The ceremony was underway, and inside the most eye-catching carriage, Sefina anxiously gripped the makeshift divine staff she had found, worrying about Airella’s situation.
Those detained by the Church under the name of Witch never meet a good end.
Either tortured by cruel punishments, or their magical circuits are disrupted by divine arts, turning them into utter cripples.
While her mind wandered, a priest in simple robes but wearing an exquisitely ornate headdress suddenly stepped forward.
Bishop Mordecai.
In the Church’s hierarchy, his position was closest to the pinnacle of power—second only to one, above all others.
To balance power and encourage internal competition, bishops were assigned to different regions, which was the root cause of the Church’s inner rivalries.
Thanks to this system, the Church didn’t spend all its energy on preaching.
Otherwise, the entire world would be full of fanatical believers, and Lin Yue might have considered ending it all.
The main feature of a Fifth Rank Priest was the faint white ring that gradually appeared around their pupils, which would glow brightly when they used their powers.
It was somewhat like an anglerfish’s light.
He was also the direct supervisor in charge of Sefina’s travels under the Saintess Project.
Everything Sefina did was under his watchful eye.
“Saintess Sefina, after the farewell ceremony, prepare to repent for a while before the divine statue.”
“The grace of God is not meant for you to covet the shallow desires of the mortal world.”
He seemed greatly displeased that Sefina had used divine arts to deceive her colleagues without authorization.
Amid the commotion, Mordecai looked at Sefina with satisfaction, as if her every action was within his grasp.
“……”
Sefina offered a silent protest, resisting the actions of this ambitious man.
Seeing Sefina’s unyielding expression, Mordecai smiled and glanced in a certain direction, his expression revealing a trace of intrigue.
“That beast witch, hehe… I’ve been searching for her for a long, long time. To think she turned out to be Avellina’s student.”
Sefina clenched her teeth, knowing it was her reckless decision that had caused innocent people to be implicated.
“Still, this is rather surprising.”
He cast his gaze toward the stands, in the direction where Allen sat, and revealed a faint smile.
“Lotherv actually hid it here. That saves me a lot of effort.”
Beside Allen, Lilian was chatting idly with her companions, paying no attention to the meaningful look Mordecai was giving from below.
Everything was for the sake of the divine… But this credit was not something he could let others take.
“As for you, Saintess Sefina, enjoy the last celebration. Before you reach the Fourth Rank, you must serve at the side of the divine with an undistracted heart.”
“No little tricks…”
After his warning, Mordecai lifted the curtain and walked into the main compartment of the carriage.
Lin Yue Hawk…
She had no idea whether Airella would dare to risk freeing her friend from the Church’s custody, and could only hope that black-haired boy would notice.
Please, notice me!
She could only hope that Lin Yue, who saw her yesterday, would come to the celebration and realize that the Church’s Saintess was Sefina herself.
With that thought, she stepped out from the shadows and looked around.
After giving his instructions, Lin Yue stretched lazily, relieved.
With this, at least there was one more layer of protection between the first and second acts.
As long as Airella triggered the plot as expected, there should be no problem.
When the second act ended, he was definitely going to take some time to relax alone.
After this arc, it would be time for Airella to go to the underground seal of Avellina to release the forbidden beast.
Just thinking about it made his heart race a bit.
“Lin Yue, even you can make such a face?”
Watching Lin Yue gradually reveal the look of a villain whose scheme was about to succeed, Isabella raised an eyebrow and commented.
“Hmm? What, is it that strange?”
He touched his face, wondering if something odd had gotten stuck to it.
“It’s just that you treat me and my sister very differently.”
“Oh?”
“You trust me a lot. You seem sure I’ll become strong, and you’re at ease around me.”
Lin Yue was only assigning tasks according to the original characters’ personalities, nothing more.
Isabella was a clever girl; there was no need to tiptoe around her.
“I just think you’re smart. There’s no point in speaking in circles to you.”
“I don’t really see myself as clever. In fact, I think it’s a kind of weakness…”
Always compromising for the bigger picture, she could hardly claim any real freedom.
At least her sister dared to rebel, dared to voice her thoughts.
She herself didn’t mind much, but didn’t think it was something worth praising.
“Weakness, huh…”
Lin Yue looked off into the distance, his smile fading.
Maybe, I’m the same?
