“It doesn’t matter. We have plenty of time. We have so much time to get to know each other again.”
After saying that, she left Anis’s side, sat in the opposite seat, and began to gaze casually out the window.
Anis felt like her thoughts were a tangled mess. After transmigrating into this book world, everything was exactly as it had been in the story — except for the heroine, Shirley!
This behavior, which was almost like Shirley was throwing herself at her for free, was like a discordant note in a melody, or a shadow hidden in the mist. It felt both out of place and inscrutable.
‘Does she really want to hang that necklace around my neck that badly?’
Silence fell over the carriage, and the air grew heavy and quiet. Anis kept her head down the entire time, using the wide brim of her hat to hide her face while remaining alert to the other’s every move.
The carriage stopped, and the butler’s voice sounded from outside. “Eldest Miss Shirley, we have reached our destination.”
“Mm.”
The door opened, and Shirley made a “please” gesture toward Anis. However, the latter remained unmoved, simply staring into the other’s eyes and whispering, “Shirley first.”
“All right, then.”
The two of them stepped off the carriage, and the sight before them took Anis by surprise.
While reading the book, she had subconsciously imagined the Church as a traditional fantasy cathedral, but the building standing before her was a three-story Western-style manor.
Looking at the windows from the main gate, one could see nuns in pure white robes passing by from time to time.
“Phew…”
Even though Anis had treated the hospital like a second home in her previous life, she couldn’t control her nervousness upon arriving at such a place again. The wound on her left eye even began to throb from the excessive pressure.
Just then, a warm, soft sensation came from her hand. Shirley was smiling as she encouraged her. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
Anis looked at that smile, half-real and half-fake. ‘Does she think this behavior will make me feel safe?’
In reality, she felt Shirley was even more inscrutable!
Under this invisible pressure, she was pulled into the Church by Shirley.
“Miss Frost, good day.”
The nun responsible for reception at the door recognized the visitor immediately. As the next lord of this territory, Shirley already possessed considerable fame.
“Good day. We’re here for the scheduled appointment.” Shirley returned the greeting.
“Very well, please follow me.”
Anis felt the nun’s deliberate, searching gaze. Fortunately, the woman didn’t stare for long and quickly led the two of them forward.
Anis understood; although the family allowed her to bear the “Frost” surname, her existence had always been kept hidden.
12 years were enough to make everyone forget the girl who had been adopted from the orphanage by a noble family.
The nun led them to a consultation room. “It’s here. The head sister is currently seeing another patient, so please wait a moment.”
They had arrived a little earlier than their appointment, so they had no objections.
Anis stared at the closed door, her breathing involuntarily quickening.
The 5 fingers interlaced with hers squeezed gently twice, like a call. Shirley spoke to her in her softest, most whispering voice. “Relax. After the doctor looks at your injury, why don’t I take you for a walk around town? There’s a very nice bakery there.”
The Frost family’s territory was located in the north of the world. Large areas here were covered in ice and snow year-round, except for a single piece of land in the south that could be farmed in the summer. People had gradually settled there, forming a town.
Anis pressed down on her tricorne hat, her voice very soft. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“Hmph~”
Pouting like a little pufferfish, Shirley was clearly unsatisfied with this response. “Oh, Anis, why are you acting like you’re avoiding me?”
“…”
‘It’s because of that necklace in your hand!’
Just as the atmosphere between them was growing cold, the door to the consultation room opened. A patient stepped out, bowed slightly toward the inside, and left. The two then entered the room.
The healing nun employed by the Church wasn’t an elderly person as one might expect, but a very young woman. She looked to be only 6 or 7 years older than Anis.
With the addition of her black-framed glasses, she looked a bit more intellectual.
After seeing Shirley, a smile played at the corners of the nun’s mouth. “It’s Miss Shirley, right? And this person beside you must be your older sister?”
“Yes, hello.”
Shirley performed a noble’s bow. “My sister’s eye was injured a few days ago while fighting monsters. Please examine her.”
“Hello.”
After greeting her reservedly, Anis took off her witch’s hat, untied the eyepatch, and exposed the horrific wound to the air.
When the nun saw it, the smile on her face vanished instantly. She rose from her chair and walked over to Anis, her expression shifting to one of heartbreak. “Goddess above… this injury is practically…”
After conducting an examination, she took out a fluorite and pointed the dazzling glow at the left eye, which was now nothing more than a dark hole. “Can you feel any light?”
Anis closed her right eye. Facing the almost unbearable brightness, she was surprised to find that she could actually sense a faint glimmer of light!
Having thought she would spend the rest of her life as a chuunibyou witch, a spark of hope ignited in her heart.
“A little bit.”
Hearing this response, the nun’s eyes widened slightly. “You can still feel it? This is practically a miracle…”
“Excuse me…” Shirley asked anxiously from the side.
“Although the injury is severe, there is still hope for treatment.”
The nun softly recited a few prayers. A cluster of emerald-green light appeared in the palm of her right hand, and she gently placed this healing glow over Anis’s injured left eye.
A cool, comfortable sensation spread out from a single point. Anis felt her body grow heavy and tired. Her stress drifted away like a released balloon, floating high into the sky until it reached a certain height, popped, and vanished into thin air.
‘So comfortable.’
“There we go. Come here once a month for treatment from now on. I’ll also prescribe some medicine for you to use once a week. Your vision should be restored in about 6 months.”
“Thank you.”
Anis thanked the nun. Honestly, she felt a sense of reluctance in her body, as if she were still immersed in the comfort from earlier and hadn’t yet recovered.
A few minutes later, the nun held a bundle of herbs and motioned for Anis to lie on the clinic bed. “I’ll help you apply it this first time. You can do it yourself after that.”
“Mm.”
Anis got up and lay on the bed, continuing to enjoy the older woman’s gentle care.
But just then, Shirley’s voice gave her a start.