[Vol. 7] Chapter 201: Echoes of the Past
The black-haired girl paused for a moment, then gave a helpless smile and shook her head. The words she was about to say were quietly swallowed back.
“Miss Frederica, you’re the Saintess of the Holy Empire. Isn’t it a little inappropriate to say something like that right in front of someone else? Normally, if there really was something that went against the teachings of the faith, shouldn’t you try your best to investigate it, then either take it under control or destroy it, so it won’t cause disaster?”
“Haha… well…”
The Saintess gave an awkward laugh and glanced at the long, elegant [Judgement Holy Sword] at her waist. Then she quickly raised her head again and explained seriously.
“If it had been the old me, I probably would have done exactly what you said, Miss Violet. But after reading and reflecting on the Supreme Divine Teachings left behind by the Goddess, I’ve slowly come to understand the flaws in my past thinking. Like the idea that ‘too much rigidity leads to breaking’.”
“I’m just a weak mortal. Even if I hold the Holy Sword, I can only draw out a small part of its true power. In this world, there are disasters and gods far beyond human strength, things I could never touch, even if I gave my whole life trying... So rather than pushing forward recklessly when I know I can’t succeed, maybe it’s better to step aside and wait for a better time…”
“Of course, I don’t think of you as an enemy, Miss Violet. What I said earlier was just in case. Please don’t misunderstand, I’ll definitely do everything I can to help.”
“…?”
Wait, just what kind of teachings are in those “Holy Words of the Goddess”…?
Violet’s lips twitched slightly. As someone who knew better than to criticize a devout believer’s faith to their face, she could only sigh and press her fingers to her forehead. She held back the urge to say, “So basically, the holy book is just telling people to give up and go with the flow?!” and decided to drop the topic entirely.
Then, under the Saintess’ confused gaze, she took out a small white fox mask.
“Miss Frederica, what I’m about to say might be a surprise, but please don’t panic or get too emotional. Just listen, okay?”
“Uh…? Eh! T-This mask?!”
“Yes. It’s mine. It always has been.”
Humm—
The white fox mask gently settled onto Violet’s face. Light shimmered across its surface, and a figure, one both different from and yet strangely similar to the girl in front of her, seemed to appear from the glow itself, as though descending from the light.
In that moment, the two identities, so deeply connected and tangled together by fate, became one.
In that moment, Violet thought she saw a familiar silly, wide-eyed look flash across the golden-haired girl's face, one that reminded her of a certain Miss Holy Knight. But it quickly disappeared, replaced by a soft shiver that ran through the girl's body.
Her voice seemed to change a little… or maybe it hadn't changed at all. It was hard to tell. But just then, the Saintess suddenly felt as if something had snapped in her mind. The moment her eyes were opened to the truth, she realized there was no difference in the tone of the two voices.
It was unbelievable. But in this moment, it all somehow made perfect sense, as if everything had finally clicked into place.
Because of her… because of that one…
“It’s been a long time, Miss Frederica. It’s been over a year since we last parted ways at the [River of Time], hasn’t it? Looks like you really broke through your limits back then and stepped beyond the bounds of an ordinary person. I should start by congratulating you~”
“Eh… e-eeeehhhhhh?!?”
…………………………………………
That night, darkness once again fell over the Academy City, a place protected by the [Eternal Day] Barrier and the seven tall towers.
In the Sixth District, inside the hotel where the team from Frederick Royal Academy was staying, the long competition had finally come to an end. After seven full days of matches, and that final, chaotic twist, most of the group had fallen into deep sleep after their checkups and healing treatments. The lights were out. The halls on the upper floors were quiet and dark.
All except for one room.
Inside it, a girl lay tossing and turning on her bed, unable to fall asleep no matter how hard she tried.
Lately, Orluk had been having dreams.
They were not good dreams. They took her back to her poor and difficult early life. In the dream, the girl always returned to her old world, the place she once lived, and over and over again, she would remember the time when people still called her Lukeke… and that one nightmare-like memory from the past.
Just like many had guessed, the girl now calling herself Orluk didn’t belong to this world. Years ago, she had crossed the ocean by ship and arrived here, a visitor from another world.
To be more precise, she escaped to this world.
There wasn’t some complicated or mysterious reason behind it. The girl once known as Lukeke had simply made a mistake. A mistake that filled her with guilt and sorrow.
So she ran away.
In the Eastern Kingdom, within the Ancient Spirit Realm, there once lived a girl.
She was born without parents and was taken in at a very young age by an old man who was a little crazy. He called her his chosen heir and raised her like his own, the two of them living together in a small village.
The old man was already quite old and didn’t have any special skills, but he loved to drink and brag. He claimed that when he was young, he had been a famous righteous thief, someone who stole from the corrupt and rich to help the poor. He said he had pulled off several legendary heists, breaking into the treasure vaults of wicked officials and powerful nobles, then using the money to feed the hungry and help those in need. Among those in the trade, he was once called the “[Thief Saint].”
The name [Thief Saint] once echoed across the four kingdoms. He had even been ranked among the legendary Ancient Spirit Realm’s Top 100 Rankings, known far and wide. His tales were told with admiration and awe.
But such fame eventually brought envy and hatred. Those corrupt officials he had stolen from joined forces, laying trap after trap to get rid of him once and for all. They carefully designed a deadly plan to destroy him.
At the time, the [Thief Saint] had become overconfident. He had not lost a heist in years and believed no trap could stop him. Though he sensed something was strange, he still decided to go ahead, thinking he could once again steal the treasure under their noses and laugh as those evil men fumed in frustration.
But what he didn’t realize was that this time, it was all a setup. Those people had already guessed that no ordinary trap or guard could stop the [Thief Saint]. So from the start, they planned for him to succeed in stealing the treasure.
And the real trap? It was the treasure itself, a legendary ancient zither with a mysterious background, known as [Mortal World].
Although this zither was incredibly old and valuable, it was covered by a strange, powerful energy. For as long as anyone had known about it, no one had ever been able to play its strings or unlock its secrets. It couldn’t even be destroyed. It was more of a historical artifact than a usable item. At most, you could try hitting someone with it or use it to block a sword in an emergency.
Of course, it was priceless. But to most people, a treasure with no practical use was just something to collect and admire.
What the [Thief Saint] didn’t know was that this zither, [Mortal World], had once belonged to the number one figure on the Ancient Spirit Realm’s Top 100 Rankings, the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden. And just recently, the Immortal Envoys from Spirit Veil Immortal Island had finally found it again and were preparing to return it to her in the future.
But at that very moment… the [Thief Saint] stole it.