Saint Sophia Cathedral stood in the central square of the theocracy, its stone walls coarse and mottled, looking as though they had weathered ages of time.
Two saint statues stood at the entrance. One was Saint Isariel, and the other was also Saint Isariel, though the one on the right was visibly newer.
Just as Celia was about to step through the cathedral doors, a clear, bright female voice suddenly called out from behind her, carrying a hint of playfulness and warmth:
“Saintess Celia?”
Turning around, a red-haired young woman came into view.
She wore an ivory-white linen shirt under a grayish-blue robe, paired with matching wool tights and a pair of short boots. As a gentle breeze blew past, her single ponytail, tied with an azure ribbon, fluttered in the air.
Rena, an apprentice knight belonging to the Knight Guard.
“Oh, Sister Rena? What brings you to the cathedral today?” Celia asked in confusion.
“To see you, of course, my little Saintess.” Rena reached out and pinched Celia's cheeks.
“And to bring you some news!” she added.
“But didn't the bishop say you aren't allowed near...”
Hearing this, Rena quickly covered Celia's mouth.
“Shh, quiet! Don't let the nuns hear you,” Rena whispered, leaning close to Celia's ear. “Rest assured, the bishop went out this morning.”
Out? There was actually such a good thing?
Which meant she could finally skip prayers today?!
“That's wonderful... Oh, no, I mean, what did he go out for?”
“No idea. Maybe he's preparing to go meet the Goddess?”
Meet the Goddess?!
Hopefully not in the way she was thinking... Celia's lips twitched involuntarily.
Seeing Celia's ghost-stricken expression, Rena burst into laughter.
“What are you thinking? It's the Holy Prayer ritual that every member of the clergy in your church has to perform. It must be held in the Holy City. You'll have to participate too. Don't tell me they didn't even mention this to you!”
Uh, they really hadn't. Or maybe she had been fast asleep on the prayer platform when they mentioned it...
At the thought, Celia's face flushed slightly.
Forget it, she wouldn't think about it anymore. The more she thought, the more embarrassing it became. She couldn't believe she had brought her old classroom sleeping habits with her even after transmigrating.
“By the way, Sister Rena, what was the news you mentioned earlier?” Celia quickly changed the subject.
“Well... let me tell you. I heard that recently, there have been many, many...”
She paused mid-sentence on purpose.
“What?” Celia's curiosity was piqued.
“Many fruit vendors! You love eating fruit the most, don't you?”
Celia: “...”
“Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Actually, there have been many incidents of insanity lately.” At this point, Rena's expression suddenly turned serious.
“Incidents of insanity?”
When did this start? Could this be related to the death mentioned in the notebook? Celia thought to herself.
Rena nodded. “Yes, exactly. You have to be careful during this time!”
“I heard that many people in the city have started acting crazy, muttering strange things, and some have even murdered people in the middle of the street!”
As she spoke, she didn't forget to strike a threatening pose, just in case her words weren't scary enough.
It was a little funny...
But this wasn't a laughing matter!
If what she said was true, then her own death might very well be caused by this!
And she... had to find a way to avoid it, or find the spiritual items mentioned in the book and make a sacrifice before disaster befell her!
Thus, Celia asked, “Sister Rena, do you know where this started? Are there any anomalies when it happens?”
“Hmm...” Rena tapped her index finger against her lower lip, pondering for a moment. “Since I spend a lot of time with the Knight Guard, I've overheard some of the things the knights discuss.”
“They say that when an incident occurs, a strange man holding a lantern often appears. That lantern seems to possess some kind of bizarre magic. Anyone who looks at it immediately loses their mind!”
A spiritual item... For some reason, when Rena mentioned magic, that term popped into Celia's mind.
Could that be the spiritual item mentioned in the notebook?
“Um, Sister Rena, I...”
Just as she was about to ask further, a sharp, piercing screech echoed from above, interrupting her.
“Hmm?”
