The Second Person to Find

“It's fine.”

Tina simply shook her head and turned to leave.

Watching her retreating figure from afar, Miranda called out once more, “Miss Tina, consider this a favor I owe you. The gates of the Tower of Stars will always be open to you.”

Tina looked back with a sweet smile and waved her hand.

The issue with the Astral Sage was temporarily resolved.

Now, she faced an even more difficult problem.

It was highly likely that Sathya had already discovered her identity.

Perhaps she had let her guard down for just a fraction of a second during the clash of magic.

Whatever the reason, this was not good news.

Tina checked her injuries.

There was no improvement whatsoever.

The wound had vanished into thin air, which meant the curse had already seeped deep into her bones.

However, for a curse that was already incurable to begin with, this really didn't change much.

Tina considered herself an optimist, so she tied a ribbon around her neck to slightly cover the very ominous-looking curse.

As long as Sathya didn't untie this ribbon and Tina didn't let her guard down, it would be absolutely impossible to find out.

Strangely, the curse only made her neck feel hot; it was not even comparable to her usual pain.

Whether the curse eroded her body was entirely controlled by Sathya's will.

And now, it was as if the curse had long since lost its purpose for existing, occasionally only making her feel a bit suffocated from the heat.

But all in all, this was by no means good news.

Right now, Tina actually wished the curse would continue to torture her.

That would mean her identity had not yet been exposed.

Next, she had an extremely difficult task.

—To deliver the compiled evidence against Ulrich to the upper echelon of the Church, and attribute the credit to Sathya.

This included two image crystals, three documents retrieved from beneath Babarol's desk, and evidence of past crimes committed by their accomplices—all of which were proof of Ulrich's rebellion against the Church.

And this evidence could not fall into the hands of any paladin in the Holy Academy, not even a teacher.

To ensure his plans went smoothly, Ulrich kept the vast majority of the educators and professors under surveillance.

In the eyes of many, he was still an outstanding man.

This was also the reason why he had been able to detect the existence of "Tina" so quickly.

Killing him would be effortless for Tina.

But Tina didn't want a simple assassination; she needed the world's respect and protection for Sathya.

For this, she had already found the perfect candidate.

Before word of the incident could spread, Tina headed to the territory of the Nightingale Society alone.

The Nightingale Society did not have a dormitory.

The Sarather family had purchased a prime piece of land on the mountainside in the northern part of the academy. After years of tireless construction by engineers working day and night, a massive courtyard was finally built.

Because most of it was suspended in the open air, with a rushing river flowing a hundred meters below, it was known as the "Hanging Garden."

Inside the courtyard stood three grand mansions, with the remaining area divided into artificial gardens and lakes. Crystal-clear spring water gushed from elevated platforms, cascading down as waterfalls that merged into the moat below.

This was Krulu's "dormitory."

The entire Nightingale Society was a part of the Sarather family. Not only that, but the Sarather family owned three gold mines within the Empire as their private property. To Krulu's family, becoming the Saintess was merely a part of doing business.

Aside from the Saintess, all "members" were actually servants and soldiers of the Nightingale Society. They joined the society solely to ensure that the eldest young lady, Krulu, would graduate smoothly and inherit the family estate.

The Sarather family, who controlled the Nightingale Society, also legally possessed military power.

Furthermore, these people were tighter-lipped than mithril. The Sarather family was extremely xenophobic; even marriages required the groom to marry into the family by default. It was precisely because of this that the eldest young lady of the Sarather family, Krulu, was highly dissatisfied with her own family.

The mountain road here was vastly different from the one leading to the temple earlier. It was smooth and neat, sometimes even giving the illusion that there was no incline at all, and it was entirely free of any steep slopes.

“Excuse me, young lady, but the road ahead is closed.”

A soldier of the Sarather family stopped Tina.

Unlike the Church's knights and higher-ranking paladins, her armor was much lighter, yet she was a battle-hardened warrior.

“I am Tina, a classmate of Miss Krulu. I have some business with her.”

“But... wait? Oh, you're her friend.”

The soldiers exchanged a few words, then immediately stood at attention and gave Tina a slight nod.

From then on, the path ahead was completely clear. Soon, a carriage picked her up and drove toward the manor on the mountainside.

Along the way, there was nothing but sheer luxury.

The Sarather family had planted sycamore trees across the vast majority of the mountain. Even though they had to use magic to maintain the growth of these trees, which cost an astronomical amount of gold every year, all of this was simply because "the head of the Sarather family liked sycamore trees."

Once the carriage arrived, as soon as Tina stepped down, a butler guided her toward the first grand mansion of the estate.

“The mansion is huge,” was Tina's only thought.

Arriving at the parlor on the first floor, she saw Krulu, who had been waiting for a long time, sitting on a luxurious sofa facing the sunlight.

“Good morning, Tina~ I just woke up and already got to see someone who brightens my mood.”

At her invitation, Tina sat on the opposite sofa.

Krulu wore her student uniform—a gray shirt under a dark blue coat, a light shawl embroidered with gold trim, and a gold badge exclusive to the first-place winner of the magic competition pinned to her chest. The skirt of her uniform snugly wrapped around her beautiful, shapely thighs.

Her short hair and hat made her look somewhat like a gentleman, yet she was still brimming with girlish charm.

Krulu was not one to put on airs about her status, especially when facing a friend from her own group.

Tina found that Krulu was actually quite easy to talk to.

The gate guards had already contacted Krulu through some means and immediately received an affirmative response.

That was why she had been able to come here without any hindrance.

Conversely, if Krulu had not wanted to see her, no matter what Tina said, she would never have been able to sit on this sofa.

“I forgot to tell you when we went shopping before... I apologize for what I said to you at the meeting, Miss Tina. Actually, after thinking it over, I still think you're a kind and lovely girl.”

“Thank you,” Tina nodded slightly.

The table was laden with desserts and hot tea.

Krulu stood up, curtsied elegantly, tilted her head with a smile, and asked, “Is there something you need from me?”