The entire audience ceremony concluded without any further unexpected incidents. After the Cardinal led everyone out of the isolated space of the Sanctuary, Lulumia and her group returned to the earlier main hall of the Central Temple.
The place remained magnificent and grand. The nobles waiting there let out sighs of relief upon seeing everyone return unscathed, smiling and conversing in low voices with those around them.
The presence of the nobles was not a mandatory requirement, but rather because their families had connections to the Saints—for instance, if a Saint belonged to their house, or if a Saint shared mutual interests with them.
Take Yino as an example. After Yino became a Saint candidate, nobles immediately came knocking, hoping to adopt her as a foster daughter. Although Yino’s parents agreed, Yino flatly refused them. This was also the primary reason why Yino had no foundation in the Royal Capital—she could have leaned on a powerful family through adoption if she wanted to, but she simply didn’t want to.
Lulumia was hardly paying attention to the subsequent proceedings. Her thoughts were entirely consumed by her conversation with the Seal of Wrath. She didn’t even realize when the gathering dispersed; by the time she came to her senses, only a few stragglers remained nearby.
“Why are you dazing off?”
Yino asked, tilting her head.
“I… it’s nothing.” Lulumia opened her mouth but swallowed her words.
The matter regarding Athenas could not be mentioned to anyone. Knowing a secret was a sin in itself, and telling it to others would only bring disaster upon them as well.
She took a deep breath and changed her mood. “I was just thinking that the Seal of Original Sin doesn’t seem to tempt people at all. I didn’t feel a thing after seeing it.”
“Maybe it’s because Mia is a magic doll?” Yino blinked her beautiful light blue eyes. “When I saw the Seal of Wrath, I felt uncomfortable, like the sensation of nails scratching an iron plate. Let’s go. Since we’re at the Central Temple, let’s go to the training grounds to practice magic—hm? Shalinna?”
Just as Yino finished speaking, she saw Shalinna, wearing her nun’s veil, hurrying in from outside with her head lowered, clutching a letter in her hand.
“Lord Saint, a letter arrived at the post station this morning. It was sent from the Gefen Diocese.”
“Gefen Diocese? Is it from the Bishop?”
“The sender is your younger sister.”
“Tch.” Yino clicked her tongue impatiently, but she still took the envelope from Shalinna and tore it open to read.
As expected, the writers were her parents.
Watching from the side, Lulumia could clearly perceive Yino’s mood souring. Finally, Yino simply tossed the letter to Shalinna. “Take it away. Just reply that I’ve acknowledged it.”
“Yes.”
Shalinna tucked the letter away, accustomed to this, and stood by Yino’s side.
After a moment of thought, Lulumia asked with a face full of curiosity, “Sister Yino has a younger sister?”
“I have one, but there’s no affection there.” Yino shrugged, showing neither anger nor joy, her tone sounding as if she were talking about someone else’s business.
Right then, a voice that irritated Lulumia rang out.
“How can you not care about a letter written by your own family? Isn’t Saint Yino a bit too rebellious?”
The speaker was the Saint of Black Stone, Roden, who held the titles of ‘The False Saint’ and ‘The Lapdog of the House of Viscount Bolun.’ He retained his usual look—disheveled blond hair and a frivolous demeanor—shaking his leg as he wore an expression like he was watching a play.
“Church morality requires maintaining family harmony. As a Saint, Lord Yino should lead by example. If this continues, you won’t be able to remain a Saint.”
“Did you arrange for that letter to be sent?” Yino’s tone held a hint of impatience.
Roden spread his hands with an innocent look.
“I don’t have the skill to forge a letter. I merely notified your parents back in your hometown about your recent situation. They are all very worried about you. The rumors about you have reached all the way back home.”
So it’s a script involving using parents as leverage… that’s too cliché.
Lulumia’s eyebrows arched at a subtle angle. Sander could not tolerate any interference. Given her connection with Sander, if Roden truly dared to use Yino’s parents as pawns, he would be forced to pack his bags and leave immediately.
Since he was a peer, he shouldn’t be doing something so low-level.
Of course, the possibility that he was just naturally stupid couldn’t be ruled out. There were too many fools in this world; some remained un-enlightened punks even into their thirties or forties, and Roden appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen.
“Heh.”
