SAINTESS [Chapter 65: Battlefield??]

Stare... stare... stare......

Before Aesphyra finished speaking, three pairs of eyes fixed silently on Winnie without blinking or moving. They just kept staring at him, as if they wouldn't budge from the spot or go anywhere until he said something, prepared to wait for him out the entire day.

“Hey, what's with you guys? You don't actually believe that silver-haired nutball, do you?!” Winnie gulped hard and furrowed his brows. “This silver-haired nutball is just stirring up drama! You should take it with a grain of salt, not seriously! Isatia is the imperial princess of the Tyrell Empire, what possible connection could I have with her? We just happened to get caught in the same crisis, that's all!”

Yet Winnie's explanation didn't cause any of the three to shift their gaze or look away. They continued staring at him in silence, clearly showing they didn't believe a word he said.

“Winnie, if I'm not mistaken, the only one who inherently fell into the Deep-Buried dungeon was Miss Isatia, right? You weren't trapped inside at first, you only got pulled in later due to some kind of connection, correct?” Aesphyra smiled sweetly.

Some kind of connection??

That remark jolted both Shikondell and Mirexia. Shikondell remembered hearing Milian mention it publicly before, so the memory came back quickly, and she immediately began suspecting a certain possibility.

'Virtue + 60.'

'Current Virtue: 4484.'

Mirexia, however, wasn't as quick to catch on. At first, she didn't grasp what Aesphyra meant by “connection.”

“Hey! Don't you start stirring things up again? That was just a coincidence! How was I supposed to know that the Mars civilization valued contracts so much?!” Winnie couldn't help but complain.

“Contract? What contract?” Mirexia mused for a moment before asking.

“Hmm~ That's something you'll have to ask Winnie himself,” Aesphyra replied evasively, smirking.

Once again, Mirexia and Shikondell silently turned their gazes back toward Winnie.

“You nutball, stop saying things that cause misunderstandings! The engagement wasn't something I arranged, nor was it decided by my generation, or even by my father or grandfather's generation! What do I have to do with it?! I don't want to be dragged into this either, you know?!” Winnie snapped irritably.

What did he gain from that whole trip? Nothing but hardship and exhaustion. Well, maybe he gained some practical combat experience, but that was about it.

All the benefits went straight to the chosen Isatia. You really can't say she's the protagonist without reason, any non-destined character standing next to her ends up having their fortune siphoned away.

At first, if it wasn't for Virtue points and the desire to grow stronger, Winnie truly wouldn't have wanted to get involved in these karmic entanglements.

“En... engagement?” Mirexia's eyes widened slightly upon hearing the word. “Whose engagement?”

“Who else could it be? Obviously, the engagement between Isatia and Winnie, right?~” Aesphyra teased.

For a moment, Mirexia's already expressionless face seemed to grow even more hollow and lifeless.

'Virtue + 100.'

'Current Virtue: 4584.'

“You guys don't need to listen to her nonsense, she knows better than anyone!” Winnie shot Aesphyra a glare. Clearly, this girl was just enjoying the drama and looking to cause him trouble.

“That engagement was arranged by my great-grandmother, Sophia Varelis, the final Radiance Saintess. She decreed that if descendants of the Varelis and Lanteville families happened to be of opposite genders in the same generation, they should form a marriage alliance. It's not a secret, plenty of people in the academy know about it, okay?!”

Thanks to Winnie's reminder, Mirexia vaguely recalled having heard something about it before. Wasn't there really some awkward agreement between the Varelis and Lanteville families?

“And that agreement's been obsolete for ages! Nobody takes it seriously anymore. The Tyrell Emperor went to great lengths to make everyone forget it, and the nobles of the Tyrell Empire did the same. Most people from other countries have never even heard of it, and those who have thought it's just a toad dreaming of swan meat. Why are you bringing it up again?!”

“Winnie, why are you getting so worked up? I was just explaining the facts to Mirexia and the others. These are objective truths, aren't they?” Aesphyra said, sitting on the chair with her perfectly proportioned black-stockinged legs crossed, tilting her head as if truly puzzled by Winnie's overreaction.

This girl...

Winnie pressed his lips together. “Sometimes I really want to crack open your nut head and see what's inside. How do you always come up with such bizarre ideas?!”

“We were just in a life-or-death situation together in the Deep-Buried dungeon, that's all! What's so strange about that? In emergencies, any kind of closeness is normal, right?!”

After Winnie's explanation, Mirexia and Shikondell's expressions finally returned to normal.

Winnie inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Wait, since when did everything he did start feeling like walking on a tightrope?

“Ahem, anyway, I'm mostly recovered now, but I really need rest. You see?” The oppressive atmosphere in the room made Winnie feel like he couldn't breathe. Maybe it was just his imagination, but having three girls silently staring at him nonstop was extremely uncomfortable.

What the hell? Did he accidentally poke a hole in the nest of the destined heroines? Why were all three visitors here fated heroines ?!

The girls clearly still had questions, but seeing Winnie say this, they decided not to press further, after all, the patient needed rest. However, Mirexia and Aesphyra didn't seem willing to leave just yet. Only Shikondell, upon hearing Winnie's words, dazedly told him to rest well, placed her homemade meal on the table, and then left.

“Ahem, Mirexia... if you have work to do, you should go take care of it. I'm fine here,” Winnie said, noting Mirexia still sitting in the chair beside him.

“It's fine. You rest. This is a critical time. If anything happens, just tell me.” Mirexia replied firmly. “Someone should be here to take care of you now that you've just recovered from a serious illness.”

