### Chapter Three: News Report
As dawn broke, the fiery sun pierced through the thick clouds and morning fog, shining on several majestic towers of the Royal Academy.
In a tower by Siran Lake, a girl named Sarah lay with her chin propped on her hands, her vacant gaze fixed on the swirling clouds outside the window, lost in thought.
After a while, she redirected her attention to the several deer meat pies that had been sitting by her head for ages. She mumbled, “It’s been three days, and Peilo still hasn’t shown up… Is she really okay…?”
“Don’t worry, fatty… Didn’t the old admin lady say she had something super important going on and would be back in a few days?” Sophie, standing by the dressing table, combed her long hair and casually replied, “Principal Bersa gathered us all the other day and clearly stated that none of the students were harmed that night. Peilo is definitely fine; I don’t get why you’re so worried…”
“But…”
“But what! You’re the one who should be worried! You bolted right outside that night… to do what? Scare us to d*ath? Are you trying to be reckless?!”
Sarah frowned.
She couldn’t argue with Sophie’s words. Making it back to the academy that night had been a miracle, and she had been haunted by anxiety ever since. If it weren’t for…
Sarah recalled the petite figure she saw on the dim street, battling monsters with bl**d covering her.
For several nights now, she had struggled to sleep, only managing to doze off near dawn. The moment she closed her eyes, that figure would invade her mind, refusing to be shaken off.
She could picture the way she spoke, the flowing cloak of the Pope Knight behind her, and the sight of her charging up, stepping onto icebergs, facing down monsters in the midst of a frigid storm… Sarah would never forget those images.
She felt a strange sense of connection. The seemingly delicate yet frost-defying hero felt so close, almost within reach.
That night, Sarah drifted off with those thoughts, and when she woke up, she had a premonition that Peilo probably wouldn’t show up today.
And sure enough, Peilo didn’t come.
Not the next day.
And not the day after that either.
With each passing day, Sarah’s worries grew, and she found it harder to smile. Daisy and Sophie attributed her troubles to the scare she got that night, considering it a near-d*ath experience… They’d spent the last three days trying to comfort her in every possible way.
Sarah understood their good intentions. Everyone in 1504 was wonderful, but she forced herself to maintain a façade of calm, not wanting to burden them with her worries. But the truth hidden in her heart… she couldn’t share it with her roommates because they would just think she was a fool.
No one would believe such ridiculous, almost comically absurd speculation—not even Sarah herself fully believed it.
But she couldn’t help but wonder: why hadn’t Peilo come back… What if… she was injured during the fight with the monster that night… or even… severely hurt…
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t control herself.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sophie standing up, having finished her hair, suddenly inhaling sharply, her face turning pale.
“Sarah, just throw those meat pies away, they’re starting to stink! Gross…”
“…Oh.”
The meat pies did indeed have a bit of a stench.
Sarah lightly pinched the oil-soaked paper bag, turned, and tossed the pies into the trash in the corner.
Such a waste… she thought.
“Don’t throw them here; take them out!” Sophie immediately covered her face.
“Well, I’ve already thrown them…”
“Oh my gosh!”
Daisy, who had been silent for a while, suddenly gasped.
Sarah turned at the sound and saw her sitting at the edge of her bed with disheveled hair, hand over her mouth, wide eyes fixated on a news report in her hand, her trembling gaze full of disbelief.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong!”
Sarah hurried over and sat beside her, leaning in to see.
“This…”
Daisy pointed at the report.
Following her gaze, Sarah’s eyes widened at the striking headline.
[The Deity has never abandoned Order Royal City; Great Miracles will be with our Heroes]
Below were lengthy articles.
As Sarah read, she unconsciously began to recite, “…The terrifying Abyss monsters launched a night attack on Royal City, destroying the Divine Reliquary ‘Boswell’ that has guarded the city for hundreds of years, ruthlessly slaughtering countless of our fellow citizens. It was a night filled with darkness and deep sorrow. But no matter how dark the night is, the light can never be extinguished completely; the deity will forever cherish us, granting us heroic guardians.”
“Heroes fought valiantly in the night. Her Majesty the Queen, beloved by all, Pope Knight Elizabeth, and the youngest Pope Knight, Miss Silvya…”
At that point, Sarah instinctively stopped.
Miss Silvya…
She suddenly remembered the first night of school, when the four girls of 1504 met for the first time, filled with eager excitement that kept them awake late into the night.
They had talked about the hero Silvya, who fought alone against the Abyss in the distant Silgaya.
…The youngest, the girl, and the powerful Frost Order.
In a flash, Sarah understood. The petite shadow she saw that night was undoubtedly Silvya.
No one else could be.
Sarah surely recalled that Silvya was a girl younger than her and the others… She was the same age as Peilo.
“What’s wrong? Keep reading!”
Sophie, who was tidying up her bed, urged impatiently as Sarah halted.
Sarah shot her a look. “Why don’t you read it yourself?”
But still, she continued, “And our beloved Sister Teresa… The three human heroes, at the behest of the mighty deity, struck down the powerful Abyss outside the city and entirely quelled the terrifying disaster in its infancy. They fought bravely amidst bl**d and fire, risking their lives to save countless fellow citizens. The Holy Church will forever remember them, and we should all remember them, offering beautiful songs to honor their deeds.”
She cleared her throat and shifted her gaze to the next line.
“That night, we forever lost Sister Teresa…”
Sarah froze.
“What…”
She rubbed her eyes vigorously, struggling to believe what she was reading.
Unconsciously, she muttered the following words aloud: “Our beloved Sister Teresa, exhausted in this fierce battle… We must accept this sorrowful reality… Pray for her, may the beloved nun eventually return to the embrace of the deity…”
At that point, she simply couldn’t read any further.
Tears began to well up in her eyes.
“This isn’t funny…”
Sophie, who had come beside her without her noticing, exclaimed, “Give it to me!”
She snatched the report away, her expression shifting from shock to growing paleness as her eyes skimmed the text rapidly.
“Sister Teresa… No way… I spoke to her just a while ago… how is this possible…”
“What a great person… why…”
Her shoulders slumped, her usually bright face now in despair.
“Sister Teresa… waah…” Daisy was already in tears, “How could this happen…”
Bang bang bang—
A sudden knocking on the door echoed, and the old admin lady’s voice called out from behind it, “Are you all awake?”
The three girls exchanged glances for a moment before Sophie finally called out, “Yeah.”
“Pack your things; gather at the church.”
“What for…”
Sarah’s voice was hoarse.
She had an inkling of what was about to happen.
“Sister Teresa… has returned to the embrace of the deity; all faculty and students are going to pay their respects…”
The admin lady paused for a moment.
“To pray for her.”
Her tone was unexplainably strange.
