always been very good to us.”
Only, the words “very good” didn’t carry much conviction.
The two followed Selina to the main hall.
The hall was brightly lit and elegantly furnished, yet it was shrouded in an invisible low-pressure atmosphere.
Onyxia was not here.
On the sofa, Violet was sitting calmly as ever, dressed in her star-patterned black robe.
And on either side of her sat two girls with nearly identical appearances: Sena and Petra.
They both had soft, light brown hair and similarly delicate features, like mirror images.
Only, one had a gentle, serene demeanor, with a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of her mouth; the other had lively, cunning eyes and was looking at Celia and Ilyas with keen interest as they entered.
Selina walked over with light steps and, with utter naturalness, sat on Violet’s lap, leaning into her embrace, as if she had found the most comfortable place to belong.
And in the center of the hall, standing with her back to the entrance, was a tall, straight-backed woman with golden hair, dressed in a white-and-gold embroidered knight’s casual attire.
Merely standing there, she exuded an undeniable authority.
Hearing the footsteps, she slowly turned around.
Her gaze first fell upon Ilyas, who was holding Celia’s hand and seemed somewhat at a loss.
Then, that gaze swept lightly over Celia.
That glance was brief, devoid of any intense emotion, no reproach, not even obvious scrutiny, yet it made Celia feel an intangible pressure brush over her skin.
The Chief Inquisitor said nothing to her, as if she were merely an unimportant background element, or a subject temporarily not worth wasting words on.
Then, the Chief Inquisitor’s gaze returned to Ilyas, her voice cool.
“Ilyas,” she called, “since you are already up, go and pack your belongings. We should depart. The time limit is approaching.”
Her words were concise, direct, leaving no room for discussion, directing all attention and instruction to one person.
Just as Ilyas took a slight step, preparing to turn and follow the order, Selina, who was nestled in Violet’s arms, let out an “Ah.”
“Don’t be in such a hurry, Your Honor, the esteemed Chief Inquisitor. The child just woke up. She should at least have something to eat, warm her stomach before setting out. We may not be as particular as humans about three meals a day, but the courtesy due to a guest still matters. A simple breakfast won’t delay your schedule.”
The Chief Inquisitor’s gaze didn’t even fully turn toward Selina.
“Duty calls, brooks no delay. The Holy State’s laws and itinerary have their own arrangements.”
The air seemed to grow a few degrees more stagnant.
Ilyas knew this was the final ultimatum at the edge of the Chief Inquisitor’s patience.
She turned and gave Celia a tight hug, whispering rapidly into her ear with the faintest breath, “Wait for me. Take care of yourself.”
Then, she released this brief embrace, her fingertips tracing Celia’s palm one last time, before resolutely turning and walking step by step toward the center of the hall.
She knew that if she hesitated any longer, the Chief Inquisitor might truly get angry.
She walked to the Chief Inquisitor’s side, slightly bowed her head, and said softly, “I am ready, Chief Inquisitor.”
The Chief Inquisitor didn’t look at anyone else.
She simply turned first and walked toward the hall’s exit.
Ilyas followed behind her.
At the moment before stepping out of the hall, she ultimately couldn’t resist turning back to cast one last look at Celia.
That look held too many emotions left unspoken.
After Ilyas left, the brief silence in the hall was broken by faint sounds.
A moment later, Onyxia emerged from the side hall’s corridor, her steps slightly hurried, strands of her hair still carrying a hint of the morning dew’s moisture from outside.
Her eyes immediately caught Celia still looking toward the main door.
She quickly walked over to her side and took her hand.
“She’s gone?” she asked in a low voice.
Celia nodded, her gaze still somewhat blankly fixed on the doorway where Ilyas’s figure had disappeared.
Then, Selina jumped down from Violet’s lap, walked over to Celia, reached out a finger, and poked her cheek.
“Alright, why is your little face so tense? Relax. That old woman may look intimidating, with rules numerous enough to crush a person, but she’s different toward Ilyas… after all. She watched her grow up, personally taught the Saintess. No matter how angry she gets, she can’t bear to let her truly suffer any great hardship. At most, it’ll be a few days of confinement, copying scriptures, and listening to those ear-callousing old rules.”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
“Besides, she can’t use your identity as a reason either. One, their religious laws don’t forbid falling in love. Two, the Pope wouldn’t agree to her punishing Ilyas because of your identity, Celia.”
“The Pope? What does the Pope have to do with this?”
Violet, who had been silent until now, also spoke up.
“Celia, your mother, during the fight against the Demon Race, formed a rather deep friendship with the current Pope.”
“I see…”
Celia felt slightly relieved, but then a new doubt surfaced.
She looked at Violet.
“But, Sister Violet, why are you all here, at the border? At this time of year, shouldn’t you be in the Elven Royal Capital?”
The one who answered her wasn’t Violet.
Petra, sitting on the right, spoke first.
Propping her chin on her hand, she looked utterly bored.
“Of course because it’s too boring, little Celia. Those endless ceremonies, meetings in the Royal Capital, and those old fossils’ monotonous faces… just thinking about it makes me yawn.”
Beside her, the gentle-mannered Sena nodded and took over.
“The proposal for a Resident Sage at the border was actually our idea. Life in the Royal Capital is indeed… somewhat too dull.”
Celia blinked, looking at Violet, and couldn’t help but ask, “Then… does Askala have any objections to this?”
She was referring to the Beastman Kingdom.
“Ding-ding-ding—!”
A big smile bloomed on Selina’s face.
“So, adorable little Celia, this question will be answered by me! Precisely because this is the border between Elves and Beastmen, having only Violet and the others here representing the Elves isn’t friendly enough. So, I, in my capacity as a Beastman ally and Catkin representative, formally submitted an application to Askala to establish a Resident Sage position at the border.”
She shook her head, her ears trembling slightly.
“The result? Askala thought the proposal was good. It could strengthen communication between the two races at the border and demonstrate sincerity for peaceful coexistence, so they approved it quite readily! So now, I am the officially appointed official representative and friendly liaison officer stationed here by Askala! Impressive, right?”
Only then did Celia understand, yet she also found it somewhat amusing.
“But Sister Violet, Sister Selina, and Sisters Sena and Petra, aren’t you all one family? This representing back and forth…”
Before she could finish, Petra had already laughed out loud, blinking her lively eyes.
“Little Celia, you’ve finally hit on the key point, haven’t you? To be honest, establishing this border sage position wasn’t really that necessary. It’s more of a pretext to keep everyone satisfied. However—”
“With this official status, Violet can legitimately enjoy subsidies from the Elven Royal Capital, and Selina can also receive a nice representative stipend from Askala. Double the resources, double the convenience, and it reassures the higher-ups on both sides that the border is as solid as a rock under our watch… Isn’t that a wonderful thing?”
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