“Xia De, how are you feeling now?”
Half an hour later, Luvia, who had received a message from Tifa, learned that Xia De had woken up and came to Saint Delan Square Six from Silver Cross Avenue.
“Very good, I’m not injured, and I even feel stronger.”
At this time, the maid had already left, and Xia De greeted her downstairs with Mia. The weather was quite nice today. In the late autumn morning, Saint Delan Square was bustling with people, and opening the door revealed a prosperous City street view.
“Whether you are injured or not can only be determined after an examination. However, your expression is very strange.”
The purple-eyed girl said, puzzled.
Xia De stepped aside to let Luvia enter, and as she brushed past Xia De, she subtly twitched her nose:
“So that’s it. Detective, having an affair with someone else’s maid is not the act of a gentleman.”
She smelled a perfume scent that most people wouldn't notice, but it was very distinctive.
“I didn’t with Tifa—”
A slender finger wiped Xia De’s face, and he immediately stopped speaking.
“Of course, I know you didn’t sleep together, but I bet, Xia De, you definitely weren’t honest.”
She smiled and walked through the door, after all, this wasn’t the first time she had discovered Xia De’s secret with a maid:
“I don’t mind this at all. Getting along well with that Great Witch is also helpful to us. Miss Servite is indeed very charming, even from a woman’s perspective. I’m just very curious, what exactly did you two do?”
Xia De hesitated for a moment, took her hat, and placed it on the shoe cabinet:
“Um… just had breakfast.”
“Breakfast?”
Luvia asked suspiciously, so Xia De leaned close to her ear in the hall and whispered a few words.
The purple-eyed girl first frowned slightly:
“Wait a minute, don’t omit so many words and replace them with vague sounds. How am I supposed to know—”
Then, realizing something, her cheeks immediately flushed, and she muttered softly:
“A trained maid is just different, so bold.”
She gently pushed Xia De away, her purple eyes looking at him:
“Although my figure is not as good as hers—damn it, I actually admitted that—but we can try it in the future too. Xia De, you really worked hard this time, welcome back.”
After kissing Xia De’s cheek, the two went to the third floor. Luvia’s first concern was naturally Xia De’s physical condition. After repeatedly confirming that he was very healthy, she began to talk about Middesburg.
The choice regarding the Chosen One in the death Water had already been discussed by Joey Barton on Wednesday evening. Of course, the version he told was the one Xia De and the others had modified while sitting around the bonfire. However, facing Luvia, Xia De certainly wouldn't lie and fully recounted what happened that night in the midst of death.
Luvia listened quietly. At first, she sat opposite Xia De, then moved to sit beside him, and finally took Xia De’s hand:
“Even if your friends can help you, wasn’t this too risky? Previously, fighting those powerful enemies, although also risky, at least there were always others by your side. This time, you went to fight Joey Barton alone. Although you won, don’t do that again in the future.”
She said with great concern, but Xia De didn’t feel that his actions were risky. Before stepping into that water, he had already thought of everything:
“Don’t worry, Luvia, I cherish my life more than anyone. Look, not only did I come back successfully, but I also became a Four-Ring Warlock. Now, you, I, and Iluna are all Four Ring.”
Xia De slept for an entire day, and news from Middesburg spread like snowflakes from that City throughout the entire material world.
This morning, because she was busy having breakfast, Tifa only gave very simple news, while Luvia received more detailed information from the Prophet Association.
For example, the dense fog in Middesburg did not immediately disperse after the decisive battle ended in the early hours of Thursday morning. It even persists until this Friday morning. This is an aftereffect, and the Orthodox Church is actively working to resolve this matter.
The exact number of casualties among ordinary citizens in Middesburg is currently unknown, but the casualties among the Ring Warlock of the Orthodox Church and the Delarion Royal Army have been tallied.
Even though the Orthodox Church’s plan was very complete this time, and the unexpected appearance of the God made the battle, which should have been more intense, much easier, the Orthodox Church still suffered nearly thirty casualties, and the Royal Army confirmed over 300 fatalities.
The latter number is not large; after all, although this era is peaceful, there are still minor frictions between the two countries, and 300 fatalities are only equivalent to a small battle. However, the former is a considerably large number. The training of Ring Warlock is not easy, and most of the Ring術士 participating in this operation were Middle-Ring and High-Ring. This is the most severe damage the Orthodox Church has suffered in nearly a century, arguably unparalleled.
But fortunately, for the Orthodox Church with extraordinary power, as long as they don’t die, there is no situation of severe injury that cannot be healed. This time, the enemy was an undead, and although it was attached to whisper element, there were no untreatable injuries. Therefore, although the number of casualties was huge, it would not fundamentally affect the Orthodox Church.
In addition to the Orthodox Church’s sacrifices, other Ring術士 organizations, such as the academy, also suffered losses. Luvia specifically mentioned the crazy Phoenix that sealed the passage at the peak of Gap Mountain; it also sacrificed itself in the final battle.
“Wait, can’t the Phoenix be reborn from fire?”
Xia De immediately asked.
“The Orthodox Church did not find the reborn Ancient One. Perhaps it also left along the path guided by the God, or perhaps it re-entered the mountains to await recovery.”
After saying this, Luvia smiled:
“From Tobesk to Coldwater Port, and then from Coldwater Port to Middesburg, although Mi Fort suffered the most, Mi Fort’s operation was also the most successful.”
She counted on her fingers:
“The Orthodox Church achieved almost all of its goals: the Gap problem was permanently resolved, the Chosen One quota was confirmed, they even determined the Summoner’s faction, oh, and now your Night Watchman is in Iluna’s hands. The sacrifice was valuable; Middesburg was not destroyed, and all of this was worth it.”
