“Do I need to remind you again? That house is my house!”
The next day, early Sunday morning in the carriage heading to the city, Jialinna asked Xia De with some anger.
It was nine o'clock in the morning. After finishing breakfast at the manor, Xia De planned to go to the city to find Human Pus. The original plan was for Luvia and Tifa to accompany him, but Luvia had to rest in bed due to her physical condition, so she stayed at the manor.
Jialinna also had something to do in the city, so she went to the city with Xia De and Tifa.
She only learned about what happened last night from Tifa, who was looking after Mia, this morning. She held back from commenting on it at the manor, but finally brought up the issue once they were in the carriage.
Because the operation might be dangerous, Mia temporarily stayed at the manor with Luvia. As for Xia De, he looked at Tifa sitting next to Jialinna, blinking, hoping the latter would help him out, but the black-haired maid only pretended not to understand him.
“But at least, doesn’t this confirm that I’m really a man?”
Xia De said slowly. The Witch took a deep breath, looking like she was holding back the urge to punch Xia De:
“Even the clothes she wore were found by my maids. The house is mine, the bed is mine, the quilt is mine, the pillow is mine, even the clothes are mine, and she actually…”
She clearly couldn't swallow this, and while talking, she looked at Xia De, then suddenly said:
“But it’s also good, your kissing skills are so bad… your skills shouldn’t be good either. The maids who passed by the door on night shift said that your stamina seems to be very good, but stamina alone is not enough. It would be good for your future to let others help you train.”
Xia De didn't hear a word in the middle clearly, but Tifa heard it. She blushed and slightly turned her head.
The Red-haired Witch snorted:
“However, this can indeed confirm that you are at least physically male, although I don’t really like this method… I already told Xi Wei about you last night, including that strange Ling Rune and your ability to enter the corridor. Xia De, it’s best not to use Felianna's Witch Light in front of High-Ring Sorcerers. From yesterday onwards, more and more people will recognize this Miracle.”
“I understand.”
Xia De nodded, very happy to finally leave that somewhat embarrassing topic:
“I only have one thing to do in the next two weeks, and that is to participate in Great City Player.”
Actually, there was another thing, which was the arrival of the letter that Sparrow Detective said would be burned on the fifth day of this month. But this matter had nothing to do with the Witch, so Xia De didn't mention it.
“It’s best if that’s the case. Within two weeks, many people will come to Tobesk to investigate the situation, especially the professors of Saint Byron's. It’s best if you do nothing, just pretend to be an ordinary Detective and rhode cards player. Once others discover that you are related to the appearance of the fifth epoch Witch, you will be in big trouble.”
Jialinna paused and asked another question:
“Now, is your spell Toy Making effective against that Diviner?”
She was usually very rational, so she didn't ignore this question, and Xia De certainly wouldn't forget this matter:
“I tried it this morning, and it still doesn’t work.”
“That doesn’t work either?”
The Witch frowned, while Xia De looked at the scenery outside the window. Before entering the city, there was still a section of road driving in the countryside. In early autumn, the scenery outside the city was very beautiful.
“Are you there?”
“Outsider, I am always with you.”
Her whisper sounded in his ear. Even at the most intimate moment last night, Luvia's voice did not relax Xia De's mind as much as hers.
“Any discoveries last night?”
He asked, and the voice in his ear seemed to laugh:
“Luvia Annett’s other self is severely injured, but it has been confirmed that she is a genuine ‘other self’, and not replaced by an alien life form like Ivan Darkness, nor replaced by some strange relic. Her special Diviner power indeed comes from the characteristics of her other self.”
Xia De looked at the scenery flashing past the window and frowned slightly. Although he had seen mirrors in the ruins that could harm “the other self”, relics that could do this were actually extremely rare. And the consequences of a Ring術士’s “other self” being harmed were even more serious than the consequences of one's own soul being harmed.
“So what Luvia said was true.”
“Also, her other self has a certain degree of autonomy.”
“What do you mean? Don’t all Ring術士’s ‘other selves’ have autonomy? Like you, don’t you also have autonomy?”
Xia De asked, and what he got was still a laugh. The voice in his ear sounded, and the ancient language whispered, making Xia De really suspect that she was actually right beside his ear:
“The breeze of the sixth epoch blows across your face. When the extraordinaries standing in this era gaze behind themselves, what they see is their own reflection in the world, what they see is the deepest shadow after the soul folds back. I am you, you are me, I will never harm you, you will always trust me, this is the most ancient and primitive contract that has existed since the birth of the first mortals.”
“Um… can you put it simply?”
