“Welcome home, Dell.” Though the voice and face were unfamiliar, the tone and emotion felt so profoundly familiar.

Shikondell was dazed.

The angelic, melodious voice resonated in her ears like a lullaby, calming her restless spirit.

She instinctively leaned closer to the cherry-haired  girl, craving more, as if wanting to merge completely with her, to become one with this girl, because in her arms felt the safest place in the world.

Vanessa embraced Shikondell entirely, wrapping her arms around Shikondell’s shoulders, gently nuzzling her forehead, letting her own silken, soft cherry-pink hair lightly brush against Shikondell’s radiant, delicate face.

The girl’s warm body heat gradually transferred to her. Shikondell was like a nearly drowned kitten just rescued ashore, clinging tightly to something warm and reassuring, refusing to let go.

Vanessa gently stroked Shikondell’s hair, letting her feel her warmth and heartbeat, matching her movements, conveying sincere care to the frightened little white rabbit in her arms, like a mother protecting her child, gentle as water, softly gliding over Shikondell’s heart.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s all over now. I’ll always be by your side,” Vanessa whispered affectionately, her tenderness like spring waters and autumn ripples, spreading like waves across Shikondell’s heart.

Shikondell immersed herself in it. This comforting, meticulous care and affection made her feel as if she had met her long-departed queen mother again, reunited with her mother who embraced her and comforted her endlessly. In that moment, everything she had endured over the years surged up uncontrollably.

After adapting to hardship, one can endure any sorrow, adjust to any obstacle, but only when meeting a mother do these pains and tears uncontrollably burst forth.

“Forever?” Shikondell choked. “Do you really mean you’ll never leave me?”

“Of course. Shikondell has always been such a good child, hasn’t she? Why would I ever leave Shikondell?” Vanessa gently caressed Shikondell’s forehead, murmuring sweetly.

“But… do I truly still have a future?” Shikondell asked, lost.

“Shikondell, don’t look back. Those things have already become the past, unchangeable, and there’s no need to dwell on them. Focus on the present. You could try to dream about your future,” Vanessa said softly, her voice as gentle as flowing water.

“Don’t run away. Your people are waiting for you to save them. I’ll always be accompanying you.”

“Uh… uh…” Shikondell lifted her dewy almond eyes like a little rabbit. In that instant, she gazed into those eyes that seemed to hold a spring reflecting cherry blossom petals. Those heart-shaped beautiful eyes appeared filled with a certain magic, just meeting their gaze, she was deeply captivated, as if her entire being were immersed in those intoxicating ripples, melting within boundless affection.

Shikondell grasped Vanessa’s hand, and Vanessa cooperatively opened her palm, intertwining their fingers.

“W-Winnie?” Shikondell stammered, staring at Vanessa’s face, an angelic visage perfect as art.

This breathtakingly beautiful face bore no resemblance to the person she remembered, not just in appearance, but even gender and personality were completely different. Yet, when the girl addressed her as “Dell,” Shikondell could sense that familiar feeling again.

And when she looked at the cherry-haired  girl before her, she experienced a completely different impression.

After all, elves were naturally highly perceptive beings. She could sense certain similarities.

The cherry-haired girl said nothing, merely silently pinched Shikondell’s chin, gently tilting her head upward to meet her gaze.

“Uh!” Shikondell’s lovely face flushed, clearly flustered by this intimate gesture.

W-Was she about to…?

Shikondell didn’t know what she was even hoping for, but she blushed so much she couldn’t lift her head.

Then, Vanessa gently leaned closer to Shikondell’s face and whispered, “Dell, it’s time to wake up. Everyone’s waiting.”

“Eh??”

And as soon as Vanessa finished speaking, the scene shifted. Shikondell’s vision was engulfed by a burst of white light, the image freezing on the final moment, the cherry-haired girl’s flawless, exquisite smile, beautiful like cherry blossoms falling in April.

Shikondell furrowed her brow, her face twitching as she slowly lifted her eyelids, heavy and sore as if made of lead. Having kept her eyes closed for so long, her vision struggled to adjust to the room’s brightness.

As the blurry double images in her sight gradually resolved into shapes, her consciousness slowly returned.

