Floria sat at the doorway, her delicate, pale neck damp with a faint cold sweat.
Every subtle sound from outside now stirred her sensitive, taut nerves violently.
Could it be her eyes were playing tricks on her?
No… a witch’s gaze could never be mistaken…
At this very moment, standing gracefully at the door was a girl whose face—without a doubt—was that familiar pale visage. She was one of the fated heroines Floria had once personally recruited into the Saintess Knights, the adorable little sister, Sophia.
Yet, apart from her face, everything else—the smooth, long black hair reaching down to her waist, the slender, elegant figure, and the iconic Saint Knight’s Silver Sword at her waist—was completely different from Floria’s memory.
All these differences indisputably showed how much Sophia had grown and changed since Floria left.
Of course, several years had passed.
It would be strange if a person remained unchanged for so long.
What truly made Floria’s heart race was that Sophia, a member of the Saintess Knights stationed in the kingdom’s capital, had left her post and traveled a thousand miles to the kingdom’s border.
Why was she standing right outside Floria’s door?
How was she connected to Floria’s little disciple, Sylvie?
Could it be… she had been searching for her whereabouts all these years?!
All these possibilities flashed through Floria’s mind, and a cold drop of sweat slowly slid down her forehead.
Her breath quickened, and the air seemed to thicken around her.
Something inside her chest was pounding wildly, making her frail body tremble uncontrollably in her wheelchair.
“Breathe… stay calm… Floria… you are the legendary ‘Crimson Moon Witch’… even if Sophia has really come… she can’t do anything to you…”
Floria repeatedly took deep breaths, soothing her chest while quietly reassuring herself.
Once her mind settled, she wore the calm, composed expression of the noble and aloof Grandmaster of the Saintess Knights, just like in the old days.
…Back then, when she was playing the villain, her appearance had been magically altered by the system.
Even if their faces looked somewhat alike, without concrete evidence, even if Sophia came to her home, she wouldn’t be able to confirm whether Floria was truly the person she was looking for.
After all, the Saintess Knights’ Grandmaster “Floria” was already dead—a fact witnessed by everyone under the public eye.
Surely, Sophia wouldn’t recognize her…
Calm down… maybe Sophia just happened to leave the capital for patrol duty at the border; maybe she just happened to meet Floria’s little disciple Sylvie and took an interest in her.
So perhaps Sophia just happened to follow Sylvie all the way here, intending nothing more than an ordinary “House Visit”…
…Who would believe that—!
Such a string of coincidences was impossible!
Even Floria, a witch herself, refused to believe the self-deceptive justification born from her hope.
What exactly was going on? Logically, her death escape had been perfect—impossible to have flaws…
But the current situation clearly meant Sophia had discovered some clue and had been tracking her all the way to this remote village.
Floria was unsure where she had been exposed or how much Sophia had learned about her.
The only thing she knew for certain was that she was facing an unprecedented and enormous crisis!
The tall, sword-bearing, elegant girl standing at the door—Sophia—had once been a little sister no taller than Floria’s chest.
Back then, Floria had been the Grandmaster of the Saintess Knights in the kingdom’s capital, wielding power so great it could overshadow everything.
She was the dream idol of countless young boys and girls who admired the Holy Light.
And Sophia had been one of those gifted girls.
Kind and innocent, Sophia had heard countless legendary stories of the Saintess Knights fighting evil demons since childhood, dreaming earnestly of joining their ranks.
Because of her pure and adorable appearance, kind and helpful nature, and exceptional affinity for Holy Light Magic, she quickly stood out in the Preselection Class and became the most promising newcomer—a beloved little star in the Preliminary Team.
But Sophia never expected that at the height of her glory, she would be dragged into the abyss of darkness.
Guided and urged by system intelligence and missions, Floria appeared at just the right moment, brazenly disrupting Sophia’s entire life.
Floria seized on young Sophia’s strong desire to become a full Saint Knight and her high self-esteem, which drove her to prove her abilities, and devised a series of Evil Plans.
First, she used her status to order the judges responsible for the Preselection Class to deliberately give Sophia low scores in future selections.
Then she cut off the supply of Magic Crystals and weaponry Sophia deserved as a preliminary knight.
After that, she secretly and openly ordered other members of the knights not to approach or befriend little Sophia.
Once a bright future stretched before her, Sophia suddenly faced these targeted attacks and alienation, naturally thrown into panic and despair.
Eventually, unable to pay rent, little Sophia was left homeless and wandering the streets.
At that moment, Floria appeared like an angel descended.
As the Grandmaster, she personally comforted Sophia, helping her regain confidence, and provided the missing resources and Magic Crystals.
Moreover, she put on the facade of a kind elder sister, expressing great faith in her potential, then invited her to the Grandmaster’s residence.
As a naive young girl inexperienced in the ways of the world, Sophia didn’t suspect a thing or wonder why Floria appeared precisely then.
She thought her luck had turned and that she had met a benefactor, so she gratefully followed Floria inside.
From the moment she stepped into Floria’s home, Sophia’s entire life trajectory took a sharp turn.
Floria nominally took her as a “closed-door disciple,” personally guiding her training in Holy Magic and swordsmanship.
But privately, Sophia’s every move was firmly controlled by Floria.
Like a demon baring her claws, Floria’s image drastically changed once she lured little Sophia into her private residence.
Sophia was forced to serve her intimately—bathing, changing clothes, and massaging her.
She was repeatedly touched in sensitive areas during training under the pretext of “correcting her posture.”
Outwardly, Floria preached the Saint Knight’s teachings and righteousness with lofty words and splendid elegance, but behind the scenes, she treated Sophia as a plaything, ordering her about at will.
If Sophia dared to resist, she would lose all chances of ever rising within the Saintess Knights.
The pure and innocent girl, having never seen such schemes, initially resisted shyly and even contemplated desperate escape.
But Floria tempted her with the promise of immediate Saint Knight promotion and doubled Magic Crystal stipends, verbally promising it would only happen this once and that she would keep her word afterward.
With punishment followed by a sweet reward, the naïve Sophia was soon at Floria’s mercy.
She thought Floria was just a senior sister, and since they were both girls, a little compromise couldn’t hurt… so she faintly fell into the trap.
However, that one step beyond her limits led to the complete loss of Sophia’s dignity and freedom before Floria.
Every command and threat forced Sophia to do many things against her will.
To outsiders, Sophia’s every action looked like deliberate flattery, a sycophant trying to curry favor with Grandmaster Floria to climb the ranks of the Saintess Knights.
For example, just after winning the Newcomers’ Knight Duel championship, before even receiving her medal, Sophia was called by Floria to act as her human cushion.
Floria still vividly remembered the pitiful expression of humiliation and grievance on Sophia’s face, almost bringing tears to her eyes.
But it was this symbolic event that led many high-ranking knights, who once saw Sophia as a rebellious thorn, to remove her from their assassination lists due to her meek behavior.
…Of course, Sophia never knew any of this.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
The memories were interrupted by another knock at the door.
“Hiss—”
Floria drew in a sharp breath.