Brittany's words were like a sudden thunderclap, shocking Olivia so much that her eyes widened and her brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment.
Who was Rose?
Wasn't Rose a child from the orphanage? She had even said her best friend was Leila and that they often went catching grasshoppers together. Why wouldn't Leila remember Rose?
And the other children—they had clearly spent time with Rose at the orphanage and knew she and Leila were best friends. Why did they suddenly claim not to know her in the blink of an eye?
Facing Brittany's gaze, Olivia felt her mouth go dry. She moved her lips before finally speaking, "Everything I know, I've answered truthfully. But... but..."
"Don't worry, no one thinks you're lying. You aren't the problem; Rose is," Brittany comforted her. "Based on our investigation, there were five children assigned to your instruction at the orphanage. The other nuns can testify to this. However, we can only find four of them now."
Beside them, a strange expression crossed Mirabelle's face. "I remember there were indeed five children assigned to Olivia. I just don't know their names, and I can't clearly recall what they looked like."
"So, this is a very strange matter," Brittany said softly. "A child who should exist, who likely lived in the orphanage for quite some time and was even interacting with people there not long ago, is suddenly forgotten by everyone. There is a major problem with this child!"
As for the specific nature of the problem, no one could be certain. At most, they could determine that Rose had no connection to the Bloody Sickle.
Brittany said to Olivia, "You've seen the child, so I need you to provide a description of her appearance. Can you draw her?"
Olivia finally managed to calm her racing thoughts and gave a bitter smile. "I'm not very good at drawing."
"That's fine. Just provide a verbal description then," Brittany didn't press the matter.
Olivia nodded, recalling Rose's appearance as she began to describe her. "She has long, light brown hair and dark brown eyes. She's very thin and youthful-looking, appearing to be eight or nine years old, though the orphanage previously said she was eleven..."
The people at the orphanage had indeed mentioned Rose's situation before, yet now they remembered nothing. Was this a problem caused by memory loss? Something similar to the Oblivion Pocket Watch?
As Olivia described her, Brittany took out a pen and paper to record the features.
Once Olivia finished, Brittany said, "The church will investigate Rose's situation. Olivia, if you discover anything else regarding this, let me know."
"I understand," Olivia nodded.
...
It was already evening by the time she returned to her dormitory room.
Of course, Olivia had remembered to have dinner at the cafeteria today and had even gone to the cathedral for an hour of prayer afterward.
However, she had been restless throughout the entire process.
The events at the Bates Orphanage had caused her inner turmoil, which had initially settled after Ashley's death. But the strange, even eerie, changes surrounding Rose left her feeling faintly uneasy.
She had asked the magic mirror, but even the mirror couldn't provide an answer because it was a matter outside the monastery.
Sprawled out on her bed, Olivia smiled bitterly to herself.
'Outside the monastery again... Inside the monastery, it's omniscient; outside, I'm lucky if it even guesses right... When will I finally be able to increase my class rank?'
Olivia hadn't forgotten that as long as her class rank improved, the magic mirror's range of control would also increase. If she could bring the entire Imperial Capital, Kaliron, under its control, she likely wouldn't be so passive. Regarding Rose's matter, she would probably only need to ask the magic mirror once to get the most accurate answer.
But for now... the primary goal was to increase her strength.
Olivia propped herself up on the bed and sat back up, pondering her next plan.
Her identity remained a major issue. As a spy planted in the church by the Rose Legion, she could be exposed at any moment and sent to the stake. This was a problem she had to avoid.
Therefore, she had to continue maintaining contact with the Rose Legion, pretending to still be loyal to them. However, she had to find a way to destroy all her files within the Rose Legion and ensure that everyone who knew her identity stayed silent.
Compared to being a nun living in the light, a heretical organization that lived in hiding undoubtedly felt unsettling.
