**Chapter 135: Teleportation**
As evening approached, the sunlight leaned toward the western mountains.
In the northern infirmary of the city, a young knight named Barry stood in the dim glow, his left arm still wrapped in bandages. With his uninjured right hand tightly gripping his longsword, he swung at the air, cutting down again and again.
“Ha! Ha—”
Amidst the short, forceful breaths, beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
Soon, Lilith, dressed in a simple yet elegant gown, walked over and stood at the entrance of the camp, quietly watching him.
Having cleaned herself of mud and donned a flowing white skirt, her silky hair elegantly tied up with a silver crown revealed her charming face. Her dainty hands rested on her waist in a poised posture. Compared to her previously filthy appearance, she now radiated an air of nobility.
It seemed she had something to discuss with Barry, but upon seeing him practicing, she didn’t want to interrupt and just stood there. It appeared she had cried recently, with traces of redness still lingering around her eyes, drawing the attention of several passersby.
“Is that… Lilith?”
“It’s Lilith…”
Earlier, she had spent some time in the infirmary with Barry, and during that time many had a chance to see and talk with her. Naturally, some began to recognize her.
Back then, her hair was messy and she looked like she had just rolled in the mud. Many weren’t aware of her identity, thinking she was just some random woman Barry saved on a whim, not giving her much thought until they saw her being picked up by a few elegantly dressed women, realizing she might be someone of importance.
Now, seeing her return, it felt as if she had transformed entirely. Those who recognized her hesitated and approached cautiously: “Are you… Lilith? Is that you? The one who came with Barry…”
Upon her nod of confirmation, they smiled, pointing at Barry, still swinging his sword in the distance: “You’re here to see him, right?” They then walked over, waving their hands and calling out, “Hey Barry! Someone’s looking for you!”
At last, Barry paused his training, looking in their direction, and saw the bushy-browed knight approaching him. The knight patted his shoulder with a smirk and said, “She looks like she’s been crying; you should go comfort her.”
After the knight left, Barry walked up to Lilith.
“Umm… Cough, cough! What’s wrong with you?”
It was his first time seeing Lilith like this.
He couldn’t help but note that while she had been disheveled and haggard in the infirmary, she now appeared as lovely as moonlight—calmly radiating beauty that made the young knight nervous, his hands fidgeting at his sides, not knowing where to place them, his cheeks slightly flushed, suddenly shy and unable to look her in the eye.
“Barry…”
Lilith sniffled as she tentatively called his name.
“Your injury isn’t healed yet; you shouldn’t be doing such intense movements. You need to rest… I brought better burn cream from the castle. Take off your bandages, and I’ll put it on…”
“No, um… I’m fine! My injury doesn’t hurt anymore. Why, um… were you crying?”
“I’m fine, really…”
The young knight awkwardly inquired, while the girl kept shaking her head, murmuring “I’m fine,” but when Barry asked again, her dainty nose quickly reddened, her mouth quivering, and tears began to flow: “I’m fine… I… Waaa…”
“Barry…”
“My father and brother are dead…”
“They are all gone…”
“Waaah—”
The girl suddenly threw herself into Barry’s arms, burying her head in his chest and crying out loud.
Not far away, at the top of a half-collapsed bluestone clock tower, a girl in a black skirt sat cross-legged on a slanted piece of broken stone. Supporting her chin with her right hand, she tilted her head down to watch the two embracing below, listening to their muffled cries, blinking slowly and letting out a soft sigh.
“Ha…”
Looks like…
I don’t even need to go down there.
A moment later, I stood up, shook my skirt, took one last glance at Barry, and then activated my Moon Step, soaring into the wind, leaping across the crumbled ruins toward the distant castle towers.
……….
Later that night.
The moonlight flowed like water, the wind cold as ice.
Outside Alectine City, the metallic scent of the battle still lingered in the air, while on the charred plains, the ground, tainted by bl**d and fire, rotted and stank, interrupted only by the occasional sound of unknown insects.
It was late, and the laborers by the canal and foothills had already returned to sleep. Not far away, on the hilltop, heaps of charred and broken bones littered the landscape, pale skulls glimmering faintly in the moonlight, their dark eye sockets revealing a ghostly glint. In the night sky, the cawing of ravens fluctuated ominously.
At the foot of the northern mountains, the black-haired girl watched the faint scene in the distance, lost in thought. Behind her, Pope Angel and several Faith Organization Members stood in the quiet night, surrounded by a fist-sized glowing sphere emanating a faint golden light, murmuring something to themselves.
Soon, as the golden light intensified, Angel turned around and waved to the girl daydreaming not far off: “Hey, Little Black Charcoal, it’s ready! Come over here!”
His tone and gestures were like calling a little kitten or puppy.
“Oh…”
The girl obediently approached.
The Pope pointed at the glowing sphere: “Go stand in the golden light.”
