SAINTESS [Chapter 77: Don't say like this!]

“After remaining silent for so long, I finally sensed a successor... but why is he a man??”

“Could it be that I've slept too long and lost my mind, mistaking someone?”

“No, something's wrong, I can't get out! What's going on? What exactly is happening!?”

“No way?! Does this mean I'm stuck living with this unknown, stinking man for the rest of my life??”

My head… It's so noisy.

Seriously, so damn noisy.

What's going on? Who's making all this racket, screaming nonstop??

And why does it feel like this voice is coming from inside my head, not from someone speaking into my ears??

At this moment, Winnie was in an extremely strange state, his consciousness blurred, unable to recall what had happened before, yet feeling overwhelming noise in his mind, as if a tiny person was bouncing around inside, crying and screaming.

Ugh, stop jumping! Stop making noise! My head's about to explode!

Winnie looked as if he were wearing a mask of agony, drenched in sweat, constantly writhing. The sensation was like someone drilling into his skull from the inside with an electric drill, causing excruciating pain that made cold sweat pour down.

“It really doesn't show any serious issues? This student seems perfectly normal.”

Somewhere in the endless, timeless haze, Winnie faintly heard voices near his ear.

“But he's clearly in pain, sweating coldly, his face pale,” came a slightly familiar voice, which seemed like the elder who had brought him to the [Gallery Tower] earlier.

“But I truly can't detect anything at all. Could you tell me again, what exactly happened before the boy collapsed?” asked the priest from Carillian Academy.

“He said he saw a glowing light, asked me about it, and then suddenly collapsed. Oh, right, he also made a distinct backward lean just before fainting, as if something had hit him on the forehead,” the elder recalled.

“And before that? Were there any suspicious signs with the boy earlier?”

“Before that? Suspicious signs? Well… there were, actually. Reverend, have you heard of the cursed [Divine Weapon] known as [Bloodied Debt]?”

“I've heard of it vaguely.”

“This boy previously acted as if he had no idea what [Bloodied Debt] was, yet suddenly, as if enlightened, he accurately described its appearance, down to the smallest detail, vividly and precisely.”

“Couldn't it be that he simply saw a picture of it in a book before? That's not strange. I myself learned about it from books before becoming a priest.”

“I still feel something's off. His expression at that moment… it was as if images and knowledge about [Bloodied Debt] suddenly appeared in his mind out of nowhere,” the elder said, frowning.

“You mean…?”

“You know, those cursed [Divine Weapons] harmful to humans are experts at actively manipulating minds and seeking hosts. [Bloodied Debt] is particularly notorious in that regard, though the odds are extremely low.”

“You suspect the boy's condition is due to influence from [Bloodied Debt]?? But that's highly unlikely. If I recall correctly, records show [Bloodied Debt] hasn't appeared in human sight for nearly a century. We don't know about the Demons, but no human has seen it since.”

“I'm not saying it's definitely [Bloodied Debt], it could be another cursed [Divine Weapon]. But I'm certain the [Gallery Tower] doesn't store any cursed [Divine Weapons].” The elder looked equally puzzled. He couldn't understand why a perfectly normal boy would suddenly act possessed while merely choosing a weapon.

“Ah, look! Isn't the boy waking up?” the priest said in surprise, glancing at Winnie.

“Huh??” The elder turned to look as well. Winnie, drenched in sweat, had cracked his eyes open just a slit. His body temperature was shockingly high, his hands clenched tightly together, clearly very uncomfortable and insecure, barely holding onto lucidity.

His trembling lips gradually stilled. The blurry shapes before his eyes slowly came into focus.

“Young man, you're awake? How do you feel?” Seeing Winnie's condition slightly improved, the elder asked.

“I… I…” Winnie still seemed confused. How did he suddenly open his eyes to this unfamiliar ceiling? Well, not entirely unfamiliar, actually, somewhat familiar. It looked exactly like the last time he'd been in the infirmary.

Back here again already?

“Student, don't get up yet. Just lie down and listen to us,” said the priest in white robes, gently guiding Winnie back onto the bed.

“Why… am I lying here?”

“You don't remember what happened? Earlier, you suddenly fainted during weapon selection in the [Gallery Tower]. Lord Charles immediately brought you to the infirmary. I used detection magic on you, but strangely found nothing. Then I cast healing and stamina recovery spells, still no significant effect.”

