Ever since the day of the birthday party, the System had been "glitching."
To be honest, Tina didn't even know when the System had started glitching. She only knew that the once cold machine had turned into a ghost-like presence, whispering in her ear.
Sometimes at night, Tina looked like a madwoman talking to herself.
No matter how silent the infirmary ward was at night, she found it hard to calm down.
She often couldn't sleep; she would lie there for the entire night.
When morning finally arrived, her ward was "graced" with a visitor.
Judging by the footsteps, she could tell it was Velrose.
She sat on the chair beside the bed without making a sound.
Was she waiting for me to wake up?
“Are you still pretending to be asleep, Senior?”
“...”
“What is it?”
Seeing that she had been found out, Tina didn't bother hiding it anymore and rolled over to lie flat on her back.
“Hahaha~”
“What are you laughing at?”
“Perhaps I understand a little why Sathya likes you, Senior. The two of you really are...”
“Where is Little Ya?” Tina suddenly realized that Sathya should have been the one visiting her at this hour, but this time it was Velrose instead.
“She had some things to attend to today, so she asked me to come instead. Here is some porridge. Oh... you didn't even drink yesterday's?”
“What kind of things?”
“I'm not entirely sure of the details, since our relationship hasn't been very good lately.”
“...”
“She's been constantly pressing me for information about you lately. After all, I lied for you, Senior, and that lie isn't very convincing.”
On the day of the birthday party, Velrose had been responsible for "cleaning up" after the two of them.
She had cleaned up the blood at the scene and brought both of the unconscious girls back to the dormitory. Later, acting on Tina's instructions, she had lied to Sathya, claiming she had found a way to restore a portion of her magic core.
【Magic Core Integrity: 15.5%】
Almost there, just a little more...
But there was absolutely no way to explain how Tina had fallen ill.
Tina thought of a possibility... the unique nature of her body might have already been discovered by Sathya.
After all, her current body and her Immortality were, strictly speaking, created by Sathya.
For such a powerful body to suffer such a severe injury, she would naturally find it suspicious.
Fortunately, Sathya couldn't clearly remember the details of their time alone together.
Or so Velrose said.
“I suggest you eat something, Senior. You only took one bite yesterday at noon. By human standards, your blood loss would have killed you about three times over.”
“...”
“It really makes one curious, Senior. Are you actually human? Heehee~”
Tina said nothing. She got out of bed, took the porridge Sathya had bought, and began to sip it in small mouthfuls.
“You seem very calm, Senior. A lot of people from the Church have died recently. They all died inside the Holy Academy, and their deaths were gruesome... Could that have been your doing too?”
“...” Tina remained silent.
She only wanted to ask: how did Velrose know?
When she couldn't sleep at night, she would slip out of the infirmary to complete her next "target."
To stop the Sacred Mutiny.
This was because the primary target of the Sacred Mutiny was the Saintess—specifically Sathya, the incredibly powerful apprentice Saintess who came from a small convent.
A long time ago, before this loop, Tina had tried to protect Sathya when the Sacred Mutiny occurred.
Too many people had died in that battle, including the President of the Leaflight society, Lavertis.
To protect Sathya, Tina had been gravely injured and spent months bedridden in the hospital.
Back then, Tina had hoped Sathya would come to care for her, but that day never came...
This time, she had.
Should I be happy?
Yes, some things should never have happened in the first place.
Especially the Church—an existence destined to cause Sathya's death.
It shouldn't exist.
Those scum of the Church wouldn't even require ten percent of Sathya's strength to deal with.
Even a long time ago, she was a "legend" capable of defeating a magical beast single-handedly.
Yet the people of the Church believed she was no legend, but a traitor who had plunged all of humanity into suffering.
How did Velrose know?
But as if having anticipated her confusion long ago, the other girl smiled and said, “In this academy, other than Krulu, the Goddess of Winter, there is no Saintess stronger than us. The only person I can think of who could kill them is you, Senior.”
“Velrose, I'm discharging myself this afternoon. There are some things I need to ask of you. Tomorrow, I will kill Babarol. Remember to help me protect Sathya.”
“Are you sure you don't want to team up with me, Senior? Your physical condition is terrible.”
“It's enough.”
After finishing her porridge, Tina tidied up briefly and lay back down.
Velrose shook her head. Saying a soft goodbye, she left the ward.
At noon, Sathya arrived.
She brought lunch and placed it by Tina's bedside. But this time, she didn't say her usual words like she had over the past few days.
Her voice sounded anxious. “Sister Tina, I heard you're discharging yourself this afternoon? But your body...”
“I'm fine.”
Tina replied coldly.
There was no need to pretend to be asleep this time. Being too forced would only make Tina feel disgusted with herself.
“Velrose told me that you suddenly came down with a strange illness that day, perhaps from coming into contact with a magical beast. But you've rested for less than a week.”
“...”
Just as Tina had imagined, Sathya knew nothing.
She was still that pitiful girl waiting for me to say “I love you,” a magical beast whose resentment had not yet dissipated.
Yes, everything was under my control.
But before Tina could think of how to retort, the scene unfolding before her eyes exceeded her understanding.
Sathya had already climbed onto the hospital bed with one leg.
“Can I examine your body?”
“What?”
“Literally.”
Sathya's voice was firm. Hearing those words, Tina sensed that something was wrong.
Tina immediately tried to sit up, but the other girl had already pinned her hands down. Though the force was gentle, it was just enough to push her back onto the bed.
Tina was forced to lie on her back, meeting Sathya's gaze.
They were a pair of beautiful golden eyes, the doubt and disgust long gone from between her brows, leaving only pure concern and tenderness. Tina had more or less sensed this expression during those seventy-nine years, but this was the first time she was observing it from such close proximity.
Through the blanket, she could feel Sathya's warmth.
This was bad. Very bad.
“You... let go of me.”
“Sister Tina, your body is trembling. Are you afraid?”
“...”
“What exactly happened that night?”
“I don't know...” Tina tried to struggle, but Sathya's next words froze her completely in place.
Sathya didn't ask her anything immediately, nor did she literally examine her body.
She simply pinned Tina's wrists and leaned down slightly.
At this distance, Tina could smell that comforting, familiar scent, and she could see every detail of her rosy lips.
“Sister Tina, you kissed me that day, didn't you?”
Rate on N.U.
