“Let’s go to the Sacred Church to turn in the quest first. We’ve already wasted quite a bit of time at the village, haven’t we?” Lin Shu offered Hati a smile, her voice light as she tried to hide the swirling thoughts in her mind.
She still hadn’t figured out the truth or the purpose of the key.
She had already learned the consequences of making hasty decisions when she misunderstood Sefina, and she didn’t want to go through that again. It wouldn’t be too late to make a decision once she had all the information.
High in the sky, the carriage passed by the Spirit Tower from a distance.
Lin Shu lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the floating black tower as it gradually receded.
Without magic, it would have been difficult for her to escape from Tepus’s manor. If she needed to stay in this other world without relying on a Familiar’s abilities, magic was her only option for self-protection.
As Lin Shu stared at the Spirit Tower, a faint blue speck lit up in the distance, and the silhouette of a figure seemed to flicker into existence.
‘Wait.’
Lin Shu’s pupils contracted slightly.
‘Was that… a person? Floating in the air?’
She widened her eyes, trying to see the figure clearly, but the carriage was moving extremely fast. The wind howled fiercely outside the window, and the tower was quickly left behind.
“What is it, Lin Shu? Did you see something?” Sophia leaned forward, also peering out the window.
“I think I saw someone appear suddenly, floating outside the Spirit Tower,” Lin Shu said hesitantly. “Maybe I just saw things?”
“It might be real, but it wouldn’t be strange for a mage to fly in the air, would it?” Hati, sitting at the front of the carriage, chimed in.
“Yeah.”
Lin Shu nodded and let go of the curtain.
It really wasn’t strange for there to be mages near the Spirit Tower.
‘But why… in that instant, did I feel like I was being watched?’
***
High in the air outside the Spirit Tower.
A woman dressed in a complex, pure black gown floated in the sky, watching the receding carriage.
Her posture was elegant, her ice-blue hair swept up and tied behind her head, with two stray strands falling along her cheeks. A pair of slender elven ears revealed her race.
Her long, pure white eyelashes trembled slightly, and her jewel-blue eyes reflected the sea of clouds in the sky.
“Chief, why did you come out so suddenly?”
Ripples appeared on the wall of the Spirit Tower behind her, and a robed mage—also an elf—floated out.
He followed the Chief’s gaze and saw the distant carriage, his expression filled with confusion. “Is there something unusual about the Sacred Church’s carriage?”
The elf known as the Chief did not answer. Instead, she brought up a different topic.
“The trace of that person… have you found it?”
Her voice was cold, as if it had come from a 1,000-year-old ice cave.
The robed mage was stunned for a moment before realizing what she meant.
The Chief was talking about that unresolved matter—the knot and obsession deep within her heart.
The mage hesitated for a moment, struggling internally before gritting his teeth to speak. “Chief, if I may be so bold, the lifespan of a Human is extremely short. It has been so long…”
“I understand,” the Chief interrupted him. “I only want any trace that she once lived… or a grave would be fine.”
‘But how could that be easy?’ the mage sighed inwardly.
The Chief had already searched the entire Sacred Race continent, yet she had always come up empty-handed.
Despite this, he didn’t dare say anything discouraging and could only respond, “…Understood. We will continue our efforts.”
“It’s just that lately, the Sacred Church has been making some moves against our mages.” The robed mage placed a hand over his chest and carefully bowed his head to change the subject. “We still need your decision on our counter-strategy.”
The Chief turned around in silence, her ice-blue hair fluttering in the gale, the ends of her hair tracing invisible arcs in the air.
“Let’s go back.”
The two figures disappeared into the Spirit Tower.
***
Inside the Sacred Church carriage, Lin Shu continued teaching Ani some simple magic, and everyone chatted idly.
Time passed, and the carriage soon arrived at the first stop.
She hadn’t expected the carriage to be so fast. She thought she would have more time on the road to think about how to settle Sefina later.
“We’ve reached a Human settlement. As agreed, you should get off here.”
Hati turned her head to look at Sophia.
Sophia placed her hands on her knees and returned a grateful smile.
Lin Shu lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.
It was a small town where Humans and the Sacred Race lived together. Small red-brick bungalows were lined up neatly, and the population was clearly larger than the village at the border. On the central street, Humans and members of the Sacred Race bustled about.
Lin Shu noticed many nuns from the Sacred Church walking through the town. Their expressions were serious as they talked to the residents house by house.
“Huh?” Hati let out a confused sound. “There are so many people. Are they all from the Church?”
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, she impatiently jumped down.
“Wait here, I’ll go ask what’s happening.”
She flicked her tail and walked toward the gathering nuns in the distance.
“Did something happen here?” Lin Shu muttered to herself.
“Maybe… it’s just their usual patrol?”
Sefina’s voice was very soft, sounding weaker than usual.
Lin Shu instinctively looked back, only to see Sefina looking pale. She had one hand on her forehead, her brow furrowed tight.
“Sophia, are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s nothing, just a bit of a headache.”
“A headache?” Lin Shu asked, her heart sinking as she remembered something.
‘This is a Human settlement.’ Hati had mentioned before that settlements were equipped with specialized barriers to ward off the Demonic Race.
In the village, Sefina hadn’t reacted much to the barrier…
‘Does the protection get stronger the further we go into the center of the Sacred Race territory?’
Sefina lowered her hand and gave Lin Shu a reassuring smile. But the slight curve of her lips was forced, making Lin Shu even more certain that her guess was correct.
Ani, who didn’t know what was happening, hurriedly rummaged through her bag. “Sister Sophia, I have some medicine for pain here, you—”
“No need, thank you.” Sefina shook her head, politely declining.
“Hati is going to let you off here. With your current condition…” Lin Shu couldn’t help but show her worry. “And there are more and more people from the Church.”
Bringing Sefina to the royal capital would only increase the threat to her.
“I can still endure it, I just… need more to eat.” She looked up at Lin Shu, her pupils trembling.
Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat.
She knew Sefina was referring to blood.
“F-food? I have some too!”
Ani didn’t understand. She immediately pulled out the dried rations the villagers had prepared and handed them over. “Sister Sophia, have something to eat first.”
Sefina took it with a smile but didn’t eat. Her eyes remained fixed on Lin Shu.
Lin Shu grit her teeth.
Since she had decided to take Sefina with her… she had to find a way to protect her. Even if she eventually had to send her back, she had to let her recover first and stay away from the threat of the Church.
“Lin Shu.”
Hati’s voice came from outside the carriage.
Lin Shu quickly distanced herself from Sophia and sat back in her seat.
A second later, the carriage curtain was pulled back.
Lin Shu looked back and saw Hati’s serious expression.
“Those strange monsters have appeared near this town too—those ugly freaks that are sensitive to magic.”
“What?”