“……”
This is what they call the “world”? Just a tiny golden ball?
This was nothing like the grand teleportation array from a fantasy novel, you know? Where’s the big, flashy magic circle…
…Is this safe?
Feeling a bit anxious, I tilted my head, moved my ankles and shoulders, weighing the burden that was Captain Gray wrapped in white cloth on my back, furrowing my brow as I sluggishly walked into the golden glow.
“Little Black Charcoal, remember your mission: find the Jester, k*ll him, and assist the Church in obtaining the Tear of the Goddess. Don’t worry about things on this end; I’ve got it covered. When you’re ready, go ahead—once you go through, there’s no turning back, since I’m not giving you the ‘world’… Is there anything else you want to do?”
“Um…”
After hearing Angel’s words, I contemplated while tilting my head: “Help me keep an eye on Barry. And don’t let him know about what happened in Woodward Forest. Don’t tell him I’m back.”
“Don’t worry.”
Angel nodded and spoke a few words to the nearby Young Bishop, then clasped his hands in front of his chest, began to pray.
“Miss Silvya, please close your eyes.” The Young Bishop said to me, stepping to the side.
Suddenly, panic surged in my heart: “Wait, will this hurt…”
Bzzz bzzz bzzz bzzz bzzz!
In the blink of an eye, a tremor from the divine miracle surged forth, and an intense dizziness hit me like a ton of bricks. In an instant, I felt my feet lift off the ground, my head spinning like a top, the blinding golden light making it impossible for me to open my eyes, and the next moment, a chaotic force started rampantly tearing through me!
“Goodness!”
I felt like I was tossed into a washing machine, my body being ripped and thrashed by overwhelming power. My dress flared out with a whooshing sound as the entire world spun around. Through the chaos, I could vaguely hear shrill screams approaching rapidly.
“Gah—”
…It’s Goat Cheese! Oh no, I almost forgot—
Bzzz—!!!
The sound of the divine miracle roared like thunder in my ears, and the force ripping through me suddenly accelerated. I felt like I was splitting apart, terrified and wanting to scream, but even as I opened my mouth, no sound came out, my chest felt tight, my heart racing, limbs flailing chaotically, and I didn’t dare open my eyes. I couldn’t tell how long I was in that state when an irresistible push from behind hit me, and my mind went ‘bang’—
“Yeowwww—”
In a fit of hysterical screaming, I was flung out, my little hands flailing wildly, ‘bang’ landing on the hard, cold stone.
%@￥%#￥%@…？？？！
“Ngh—”
The intense dizziness made me gag, the turbulent force finally ceased, and I still didn’t dare to open my eyes, but I vaguely sensed that I had fallen out of the golden light and onto the ground. Panicking, I scrambled to get up… What’s going on? Did I fail? No, wait, the ground is stone; I’m no longer on a grassy slope…
“Angel… cough, cough! Ugh!”
I got to my feet, opened one eye slowly, squinting.
“Pfft, pfft…”
Where is this…
“Oh wow, this entry method is quite unexpected! Were you trying to give us a fright? Hmm… Miss Silvya?”
“Who’s that?”
A strange voice…
I stumbled, nearly falling on my backside again, suppressing the dizzy nausea, gritting my teeth, and opened my eyes.
Before me, rosy flames flickered.
“Whoa, by the gods, what a pretty girl… I’m getting excited!”
“Don’t you think she’s a bit small?”
“That’s what makes her cute; you wouldn’t understand.”
“I’ve decided—she’s going to be my 324th target! I have a feeling I’m destined for love this time, and then I’ll go back home and get married! Go get ‘em, me…”
“Hey, hey, don’t say that in front of her; keep it private.”
More strange voices—more than one person…
What the heck are they talking about?
“Ngh! Cough cough…”
The bright glow gradually faded from my view, revealing mottled stone walls, old wooden chairs, torches burning against the walls, and the faint, musty smell permeating the air… After a moment, it felt like the dim, secretive room was coming into focus.
The room wasn’t large and had little decoration, just a line of chairs against the left wall. Roughly counting, there were about six or seven chairs, three of which were occupied by people: two men and one woman, all looking fairly young, perhaps in their twenties, dressed in the Church’s gold-and-white robes, all looking at me with keen interest.
“…Pfft.”
The torches lit up the small space of the stone chamber, and as the flames flickered, I spat out the dust in my mouth. As my gaze swept over the three, I noticed the laughter in their eyes and had a sinking feeling that my earlier entrance probably hadn’t been very graceful. My cheeks flushed slightly, and I silently cursed Angel. Then I noticed a limp raven shivering on the ground nearby…
Uh-oh.
That silly bird came along too…
“Cough.”
Clearing my throat, I sensed the dizziness fading a bit more, calming my heart, and raised an eyebrow as if nothing had happened, smoothing my skirt before striding toward the raven and inquiring, “Who are you all?”
