Chapter 63: The Saint Returns
“Umm…”
As the blazing light streamed through the curtains, illuminating the bedroom, the girl sprawled across the large white bed, clutching her pillow, frowned slightly. A soft, sticky sound escaped her nose like a sleepy m*an.
Her lashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
…So hot.
As much as she wanted to linger in bed for a while longer, the heat was unbearable…
A few strands of black hair at her temples were soaked with a fine sweat, sticking uncomfortably to her cheek. I raised my hand to touch my forehead, feeling the dampness and slickness, sweat coating my fingertips.
I’m burning up! So much sweat!
It was quite annoying…
Sarah was right; after a night of endless drizzle finally came to a halt, it felt like the Royal City had ushered in summer. My entire bedroom was turning into a sticky sauna, and here I was in some not-so-thin silk pajamas. Though the duvet had long since been kicked to the end of the bed, the heat had still woken me up.
I can’t take it anymore…
Throwing the soft pillow aside, I tousled my hair and crawled out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom while stripping off my pajamas and undergarments, sliding into the coolness of the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and splashed some lukewarm water over myself.
Ahh, bliss.
After a quick cold shower and drying off, I went to the wardrobe, squatting down to rummage through the drawers for a fresh pair of undergarments and a bra. I grimaced while flipping through a plethora of long-sleeved dresses hanging there, struggling to find something suitable. It was taking forever to find anything because they were all long-sleeved.
…I seem to lack short-sleeved or sleeveless clothes.
I remembered wearing some way back in the little village, hand-stitched by Grandma Claire, but I hadn’t brought many when I left. After arriving in Winter City, my mother thought the fabric of those clothes was too coarse and made me leave them in the castle.
Guess I need to go buy something…
I felt inexplicably irritated; it was truly a nuisance.
Come on, I’m part of the Frost Order! Why can’t I just do like the stories say, and release some ice mist to cool myself down when it gets hot?!
I thought of this when I was donning armor before, but letting out even a tad bit of ice mist would just freeze the sweat into icy clumps. Over time, it would harden everything. If I was in battle, it wouldn’t matter, but during a typical day? That would be downright miserable; I might just prefer to be hot.
Giving up, I settled for a light knee-length skirt and padded barefoot downstairs, devouring the entire almond cake I bought yesterday before slipping on some shoes and heading out.
The sun was blazing, and the clouds were swirling ominously.
I could faintly hear lovely birds chirping high in the sky.
When I reached the courtyard, I couldn’t help but glance over at the neighboring mansion. It seemed eerily quiet over there, not a sound to be heard.
It was almost noon… Victoria must be so busy, she probably left early this morning—
…Huh?
I turned my head, glancing at the top of my own house. It was empty; not even a bird or stray critter in sight.
But for a brief moment, I thought I felt a gaze…
Was that just my imagination?
I turned back, tilting my head and standing in the lawn, staring at my own two-story house for quite some time.
“Rect?”
I called out softly, waiting a moment for a reply but got none.
“Victoria?”
Still no response.
Besides those two, who else could slip past my sharp senses? Carlos?
…He wouldn’t dare show his face!
It definitely wasn’t him…
I remembered experiencing a feeling like this before. I don’t quite know how to describe it… like wandering through a pitch-black alleyway at night, sensing a strange feeling that someone was always watching from behind. Last time, I thought it was the Sword of Kanli causing it, so I ignored it… Have I really become overly sensitive?
Or maybe my abilities have sharpened after consuming… I thought I was used to it by now, but it seems like I still need some time.
Shaking my head, I turned and stepped outside.
Once through the iron gate, I strolled lazily down Longdoll Street’s cobbled road. The air was stifling, and soon sweat beads gathered on my nose, half of my back felt like it was thrown into a steamer… it was the hair! Long and thick, it felt like I was donning a large, fluffy coat.
I should have tied my hair up before leaving…
I picked up the pace.
With that thought in mind, I quickened my stride. As I turned around the corner at the street’s end, I suddenly noticed some notices posted on the wall ahead.
Huh?
The papers looked quite new, like a few portraits with small lines of text underneath.
When were these put up…? Were they there last night? I didn’t really notice.
As I moved closer, I discovered they were missing persons notices.
[Judith, missing since the evening of March 4th…]
[Olivia, disappeared on the morning of March 9th while shopping for groceries at the Curie Market…]
[Hansen, last seen returning home drunkenly on the night of March 13th, has yet to return…]
There were a total of six posters, all detailing people—both men and women—who were missing. Each paper bore the stamp of the adjudication office at the bottom.
[Generous rewards for any information.]
…But can these pictures really help find them?
How does someone disappear while just going shopping for groceries…
In the bustling Royal City, even though the security was fairly good, when you considered the population of at least a million, anything could happen. Just a few days ago at the Academy, Sarah mentioned a brawl at a tavern on the rest day at Curie Street and someone even got killed—missing persons weren’t uncommon.
