“Welcome home, Dale.” It was clearly a strange voice, a strange face, yet the tone and emotion were so familiar.

Shicodale went blank.

The angel’s gentle, melodious voice echoed by her ears like a lullaby for the dead, letting her restless mind finally settle into quiet.

She couldn’t help but press closer to this pink-haired girl, asking her for more, as if she wanted to knead herself into the girl’s body and melt into her, as if the girl’s embrace was the safest place in the world.

And Vanessa accepted everything about Shicodale as well. She held Shicodale by both shoulders, her cheek lightly rubbing Shicodale’s forehead, letting her satin-soft cherry hair brush lightly over Shicodale’s beautiful face.

The girl’s warm body heat passed into her little by little. Shicodale was like a kitten that had nearly drowned and had just been hauled ashore—once she grabbed something warm, something that made her feel safe, she refused to let go.

Vanessa stroked Shicodale’s hair, letting her feel her warmth and heartbeat, matching her movements and passing that sincere care into the frightened little white rabbit in her arms. Like a mother protecting {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} her child, she was gentle as water, sliding softly across Shicodale’s heart.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s already okay. I’ll always be by your side.” Vanessa soothed the silver-haired elf in her arms with deep pity, murmuring softly. Her tenderness was like spring water and autumn eyes, ripples spreading and swaying in the heart.

Shicodale sank into it. This reassuring, meticulous care and compassion made her feel as if she had seen her long-dead mother-queen again, as if she had met her mother once more and been pulled into her mother’s arms and comforted again and again. In an instant, all the grievances of so many years surged up.

Once people got used to it, they could endure any grievance and adapt to any hardship—but only when they met their mother did all that bitterness and those tears burst out uncontrollably.

“Forever?” Shicodale choked. “You really... will never leave me, forever?”

“Of course. Shicodale has always been a good child, hasn’t she? Why would I leave Shicodale?” Vanessa gently stroked Shicodale’s forehead and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

“But I... do I really still have a future?” Shicodale asked in confusion.

“Shicodale, don’t look back. Those have already become the past. An unchangeable past doesn’t need to be clung to too much. Focus on the present—you can try to look forward to your future.” Vanessa said softly in that gentle, watery voice.

“Don’t run away. Your people are still waiting for you to save them. I’ll always be with you.”

“Mmm... mmm...” Shicodale lifted watery almond eyes like a little rabbit. In that moment, she crashed into those eyes that seemed to hold a pool of spring water reflecting cherry-blossom petals. Those beautiful, heart-shaped eyes seemed to carry some kind of magic—just meeting her gaze, she was drawn in deeply, as if her whole self had been soaked in that intoxicating tenderness and melted by overwhelming love.

Shicodale grabbed Vanessa’s hand, and Vanessa cooperated, spreading her palm, threading her fingers through Shicodale’s.

“V-Vinny...?” Staring at Vanessa’s angel face—perfect and flawless like a work of art—Shicodale tried to call out.

This breathtaking face seemed to have no connection at all to the “him” in her memory. Even the gender and personality didn’t match in the slightest. Yet when the other party called her “Dale,” Shicodale could find that familiar feeling again. When she used that feeling to look at the pink-haired girl before her, it became an entirely different sensation.

After all, elves were creatures with extremely keen senses. She could feel that some things were the same.

The cherry-haired girl didn’t speak, didn’t answer. She only silently pinched Shicodale’s chin lightly, making her tilt her head up a little and look into her eyes.

“Mmph!” Shicodale’s pretty face flushed with a blush, as if this intimate action left her at a loss.

Sh-She was about to...?

Shicodale didn’t know what she was expecting, but she was so embarrassed she couldn’t lift her head.

Then Vanessa leaned in close to Shicodale’s face and spoke softly. “Dale, it’s time to wake up, okay? Everyone’s waiting.”

“Huh??”

And right after Vanessa said that, the scene flipped. Shicodale’s view was covered by a wash of white light, and the picture froze on the last moment—on the cherry-haired girl’s perfect smile, like falling April blossoms.

Shicodale’s brows knit. Her face moved slightly. She slowly pried open eyelids that felt heavy and swollen with aching, as if because they had been closed for too long, her eyes couldn’t adapt to the room’s light.

When the things in her view began to form from layers of unclear afterimages, the awareness in her brain gradually cleared as well.

“Where... is this?” Shicodale blinked a few times, sat up, and looked around, realizing she was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room.

“Oh my, Mr. Moon Elf, you’re finally awake.”

“Huh?” Hearing that, Shicodale turned and looked at the honey-haired girl with white-gold eyes sitting by the bed, smiling at her.

What a pretty girl.

Shicodale was instinctively stunned by her looks, and also felt like she might have seen her somewhere before.

“Sorry, may I ask who you are?”

“My name is Luna Haukekai.” The honey-haired girl introduced herself.

“Mm. You can call me Senior Luna. I’m also a student at Carillian Academy, just one year above you.”

“Okay, Senior Luna. Then, could you tell me what’s going on?” Shicodale looked around. She was sure she had never been in this room before.

“No rush~ Dale, listen to me slowly. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere right now?” Luna sat on a long chair with elegant poise, her white-stockinged legs crossed.

“Uncomfortable? Not really.” Shicodale carefully felt around, confirming there wasn’t any discomfort anywhere on her body.

“Then that’s good. We checked again and again too—you basically didn’t suffer any external injuries or internal injuries. If there were any, they’ve been treated.” Luna nodded.

“H-Huh??” The moment she heard the word “checked,” Shicodale tensed up. She reflexively clutched at her clothes.

D-Don’t tell me her sex was exposed?

It shouldn’t be, right? The disguise gemstones her father had given her were extremely accurate at simulating physical traits.

