Aphrodite could feel the dampness at the hollow of her neck and the strength with which the girl clung to her, as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head, her cheeks burning uncontrollably.
She instinctively wanted to break free, but the girl named Lia was holding on so tightly that Aphrodite didn’t dare use force, for fear of hurting this seemingly fragile girl, who appeared to be under the influence of a terrifying Nightmare.
Wait a minute! Her own power core… Could it really have… given birth to a child?! And now the child thought of her as her mother?!
Such an absurd and horrifying thought exploded in Aphrodite’s mind like a bolt of thunder, leaving her utterly confused in an instant.
What kind of joke is this! She hadn’t even been in love, how could she suddenly become a mother…
Well… she’d been a mother to Bella—no, a father, to be precise.
No, no, that’s not the point! The point is, how could the core possibly… this is completely illogical!
Aphrodite stood frozen, unable to move.
She could clearly feel the subtle trembling and dependence of the girl in her arms, and each tearful call of “Mom” was like a tiny hammer knocking at her once-unshakeable heart.
…Now this is real trouble.
Just like that, the two maintained this embrace for a long time—so long that Aphrodite’s legs were growing numb.
The girl, after rubbing her cheek against Aphrodite’s neck once more, slowly opened her eyes. Those amethyst orbs were first clouded with confusion from waking.
But after swiftly scanning the unfamiliar yet simple room, the haze was swept away like mist by a cold wind.
She suddenly realized she was clinging tightly to a stranger!
Almost on reflex, the girl recoiled as if burned, suddenly letting go and forcefully pushing Aphrodite away!
Aphrodite, whose legs were already numb from standing too long, was caught completely off guard by the sudden shove and couldn’t steady herself in time.
With a solid “thud,” she landed hard on the floor, a dull ache shooting up from her tailbone.
“Hiss—!” Aphrodite sucked in a breath from the pain.
Whatever subtle feelings had risen from being called “Mom” were instantly scattered, replaced by utter bewilderment.
Rubbing her sore spot, Aphrodite looked up at the girl on the bed, who had instantly shifted into a guarded stance.
Now, all trace of the dream’s fragility was gone. She sat bolt upright, back straight, her long black hair a bit messy on her shoulders, but her violet eyes were icy, fixed on Aphrodite with chilling focus.
“Who are you?” The girl’s voice was cold and distant, so different from the soft, sleepy tone before. “Where is this place? Why am I here?”
Aphrodite was a bit dazed by the barrage of questions. Just a second ago, the girl was calling her mom—how did it turn into this interrogation so quickly?
The change was way too fast!
Suppressing her confusion, she slowly got up from the floor and brushed the dust off her clothes, trying to keep her tone steady.
“My name is Aphrodite. This is my residence. You were unconscious in the forest, and I brought you back.”
She deliberately left out anything about the core.
“Aphrodite…” Lia repeated the name softly, her delicate brows knitting as if searching her memory.
Soon, a flicker of realization passed through her eyes, and she muttered something too quiet for Aphrodite to catch.
“There really is such a name among the candidate Saints of the Carthonia Region.”
The girl lifted her gaze to Aphrodite again, her tone a little gentler but still wary: “You’re the one who saved me?”
Aphrodite watched as the girl muttered to herself—who knew what she was saying—then continued to question her, falling briefly silent.
Strictly speaking, she’d only found the girl after resolving the core issue, but that was clearly not something to mention.
Aphrodite nodded, replying vaguely, “…More or less.”
“Thank you.” Lia’s tone was still flat, but there was a note of sincerity. “I owe you a debt. I’ll be sure to repay you at…”
She broke off abruptly.
Because as she spoke, a lock of black hair slid into her line of sight.
The girl’s gaze froze on that strand of hair.
Her expression changed in an instant, shifting from cold vigilance to something like fear—and… anger!
Her violet pupils contracted, the air around her turning sharp and hostile.
She snapped her head up, glaring fiercely at Aphrodite, her voice squeezing out through clenched teeth and biting cold: “You… saw?”
Aphrodite, thrown by the sudden question and the murderous look in the girl’s eyes, reflexively answered, “Saw? Saw what?”
In the next second, Lia’s figure swept off the bed like a ghost—astonishingly fast!
Aphrodite didn’t even have time to react before a force beyond resistance slammed her to the ground!
“Ugh!” Her back hit the floor again, and she groaned in pain.
Lia was already astride her, one hand pinning Aphrodite’s shoulder, while from the fingertips of her other hand, a small, twisting and flickering Black Light Blade had materialized without her even noticing.
The blade pulsed with a chilling energy, aimed straight at Aphrodite’s brow!
Looking down at her, Lia’s violet eyes were void of warmth: “You may be my savior, and I’m grateful. But… since you saw, this is the only way.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll erase your recent memories thoroughly. You’ll only lose about a month—nothing fundamental will be harmed.”
Aphrodite was completely stunned.
What the hell?! Wasn’t she just thanking me? How did things turn into her wiping my recent memory all of a sudden?!
And a whole month, at that.
She’d only been awake since self-destructing—barely half a month, if that.
She’d already lost most of her memories, and since coming here, the identity of a candidate Saint and various other things had left her reeling.
If a whole month was erased, what would be left of her?
To lose this month’s memories meant Aphrodite would forget all the crucial details—why she came here, how she arrived, everything.
She didn’t even dare imagine how messed up her mind would be afterward.
During a mission, her memory suddenly interrupted, and when she woke, she’d mysteriously be in a new body, unable to switch back no matter what.
Just the thought of that was terrifying.
No, absolutely not, she couldn’t let Lia erase her memories.
In a flash, Aphrodite’s mind raced at top speed! She desperately recalled every detail from the moment they met.
Wait, just now Lia said, “since you saw.”
So… what exactly had she seen?!