“How do you feel now? Weak? Burning up? Or shivering cold?” the priest asked in a warm, gentle voice.

“Can I say… a bit of all three?” Winnie's voice still trembled slightly.

"Then rest well. No rush. Are you hungry? We've prepared corn chowder and soft bread for you. Eat a little, then try to recall what you experienced just before losing consciousness. Try your best to remember, we need to find the cause. Otherwise, who knows if this might be a latent illness?" the priest said kindly.

“Before… what happened?” Winnie felt a bit more lucid after waking up, regaining some strength and awareness. He rubbed his still-aching forehead. Memories from before fainting surged back like the tide.

“Before? I remember… it was like a star hit me,” Winnie said hesitantly, recalling his experience.

“A star??” Charles and the priest exchanged glances.

“And then you fainted?”

“Yes,” Winnie nodded.

“And after that? What happened? Did you feel any changes in yourself?” the priest asked.

“Any changes?” Winnie rubbed his head again. The childish female voice that had echoed in his mind earlier had completely disappeared. He couldn't sense it at all anymore.

He tapped his head, as if water had tapped his ears, trying to shake it all out.

Still no sound.

Could that girl's voice earlier have just been an illusion? A hallucination?

“What's wrong? Is something still bothering you?” Charles asked, frowning.

“No, nothing's wrong,” Winnie shook his head, then propped himself up and stretched his limbs. “I feel much better now. My strength is returning gradually.”

“Are you sure you're okay? I still suggest staying for observation a while,” the priest advised.

“Really, it's not necessary. Old man, I still haven't picked my weapon yet,” Winnie said, turning to Charles.

"You are reckless brat! Even after this, you're still thinking about weapons? You're truly an incorrigible miser!" Charles snorted.

“Of course! It's a reward from the academy, I can't just forget about it. Wouldn't that be disrespectful to the institution?”

“Fine, whatever you say. But in your condition, forget about going back to pick. As for [Divine Weapons], don't even dream about it. You'd already seen almost everything before collapsing. If any [Divine Weapon] wanted you, it would've chosen you already. Don't waste your energy,” the elder said disdainfully.

“No way! I can't just go back empty-handed,” Winnie replied, now feeling a bit better. He grabbed the corn chowder and soft bread on the table and started eating, chewing messily with his mouth full.

“You'll end up in big trouble someday because of your greed,” Charles frowned. “At least learn from this. Take it as a warning.”

“Got it, got it. So, Old Man, about my weapon…”

“Back to weapons again, huh? Look at how desperate you are, like I owe you something. Tch, fine. Forget about [Divine Weapons], none chose you. I'll give you the list of [Magic Tools], you pick one that suits you,” Charles clicked his tongue.

Charles wasn't surprised at all that no [Divine Weapon] had chosen Winnie. In fact, among students who entered the [Gallery Tower] to pick weapons, this was the norm. Being chosen by a [Divine Weapon] was an extremely rare occurrence, exceptionally uncommon.

But… a star?

Charles recalled Winnie's earlier description and suddenly had a thought.

Could that star, invisible to others, have been a [Divine Weapon] choosing Winnie?

Impossible, right?

The thought flashed through Charles' mind briefly, then disappeared.

“Alright, thanks, Old Man.” Sigh. Not chosen and hit by an unprovoked disaster, he had to cut his losses now. [Magic Tool] it is.

“You changed your tune quickly, didn't you?” Charles shot Winnie a look. “Anyway, stay here a bit longer. If something happens to you, I'll be held responsible.”

“By the way, Winnie… have you really never seen [Bloodied Debt]?” Charles asked once more before leaving.

“Really, Old Man. Truer than pearls,” Winnie shook his head.

“Fine. But remember, cursed [Divine Weapons] are masters at manipulating minds. Tch, come to think of it, you're quite unlucky. You keep running into these things. I actually wonder if some ancient evil might have marked you,” Charles narrowed his eyes.

“In any case, be careful. Remember what I said, never interact with such evil objects. They only bring misfortune. Understand??”

“Don't worry, Old Man. I told you, I value my life,” Winnie raised an eyebrow.

Winnie clearly remembered how he died in his previous life. It was as if death routes had been categorized for him. If he still walked into them now, that'd be pure suicide.

Charles left. The priest told Winnie to rest a while longer in the infirmary.

“But Priest, if I stay here for observation, I'll fall behind in class!” Winnie couldn't help but protest.