Roden glanced at Lulumia, a flash of contempt crossing his eyes. He waved his hand and walked toward the exit in a slouching manner.
“Think about your reputation in the Royal Capital before considering your future. With your strength, you’ll be successful even if you don’t become a Saint. Don’t think about hanging yourself from a single tree; you’ll only hurt yourself and others.”
Without giving Yino a chance to respond, Roden walked away.
Lulumia looked around. Now, only a few nuns cleaning the hall remained. Upon hearing Roden’s words, they glanced at Yino and then fearfully averted their eyes, terrified of being approached by her. Clearly, the rumors regarding Yino from a few days ago had yet to dissipate.
She wondered when Sander would finish handling this matter.
“Lord Saint…” Shalinna bit her lip, looking like she wanted to say something.
Yino looked indifferent. “It’s nothing. His strength isn’t equal to mine, so he can only rely on such underhanded tactics. Mia, I’ll head to the training grounds to make some preparations. Come over in a bit. Shalinna, there’s a set of light gear in my room that fits Mia. Go get it and help her change.”
“Yes.”
Despite trying her best to act as if nothing were wrong, Yino’s mood was clearly terrible after reading the letter. She walked away quickly with a blank expression. Aside from the nuns, only Lulumia and Shalinna were left in the hall.
“I’ll head back too.” Lulumia took the initiative to step forward.
A moment later, she looked at Shalinna, who was walking beside her with her head down, looking worried. “Does Sister Yino have a bad relationship with her family?”
“…” Shalinna was silent for a while before saying gloomily, “It’s more than just bad; it’s terrible.”
Once the conversation started, the details spilled out without needing any prompting. Shalinna was the only nun Yino had brought from the Gefen Diocese. Now that she had finally met someone on the same side, she naturally spoke her mind.
“The Gefen Diocese is a notoriously barren land in the Kingdom of Onheim. Lord Saint comes from a commoner family, and poor families have always looked down on girls. Furthermore, after Lord Saint was born, her parents never had another child. When it was discovered that Lord Saint possessed half-vampire blood, her father believed it must be because something was wrong with her mother, and he left the family in a rage.”
“Hmm, and then?”
“After that, Lord Saint’s mother married another man, and the two had a daughter. Although the stepfather was a quiet, honest man who didn’t shun Lord Saint, he had no real skills or education compared to the previous man. Their family remained in dire poverty.”
“So, this made Lord Saint’s mother feel that all her misfortunes stemmed from Lord Saint. If she hadn’t given birth to her, that educated man wouldn’t have left, and she might have even found a better man by relying on her youthful beauty and single status.”
“I don’t know if you can understand the oppression in such a household. Although Lord Saint’s mother never gave up on raising her, years of complaints and scolding—combined with the fact that the stepfather, the sister, and the mother felt more like a real family—made Lord Saint feel like an outsider. That’s why, when she was chosen as a Saint by Lord Estel, she immediately left her original family. She only sends money home periodically and never asks about them.”
“I see…”
A wave of sympathy and pity surged in Lulumia’s heart. She also came from a single-parent household that wasn’t wealthy, so she understood the “oppressive atmosphere” Shalinna described perfectly. Poverty brings all kinds of misfortune to a family, and if one encounters parents who constantly pressure a child by saying “it’s all your fault we’re so poor,” it is the height of misfortune.
Perhaps some parents wouldn’t say it so bluntly, but they would open their wallets with a stern face and say to the child, “Look, this is all I have, you figure it out,” or simply throw money on the table. Regardless of the method, they were wounding the child’s self-esteem.
No one chooses to be born into this world. Children do not have the ability to earn money to support themselves. Parents who say such things are simply looking for a place to vent their own emotions, transferring their misfortune onto the weak.
It was no wonder Yino was so rebellious and felt upset after seeing her parents’ letter. No matter what kind of caring words were written in that letter, in her eyes, they would only be interpreted as “hypocrisy”—they didn’t say anything before she became a Saint, but now that she was one, their attitude suddenly improved?
Lulumia understood this mindset all too well because she was the same. After becoming financially independent, she immediately escaped that oppressive atmosphere and felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
At this moment, she finally understood the reason why Yino was so desperate to become a Saint. It was the status of a Saint that granted Yino her freedom and her sense of worth. She had no path to retreat. She constantly thought that if she failed to become a Saint, she would have to return to that home and endure their ridicule. To avoid that, she would become a Saint at any cost, even willing to give her everything, because it was the very meaning of her existence.