Especially this time, the heretical organization Bloody Sickle had shown a very unpleasant side. The nauseating details of the vampire's second advancement ritual still echoed in Olivia's mind.
The Rose Legion wasn't the Bloody Sickle, but heretical organizations were often lumped together, leading to unpleasant associations.
Furthermore, from the original owner's memories, the Rose Legion was indeed not a pleasant place.
By comparison, the church felt much more comfortable.
'By the way, what are the church's advancement paths? And what are the advancement rituals?'
With a thought, Olivia held out her hand, and a small mirror emerged from her palm as if growing out of her skin.
The crimson moonlight shone down, casting a somewhat dreamlike reflection of Olivia in the mirror.
"What are the advancement paths held by the Radiant Light Church?"
【The church has three orthodox paths: Priest, Arbiter, and Ascetic. As for the non-orthodox paths held by the church, they are generally not made available to the congregation.】
Olivia was a bit surprised. In the original owner's memories, the church only had the Priest and Arbiter paths. Was there actually a hidden Ascetic path as well?
She thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any bloody or terrifying aspects to the advancement rituals for these paths?"
【The monastery does not contain all the advancement rituals for the three paths, but based on the known ritual contents, there is nothing bloody or terrifying.】
"What is the advancement ritual for a Priest?"
【Time: 8:00 AM sharp.】
【Location: No restrictions.】
【Personal Preparation: Must fast for one day; water is permitted.】
【Items: One gram of sunflower pollen, three drops of silver tung tree sap, three grams of powdered magic-horn beast horn, and one bowl of holy water prayed over before a statue of the Radiant Goddess.】
【Method: Mix all items into the holy water and consume it. Meditate while facing the sun for the following duration. Advancement will be completed within ten minutes. If advancement does not occur within ten minutes, it is considered a failure.】
As her gaze swept over the text appearing on the magic mirror, Olivia let out a breath. As expected, the church's advancement rituals seemed very normal.
She then asked about the advancement rituals for the Arbiter and Ascetic paths, not limited to the first advancement but including the second and third as well. The conclusions she reached were all very reassuring.
She then thought of the Rose Legion and asked, "What are the advancement paths of the Rose Legion?"
【The Rose Legion's advancement paths include Swordsman, Shield Guard, and Cavalry, but these are not unique to the Rose Legion; they are widely used transcendent paths.】
Olivia was surprised by this and asked a few more detailed questions, gradually coming to understand.
The three transcendent paths held by the church, as well as the vampire path of the Bloody Sickle, were all unique. While advancement rituals might not be absolute secrets due to low-rank transcendents being captured, the rituals for middle and high ranks remained sufficiently confidential.
The transcendent paths of the Rose Legion were different. Too many people knew about them; they could be considered common paths. One could even easily find the corresponding details in certain transcendent markets.
"Regardless, I have to take the church's path. But which of the three should I choose? Will the church give me a choice between the three? I've never even heard of the Ascetic path; surely they won't only let me choose between the first two?" Olivia muttered.
She immediately asked the magic mirror about the transcendent abilities associated with the Priest, Arbiter, and Ascetic paths. The mirror quickly provided the answers.
From the answers, the Priest was a more support-oriented path, possessing abilities in purification, healing, and buffing allies.
The Arbiter specialized in combat, possessing excellent fighting skills as well as some rule-based abilities.
As for the Ascetic, there were no descriptions of related abilities within the monastery, so even the magic mirror could not provide an answer.
Olivia thought for a while and then shook her head. "I don't need to be in a rush right now. I haven't even finished the path of an Initiate yet."
She took a deep breath and began to meditate.
...
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The bells rang through the monastery as dawn arrived.
The nuns dressed, washed, and ate before heading to the cathedral for prayer.
There was more than one cathedral in the monastery. The one where Olivia and the other novice nuns prayed daily was called the Sunlight Cathedral. There were also the Dawn Cathedral and the Sun-Worship Cathedral, where the formal nuns prayed.