Celia's expression shifted slightly, and she instinctively grew alert.
But when she looked up, she only saw a pitch-black raven, tilting its head as it studied her.
Hiss... Were ravens in this world really this intelligent?
“Celia, what's wrong?” Rena asked, seeing Celia space out.
“Oh, it's nothing, nothing...” Celia quickly replied.
However, before she could calm her mind, waves of cries for help and bloodcurdling screams erupted one after another, instantly shattering the peaceful morning air.
Celia's entire body tensed instinctively. Following the sound, she slowly turned her head.
A bizarre scene immediately unfolded before her eyes.
On the square, the crowd that had been perfectly normal just moments ago began to fight one another like madmen. They tore and bit at each other's flesh, blood spraying and staining the cobblestones below.
This... Celia was gripped by a sudden dread, taking a sharp step back.
Before she could recover from this horrifying sight, she noticed a strange man holding a lantern standing in a corner of the crowd.
Wasn't that the bizarre man Rena had just mentioned?!
Celia quickly turned to Rena, looking for an answer.
But the moment her gaze landed on Rena's face, Celia froze.
She saw that Rena's once-clear eyes were now shrouded in a dark mist, with violence and madness flickering within...
Her gaze was locked onto a single direction, looking eerie.
Following that gaze, Celia saw...
...that eerie, ghostly green brass lantern!
Her vision instantly blurred, followed by a wave of intense dizziness.
Staring at the lantern, she felt herself sinking into some bizarre illusion. Gradually, she realized everything around her was swaying and blurring, as if a thick fog had enveloped her path forward.
In contrast to the haziness before her, she could feel the desires in the depths of heart sprouting, beginning to stir...
Rage, destruction, and debauchery... they were relentlessly eating away at her sanity.
Suddenly, the man's body turned mechanically. A pair of pitch-black, terrifying pupils seemed to suddenly focus, staring straight in her direction.
In Celia's blurred vision, the corners of the man's mouth curled into a bizarre smile. His lips moved slightly, and judging by the shape of his mouth, he seemed to be saying:
“I found you...”
The fear didn't affect her too much, because her vision was growing blurrier and blurrier, and the manic sensation inside her grew stronger.
Was she going to end up like those people...
What should I do... What should I do...
As her consciousness began to fade, she suddenly recalled the term mentioned in the notebook: spiritual item.
Right! The lantern in the man's hand might be a spiritual item!
If she sacrificed it, she might be saved!
Whatever, she had to gamble!!
Perhaps driven by a survival instinct, Celia regained a sliver of clarity. She immediately locked onto the lantern and dashed forward with all her might.
The man only sensed a petite figure suddenly flash past him before the lantern vanished from his hand. The sudden turn of events left him stunned.
What was going on? Was she crazy?
She dared to touch something like that? That would only make her die faster!
However, what shocked the man even more was that the girl pulled out a strange notebook from somewhere and shouted into it:
“Sacrifice! Sacrifice!”
The moment the words left her mouth, a dazzling purple-gold light erupted from the notebook.
The man realized something was wrong too. He lunged forward, trying to snatch the notebook.
But just as his hand was about to touch it, both the lantern and the notebook vanished into thin air.
On the blood-soaked square, only a young girl remained, lying quietly on the ground. Her sacred robe was stained red with blood, and a strange smile lingered on her lips.
The world fell silent...
“Madman! She's a complete madman!”
Stomping angrily on the figure below a few times, the man finally took out a communication crystal and spoke into it:
“The target has been dealt with, but there was an accident. The lantern is gone...”
“I saw...” A raspy, slightly aged voice immediately answered from the crystal.
“But didn't you say she was just a defenseless brat who had never even experienced an extraordinary event?! What the hell is going on now?!” The man's voice carried a clear note of fury.
“What is up with that book of hers?!”
“Why did it swallow our sacred relic directly?!”
The other side fell silent, offering no response.
Rate on N.U.
