Morning at the Holy Academy was far from quiet.
Clouds huddled together, transforming into chaotic, deformed black masses that writhed and surged within the howling gales.
Following a deafening clap of thunder, a torrential downpour began.
Although it was daytime, it felt like night. The occasional flash of lightning across the sky illuminated the gloomy Holy Academy, only for it to plunge back into darkness the next instant.
In the private plaza north of the Starcinder society's dormitory, a crowd had gathered around a nearby warehouse.
Some stood outside under umbrellas, but most were gathered in a circle inside the warehouse, where a young girl knelt on the floor.
“Do you have any idea how much you embarrassed me yesterday?!”
At the front-left of the crowd, the President of Starcinder pointed at the girl and yelled furiously.
“Oh my god! Look at how many resources Starcinder poured into you, yet you couldn't even pass the initial Saintess assessment! You've completely humiliated me!”
“You damned demon, there's a reason Lystra was destroyed! Look at you—what use are you besides your pretty face? If Krulu hadn't spoken up for you, you would have been executed today!”
Velrose nodded, but she said nothing.
She curled in on herself. Suddenly, several people rushed forward and dumped a bucket of cold water over her head.
The freezing water ran mercilessly down her delicate body, and her drenched frame quickly began to shiver. Today was exceptionally cold.
Yet she remained unmoved, uttering not a single word.
“Bah! Some apprentice Saintess you are. Reflect on your sins here today! And don't forget Lord Babarol's orders—if you lose your status as a Saintess, you can forget about ever seeing your mother again!”
Velrose clenched the hem of her clothes but remained silent.
Because she only wanted to see her mother.
As the princess of a defeated nation, she had never known what freedom felt like.
As for being bullied, enduring daily insults and beatings had long since become routine.
So all this suffering was nothing to her.
With a heavy thud, the warehouse doors slammed shut. Soon, the footsteps of the Starcinder students faded into the distance, along with their endless curses and mockery of Velrose.
She lay on her side on the cold ground. The biting wind cut to the bone. She clutched the golden pendant on her chest—the last gift her mother had given her before they were separated.
It made her feel warm.
Mother, I'm being strong, right?
I'm still waiting for you.
She stood up, clutching her arm, and stumbled toward the doors. Pushing them open to leave, she found a young girl standing in front of the warehouse, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
The girl who had come to find her was petite, wearing a cute and elegant maid outfit, with beautiful black hair that reached her waist.
A clear silhouette surfaced in Velrose's mind, but the peculiar black triangular mask covering the girl's eyes made her slightly uncomfortable. In the end, she couldn't recall who this girl actually was.
The mask exuded an ominous aura, with chaotic runes flowing across its surface, stirring unease in whoever looked at it.
The torrential rain falling on her didn't wet her cute maid outfit; instead, it was deflected by an invisible force.
“Who... are you?”
The newcomer didn't give her name. She stopped knocking on the door and spoke calmly.
“Velrose, I know where your mother is.”
In an instant, doubt and worry intertwined in Velrose's heart.
She stood up almost instantly, stumbled forward, and used magic to shatter the lock on the door.
“What did you say? Where is she? And who are you?”
In truth, this girl was Tina.
She had worked at a maid café in the past and had been an outstanding employee, so her lovely boss had gifted her this top-tier maid outfit.
Ironically, this was her only clothing suitable for hiding her identity.
She had asked the Astral Sage for a mask beforehand—one that could distort others' perception.
The Chaos Mask.
As long as she wore this mask, it would be difficult for anyone to associate her with Tina, even though she hadn't hidden her hair color, height, or even her voice.
“Velrose~” Tina raised a finger to her lips. Her voice sounded like a villain in a theatrical play, soft yet winding with charm. “Are you truly willing to do anything for Starcinder, even betraying your own kindness, just to see your mother?”
“That has nothing to do with you. If you're just here to play a joke on me, then please leave.”
“This is a letter your mother wrote to you. The very last one. You probably haven't seen it, have you? It was hidden under Babarol's desk.”
Tina gently handed the letter in her hand to the girl with disheveled hair and a distorted expression.
The latter took the document, and the anger on her face... no, it was more accurate to say all of her emotions vanished.
It was her mother's suicide note, containing her final words from half a year ago.
Every single word was filled with the bloody law of the jungle of this world, the darkness of human nature, and an utter contempt for life.
And every detail slowly chipped away at her last shred of humanity, causing her to lose all hope in the humans of this world.
Whether what she read was her mother's pouring heart, comfort, or despair didn't matter to Tina anymore.
Because her mother had indeed died years ago.
“Your mother died a long time ago. The subsequent letters were all written by someone mimicking her handwriting.”
“What...”
Two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.
“You're lying! Your words contradict themselves! Why should I believe this letter is the real one?!”
Her voice was loud, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of the pouring rain.
“Well, has your mother ever come to visit you these past few years? Besides, you can verify its authenticity yourself, can't you?”
“Damn it...”
Velrose was in utter chaos. She wanted to grab this mysterious woman, but the figure vanished into the rain like a phantom.
She rushed outside and looked around, but there was only the pouring rain beating against her, making her delicate body feel even colder.
A gust of wild wind made her turn her back. She carefully folded the envelope and hid it in the innermost layer of her clothes, then slowly walked toward the Starcinder dormitory.
In her ears, she could hear her mother's voice from when she was still a child—preparing breakfast for her, playing with her in the garden. Though those times were distant, they were her last treasured memories.
Later, she and her mother were taken in by Babarol.
That man claimed he craved power, and since she possessed light affinity, he promised that if she could become an apprentice Saintess and help him deal with troublesome enemies, he would release her mother.
Velrose and her mother had made a promise that in five years, they would settle down in a distant, beautiful city.
As soon as she returned to the dormitory, many students stood at the stairs, blocking her from going up.
“You're so filthy. Why don't you get the hell out of our dorm?”
“Seriously, you're dirty and smelly. When are you leaving Starcinder?”
“She's practically like livestock!”
Rate on N.U.
