“Once you feel a bit better, and your body has recovered… If you want to come back, I’ll come pick you up right away.”
She paused for a moment, then added, “Or… if you think the human world is better, more… peaceful for you, and you want to stay there…”
“That’s fine too.”
The last three words were as light as a sigh, yet they struck heavily on Seraphina’s heart.
“I’ll accompany you.”
The voice was mixed with the fatigue of long-strained nerves, and the caution of having regained something lost, only to fear losing it again.
Seraphina’s body trembled slightly, and her eyes felt a bit warm, but in the end, she didn’t respond to that heavy promise.
She just gave an extremely light reply, “…Um.”
“Good… Rest well.”
The image on the light mirror fluctuated again, blurred, and finally turned into flowing light, dissipating into the air.
Dekalorin and Saint Eustacia exchanged a glance, and the former let out a soft sigh, stepping forward to wrap an arm around Seraphina’s shoulders.
“Alright, it’s over. Go rest for a while first—lunch will be here soon.”
Seraphina obediently let herself be led toward the bed, sitting on the edge like a marionette.
Movira’s words, “I’ll accompany you,” seemed to still echo in her ears.
Low, tired, carrying warmth—it was quite different from the Movira in her memory…
The lingering glow of the light mirror had completely faded, making the room seem even darker than before.
The air carried a hint of stagnation, and the cold light from the magic crystal fell upon Movira, outlining her profile like a cold, hard statue.
She held her previous posture for a long time before slowly leaning back into the high-backed chair.
The carvings on the chair back pressed against her spine, sending waves of coolness.
Several minutes later, she stood up again, walking toward the desk holding the border maps and military reports.
Her steps were steady, the hem of her black robe brushing the ground without a sound.
However, as she reached out to push a rune stone emitting a faint red glow toward the area on the map closer to the Blackstone Outpost.
This action, which should have been effortless for her, went awry—the stone suddenly emitted a crackling burst!
A sharp surge of chaotic magic, like a tiny bolt of lightning, struck precisely at the tip of Movira’s index finger.
Her movement halted abruptly.
A stinging pain arrived, and a tiny wound appeared on her skin, from which blood slowly seeped.
Movira kept her hand extended, her gaze fixed on the wound, her eyes unfathomably deep.
It wasn’t due to the pain, but the loss of control.
In the past, she would never have imagined getting injured while manipulating a small rune stone—that was something only weak mages worried about.
This wasn’t a coincidence, but the inevitable result of searching for Seraphina day and night over these past ten days or so, her body severely overtaxed.
Without exaggeration, she had turned the entire Demon Realm upside down.
The prolonged dual pressure on her mind and body had long since caused both to collapse completely; the stability she displayed was just… an act.
In the end, she withdrew her hand expressionlessly, as if nothing had happened, ignoring the rune stone and her bleeding finger.
She simply redirected her gaze back to the massive map, focusing on the blank region representing where Seraphina had last disappeared.
“Your Highness.” ×2
Two voices sounded from behind, and Movira quickly hid her injured finger before turning around.
Erasia stood silently a few steps away, her neat dark skirt suit making her posture as straight as a pine.
She nodded slightly, her voice steady.
“Your Highness, The Ripper and his remnants have all been slain, their heads hung on display for all to see.”
The report was precise and concise, each word like a cold blade, stripped of unnecessary emotions. Extermination complete, traitors eradicated—that was all.
Almost as her words fell, Lina stepped forward.
Her figure carried an overt sharpness, her eyes blazing; in the days since Seraphina’s disappearance, she had forged herself into a tireless machine.
And toward Movira, she clearly held no such respect, especially after she had “lost” Seraphina.
“The new policies are progressing smoothly. Seraphina’s established strategies, combined with some iron-fisted measures, face no uncontrollable resistance at present.”
Her voice was strong and resolute; in Seraphina’s absence, Lina seemed to have become an extension of her will, pushing forward with force.
“Good, noted. You may leave.” For the current Movira, these two pieces of news were merely sustenance for her thoughts of Seraphina.
“Yes.” Erasia didn’t hesitate, her figure vanishing soundlessly as if merging into the shadows.
But Lina remained rooted in place, unmoving.
“Movira!” Lina lifted her head, her gaze piercing straight at the other. “The traitors have been cleared, and the new policies are stable. So… why aren’t you going to find Seraphina yet? The path into the human heartland… is it really an ‘impassable route’ for you?”
Seeing Movira remain silent, Lina took a step forward, her footsteps echoing in the air.
Her tone was like a fire-tempered steel needle.
“Human territory, for you, is just a place you can come and go as you please—even with the saintess there, even if she can fight you to a draw, or in most cases, she’s no match for you!”
“But you just won’t go. Maybe it’s not that you can’t, but that you don’t dare! What are you afraid of? Afraid that after meeting her, she’ll hate you even more and leave you for good?!”
Movira stayed silent, that silence itself like an icy wall.
But Lina was determined to chisel right through this final wall, the one preserving Movira’s dignity!
“Movira! Have you ever thought about it? Seraphina… her appearance—you know it better than I do.
In that human heartland, how many pairs of eyes will follow her beauty?”
Even Lina didn’t want to continue, because it would force her to imagine the scene if it really happened.
But at this moment, she had to say it—Movira was just one thin layer away from realization. She needed pressure! More pressure!
“Seraphina is smart, but when it comes to those matters, she’s actually very innocent! She doesn’t understand all those twists and turns! What if, when she’s in desperate need of company, she falls for just a bit of warmth and…”
Lina’s words trailed off, as if something had choked her throat.
She didn’t continue, didn’t voice the outcome that would discomfort them both.
But those eyes, staring fixedly at Movira, had already conveyed the rest.
She shoved a crystal-clear, terrifying image right in front of Movira, without mercy!
“You… I’ll go find her… just, tomorrow!”
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