Inside the room on the second floor of the Cathedral, Tia’s mind was about to explode.
She had thought she might be berated by the Hermit, or severely punished, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be stripped of her identity as a Mist Follower without any warning.
She had been so obedient, doing whatever she was told, even willing to give her life if asked, yet the result turned out like this… So where exactly had she fallen short?
Ever since she was the only one left in her Family, the sole motivation for Tia to keep living was to give everything to the Mist, and she also believed, as recorded in the Mist’s family records, that it was her one and only guardian deity. But now the guardian deity was saying she was to be abandoned…
Tia had not abandoned her Faith; rather, her Faith had abandoned Tia.
“Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy…”
On the bed, Tia whispered urgently and repeatedly, her dull, lightless eyes fixed intently on Truth, who still could not move.
If the Hermit no longer needed Tia, then Tia had no reason to keep living.
From becoming a Priest to arriving at Deya City, she had spent over ten years, all for the sole purpose of getting closer to the Mist.
Fortunately, hard work paid off. With the Mist’s revival, Tia had finally achieved her wish of become a Mist Follower and served the Hermit.
From that day on, Tia felt that life could be so full of hope!
The days as a Mist Follower were the happiest period of her life.
Although the work was sometimes exhausting, the thought that hard work would earn the Hermit’s recognition made it all worthwhile!
However, just as life was becoming more hopeful and the Mist was flourishing, Tia was fired…
“Where exactly did I fall short, or where did I go wrong? Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me, otherwise I absolutely will not accept this outcome! Hurry and tell the Hermit for me! I’m willing to accept any punishment, but you absolutely cannot strip me of my identity as a Follower! That is the entire value of my existence! No no no no, otherwise I will die with regret!”
Tia cried out frantically at Truth. The latter did not reply, only kept muffling, because Tia’s ample bosom was still covering her face…
Seeing that Truth did not answer, Tia became even more agitated:
“Why won’t you answer me? Are you gloating while looking at me in this state?! Could it be you?! It’s you! You spoke ill of me to the Hermit, which made the Hermit hate me! It must be you! You’re afraid I’ll do better than you, even more afraid I’ll replace you as the Mist Favored One, so you planned to drive me out! It must be like this! I never imagined it, Truth — you look so”
“harmless, yet behind my back you would do such a thing! And here I liked you so much, wanted to coexist peacefully with you, yet you treat me like this! You really are…”
“Smack!”
Suddenly, catching Tia off guard, Truth delivered a crisp slap right across Tia’s face, putting an end to the latter’s endless deranged ranting.
Honestly, if she let this girl keep talking, she would probably end up saying something like Truth was a spy sent by the Goddess of Life!
And really, she never imagined this girl was this unhinged…
After being slapped, Tia was slightly stunned, seeming to calm down a little.
She slowly straightened up, which finally allowed Truth beneath her to breathe more freely:
“Phew, with you like that, how was I supposed to talk?”
“Then talk now!” Tia’s reddened eyes stared at Truth with near despair, wanting an answer, her breathing rapid:
“Why doesn’t the Hermit want me anymore?!”
“Because you’re, uh… too mediocre!” Truth replied.
Actually, she had originally wanted to use a more wicked excuse to provoke Tia, but now Tia was already like this just from being fired, and any more provocation might send things in unpredictable directions:
“Also, lower your voice. If someone outside the room hears, it’ll be trouble!”
“Mediocre?” Tia was stunned:
“How am I mediocre?! When I was at the Academy, my grades were consistently at the top, and at graduation I could have steadily entered an advanced Academy for further study. And if I hadn’t wanted to come to Deya City, the Church would very likely have recommended me as a new Saint Candidate!”
“I said lower your voice! I’m not talking about any of that. I mean that you have no outstanding merit for the Mist. Think about it — has any work you’ve done during this time been difficult? Even if someone else were swapped in, they could do it too, right? So…”
“I was just following the Hermit’s arrangements!” Tia couldn’t help but retort:
“The only things I was told to do were these errand Tasks, and now you’re calling me mediocre!”
“Because for the Hermit, that’s all you’re currently capable of doing!” Although what Tia said was very reasonable, Truth had long since prepared her answer:
“Besides, that’s also because you haven’t shown the Hermit your special quality — your Specialty!”
“What…”
“Think about it: why am I the Mist Favored One? It’s because I proved to the Hermit that I’m suited to being a Favored One! I may be weak, but after being possessed I can fully unleash the Hermit’s entire strength. That is my irreplaceability, and also the reason the Hermit still chose me five hundred years later!”
“And you, Tia, what unique Specialty do you have?” Truth lectured Tia as if overloading her brain.
“Uh… my Specialty…” Tia pondered for a moment, then slowly lowered her head and looked at her own ample bosom…
“Idiot!” Truth pulled out her hand and punched Tia in the chest. “I’m talking about a Skill-related Specialty! What are you looking at your own chest for?!”
Then Truth’s fist almost sank in…
“My unique Specialty is loyalty — absolute, eternal, unwavering loyalty to the Hermit until death!”
Tia was not led astray by Truth’s manipulation.
Instead, she became even more agitated, and now that she knew the reason she was no longer needed, she also knew what she had to do next:
“Beginning fifty centuries ago, my Family has believed in the Hermit. The Hermit needs my loyalty, and I need the Hermit’s recognition. If… if the Hermit truly no longer needs my loyalty, then… then for the rest of my life I will do everything in my power to become the enemy of the Mist, until the Hermit needs my loyalty once more!”
“What?!” Truth was shocked, because Tia had given her an answer she had never imagined.
So Tia’s meaning was that since the Mist no longer needed her, she would beat the Mist to its knees and force the Mist to need her again… What kind of bizarre thought process was that?! And that answer was way too yandere!