Tina was extremely troubled.
Since consuming the three energy spheres, her sanity had returned quite a bit, and the chaotic memories in her head had become much clearer. In particular, major turning points in her life or deeply memorable events stood out with striking clarity...
What if, upon regaining her sanity, she discovered that Little Ya didn't actually occupy a very important part of her memories?
But then she realized that, even within her memories and experiences, almost everything revolved around Little Ya anyway.
However, the reason she was troubled was precisely because she had remembered so many things about Little Ya... including the matter of Time Reversal.
Before this, Little Ya had always been so sad. Why was she sad? Was it just because I couldn't move?
But back then, wasn't the current me just as 【incomplete】?
She couldn't understand.
So she spoke up and asked, “Little Ya, were we... always this close... in the past?”
She had expected Little Ya to answer with a smile this time, but to her surprise, Sathya's expression turned slightly painful, as if she were recalling many unpleasant things.
“I shouldn't have turned you into a magical beast and made you bear all of this. The process of becoming a monster must have been agonizing, wasn't it?”
“No...”
“Sister Tina, have you remembered anything else now?”
Walking down the path, Tina could clearly feel Sathya's breath.
“I... know everything, but... I can't understand it... For example... me... burning on a crucifix... and things like that...”
As she said this, Sathya's face suddenly turned pale, as if a raw nerve had been struck. Tina had rarely seen her look so sad, and she quickly lowered her head to apologize.
“I'm sorry...”
In response to this topic, Sathya merely shook her head, having no intention of continuing the discussion.
Tina also knew she couldn't keep talking about it. She was already relying a bit too much on Sathya, and now she was ripping open her wounds.
Little Ya was often unhappy, yet she never said anything.
Why won't she tell me? Does she still not trust me?
To prevent Little Ya from staying sad, she thought for a moment and said tentatively, “I really want... to be killed... by Little Ya...”
It was as if such a thought had resurfaced in her mind. When she spoke those words, she didn't even think, nor did she feel like she was lying. It just felt entirely natural.
“If you say that again, don't even think about getting out of bed tomorrow.”
“Gulp.”
They continued forward and met up with Isobel and the others.
Before them stood a massive castle.
It was heavily guarded; the sounds of iron hooves and marching footsteps could be heard at every moment.
The gray plaster on the walls was gradually peeling off under the erosion of the rain, exposing the brickwork underneath.
This was a prison—specifically, the largest prison in the empire, where the empire's high-profile convicts were held.
Krulu was in a place like this. Isobel's assistance made gathering information incredibly easy.
“Look, this is the fortress humans pride themselves on as being the most secure. It's packed with high-profile convicts.”
Isobel crossed her arms, speaking of the prison with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Soon, two soldiers walked out from inside and blocked their path.
But then, these soldiers suddenly bowed their heads obsequiously, as if welcoming their master.
Their eyes were wide open, as if they had seen something terrifying. It looked as though puppet strings were attached to them; their movements were bizarre and stiff. Only after a long while did they gradually start to adapt, though the rigid expressions on their faces remained chilling.
“Welcome, Lady Saintess.”
“There is still one person here whom I haven't controlled,” Isobel said.
Sathya remembered that Isobel could bring even bishop-level existences under her control.
Did that mean they were about to face an enemy above the bishop level?
Obviously, though she possessed great strength, she was completely incapable of standing against the magical beasts.
With a gentle wave of Isobel's hand, all the paladins and Inquisitors stood at attention, drew their weapons, and marched toward the sole "anomaly" inside the castle.
Golden armor encased her slender, elegant body, and her white robe fluttered in the wind. She drew the longsword at her waist, her body trembling slightly as she looked at the humans who had already "betrayed" them.
She was terrified.
Only when she saw the backs of Tina and the others did she realize her ultimate fate.
Knight Commander Alissa.
Sathya still remembered her.
She was the overall commander of the knights during the White Dusk Forest operation, as well as the commander of the Sixth Knight Order.
Almost all of her subordinates had died in that battle. Later on, she had even planned to work with the Sword God to kill Sister Tina.
But now...
She was completely surrounded by the paladins, and her will to fight had utterly evaporated.
Isobel seemed to thoroughly enjoy the sight of humans falling into despair. The corners of her mouth curled up into a gentle yet terrifying smile. She stepped forward, and the knights parted to make way for her.
“Y-You are... a magical beast! What did you do to them?!”
“Nothing much. Just remodeled them a bit.”
Isobel had no intention of killing her. Instead, she stepped forward until she was only half a meter away from Alissa.
“In truth, you're just a dog to Elcalan, who prides herself on justice. You don't have a shred of pity for these knights! Just because Elcalan wanted to kill her, you went along with it, didn't you?” Isobel accused angrily.
This girl had almost ruined her plans.
The Sword God shouldn't have reached the White Dusk Forest so smoothly, and Ulrich shouldn't have been here either.
This was supposed to be a meticulously planned outcome, but this girl's presence had put Tina in extreme danger.
If the Demon King's strength hadn't exceeded her expectations, and if she had died...
Isobel found it hard to let this human off the hook. Thus, she thought of an excellent idea.
“Look. I will kill all of these knights. But if you kneel before me and open your mind to my control, I'll spare them.”
As she spoke, she lifted Alissa's chin with her fingertip. The latter still showed no will to fight.
Sathya did not wait around. Knowing that no one here could stop them, she took Tina's hand and walked toward the prison.
Shetiel remained above, while Velrose followed them down.
Conveniently, a few knights inside led the way for them.
The prison was filled with a rancid, musty stench; clearly, the environment here was far from pleasant.
The two of them descended the narrow stairs all the way to the underground.
The castle above ground was entirely the domain of the soldiers, while the underground had a total of eight floors used to hold prisoners.
These prisoners were held on different floors according to their classifications. Each person had only a few square meters of living space and was allowed to move around freely during the day.
However, high-profile convicts were completely stripped of their personal freedom, even to the point of being chained to the walls.
They were individuals who had severely compromised the interests of the state, leaders of certain heretical cults, or rulers of nations conquered by the empire.
Krulu was held on the very last floor.
The cell was deep down the corridor, the lighting so dim that it was practically pitch black.
Through the damp iron bars, they saw a figure kneeling on the ground.
“Krulu Sarather.”
Sathya uttered her name.
Yet, she remained completely motionless, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
A bad premonition welled up.
Rate on N.U.