“Lin Yue! You… oh, Isabella~”
Just as the two were getting sentimental, Mapel’s voice suddenly rang out, interrupting their thoughts.
“Good afternoon, Mapel.”
How did she find them here?
Still, he’d finished what he wanted to discuss with Isabella, so it didn’t matter.
“I was looking for Lin Yue. I was chatting with his friend when he suddenly left. I was wondering what he was up to—turns out he met with Miss Isabella.”
Mapel seemed very cheerful, the model of a happy, well-behaved girl, clutching Isabella’s hand tightly.
“Mm, Lin Yue asked me for a favor, so…”
She was about to tell Mapel what had just happened, but suddenly remembered her sister’s warning: Next time, be careful.
Don’t spill everything.
She closed her mouth immediately.
“So that’s why Lin Yue abandoned me—for a date with Miss Isabella. How presumptuous of me…”
Mapel gave Lin Yue a dangerous smile, enunciating every word about his actions.
Yet she found him sighing, looking helpless.
Can’t we just be normal for once.
“Thanks for your help with the last exam. I still don’t know why my sister suddenly used advanced magic—it must have caused you trouble.”
Since that day in the infirmary, Isabella had rarely seen Mapel.
During the last exam, Mapel had shut down her crystal even faster than she had, resolving the crisis her sister caused.
Since it was her own sister’s doing, she ought to thank Mapel.
They weren’t in the same class, but since they’d met, a greeting was only polite.
“Valiana, can I call you Bella?”
There it was—the classic way girls tried to get close, using a cute nickname.
Lin Yue watched this fake act, shaking his head.
The bonds between girls sure did form fast.
“I guess you can… But why?”
Isabella was confused.
She wasn’t as sensitive as her sister about distinguishing insiders from outsiders, but such an intimate nickname was still rare.
“Because Airella calls you that, and I want to as well! I just think it sounds cute, that’s all!”
“Cu…te?”
Isabella had never thought of herself that way.
Just as Mapel was trying to get closer, a swift, thin streak of white zipped past Mapel’s shoulder, embedding itself firmly in the railing on the wall.
“Ah!”
This time, Mapel truly wasn’t faking—she was startled, and leaned against Lin Yue’s shoulder.
Was it really necessary for her to act this much? It seemed a bit much.
But in Lin Yue’s eyes, after learning her true nature, he could only see her as a bit of a schemer.
“Are you okay, Miss Mapel? You’re overacting a bit…”
Lin Yue teased quietly.
“You! Shut up… I wasn’t acting!”
“?”
She actually was scared?
“What is this?”
Compared to their reactions, Isabella was clearly more interested in the thing itself.
As Isabella was about to pick it up and examine it, drums suddenly sounded below.
“Saintess Sefina has arrived!”
Lin Yue quickly picked up the object lodged in the railing.
It was a white slip of paper.
What’s this?
But right now, the most important thing was to watch Sefina’s debut and see if anything went wrong.
Lin Yue looked down and saw Sefina wearing the most iconic battle skirt and armor from the game, anxiously scanning the crowd.
Most likely, she’d been caught.
Yesterday had been a real rush, and it made sense for the plot to develop like this.
Watching her look around, as if searching for something, Lin Yue felt puzzled.
Wait, shouldn’t she be trying to look calm and collected while hiding her despair?
Why did she look like she was trying to signal someone?
“That’s strange.”
He saw her fingers moving below, making deliberate gestures, as if to draw attention to this anomaly.
Five?
Lin Yue had sharp eyesight, and could immediately make out the signal.
But what did it mean?
He turned to look in Allen’s direction, and saw Allen staring at Sefina in astonishment.
No problem on Allen’s end, so what’s with this paper?
As he thought, he slowly opened it.
This felt like the sort of thing “Fox” liked to do. But wasn’t she right here?
Why the mysterious message?
Lin Yue looked at Mapel in confusion. “Was this your doing?”
She gently shook her head, indicating it wasn’t from her.
Then who…?
The two girls crowded over, just as curious.
When Lin Yue read the message on the envelope, his previously relaxed face suddenly turned grave.
Isabella glanced at the writing, her eyes widening.
This is…
Before she could finish, Lin Yue put the note away.
“……”
Lin Yue tore the envelope to shreds.
“Airella’s in trouble.”
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