The night grew deeper.
In the capital during late autumn, the howling cold wind swept up the withered leaves, swirling them along the dimly lit streets.
The dry rustling sound they made was faint but persistent.
Floria turned her back to Eliza and started walking, but suddenly felt a heavy force like a shadow tugging tightly at her wrist.
Looking back, Eliza had calmed down from her initial excitement but still clung stubbornly to Floria’s hand, refusing to let go.
Her eyes, which had once sparkled brightly, now dimmed as she scrutinized Floria’s figure from head to toe.
A long breath escaped her lips.
“Sorry, little sister.”
Eliza’s voice softened with a hint of apology.
“I just… when I suddenly saw your face… I lost control a bit. You know, you look just too much like a friend of mine.”
Floria’s heart, which had just begun to relax, suddenly tightened again at the grip.
She winced in pain and struggled.
“…Okay, I understand you mistook me for someone else, so can you please let me go now?”
“Wait a moment… little sister, you said you needed to rush home, right?”
Eliza didn’t release her grip; instead, she shifted the topic.
“I want to ask, where do you live? Who are the people in your family?”
Her eyes glowed with eager curiosity, staring intently at Floria.
Eliza desperately wanted to know who this strange girl, who had appeared out of nowhere, really was—and why she looked so much like “Senior Lia,” the one who had saved her back in their village.
Not just their facial features, hair color, or eyes—their entire aura was almost identical.
At first glance, Eliza had thought Floria was the reincarnation of Lia.
Old memories surged like a tide, making it hard for her to suppress her emotions.
For once, she showed a rare display of agitation.
Now, having calmed down, Eliza realized the height and age difference between Floria and the Lia she remembered was huge.
…But with such a strong resemblance in looks and aura, could it really just be a coincidence?
“I…”
Floria’s voice faltered.
She was just one step away from bluffing her way through, but at this critical moment, revealing that she was currently living in the Knight Captain’s luxurious manor was out of the question.
Following the principle that fewer words mean fewer mistakes, she thought for a moment longer, then put on a resistant expression, stiffening her neck as she snorted coldly:
“Why on earth should I tell you?”
“Hm…?”
“Who do you think you are, acting so high and mighty just because you’re wearing a nun’s habit?”
Her sudden shift to a hostile tone stunned Eliza, as if a chill ran through her entire body.
“Coming up to steal food, grabbing someone’s hand and refusing to let go, and now prying into where people live… do you know how much like a female pervert you sound?”
Floria placed one hand on her hip, then pointed an accusing finger at Eliza’s nose with the index finger of the hand still being held.
Her tone was bratty and sharp.
“So what if we look alike? There are plenty of people in the world who look similar, aren’t there? Just because you said, ‘You look like my dead friend,’ you think it’s okay to just grab me and harass me? Even a church priest can’t be that unreasonable!”
Her words hit the mark perfectly.
Eliza fell into silence.
Watching the young nun’s expression darken and her eyes dim, Floria felt a small thrill inside.
Want to see through the perfect performance of this great lady witch? Practice for another 10,000 light-years before trying—
“…You’re right, I got too excited…”
Eliza’s face stiffened as she turned her gaze away and lowered her head, her eyes flickering uneasily.
Her limp arm slowly released Floria’s wrist, falling to her side as if all her strength had been drained from her body, her posture slack and weak.
Seizing the opportunity, Floria hurriedly withdrew her hand, pouting in displeasure as she rubbed the red mark left by the tight grip.
She then turned her back, hiding her face, leaving Eliza only a small figure turning away in refusal.
The nearby Magic Crystal Streetlamp hummed faintly, while the clear moonlight spread like a thin veil over the increasingly quiet night market street.
In this brief moment of silence, Eliza’s confused gaze was drawn to the cascade of smooth hair flowing down Floria’s shoulders.
Unwillingly, she bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the elegant glow shining on Floria’s hair like the moonlight itself, her expression lost and forlorn.
But Floria wasn’t done yet.
After a brief pause to gather strength, she delivered the final blow without mercy:
“Since you said yourself that she was your ‘deceased friend,’ that means she’s been gone from this world for a long time, right?
“The person you knew is dead—completely dead, with no chance of coming back.
“Still clinging to the past like this, it’s truly pathetic.
“You, a priest, only think about yourself—”
At these words, Eliza seemed to be struck by the Frostbind Spell, her entire body “clinking” as if frozen into an ice sculpture, standing motionless in place.
Floria hurried down the streets in the dead of night, clutching her clothes tightly.
…Hiss… Does Xiaowei usually wear clothes like this? Drafty from all sides, wind sneaking under the skirt… it’s not warm at all…
Oh right, this seems to be her summer school uniform… no wonder—
The capital is located in the northern part of the continent, with large temperature differences between day and night, and overall colder than the Western Border Village where Floria used to live.
Rubbing her hands hard to warm them, then blowing hot breath into her palms, Floria finally felt her icy fingertips ease somewhat.
She cautiously looked back, scanning the dim street behind her to confirm no suspicious figures—like Sister Thunder—were following.
Although Eliza hadn’t followed, before heading back, drawing on her professional experience as a former Knight Captain skilled in counter-surveillance, Floria decided to take a longer, twisting route through the unfamiliar roads to be safe, spending quite some time doing so.
Only after confirming that no one was trailing her did she finally return to Sofia’s manor under the moonlight.
Unexpectedly, the young knights on night duty who had been secretly searching for her earlier greeted her return calmly, even somewhat respectfully, offering to light the way with their desk lamps.
Along the way, Floria couldn’t help but ask in disbelief, “Why aren’t you guys coming to arrest me anymore—”
The gatekeeper knight simply replied calmly,
“The Captain said she believes you will come back, so there’s no need to search too hard. Just wait at home.”
“I see.”
Hearing this, Floria pursed her lips, her heart filled with mixed emotions. After a moment’s hesitation, she said,
“…Then she really knows me well.”
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