After prayer came the learning process.
First was Kelidosian, the official common language of the Holy Kelidos Empire. Although it was the language everyone used for communication, being able to speak it didn't necessarily mean one could read it. The nuns came from various backgrounds, and some inevitably came from poverty, so learning in this area was necessary.
Even if one knew the characters, the techniques for applying the language were also part of the learning process.
Additionally, there were languages of other countries, and even the Sylvan Runes that represented the transcendent. Learning Sylvan Runes was of the utmost importance.
"During the recent danger involving the heretics, Olivia used Sylvan Runes to create several types of talismans for combat and achieved victory. This is something everyone should learn from. Although it cost a copy of 'The Goddess's Revelations', I believe the Goddess will forgive her, as she was fighting against evil."
The one teaching Sylvan Runes to Olivia and the other novice nuns was a woman named Mona Spencer. She had long, water-blue hair and eyes of the same color. She wore a black-and-white nun's habit and a cowl, her face radiant with a satisfied smile.
Olivia had learned Sylvan Runes from her, and she was the one responsible for teaching talisman crafting. Thus, Olivia's excellent performance using talismans in the battle against the heretics proved that she was a good teacher, didn't it?
So Mona was very happy. During the class, she specifically had Olivia stand up and told the other novice nuns about her outstanding performance, causing every pair of eyes to remain locked on Olivia throughout the entire lesson.
'How did I suddenly become famous... even if it's just among the novice nuns?'
Being stared at by so many girls made Olivia feel more or less self-conscious, but facing the enthusiastic Mona, she could only offer an appropriate smile.
It wasn't until the Sylvan Rune and talisman crafting lessons were temporarily over that Olivia breathed a sigh of relief and left the classroom building.
Mirabelle walked beside her, saying with a chuckle, "It's clear that Teacher Mona likes you very much. You're already the star pupil of the Sylvan Rune and talisman classes. In the future, Teacher Mona will likely have you take the lead more often. It's a good thing, but it's also a form of pressure."
"I didn't expect to become the class representative just like that," Olivia said helplessly.
"Class representative? That's a very vivid description," Mirabelle nodded thoughtfully.
The two had intended to go to the cafeteria for lunch. The cafeteria chef's menu for today had already been discovered by well-informed nuns. It was said there would be sandwiches with eggs, ham, and vegetables, as well as milk from the grasslands of the northern Mungo Province. Compared to their usual fare, today's lunch was undoubtedly more anticipated.
However, before they could reach the cafeteria, a formal nun found them and told them to go to the Sunlight Cathedral to see Brittany.
"Perhaps the church has decided how to reward us," Mirabelle shrugged. "Of course, I would be much happier if they came for us after the meal."
The two could only head to the Sunlight Cathedral first.
As they walked, Olivia couldn't help but mutter in her heart. She noticed that every time she saw Brittany Mason, the elderly nun was in the Sunlight Cathedral; she had never seen Brittany anywhere else.
Of course, she didn't overthink it.
The daytime environment of the Sunlight Cathedral was always dreamlike. The light filtered through the rose windows always gave the interior of the cathedral a mysterious atmosphere.
Brittany stood in the center of the cathedral. Sensing someone's arrival, her gaze shifted over.
"You've come. I hope yesterday's events didn't prevent you from having sweet dreams."
"Of course, I slept very soundly," Mirabelle smiled.
Hearing Brittany's opening, Olivia smiled slightly, thinking that Brittany wasn't as terrifying as others said. Perhaps it was her overly serious expression, regardless of what she was saying, that led to such misconceptions.
She smiled and said, "Before falling asleep, I did toss and turn for a while because of Rose's matter. Fortunately, I slept very peacefully afterward. Perhaps it was the Goddess's protection."
As she spoke, Olivia traced a pentagram over her chest.
Brittany looked at Olivia with a strange expression. "Rose? Who is that?"
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