That’s too dangerous.
This must be the origin of Yino’s title, ‘The Forsaker,’ Lulumia thought. She had forsaken that family.
As Yino’s magic doll, Lulumia could easily take advantage of the fact that Yino had never experienced familial affection. She could use schemes to show “care” for Yino, making her believe that this magic doll was her true family, and then rack her brains to exploit her—people from such backgrounds are naturally starved for love. If given just a little warmth and concern, they would believe the other person is their destined soulmate and give up everything for them.
But Lulumia wasn’t that evil. It was hard not to be drawn to someone who shared similar traits. Once she understood Yino’s background, she felt as if she were seeing her own adolescent self.
If only to make up for her own younger self, was there anything she could do?
Of course there was.
She could become the missing piece in Yino’s heart—not out of self-interest, but because she truly wanted to support her, hoping that the younger version of herself could walk further and become a whole person.
Although it was a pity she wasn’t a handsome youth, a cute young girl had the advantages of a young girl.
Alright, first, she would give Sister Yino a big surprise! From today on, she would seriously treat Yino as her family in this alternate world!
Seemingly sensing Lulumia’s invigorated mood, Shalinna’s eyebrows rose to a curious angle.
This child… why did she become happier after hearing about Lord Yino’s tragic past?
Fortunately, Lulumia didn’t see Shalinna’s expression. She blinked and took the initiative to change the subject.
“By the way, that Saint of Black Stone from earlier… he came from a background of thugs and ruffians, right?”
“Yes. His father was an unemployed vagrant in the slums, and his mother was a servant for the House of Viscount Bolun. It was only because he was suddenly visited in a dream by Lord Estel that he leaped to become the adopted son of Viscount Bolun.”
Shalinna was confused. “What about it?”
“Are there any rumors about his father? Like collecting protection money or petty theft?”
“No shortage of those,” Shalinna sneered with disdain.
“His father is a thoroughbred thug. I can’t even count his misdeeds on one hand. It’s just that Viscount Bolun’s family owns some properties at the docks, and the street rumors all spread from there. The Viscount ordered a ban on discussing it and found a proper job for his father as a guard. Now, very few people know about those rumors.”
“Is there more? Be specific. This information could help Sister Yino.”
“Hmm…” Shalinna, with her hands folded at her waist, frowned and took a moment to recall before speaking.
“I remember that the reason he was even born was that his mother got lost in the slums and ran into his father. In the end, his father used flowery words to trick his mother and brought her home to force himself on her… Those are the street rumors; I don’t know if they’re true. But generally speaking, a servant of a noble house wouldn’t fall for a street thug. It’s hard to say there weren’t some shady dealings involved.”
“How do you plan to help the Lord Saint? There are no forces belonging to the Lord Saint in the capital. Saying such things carelessly could easily lead to trouble and cause a backlash.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m just asking. I’ll come to Miss Shalinna again if I’m unsure in the future.”
Lulumia waved her hand cheerfully, her plump dragon tail swaying behind her. “Let’s hurry back and change. It wouldn’t be good to keep Sister Yino waiting too long.”
“Uh… alright…”
Shalinna nodded in confusion. She couldn’t understand why Lulumia’s spirits were so high.
Of course they were high.
After all, she finally understood Yino’s reason for needing to become a Saint. In the past, Yino always gave Lulumia the feeling of wearing a mask; her true essence was obscured, and all their interactions felt somewhat superficial. Now that the veil had been lifted, discovering it was her own younger self made it hard not to feel delighted. Getting on good terms with a beautiful girl was an exciting goal no matter the time.
Not to mention, Yino treated her very well.
Just as Yino had never felt warmth from those around her, the same was true for Lulumia. She had never forgotten the sight of Yino standing in front of her back when she was weak and drowning in debt, haggling with Ryan. She wouldn’t be able to forget it for the rest of her life.
Could this be considered a form of mutual support?
Lulumia didn’t know whether to feel relieved or bittersweet.
Even though nothing substantial had happened yet, she felt as though she had taken a step forward.
This feeling… wasn’t bad at all.
[Mindfulness Points: 14 (Increased by 2)]
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