But if the disguise gemstones were found too, then she wouldn’t be able to hide it.

“Relax. If you don’t feel uncomfortable, then you’re basically almost fully recovered. At most, your Sea of Mind is a little weak.”

“Sea of Mind??” The moment that term came out, Shicodale thought of something and hurriedly looked left and right.

“What’s Dale looking for?” Luna tilted her head. “Did you lose something? What kind of thing? Describe it and tell me—I’ll have someone help you find it and bring it back.”

“N-No, Senior Luna, um... where is Vinny?” Shicodale asked urgently, like a dog that had finally been rescued from drowning and suddenly couldn’t find its owner.

“Vinny?” Luna fell silent for a moment, then looked at Shicodale with a strange expression.

“Is... something wrong?” Shicodale was puzzled why she was being stared at with such a strange look. Had she said something wrong?

“Dale, what are you talking about?” Luna looked at Shicodale, completely confused.

“It’s true—Vinny was just here. I saw him. He seemed to... turn into a...” Shicodale tried to describe what she had seen in her consciousness, but fell abruptly silent here, not knowing whether she should continue.

Luna pondered for a moment, as if she couldn’t keep up her lady-like image anymore. She burst out laughing. “Pfft—Dale, did you miss Vinny too much? But that makes sense. You two seem to be roommates, right?”

“No, that—it was real! I really saw Vinny come here before, and he even told me—”

“All right, all right, Dale. You and Vinny really are on the same wavelength. It’s true that Vinny asked us to treat you. And it just so happened that a trainee nun with [Immaculate Light] volunteered to treat you.”

Before she finished speaking, the door opened. A girl with milky-golden long hair—pretty like a porcelain doll—walked in carrying water. When she saw Shicodale awake, she was surprised as well.

“This student is awake?”

“Yes. Amisha, it’s thanks to your [Immaculate Light].” Luna said with a smiling face.

“It’s fine. As long as I can help others.” As she spoke, Amisha looked at Shicodale. “This student, how are you feeling?”

“Was it you who saved me?” Shicodale knew she shouldn’t hesitate to thank the one who helped her, but she truly felt strange.

Her instincts told her it wasn’t like that—rather, it should have been Vinny...

Thinking back to that unbelievable situation in her consciousness—Vinny actually turning into an especially beautiful pink-haired girl.

Yes. It was clearly a bizarre dream with no logic, hard to believe—yet for some reason, Shicodale felt it was real, incredibly real, so real that even she herself couldn’t believe it.

“Not really. Everyone helped too.” Amisha wasn’t wrong to say that. She had indeed participated in Shicodale’s treatment—she just hadn’t been the main one.

“Where is Vinny?” Shicodale sat up and asked.

“Don’t worry. Vinny’s condition is much better than yours. Once you’re well, he’ll naturally feel at ease.” Luna chuckled and shook her head.

“But earlier I—”

“Earlier, you were always here in our room, receiving treatment.” Luna said seriously.

“Then... where is Vinny??”

“Dale, I don’t understand what you mean. It’s true Vinny asked us to treat you, but Vinny’s Spirit Soul isn’t [Saint’s Envoy]. Even if he wanted to help, he couldn’t. Watching him worry uselessly on the side was annoying, so it was better for him to go back and wait. We sent him back early.” Luna explained with a straight face.

“But earlier I—”

“Huh? The patient is awake?” Just then, a red-haired girl walked in as well.

“She’s awake. But she probably misses her roommate too much—she’s been talking about him nonstop.” Luna said with amusement.

“You’re... Miss Fennia?” Shicodale had seen Fennia before, so she recognized her.

“Yes. Long time no see, Dale.” Fennia greeted Shicodale. “It’s good you’re fine.”

“Fennia, did you see Vinny?” Shicodale still refused to give up. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Vinny? After he handed you over to us, we sent him back.” Fennia raised her brows. “There was no point in him staying here anyway. And that duel last time—I still owe him a favor. I can’t just sit by when a fellow student needs help.”

With that, Fennia laid out the reason directly.

The thread was very clear.

As someone from the Church’s side, Fennia naturally knew many talented trainees within the Church and had good relationships with them. And she owed Vinny a favor, so it was natural she was the one who found people to help.

“All right, all right. Dale, if Vinny could’ve saved you himself, why would he come find us?” Fennia said.

“Since you’re fine now, we’ll take you back.”

“Back?”

“Yes. You were lying in the academy church before. Those low-ranking nuns and clergy sent by the Church of the Dawn were completely helpless with your condition. They said they had to report back to the Church so the Church could send professionals. Vinny was anxious. He thought you wouldn’t be able to hold out until the report went through and the process finished, so he came to me and asked whether I knew anyone in the Church. Luckily, my childhood friend Amisha knows Lady Luna of the Haukekai Family. And Lady Luna’s family just happens to have an inherited method for treating an inner demon. With Amisha’s [Immaculate Light], that’s how you were healed.” Fennia explained the cause and effect.

Although lying was something a knight should be ashamed of, there was no choice. This was a kind lie, words that had to be said to achieve a kind purpose. And it was Lady Saintess who told her to say it—she couldn’t refuse.

Fennia had also learned some flexibility.

Pure lies were hard to sell. Half-true, half-false words were the hardest to tell apart. That was what Luna had just taught her.

This explanation was completely logical. More than half of it was the truth—only a portion wasn’t, that was all.

“If you don’t believe it, you can go ask the Golden Elf who’s still guarding your sickbed right now. She knows.” Fennia raised her brows.

“Golden Elf? You mean... Milian?” Shicodale said in shock.

“Yes. I think that’s the name. Anyway, the low-ranking nuns couldn’t treat you, and reporting would take too long. Who knows how long it would take to finish a process like that—and by then, it might not even get approved. So Vinny chose to act first and report later.”