“Then... one person is enough, right?” Winnie fell silent, then changed at Aesphyra beside him. “Aesphyra, didn't you say earlier you wanted to visit Isatia? Then go do that now.”

“Huh? That's harsh, Winnie. I brought a fruit basket to visit you, and I've barely sat down, and you're already trying to chase me away?” Aesphyra looked deeply wounded.

Winnie remained expressionless.

Hmph. This silver-haired nutball, such an old pro at drama.

“Winnie, Aesphyra came to visit you out of genuine friendship,” Mirexia suddenly spoke up in Aesphyra's defense.

“That's right, right? Winnie actually wants to kick me out? How cruel. Miss Mirexia is Winnie's friend, and so am I, aren't I?” Aesphyra said with a cheerful smile.

“...” Mirexia fell silent, sitting upright and tightening the hem of her skirt.

Her relationship with Winnie wasn't merely friendship, they were childhood friends.

Although Mirexia felt a bit uneasy about thinking this way, she couldn't help but felt that her bond with Winnie was different from anyone else's.

Especially recalling the previous incident between Winnie and Aesphyra, Mirexia felt an inexplicable sense of crisis well up inside her.

“Yes, Winnie and I have been friends since childhood,” she found herself saying, almost involuntarily.

“Oh my, that's true. How enviable it must be, the relationship between Winnie and Miss Mirexia~?” Aesphyra said with a bright smile.

Huh? Huh??

At first, Winnie thought Aesphyra had come to visit him mainly to get closer to Mirexia. Now it was clear, she really was here to chat with Mirexia, not to check on his health.

But...

Was it his imagination?

Even someone as oblivious as Winnie began to notice something odd.

Although the two beautiful girls, golden and silver-haired, were chatting, the atmosphere between them felt strangely off.

It didn't seem... particularly harmonious.

Was he imagining things?

It must be his imagination... right?

Meanwhile, Shikondell only realized after leaving the room: Why was she the only one who'd left? Why were Mirexia and Aesphyra still inside?

Didn't Winnie need rest?

Had she... been too obedient?

As Shikondell hesitated, wondering if she should go back, many figures approached Winnie's hospital room.

Looking up, Shikondell saw they were wearing the faculty robes of Carillian Academy, clearly instructors from the school.

“Excuse me, student. Is Winnie currently in this room?” the lead instructor asked.

“Ah, yes.” Shikondell answered instinctively.

“Thank you.” The instructor nodded gratefully and entered the room with the others.

The instructors entered and immediately saw Winnie lying in bed.

“Sorry to disturb your rest, Winnie. We're dungeon research instructors from Carillian Academy. How are you feeling now?” The instructor asked seriously.

“Teacher, I'm mostly recovered. Just a bit weak right now,” Winnie replied. He already had a good idea why they'd come.

After such a major incident, the instructors naturally had to investigate what had happened and what exactly existed within the Mars Deep-Buried dungeon composed of divine relic fragments.

“Would the two visiting students please step out for a moment?” The instructor turned to Mirexia and Aesphyra.

Both understood this was official academy business and wouldn't interfere. They quietly left the room one after the other.

Just as Shikondell was still debating whether to return, she saw Mirexia and Aesphyra walk out of the room and close the door behind them.

“Eh??” Shikondell had been about to greet them, after all, she knew both of them, and they'd helped her before. She hadn't greeted them earlier when entering, so she'd planned to do so now.

But as the two stepped out, they each stood on opposite sides of the doorway, silent and seemingly lost in thought.

Shikondell stood bewildered between them, once again clueless about her current situation.

“Miss Mirexia, you seem to have quite a lot of free time lately,” Aesphyra said casually.

“What do you mean?” Mirexia asked, thoughtful.

“Pfft, probably because, knowing Miss Mirexia's habits, if you were truly busy, you wouldn't have stayed this long,” Aesphyra exclaimed.

“......My habits?” Mirexia paused. “And... have I really been here that long?”

“Well, that depends on what you're comparing it to,” Aesphyra replied.

“When a friend is in trouble, work naturally takes a backseat,” Mirexia said, turning her gaze away.

“Oh? Is that so?” Aesphyra nodded meaningfully.

“Eh? Eh??” Shikondell remained stuck between them, seemingly completely ignored, making her feel oddly awkward.

“Well then, Shikondell, Miss Mirexia, see you later,” Aesphyra said, glancing toward the room where the conversation continued, flicking a strand of hair behind her ear before turning to leave.

“Mm.”

“Oh, okay, see you!” Mirexia nodded indifferently, while Shikondell, still dazed, lifted her hand like a beckoning cat and politely said goodbye.

Mirexia watched Aesphyra's retreating figure, her eyes flashing with something unreadable.

Inside the room, after confirming Winnie had recovered sufficiently, the instructors began inquiring about the conditions within the Deep-Buried dungeon.

Winnie held nothing back, except for the part about transforming into Vanessa, which he kept secret. He attributed most of the combat performance to Isatia.

After all, if he didn't, the story wouldn't hold up.

“So the Divine Authority dungeon actually contained the resurrected King of Mars? Truly astonishing,” the recording instructor couldn't help but exclaim.

“Did you find any notable items inside?” the instructor continued.

“No. After we left, we don't know what happened to the Mars dungeon. We still don't even know if it's completely destroyed or not,” Winnie shook his head.

“I see.” The instructor pondered for a moment, then involved his subordinates to record the details. After gathering a general understanding, he declared that Winnie and Isatia were clearly the top contributors in this dungeon exploration. They will receive rewards afterwards, and both will be granted vacation time to recuperate properly. With that, the instructors withdrew.

The academy's higher-ups would likely need to conduct further research on this matter.