The Astral Sage was only an arrogant and naive witch on the surface; in truth, she had been searching for her missing older sister for a very long time.
Tina had met her sister.
However, that entity was not human, but a magical beast.
She possessed power that surpassed the Astral Sage, using illusion magic to manipulate hundreds of thousands of humans into swearing fealty to her.
After being killed by Tina's own hands, she had used her illusion magic to create a sweet facade, deceiving the Church and convincing everyone that the monster manipulating humanity was actually Tina.
Since then, Tina had lost all hope in this world, and even in Sathya.
That was what led to everything that followed.
But if she really wanted to find her, Tina had a way.
“Sure, I agree. And as for your sister, I actually have some clues. I once saw her collection of books in the Imperial Library.”
“What?”
Ever since becoming the Astral Sage, she had never mentioned her sister to anyone else.
She had searched the entire world for her sister, yet she didn't know as much as Tina did.
Who on earth was this girl?
“There are some things you need to confirm for yourself, Lady Astral Sage.”
“You really are unfathomable...” The Astral Sage nodded in admiration. By now, she was almost certain that this calm young girl was by far the most unique existence she had ever met. “From now on, you can call me Miranda in private. That's my real name.”
Tina stood up, preparing to leave. Just before she walked away, she suddenly remembered something and asked,
“Miranda, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you. Do you still have the ‘Chaos Mask’? The magic item that can disguise one's identity.”
Miranda scratched her head. “Of course I have it, but what do you want that for?”
...
Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting exquisite patterns onto the tiled floor. Several ancient paintings hung on the walls, inscribed with archaic poems, while a golden sun motif hung from the towering ceiling.
The grand palace was quiet and solemn. A massive round table was divided into twelve equal sections by golden stripes radiating from the center, with a person seated at each section.
Behind them stood many outstanding students who had come to observe.
The “Eleven Societies Meeting.”
The president of each society had to attend this monthly meeting, and they were allowed to bring their trusted aides and society members to observe.
Standing behind the Leaflight president, Lavertis, were Sathya and Tina.
They were attending the society meeting in accordance with the rules, but the atmosphere between them was incredibly awkward.
Fortunately, the solemn atmosphere of the meeting served as a shield to maintain their cold distance.
Tina also took this opportunity to observe Sathya.
【Sathya's Obsession: 469】
It went down? Did she finally let go?
No, that was impossible.
Sathya remained expressionless, but the moment Tina drew even slightly closer, Sathya would clench her fists in tension, her eyes trembling uncontrollably.
She was holding back. Perhaps she had simply come to terms with things a little.
Or perhaps, she had thought of a way to solve the problem.
The middle-aged man sitting at the very front of the conference table was the Principal of the Holy Academy, Ulrich Stett.
His thick, grayish-white hair was slicked back neatly, and a few traces of time were etched onto his slightly gaunt face. A monocle made his tall frame look like that of a refined scholar.
In reality, Tina knew exactly what a terrifying existence this man was.
He was once the second-ranked knight in the Empire, the man formerly known as the “Sword Saint.”
Not only was he immensely powerful, but he also harbored a truly terrifying ambition.
On the surface, he was a middle-aged man with a magnetic voice, but behind the scenes, he was vehemently opposed to the Pope's “Saintess Selection,” viewing it as a childish game that wasted time and resources.
As the former Sword Saint, he had taken over the position of Principal of the Holy Academy, pretending to be a retired knight. In truth, he had long since conspired with members of various national factions to instigate a war.
One day in the future, he would launch a war known as the “Sacred Mutiny.”
The targets of that crusade would include all the bishops, apprentice Saintesses, and a certain young cardinal.
“Just a short while ago, I received the results of this Saintess Selection.”
The Principal wore a polite smile. His voice was relaxed, yet it carried a hint of majesty and justice that made everyone feel at ease.
He glanced to his left.
“I am deeply sorry, Miss Velrose, apprentice Saintess of Starcinder. You have been eliminated.”
At the same time, behind the young noble who was the president of the “Starcinder” society, the girl with curly orange hair stiffened. The light vanished from her eyes, and she lowered her head in despair.
The Saintess of Starcinder.
Although she felt ashamed, her face did not show much emotion. She looked like... a doll?
Evidently, Tina's decisions had already begun to alter the course of the future.
The original purpose of the Eleven Societies Meeting was to unite the societies, share information, and make the next phase of strategic decisions for the greater good.
But in reality, it had become a venue for the strong to bully the weak.
Before the Time Reversal, Tina had been the one who was eliminated, severely ridiculed by everyone. They had openly declared to her face that Leaflight was a garbage society.
Before a crisis struck, humanity never thought of cooperation; instead, they did everything they could to ruin one another and eliminate their competitors.
This time, Velrose had taken her place.
However, the president of Starcinder was a rather slippery fellow.
“A useless piece of trash is indeed just trash, Principal. It is my lack of guidance that caused this,” the Starcinder president, a young man who also appeared to be a student, immediately stood up to apologize.
The Principal, gripping his staff, also smiled. “Nonsense. Everyone who participates in the Saintess Selection is a talent with a promising future. The Holy Academy values talent. Even if she is not the Saintess, she can still shine in her own field.”
“You might not know this, Principal, but if I hadn't personally taken her in, Velrose would still be rotting in prison.”
The man's mocking voice echoed lazily throughout the conference hall, showing absolutely no restraint.
“Just look at her eyes and you'll understand, right? If I hadn't seen a bit of talent in her...”
None of the people present spoke, but almost everyone, including Sathya and Tina, understood what the man meant.
Velrose's eyes were green.
She was a citizen of Lystra.
Not long ago, the Kingdom of Lystra had been liquidated by a coalition of treaty nations for instigating a war.
Furthermore, because the people of Lystra had researched magical beasts and attempted to harness their power as weapons, they were fiercely condemned by the Church. In the end, a holy crusade completely destroyed everything the Lystrans had.
Velrose had once been a noble lady of Lystra. After her nation fell, she was arrested and imprisoned. Although she did not die at the hands of the inquisitors, she was taken in by the Holy Academy's Starcinder society. Due to her extraordinary talent and high affinity for light magic, she had even become a Saintess candidate.
Of course, Tina also knew this girl's other two special “identities.”
For one, her actual identity was the Princess of Lystra.
And furthermore...
In six months, she would be one of the chief culprits behind the “Demon Invasion.”
She was the “Flame Magical Beast” who would severely wound the Astral Sage and Ulrich, and reduce half of the Holy Academy to ashes.
Rate on N.U.
