The Lady's Age

Naturally, those who appeared before her were familiar faces.

First was the familiar Melanie Mills. She leaned against a stone pillar at the edge of the long corridor with an air of slight lethargy. A few glimmers of light hit her profile, making the contours of her face appear somewhat deeper.

Beside Melanie were Mirabelle Zoe and Bethany Moulding.

These two, who were supposed to be at the monastery, had actually appeared at Daylight Cathedral, and right by Melanie’s side at that.

Hearing Olivia Melianne's voice, all three looked over.

"Olivia, it’s finally good to see you," Mirabelle said with a smile. "We arrived yesterday, but we didn't run into you."

"We're here to provide support as well," Bethany added with a bashful smile, her eyes filled with curiosity. "I heard you've already helped the church finish quite a few matters; it’s truly impressive. Did you know? Back at the monastery, among our batch of novice nuns, you've become famous. Many people were talking about you before we left."

Famous already?

Even if it was only among her own batch of novice nuns, it still gave Olivia a strange feeling.

"They are currently responsible for following me and helping with a few things," Melanie added from the side.

"Will there be any danger?" Olivia couldn't help but ask.

Melanie was a chanting nun, a transcendent-level Transcender. The matters she was involved in clearly carried a higher level of risk and importance.

Knowing what Olivia was thinking, Melanie smiled and said, "There's no need to worry. The scope of my responsibilities is quite broad, and a large part of it involves investigating ordinary people. What they need to do falls into that category. Currently, Mirabelle is leading a group of Initiates... By the way, she has already completed her first advancement and is now a Pilgrim. She’s followed the same transcendent path as you."

The same path?

Olivia felt there was more to Melanie's words than met the ear and gave Mirabelle a peculiar look.

In other words, Mirabelle had also become an Ascetic?

"Didn't you say before that you wanted to become a Priest?" Olivia asked, amused.

"I still feel that... well, an Arbiter suits me better." Mirabelle’s expression was also a bit subtle.

She also sensed the implication in Melanie's words, guessing that Olivia, like herself, had received special treatment and become an Ascetic.

'As someone who has had a fortuitous encounter, I never feel like I'm leading when I face Olivia. Instead, it feels like I'm always a step behind. I have to admit, Olivia is truly an outstanding nun.'

Mirabelle couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

At this moment, the only one kept in the dark was Bethany. The nun with a few light freckles smiled and said, "Since you've both become Arbiters, you must be careful. Close-quarters combat always involves more risk. If I can advance in the future, I'll definitely choose to be a Priest."

This was the choice of the vast majority of nuns.

Meeting her acquaintances made Olivia feel a bit nostalgic for life at the monastery... Well, although it had only been a few days since she left, so many things had happened that it gave her the illusion that a long time had passed.

Nostalgia aside, seeing Melanie reminded Olivia of a serious matter she wanted to handle.

"Lady Melanie, there is something I would like your help with in private."

"Then let's go to the meditation room to talk."

Melanie did not refuse.

She said to Mirabelle, "Take the others to that factory from before and investigate the workers there again."

"I understand." Mirabelle nodded, then smiled at Olivia. "Olivia, I admit you became a Pilgrim before me and are temporarily ahead, but you can't slack off from now on. I might surpass you very soon and become a Sensate before you do, so you'd better work hard."

Olivia’s expression was odd. "You certainly have confidence."

She naturally knew where Mirabelle's confidence came from. It wasn't surprising for someone with a protagonist's template to have such extraordinary confidence.

It was just that... she was using cheats too.

"In any case, you'd better work hard." Entirely unaware that she was facing someone with an even bigger cheat, Mirabelle walked away with a confidence that seemed to radiate from her bones.

Bethany quickly followed.

Watching the two figures depart, Melanie smiled. "Mirabelle is always very confident, but that's not a bad thing. Young people should have that kind of vitality."

'Lady, you're talking as if you aren't a young person yourself.'

Olivia glanced at Melanie’s face, which looked only two or three years older than her own, and this thought flashed through her mind.

But then she thought of Julia Elliott—a nun whose face still looked young despite her obviously advanced age.

So, could a lady who looked young actually be much older than imagined? Exactly how old was Lady Melanie?

This wasn't a question Olivia could easily ask out loud, but it wasn't difficult to find out. She immediately chanted in her heart.

'Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell me how old Melanie is.'

【Twenty years old.】

She really was still young. Why did she make that kind of sigh at such a young age?

Olivia found it a bit funny, then asked another question.

'Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, how old is Sister Julia?'

【One hundred and thirteen years old.】

What?

This answer far exceeded Olivia's expectations, leaving her expression dazed and a giant question mark floating over her head.

Though she knew Julia’s age was certainly not small, over a hundred years old... that was still too unexpected.

"What's wrong, Olivia? Why have you stopped?"

Melanie, who had walked a few steps ahead, stopped and turned around in confusion.

Coming back to her senses, Olivia hurried to catch up. "I just... I just got a bit distracted... Lady Melanie, do you know much about Sister Julia?"

"Sister Julia? I have some understanding; she is a well-known figure in the church." Melanie spoke without much concern.

She knew what Olivia had experienced yesterday. With her status, she could naturally find out any related news she wanted, and she knew that Olivia had accidentally helped Julia complete a practical application of her theory.

So, did Olivia want to ask about Julia's views on that matter? Or did she want to know more about Julia's research on forbidden artifacts? Or perhaps she wanted to know Julia's current status in the church?

Just as several possibilities flashed through Melanie's mind, Olivia asked, "Do you... do you know how old Sister Julia is?"

Melanie: "..."

She had never expected that the question Olivia would ask would be something like that.