“Am I in heaven?” Iana, still groggy from her fainting, rubbed her eyes and muttered drowsily.
“Eh, Elia, what are you doing here too?”
“Did you die as well?”
Still dazed, Iana spoke without thinking to Elia.
In her mind, she had already been burned alive by those knights.
Seeing Elia here meant Elia must have died too.
Elia crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and flashed a sly smile, “So the gates of heaven are really low. Even a troublemaker like you, who breaks public morals, can get in.”
“Helping the infected harm civilians, obstructing the Holy Knights’ law enforcement—those are two serious crimes, you know.”
Iana seemed swayed by Elia’s words and instinctively asked, “So, are we in hell then?”
She looked around, taking in the holy, pure surroundings, as pristine as white swan feathers, and felt puzzled.
“This doesn’t look like the hell I imagined; it actually seems more like heaven. And if you’re the Saintess of the Holy City, how come you ended up in hell just like me?”
“Truly, teasing an adorable girl like Iana is an indispensable part of my life.”
Elia lightly covered her upturned lips, her eyes sparkling with the gleam of a successful prank.
“What do you mean? You didn’t die?” Iana asked in confusion.
“Of course not.” Elia pinched Iana’s cheek, her smile growing brighter.
“You didn’t really believe what I just said, did you?”
“How can anyone be as adorably foolish as you?”
“Shut up!”
At Elia’s words, Iana’s face instantly flushed red.
She brushed Elia’s hand away, fuming, “It’s all because you were talking nonsense so seriously.”
“Otherwise, how could I end up like this?”
Elia blinked with a wronged look, like a prisoner suffering a grave injustice.
“Hey, you’re the one who brought up hell and heaven out of nowhere. I was just going along with your story.”
“Besides, if the knights knew their ‘prisoner’ was sleeping in the Saintess’s bed…”
“What? Sleeping in the Saintess’s bed?” Iana glanced around again, noticing the room looked like someone’s private chamber, then asked Elia in surprise, “Could this be your room?”
“Is there any other Saintess besides me here?”
“What about my crimes?” Iana asked tremblingly.
“Of course, they’re all gone. Do you want to experience being burned alive again?”
“Definitely not!”
Relieved to hear her crimes were forgiven, Iana quickly got up from the bed, wanting to leave.
“Leaving so soon? You don’t even stay awake to keep me company,” Elia said lazily.
Iana didn’t stop but asked while hurrying, “By the way, where did Lilian go?”
“Lilian has already returned to the hotel where you all stayed that night. If you want to find her, go there.”
This time, Elia didn’t stop Iana, instead lounging by the window with a relaxed air.
After receiving the information, Iana left the chapel and returned to the hotel after a while.
Standing at the hotel entrance, Iana wanted to knock but froze with her hand mid-air.
She wondered what Lilian was like now: the soft and sweet Blonde-haired Lilian, or the aggressive Silver-haired Lilian.
As for the red-eyed berserk Lilian, better to forget about that.
Iana thought that if it were the berserk Lilian, Elia definitely wouldn’t have let her back.
She would have been under surveillance instead.
As for the first two Lilian versions, Iana felt she could handle either, but the Blonde-haired Lilian was preferable—that way she wouldn’t have to struggle so much against Lilian.
Thinking of Silver-haired Lilian’s fierce attacks made Iana shiver.
Finally, summoning her courage, she knocked on the door.
No response.
She knocked again.
Still no answer.
“Strange. Could Lilian not be in the hotel right now?” Iana wondered.
Hesitating, she tried to push the door and was surprised to find it unlocked.
With a gentle push, it opened.
“Lilian, are you here?” Iana called into the room but received no reply.
The room was empty, the bed neat and untouched as if no one had stayed there.
Iana stepped into the bathroom and found Lilian sitting solemnly inside.
Her expression was grave, and two chains of light coalesced in her hands.
Iana’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Since finishing the First Trial of the Saintess in the Sacred Trial, after leaving that mysterious space, she hadn’t been able to use the skills from her Soulstone.
But now she saw Lilian using a skill very similar to Lightbinding Art from the Secret Realm.
Noticing someone entering, Lilian’s furrowed brow relaxed, and she looked toward Iana.
The two met eyes at the bathroom door.
‘Thank goodness, it’s the Blonde-haired Lilian,’ Iana thought with relief.
After all, the Blonde-haired Lilian was like a gentle rabbit, completely non-threatening.
“You’re back, Iana,” Lilian greeted.
“Ummmm.”
Iana exhaled softly, showing a warm smile.
“Lilian, are you practicing Lightbinding Art? Did Elia teach you?”
Lilian looked down at the chains in her hands, which then dissolved into golden sparks that dispersed into the air.
She rubbed her aching wrists and said softly, “Yes, I’m now Elia Saintess’s apprentice, so I’ve learned some of her techniques.”
‘So that’s how it is’, Iana thought.
Though it was good that Lilian was learning useful skills, the thought that Lilian might surpass her made Iana uneasy.
“I have to finish my trial tasks quickly to get my first skill soon.”
Iana noticed Lilian rubbing her wrist again, “Tiring?”
“Not really. As long as I learn something, I can keep going.” Lilian didn’t dare admit she was learning the skills to protect Iana.
“You should also remember to balance rest and practice,” Iana said thoughtfully.
Then she recalled seeing something on a wooden board earlier and suggested, “There’s a concert tomorrow, hosted by a star famous throughout the Continent. Want to go with me?”
Of course, Iana’s purpose wasn’t that simple.
She planned to cause some trouble for Elia at the concert, having learned from a staff member that the star’s relationship with Elia was far from ordinary.