[Vol. 8] Chapter 117: Elunie Light
The moment she saw the girl, the black-haired girl let out a quiet sound of surprise, then quickly noticed something unusual.
This was a strange girl with hair as pure and clean as shining light. Her blonde hair fell naturally, but was split into three sections, one wide and two thin, almost like she had two long braids.
Compared to the already petite priestess, this girl was even a little shorter. While she wasn’t a child anymore, she still looked very young and far from fully grown. Her body was thin and fragile, and her presence gave the feeling that even a light push could knock her down.
What stood out most was the small wooden stick in her hand, clearly old and well-used, like it had been with her for many years. It looked like it was for helping her walk and find her way. Even more surprising were her eyes. As a member of the Lightborn, her eyes should have been clear and bright like blue gems. But instead, they were dull and unfocused, like deep, empty pools.
She stood alone in the crowd, like a tiny boat drifting in a huge ocean, looking as if she might be swallowed by the waves at any moment. It made people naturally feel pity for her.
This girl... was blind.
And judging by her eyes, it seemed to be a disease she was born with, not something caused by an injury. She didn’t seem to have anyone taking care of her either. What was a blind girl doing here alone at a trial like this? Did she want to become one of the chosen heroes?
Violet felt a little surprised. She couldn’t sense any magical energy from the girl at all, not even the smallest bit. She quietly looked to the dragon girl beside her for confirmation, and got a small shake of the head in reply. That meant it wasn’t a disguise, the girl truly had no magic. She was, without a doubt, just an ordinary person.
Even though magic isn’t everything, it's still the main source of power for more than 90% of beings in this world, for both fighting and daily life. The girl’s thin arms and legs didn’t make her look like a strong fighter either…
She looked far too weak and out of place here, in this place where heroes were being chosen.
And yet, even though she clearly couldn’t see anything, just a moment ago, she had turned her unfocused eyes exactly toward Violet and spoken words that were hard to ignore…
For the first time since the trial began, the priestess felt real curiosity and confusion. She gave a small glance to her dragon, who immediately nodded and stepped forward to gently guide the crowd away from the blind girl without making a scene. Violet herself walked directly toward the girl, stopping at a distance just close enough to face her at eye level.
The girl's voice had been very soft earlier, as if her throat was weak and her body not in great shape. She wasn’t hiding her voice on purpose, but only those with sharp senses, like the priestess and the dragon girl, had been able to hear her.
Staring into the girl's unfocused eyes for a moment, the black-haired girl asked directly.
“Were you… talking to me just now?”
Hearing the question, though it was clearly just to confirm what was already obvious, the blind girl didn’t act confused. Instead, she calmly gave a small nod, and in nearly the same soft voice, she repeated her earlier question. A question that, if heard by anyone else in the square, might have scared them into jumping on the spot.
“Big sister… aren’t you the Goddess’s messenger?”
“…Why would I be a messenger of the Goddess? Why do you think that?”
Ah, hit with a hard question, the priestess quickly responded with two even trickier questions of her own. This was her secret technique she had worked hard to develop, her best way to deal with mysterious people. Answer a riddle with a riddle!
“Eh…?”
Just as expected, the blind Lightborn girl looked startled and unsure after being hit with those rapid questions. Her face was full of confusion, and she stayed quiet for a while. Leaning on her stick for support, she finally lowered her head and spoke softly, sounding a little uneasy and apologetic.
“I’m sorry, um… I just felt that the feeling coming from you was almost exactly the same as the statue that was personally blessed by the Goddess. That’s why I guessed on my own… I’m really sorry if I offended you…”
“...So you’re not one of those riddle-talkers?”
Surprised by the girl's honest answer, the priestess blinked slightly and instinctively touched her own face, then remembered the girl was blind and couldn’t see her expression anyway. She sighed and shook her head.
“You just said… a feeling?”
If what she said was true, then this little girl was quite interesting…
Indeed, that statue did contain some of the “SP” energy that Violet had placed inside ahead of time. It was the foundation that kept the whole trial running and connected it to her mind. But that energy came from a true divine power. Unless someone with divine-level awareness got close and studied it carefully, there was no way they could sense its real nature.
And Violet herself had also used a [Cognitive Obstruction Mask] to hide her presence. Although the mask was just a minor spiritual tool, not as powerful as the [Dominion of the Fox Mask] which could completely change one’s existence, it should still be enough to prevent others from seeing the truth so easily. For someone to clearly sense the link between the two, and match them… that was not something just anyone could do.
This girl looked like a regular person. But how could a Lightborn have absolutely no magical energy at all? And how did she, with no effort, achieve something that even some holy knights might not be able to do? It was truly unbelievable…
Still, by observing her emotions with her [Yin-Yang Eyes], Violet could mostly confirm that the girl’s nervousness and apology were real, not fake. After staring at her a moment longer, she noticed that their conversation was starting to attract the attention of nearby people, and even members of the holy knight order, so she shook her head and decided not to press the matter any further for now.
“It’s okay. But I’m not a messenger of the Goddess. Little one, can you tell me your name?”
Sensing the warmth and kindness in Violet’s voice, the blind Lightborn girl slowly lifted her head again. Her unfocused eyes still turned directly toward where Violet stood, and a calm, gentle smile appeared on her face.
“My name is Elunie Light. You can call me Elunie or Little Luni, my friends always call me that.”
“Elunie Light…”
That was definitely the kind of name used by the Lightborn. But… Elunie? Why did that name sound a bit familiar?
It wasn’t like she had ever met or known someone with that name, Violet had a very good memory, and she wouldn’t forget something like that. It felt more like the name reminded her of something else… something similar…
“I’m sorry, but please don’t walk around while waiting in line.”
Before Violet could think any further, a holy knight nearby stepped forward. He probably noticed that Elunie was a Lightborn and blind, so he first glanced at the black-haired girl she had been talking to, then quietly spoke to Elunie for a moment. When he saw that neither of them said much, he checked the number tag hanging around Elunie’s neck, then gently patted her shoulder to guide her.