“It's fine. Today's the weekend, isn't it?” The priest looked at Winnie approvingly. "Good, good. Diligent students like you are rare these days."

But honestly, he just didn't want to face another 'Devil Week' later, constantly cramming, always on the way to make-up classes.

After instructing Winnie to rest a little more, the priest also left the room.

Winnie didn't plan to leave immediately. The bread and soup on the table were still delicious, he hadn't finished them. Why leave?

To his surprise, right after the priest stepped out, the 'visiting family' arrived.

"Winnie! Are you okay?!" A petite white-clad figure rushed in, looking at him with deep concern.

“Dell? Didn't I tell you to go back? Why are you here?” Winnie asked, puzzled.

“The elder informed me, you fainted during weapon selection!” Shikondell stared at Winnie with worry.

“How long have you been waiting outside?”

“Me? I've been waiting outside the whole time earlier, so as not to disturb the priest. Winnie, are you really okay?”

“Just a small issue, Dell. Boys should be more composed. Don't be so hysterical, like you've never seen anything,” Winnie sobbed slightly.

He glanced at his Virtue stat, sure enough, it had increased.

From 4874 to 5004.

Well, whether it was entirely from Shikondell or jointly from Shikondell and Aesphyra, he didn't know.

“Ah~ So that's it. Turns out Winnie's character is supposed to be this composed guy?”

Just then, a familiar voice arrived along with the clicking sound of loafers on the floor.

Winnie turned toward the door. A silver-haired girl, her hair tied into a large black bow at the back of her head, stepped in gracefully, every movement exuding elegance and poise. She smiled gently at Winnie.

“? Dell, did this girl come with you?” Winnie glanced at Aesphyra, then back at Shikondell.

"Ah? Yes, I was rushing there and ran into Aesphyra. When she heard you were in trouble, she was really worried too," Shikondell nodded, still a bit dazed.

“How come I keep running into you every time I come to the infirmary?” Winnie looked at Aesphyra helplessly.

“How can you blame me for that? Anyway, I've finally discovered one of your strengths, Winnie.”

“What strength?”

“You're very resilient to fainting,” Aesphyra said playfully, sitting naturally on the chair beside Winnie's bed, crossing her long black-stockinged legs. “Fainted in the dungeon, fainted during missions, even faint while just sitting in the academy.”

“I'm resilient to you! I've discovered your flaws too, little nut, you're underdeveloped!” Winnie said.

“Winnie, did you manage to pick your desired weapon on this trip?”

“Are you deliberately bringing up sore topics?” Winnie clicked his tongue.

“Pfft, Winnie, you really attract disasters. Not getting picked is one thing, then you faint too.”

“Did you come here just to mock me?” Winnie gave Aesphyra a sidelong glance.

“Of course not. Hearing that you fainted again, I naturally had to come see how you were.”

“Still, Winnie, it's better not to set your standards too high. With weapons, practicality matters most.”

Damn.

Winnie felt Aesphyra was talking big, easy for her to say when she already had a [Divine Weapon] capable of evolving into a peerless [Legendary] item. With that kind of weapon, of course her words carry weight. She could just casually say whatever she wanted?

“Tch, mind your own business??”

“Winnie, don't be so dismissive. Seeing you faint and not get chosen… I felt bad for you. So I thought, maybe I could help.”

“Help me? You?” Winnie clearly didn't believe it.

“Yes. Why don't you tell me the criteria for the weapon you want? Maybe I've seen it somewhere, or even have it in my collection~?” Aesphyra rested her chin on her hand, smiling mischievously.

“Criteria for a weapon?”

“That's right. You know that feeling? The weapon that appears in your dreams when you close your eyes~?” Aesphyra described with a playful grin.

“The weapon in my dreams?” Winnie pondered for a moment, then instantly realized upon seeing Aesphyra' smile.

This silver-haired little nut ball…

She's testing me, isn't she??

So what does she want?

For some reason, whenever Aesphyra played tricks on him normally, Winnie didn't get angry. But when it came to this kind of distrustful scheming, he felt strangely irritated.

His expression immediately turned cold.

“What's wrong, Winnie?” Aesphyra remained unchanged, her smile unwavering, yet this was the first time she'd seen Winnie face her with such an expression.

'Virtue + 20.'

'Current Virtue: 5024.'