“I will never do what you don’t want to do, but her other self might do so.”
The carriage swayed. Jialinna was still thinking, while Tifa took out a notebook from her skirt to check today's schedule. Xia De sighed slightly, and thought of the purple-eyed girl sleeping peacefully in the manor:
“Do you know why Luvia’s other self is so special?”
“I can only feel and investigate, but cannot give a reason.”
Xia De then stopped asking questions and shifted his attention to the scenery outside the window.
Just as she said, the wind blew on his face, reminding him that he was in reality, not a dream.
After last night, this world, for the Outsider, was like a black and white photograph with added colors, becoming increasingly real and vivid.
After the carriage entered the city, Xia De did not immediately drop the collected Human Pus liquid into his eyes. Instead, he first went to the Sun Church, and at an intersection one block away from the church, he picked up Iluna, who was holding an umbrella.
When they left the manor just now, the weather was only overcast, but after entering the city, a light drizzle began to fall.
When Xia De asked Jialinna to send a letter to Priest Augustus last night, he also asked the servants to deliver a letter to Iluna. The Duchess had a way to safely and secretly contact the people inside the church. After obtaining Jialinna's consent, he explained Tifa and Jialinna's situation and stated that they were already safe.
Iluna's reply was sent to the manor this morning. Iluna was worried that Human Pus would cause other problems, so she wanted to act with Xia De and solve the problem this time.
“The Church is really going crazy.”
Xia De moved inward in the carriage, also moving the god's gift box at his feet inward. The seventeen-year-old girl who got into the car put her umbrella in the side storage compartment, sat directly beside Xia De, and after politely greeting Jialinna, complained to Xia De:
“Xia De, you actually threw everything to me. I wrote reports until one in the morning before resting!”
Xia De thought about what he was doing at one in the morning today. The gasps, Luvia's passionate kiss, and the soft bed, whose source was unknown, immediately flooded his mind:
“Has Weeping Blood Hermons been caught?”
Hearing him ask this, Jialinna also looked at Iluna, who thought for a moment and said:
“Hermons seemed to have originally planned for Darkness’s failure, and coupled with the fact that Sunlight Greatsword Hogg Lundell needed to return to the Darkness Domain, he managed to escape. But having taken a blow from Mr. Lundell’s Sublimation Words head-on, he will probably need to recover for several decades again. Besides him, almost all the other helpers summoned by the twelve-ring Vampire Weepers have been captured by us, and the Prophet Association even captured two Truth Society members. The Church can be said to have achieved complete victory in this operation.”
Iluna was in a good mood:
“Of course, the matter concerning Miss Mana Feilianna is the most troublesome part of the subsequent handling. I heard from Mr. Hogg Lundell that the Five Gods Church jointly sent a letter to Saint Byron's, asking them to explain what happened yesterday.”
“Um… What did the academy say? Is there any news?”
Xia De asked, and Iluna smiled:
“Saint Byron's formal reply was received this morning. They are also very angry. Your principal, Professor Pikeman, ‘The Watcher of Silver,’ instead accused the Church of using the power of the academy’s founder and demanded that the Church provide an explanation for last night’s incident. This matter certainly cannot be explained clearly in a short time. I only said that I saw a Summoner wearing a robe appear, and because of the Miracle used by Miss Felianna at the end, all other traces were covered, so even if they wanted to investigate, they wouldn’t find anything.”
The Witch next to him also interjected:
“However, Miss Bei Ya Si, since you took credit for killing the Chosen One, I think the Church should also have a reward, right?”
Iluna looked at the Witch, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded:
“Yes, but they haven’t said what they will give me yet.”
“With your merits and status, I think that when you are promoted to Middle-Ring, you will be the first living person to be canonized in the Five Gods Church in the last hundred years, apart from those highly respected Popes.”
Jialinna said. She was not joking; Iluna really might become “Saint Bei Ya Si” in the future.
“That doesn’t matter. I didn’t exert much effort in this matter. From the situation at the time, even without me, Xia De would have had his own way.”
The seventeen-year-old girl said softly.
This was, of course, modesty. If it weren't for her using the talent of “Balance” to barely suppress the power of Human Pus, Xia De would not have been able to hold on until the end to summon Miss Felianna.
“Chosen of Balance, I think Xia De has already informed you of my identity. So, are you interested in following me to learn? No need to become a Witch, just follow me to learn the way of Balance, the ‘Law’ series of Miracles.”
The Witch asked again, it seemed she had already considered it last night. Xia De highly suspected that her accompanying him to the city today was precisely to have a reason to meet Iluna while he was present.
