[Vol. 8] Chapter 82: Frightening
A legend among legends, she became a top-level Legendary Adventurer with just three missions, along with a companion, starting from nothing. She was the only person in nearly a hundred years to be named an honorary professor by the academy city, Sainz. Although she had never studied or registered with any temple or church, her holy magic was said to be on par with the level of the Three Saintesses...
As her name slowly and quietly spread, some scholars and organizations began to track all the times and places she had appeared. Before long, they made a shocking discovery, many of the recent divine miracles, which had been happening more and more often in recent years, seemed to always happen in the same time and place as this mysterious priestess!
For years, scholars have tried to figure out why divine power has been appearing so often in the world. At first, the strange connection between these events and Miss Violet didn’t get much attention. But once it happened again and again, it was hard to call it just a coincidence.
And when you also consider the strength Miss Priestess occasionally showed, clearly beyond normal human limits, yet with no visible boundary, and how no one could uncover anything about her past no matter how hard they looked, the academic world began to form a new theory. Violet might have a close connection with the source of all holy power, the Sacred Primordial Light… or at least, that was the rumor.
Amy was a strong believer in this theory. That’s why she thought Violet appearing at the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild at the exact time when a Goddess, who represents one form of the Primordial Light, descended into the Holy Capital, couldn’t be just a coincidence. Violet’s reason for coming here had to be more than it seemed.
Ayla, on the other hand, didn’t really understand what this place was or why Amy was so opposed to Violet, someone connected to the divine being, visiting. But she didn’t plan to look too deeply into it.
She came today only to ask for help and advice. That was it.
With that in mind, the young scholar quickly calmed herself down and began to sort out what to say next.
“Please don’t call me something so grand as ‘legendary’... Honestly, Miss Violet, compared to your great reputation, we Lightborn Tribe aren’t anything special. I don’t mean to dig into the secrets of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. If I’ve interrupted your meeting with Mister Shui today, I can leave first. But…”
After saying a few polite words, Ayla narrowed her eyes slightly. A sharp glint shone through her sapphire-blue eyes, something that even her dark circles couldn’t hide. She suddenly took the lead in the conversation.
“This… seems to be the first time we’ve met, doesn’t it? I also never said I came here to ask Mister Shui for help. So, Miss Violet, how did you know that?”
“~”
The black-haired girl just smiled without answering. That strange but oddly familiar feeling inside Ayla grew stronger, and she frowned a little.
“Miss Violet, let me be direct, have we met before?”
Looking pleased, almost as if confirming something, the priestess finally nodded with a smile.
“Of course we’ve met. As for when and where, wasn’t it just earlier, on that street?”
“......”
Ayla’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t seem too surprised. With her sharp mind as a top scholar, and considering the abilities Violet had just shown, how could she not have guessed what was going on?
Her earlier words had just been a final test to confirm it.
“So, the mysterious person who drove off those stalkers earlier on the street… that was you, Miss Violet, wasn’t it?”
Everything came together in her mind like puzzle pieces. Realization appeared on her face, followed by confusion.
“Why did you do that? Where did you take those people? I’m just a low-ranking scholar. Why would someone as powerful as you secretly watch me all this time? What do you want from me?”
Violet was still smiling. Instead of answering, she asked a question in return.
“Why? Miss Ayla, are you feeling sorry for them or worried about them? Those guys didn’t have good intentions toward you, you know.”
“…I’m just curious and thinking about my own safety. Besides, they didn’t do anything that deserves death.”
“Hehe, just as I thought~”
“?”
Ayla tilted her head in confusion. She faintly heard Violet mutter something very softly, like a quiet comment, which didn’t seem related to the topic at all. Before she could ask, Violet returned to the conversation with another gentle smile.
“Those useless low-level thugs? I handed them over to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. If you’re interested, Miss Ayla, you can go take a look later. You can ask anything you want or decide what to do with them. As for why they were following you…”
She paused on purpose, keeping a little mystery, then spoke with a deeper meaning in her voice.
“Miss Ayla, you’ve been watched by some troublesome people for a while now, haven’t you? What I mean is... I’m not the only one who’s been watching you~”
Ayla, as if letting out something she had held in for a long time, nodded helplessly.
“That’s true. For example, the five unknown stalkers from today… if Miss Violet hadn’t stepped in to help…”
At that point, Ayla suddenly froze. With her many years of experience as a scholar and adventurer, plus the Lightborn Tribe’s natural sharp instincts, she faintly sensed something was off, like her heart skipped a beat. It gave her a strong and strange feeling of unease.
Wait… Something isn’t right.
Something in today’s events was out of place. Some part of the story wasn’t where it should be. A detail was being overlooked… What was it?
No, no… Let’s think it through carefully, from the beginning.
First, those five stalkers, they were beginners. She noticed them soon after they appeared and marked them with a special method. That part is fine.
Then, they began disappearing one by one in strange ways. Violet said she was the one who did it, and she even admitted it just now… That’s also fine.
So, Violet was the one secretly watching her and making her feel uneasy all this time…?
No! That doesn’t add up!
Violet just said she wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on Ayla. And earlier, she said those five stalkers were worthless. That means they couldn’t be the "troublesome people" she was talking about. Then what does she mean?
Think carefully, if Violet had followed Ayla all the way to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, noticed Mister Shui’s presence or had been invited earlier, and arrived before them, capturing the stalkers and explaining everything to Shui beforehand…
That would explain why Mister Shui seemed to already know everything without needing an explanation. It would also be the only explanation that made sense. But that leads to a strange problem.
—The creepy feeling of being watched, which Ayla only noticed after the stalkers vanished and she became more alert, couldn’t have been from Violet.
Because Violet had already come to this place earlier and had stopped watching her. Yet, that uncomfortable and threatening gaze only disappeared after Ayla actually entered the secret passage and stepped into this area protected by the Fox God.
Which means the person watching her was still outside at that moment, and not Violet, who had arrived earlier.
So up until now… who was secretly watching her from the shadows?