“What's wrong?” Winnie looked seriously at Aesphyra. “Then let me ask, what exactly do you expect me to say, Aesphyra?”

“........” Aesphyra suddenly fell silent. After a moment, she spoke. “What do you mean by that?”

"What do I mean? How long have you been listening here, from the beginning?"

“.......” After Winnie finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

“Eh? Eh??” As usual, Shikondell was completely lost, unable to grasp what had suddenly turned the atmosphere so icy.

“Dell, I finished the bread. Could you go buy me some more?” Winnie said.

“Ah, okay, but…” Shikondell hesitated, looking at the half-eaten bread still on Winnie's table.

“I don't like this flavor.”

“Ah, got it, got it.” Although still clueless about what happened, Shikondell nodded understandingly and left the room.

Now, only the two of them remain.

“You… think I'm involved with that cursed [Divine Weapon] called [Bloodied Debt]??” After a long pause, Winnie stared seriously at Aesphyra and spoke.

“I believe you're not, and I hope you're not, Winnie.” After a moment of silence, Aesphyra dropped all her smiles, slightly lowered her gaze, and avoided meeting Winnie's eyes.

“Liar,” Winnie said slowly, each word deliberate. “If you believe me, why deliberately do this?”

“You don't trust me. Otherwise, you wouldn't test me like this.”

Aesphyra fell silent.

“Leave,” Winnie said, seeing her expression, suddenly overwhelmed by irritation. He turned away, issuing her dismissal.

Although they often quarreled, this time, the atmosphere felt so cold and fragile.

Aesphyra sensed it.

The moment Winnie turned his head, she seemed to see the disappointment in his eyes, disappointment over her distrust.

At that instant, Aesphyra felt as if a large part of her heart had been hollowed out.

For the first time, an opposite gender had caused her such intense emotional turmoil.

'Virtue + 100.'

'Current Virtue: 5124.'

Her intuition told her that if she didn't resolve this issue now, their relationship would inevitably crack.

And she… really didn't want that.

“Hey, Aesphyra, have you worn masks for so long that you've forgotten how to be sincere with people?” Winnie suddenly spoke, still turned away, not looking back.

“Aesphyra, your attitude makes it feel like you always want to avoid problems when dealing with me. Maybe it sounds funny coming from me, but listen, Winnie doesn't care at all if strangers distrust him. Do you understand??”

A faint flicker of emotion flashed through Aesphyra' pupils.

With her emotional intelligence, how could she not understand the implication behind those words?

After a moment, she decided to tell the truth.

“For this one matter, even if it risks hurting you, I must know the truth.” Aesphyra no longer looked down, but met Winnie's gaze directly.

Winnie didn't know if this was the first time Aesphyra had shown him such an expression, but since he didn't turn back, he didn't see it.

“To prevent you from being mentally corrupted by a cursed [Divine Weapon], I had to test you. But it's not that I don't trust you.”

“Even if this method might hurt you… I just didn't want to see…”

“See something happen to you.” Aesphyra took a deep breath, speaking slowly. By the end, her voice unconsciously softened. Even she didn't realize her gaze had once again instinctively shifted away, as if subconsciously avoided his eyes.

What… was happening to her?

Aesphyra seemed a little confused herself.

“...” Yet, after hearing her words, Winnie showed no reaction.

Just as Aesphyra wondered if she still hadn't been sincere enough, the figure turned away from her and suddenly trembled.

“You… you idiot, why'd you suddenly say something so mushy?!” Then, she heard Winnie's voice, startled, almost reactive.

How should she describe it? Like a girl flustered by embarrassment and getting angry about it.

Needless to say, the reason Winnie wasn't turning back wasn't because he hadn't forgiven Aesphyra, it was because he didn't want her to see his expression right now.

Aesphyra could almost picture Winnie's face at that moment. At the same time, her heart, which had been suspended, finally settled. She knew, by Winnie saying this, their relationship had returned to its usual state.

'Virtue + 50.'

'Current Virtue: 5174.'

Wait.

No.

Why…should her heart hang on a single sentence, a single reaction from Winnie??

Aesphyra realized something was off, but by now, her heart relationship was already filled with relief that they had been salvaged.

“Tch. Corrupted by a cursed [Divine Weapon]? Fine, you always come up with such perfectly justified excuses,” Winnie said, still struggling to compose himself, still not turning around. “Next time… don't say things like that again. Got it? Seriously, you're making this young master so embarrassed!”