Public Challenge

The newcomer was Julia.

Olivia was quite familiar with Julia. The sealed-grade forbidden artifact she carried, the Amber Tears, had been a gift from her.

"Sister Julia," Olivia said with a nod. "I've come to see Rose."

Julia sighed upon hearing this. "The issues with Rose are greater than we anticipated. The research team I organized has been studying her for a long time, but unfortunately, we've made little progress.

"Fortunately, her condition isn't deteriorating over time, which gives us plenty of time."

Olivia knew Julia truly wanted Rose to recover and that she had already done her best.

"I'd like to see Rose up close," Olivia said to Julia.

Although there seemed to be no restrictions around Rose, Olivia knew that one could not easily approach her. Whether or not one could get close depended on Julia's word, as she was the one in charge here.

Hearing Olivia's request, Julia said, "Then go and have a look. You're relatively familiar with Rose; perhaps your presence will trigger some kind of reaction."

She immediately opened a passage that led to Rose's side.

A path paved with silver specks of light stretched out before Rose.

The two of them walked along this path at a leisurely pace, drawing closer to Rose.

Standing beside Rose, Olivia's gaze became somewhat complicated.

She asked softly, "Rose, do you still remember me?"

Her voice received no answer.

Rose remained standing there somewhat stiffly, unable to provide any response.

...

At the same time, Kaliron was buzzing with excitement.

Just moments ago, Atticus, the Protagonist of the Era from the Earth Church of the Varian Empire, had publicly challenged the Radiant Light Church's Protagonist of the Era in a crowded square.

"Is there any Protagonist of the Era from the Radiant Light Church—as long as they are of the same class rank—who dares to fight me and see who is superior?"

Atticus was full of confidence, his every word exuding the flair of a Protagonist of the Era.

He continued to speak, expressing his desire for a challenge, while the others from the Varian Empire spread the news everywhere. In a short time, the message reached every corner of Kaliron, causing a massive stir.

"If I win, the Radiant Light Church must tell me the information regarding the secret of immortality. If I lose, the Radiant Light Church can make any demand they wish."

Atticus added the terms of his challenge, and these words were undoubtedly like stones thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

It must be noted that Kaliron had become lively again precisely because of a rumor—a rumor that the Radiant Light Church had discovered the secret of immortality.

And who wouldn't care about immortality?

Now that Atticus had publicly brought this matter up and used it as a stake for the challenge, it was hard for anyone to ignore.

In an instant, more people turned their eyes toward Atticus.

Even people from various other factions fixed their gazes on him.

"This is truly never-ending."

Not long after Atticus's challenge spread, a figure arrived at the square where he stood.

Guinevere had arrived.

As soon as she arrived, she emitted a strong and terrifying Dragon Might, causing the noisy square to fall silent in an instant. Everyone felt as if they were being forced to carry a heavy weight, sensing a massive pressure bearing down on them.

Seeing Guinevere's arrival, Atticus's eyes lit up. Although he would have preferred to challenge Olivia, Guinevere was an acceptable alternative.

"Since you've come, you must be ready to accept my challenge, right?" Atticus looked at Guinevere with a beaming smile.

Guinevere tossed her deep red hair and gave a light snort. "If you want to fight, I naturally have no objection. But forget those so-called stakes; I don't believe you can offer any wager that is equivalent to the secret of immortality."

The so-called wager was merely an afterthought for Atticus. Seeing Guinevere say this, he immediately replied, "Fine, no wager then. Let's just fight first."

His gaze was intensely aggressive as he stared fixedly at Guinevere.

As for Guinevere, she took a large step forward.

...

Olivia didn't know that a spectacle had already begun in Kaliron; after all, she wouldn't suddenly ask the magic mirror for information about the city.

She was still talking softly to Rose, recounting every little detail of how they met and their past together.

During this process, Julia walked away, not staying by their side the entire time.

Olivia explained every detail of her time with Rose, but soon she didn't know what else to say. After all, the time they had spent together was indeed not that long.

So next, Olivia began telling Rose about various things she had seen and heard.

When it came to this, Olivia's chatter really opened up. With the magic mirror, learning about such things was far too easy.

This vast storehouse of information was enough to provide her with a never-ending stream of topics.

Several hours passed in this manner.

However, Rose remained motionless the entire time, and Olivia couldn't help but sigh.

She quietly asked the magic mirror about Rose's situation.

The magic mirror's suggestion was that if one conversation wasn't enough, she should come back more often. Whenever she was free, she should visit; bit by bit, perhaps something would change.

"I suppose that's the only way."

As for today, there were clearly going to be no results.

Olivia couldn't stay here forever, so after saying goodbye to Rose, she departed.

Shortly after Olivia left, Rose's eyes blinked.

Although it was a very subtle movement, it was still noticed by Julia.

"Rose moved! Quickly, research what's going on!"

In a study that had seen no change, the sudden appearance of a shift—even a minute one—was enough to excite Julia.

She hurriedly called over the other members of the research team to conduct further studies around Rose.

At this time, Olivia didn't yet know that her arrival had ultimately played a small, subtle role.

She left the church headquarters and returned to Kaliron.

However, just as she returned to the Morning Light Cathedral, Olivia noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat off.

It wasn't that the atmosphere in the cathedral was wrong, but rather that the atmosphere of the entire city felt a bit off.