Mentioning “Summoner,” she looked at Xia De, and Xia De knew she had been waiting for this topic:
“Yes, it’s me.”
On the night of the God’s descent in Tobesk, Luvia and Iluna already knew that Xia De was the physical vessel of the Old God.
“Xia De, what exactly are you doing? Why do you want to… with that Vampire? Why, what exactly did the God do in Middesburg? I don’t understand, I really don’t understand why you would do this.”
She sat sideways and hugged Xia De’s neck. Xia De knew that before he returned in the early hours of Thursday, she must have worried all night but couldn’t tell anyone.
No sound of crying was heard, but tears had already soaked Xia De’s collar; she was truly terrified.
“Do you remember Grace and Helen that I mentioned?”
Mortals should not know too much about Gods. Xia De could only roughly describe what happened that night after he went to Middesburg again, from his own perspective.
“.There was no conspiracy. It’s ridiculous to say, but the appearance of the God was truly only for those two Red Butterfly. The Vampire’s protector wanted blood wine, and the silver moon Old God who borrowed my body had promised in the past to protect them, which is why there was the God War in the early hours of Wednesday. Don’t worry, I am special; the God borrowing my body will not cause me too much harm.”
Xia De held Luvia’s shoulders:
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Just for two butterflies from the mortal world, two Gods fought fiercely in the Sicar Mountain area, but in the end, neither of them took them away. I think, even if the Orthodox Church racked their brains, they wouldn’t be able to figure out the truth of that night; even the most brilliant Diviner would never believe that something so boring could happen.”
The still sobbing girl looked at Xia De with slightly red and swollen eyes:
“Gods are too distant for me; all I want to hold onto is you.”
She kissed Xia De, and the kiss tasted of tears.
“Look at me.”
The two looked at each other at close range. There were still tears in those moving purple eyes, and the owner of the eyes saw the determination in the young man’s gaze as he spoke:
“Luvia, I will always accompany you until the end of everything. I will not leave early; this is a promise.”
She hugged Xia De again, and it was a long time before she let go:
“Sorry, I’m going to touch up my makeup.”
Standing up and walking towards the washroom, Xia De stroked Mia, who was by his hand. To appease this cat whose breakfast time had been delayed, the metamorphosis ring, fish training ring, and vampire ring were all simultaneously on her tail:
“I’m Four Ring, and Mia is closely following ‘Three Ring’ with the vampire ring. Where did it get it from?”
“Luvia Annett is really worried about you.”
A voice sounded in his ear, and Xia De’s attention was diverted as he shifted his gaze towards the washroom:
“Sometimes I worry about myself, but since I’ve decided to walk the path to becoming a God, I won’t hesitate, after all, it’s the path I chose. The God of Vampires’ Divine Radiance has been burned again, and I urgently need the next drop of Divine Radiance. Even if it’s not for PentaCircle preparation, it’s for the Divine Radiance state… Power~”
Xia De sighed inwardly, and Luvia quickly returned, her complexion back to normal. After softly apologizing for her emotional outburst, she continued to discuss Middesburg with Xia De.
The story continued from the God War, then came the gratitude of countless souls that surprisingly reached Xia De, and finally, Sister Devlin’s somewhat “despicable” act of making Xia De accept the power of fire.
Luvia didn’t have too many opinions about the Original Fire, but she wanted to find a time to meet Sister Devlin alone. However, now that the traveler's travel door was damaged, meeting was not easy. As for the power Xia De gained, Luvia leaned closer, looking at Xia De’s face up close:
“Indeed, although your appearance hasn’t changed, you are indeed more attractive than before, my knight.”
She lightly kissed the corner of Xia De’s lips:
“This is a very precious gift. Perhaps you don’t realize it yourself, but it means that the world will also be kind to you. If you were a Diviner, divining fate would become easier than for others… You did very well this time, Xia De.”
“You also forgot one thing: I also contributed to the greening of Middesburg. The ritual—Holy Tree Mark—and my Mystic Lock—Kiss of the Tree—produced a chain reaction, and because I had a short blessing from an Ancient God on me, the tree on the mountain top…”
Xia De pointed upwards, and when this matter was mentioned, Luvia couldn’t help but laugh:
“Oh, I knew that was you. Although Middesburg was in chaos from Wednesday night to early Thursday morning, because of the fog drifting out of the Gap, most ordinary people lost their memories of that night, so the Orthodox Church’s cleanup work was not difficult. But the tree on the mountain top cannot be concealed.”
She covered her mouth and chuckled, a very ladylike gesture:
“That tree and the bonfire beneath it are the core of your Mystic Lock and absolutely cannot be easily erased. According to the Natural Church’s inspection, the tree’s roots spread throughout the entire mountain, not only eliminating worries about the Gap but even resolving the hidden danger of the volcano. Because it’s the effect of a High-Ring Mystic Lock, illusions cannot conceal the tree’s traces. Now, the Middesburg City Hall is racking its brains over that giant tree. It’s said they are organizing experts and scholars to try to explain the tree’s appearance relatively reasonably from the perspective of monsoon and soil changes.”
Xia De imagined a photo of that tree appearing in the newspaper, with experts and scholars discussing below, and immediately shook his head with a smile:
“Don’t tell me about this. I’ve done enough for Middesburg, and I haven’t taken a single penny. Let the local diocese and municipal departments worry about the aftermath. With that tree there, the undead behemoth will absolutely not be able to break through the seal.”