So I didn’t think much of it.
I arrived at the street where I got off with Victoria last night. I walked to the end of that street and stepped into a clothing store called “Robin,” which was the very place I had intended to take Victoria shopping.
This place’s clothes were far less lavish than the royal palace gowns, and probably didn’t even compare to the tailored outfits of the nobility, but they were still quite high-end, using comfortable fabric. Most importantly, the designs were lovely, and I liked them.
I quickly picked out a few simple, pretty sleeveless dresses, also grabbing two wide-brimmed sun hats. One I placed on my head, and after paying, I stepped out with my newly bought clothes. As I turned to head home, I suddenly spotted a familiar silhouette across the street.
Still donned in her pure white nun’s attire, Margaret’s beautiful figure was subtly accentuated even under the baggy fabric. A white veil wrapped tightly around her head exposed only half her face and a pair of light blue eyes. She stood there gracefully, chewing on a chicken leg that had already seen better days, cheeks puffed out as she slowly savored it. She had her head tilted back, seemingly gazing at the clothes displayed in the shop window across the street and completely ignoring the passersby.
That’s Margaret?
Looks like it…
When did she get back…? What’s she doing just standing there? Kind of dazed…
…Is it really Margaret?
With a touch of confusion, I crossed the street toward her and confirmed it was indeed Margaret.
She seemed oblivious to my approach, slowly tearing another small chunk of chicken, leisurely chewing it, her gaze fixed on the opposite side as if she were in a stupor.
I tilted my head and waved my shopping bags in front of her eyes, a smile creeping onto my lips: “Hey!”
“Ah!”
Margaret startled and instinctively hid her hands behind her back, chicken leg and all, turning her head to meet my gaze.
I blinked.
She blinked back.
“…Snort, haha.”
Her little girl act of being caught sneaking a bite cracked me up, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Seeing me, Margaret’s expression turned a shade awkward, but she feigned nonchalance: “Miss Silvya…”
“When did you come back?” I asked.
“Not long ago, just entered the city.”
Just entered the city?
“Then, what are you doing here?”
“Just passing by, so I stopped to rest and grab a bite…”
She seemed reluctant to discuss it further, quickly shifting the topic: “You’re just on time; I wanted to talk to you… Are you not busy now?”
I gently shook my head: “Not busy. I was about to go home.”
“Then let’s go talk.” Margaret pointed towards the end of the street, “The war chariot is parked over there; I’ll drive you back.”
“Okay.”
I accompanied her along the way, and Margaret quickly polished off that chicken leg, tossing the bone to a scruffy stray dog. Once she swallowed the last bite, I couldn’t help but ask: “How was it?”
“Tasted pretty good.”
“Where’d you get it?”
Now I was a bit envious…
“Across the street.”
“Oh…”
Thinking it might be along the way, I added, “Let’s stop by there for a bit.”
“Sure.”
Reaching the end of that street and turning into another street, I saw two luxurious church war chariots parked by the road ahead.
Why are they parked so far away…
I shot a curious glance at Margaret, who kept her eyes straight ahead, posture ramrod straight, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth clean. She definitely felt my gaze but didn’t glance over.
“Your Holiness.”
When we reached the war chariot, a nun who had been waiting for us pulled back the curtain of the front carriage. Margaret told the driver to head for Longdoll Street and then climbed into the carriage with me.
“The new Abyss seems to show no signs of abnormality so far,” Margaret said as the war chariot began to move, “The mire is already boiling. But based on the scholars’ predictions, it might take another two months… or even longer to hatch.”
I frowned slightly: “Is it really that slow?”
Margaret shook her head gently.
“Typically, Abysses don’t take this long to hatch; they usually emerge within half a month to a month after the mire begins to boil. However, this Abyss in Rabeli Valley is somewhat special. The fissure is relatively smaller than those in the past, and the depth of the mire remains unknown. The hatching cycle is obviously extended, and there are no signs of awakening yet.”
Special, huh…
How long did it take me to awaken? When I was in the mire, everything felt fuzzy… no way to keep track of time, but it didn’t seem like it took too long. After regaining consciousness, I got out pretty quickly.
Definitely not two months.
If my speed was normal, then what was going on with this Abyss that had appeared in the village?
I had a bad feeling; I wanted to see it…
“Margaret, when are we going again? I want to go too.”
Hesitation flickered on Margaret’s face for a moment before she shook her head again.
“No, you better not.”
“Why not?”
“The situation over there is quite special… A Cardinal is currently on the scene. He’s one of the few in the church who knows your identity, and—”
At that, Margaret paused, as if mulling something over, and decided not to finish her sentence.
“Anyway, if possible, I’d prefer you not to have too much contact with him.”