“Where… where am I?” Shikondell blinked several times, sat up, and looked around, realizing she was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room.

“Oh my, Mr. Moon Elf, you’ve finally woken up.”

“Eh?” Hearing this, Shikondell turned to see a honey-blonde girl with platinum-gold eyes sitting beside the bed, smiling at her.

What a beautiful girl.

Shikondell was instinctively struck by the other’s beauty, and somehow felt she had seen her somewhere before.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?”

“My name is Luna Horaleth,” the honey-blonde girl introduced herself.

“Just call me Senior Luna. I’m also a student at Carillian Academy, though I’m one year above you.”

“Alright, Senior Luna. Could you please tell me what’s going on?” Shikondell looked around, realizing she had never been in this room before.

“No need to rush, Dell. Let me explain slowly. Do you feel unwell anywhere now?” Luna sat elegantly on the bench, crossing her white-stockinged legs.

“Unwell? Actually, not anymore.” Shikondell carefully checked herself and confirmed she didn’t feel discomfort anywhere.

“That’s good. We’ve triple checked, you didn’t sustain serious physical or internal injuries, and whatever minor ones you had have already been healed,” Luna nodded.

“Eh? Eh??” Hearing the word “checked,” Shikondell immediately tensed, instinctively covering her clothes.

‘N-No, my gender couldn’t have been exposed, right?’

It shouldn’t be. The disguise gem my father gave me perfectly mimics my physical characteristics.

But if they discovered and confiscated the disguise gem, then my secret would be revealed.

“Don’t worry. If you don’t feel unwell, then you’re basically recovered. At most, your spiritual awareness might be a bit weak.”

“Spiritual awareness??” At that term, Shikondell suddenly remembered something and began looking around frantically.

“Is Dell looking for something?” Luna tilted her head. “Did you lose something? Describe it to me. Tell me, and I’ll have someone help you find it.”

“N-No, Senior Luna. Where is Winnie?” Shikondell quickly asked, like a dog rescued from drowning suddenly realizing its owner was gone.

“Winnie?” Luna fell silent for a moment, then looked at Shikondell with an odd expression.

“Is something wrong?” Shikondell asked, puzzled by the strange look. Had she said something wrong?

“Dell, what are you talking about?” Luna looked genuinely confused.

“No, it’s right, Winnie was just here. I saw him. He seemed to have turned into a…” Shikondell described the scene she had witnessed in her mind, but suddenly fell silent at that point, unsure whether to continue.

Luna paused for a moment, then seemed unable to maintain her ladylike composure any longer and burst into quiet laughter. “Pfft, Dell, you must miss Winnie terribly, right? Well, you two are roommates, after all.”

“No, no! It was real! I really saw Winnie come here. He even told me…”

“Alright, alright, Dell. You two truly are soulmates. Actually, it was indeed Winnie who asked us to treat you. Coincidentally, a novice nun with the [Flawless Light] ability volunteered to heal you.”

Before she finished speaking, the door opened. A girl with creamy golden hair, delicate as a porcelain doll, walked in carrying water. Seeing Shikondell awake, she looked surprised.

“Has this student woken up?”

“Yes, Miss Amisa. Thanks to your [Flawless Light],” Luna said with a bright smile.

“It’s nothing. As long as I can help others,” Amisa said, turning to Shikondell. “How are you feeling, classmate?”

“Are you the one who saved me?” Shikondell knew she shouldn’t doubt her rescuer, but she genuinely felt something was off.

Her intuition told her it wasn’t like this. It should have been Winnie…

Recalling the utterly unbelievable scene from her consciousness, Winnie transforming into an exceptionally beautiful cherry-haired  maiden.

Yes, it sounded like a bizarre, illogical dream hard to believe. Yet for some reason, Shikondell felt this dream was incredibly real, so real it was hard for even her to accept.

“Not at all. I had help from everyone,” Amisa said truthfully. She had participated in Shikondell’s treatment, though she wasn’t the primary healer.

“Where is Winnie?” Shikondell asked, getting up.

“Don’t worry. Winnie is in much better condition than you. Once you’re well, he’ll naturally feel relieved,” Luna said with a gentle laugh.

“But earlier, I—?”

“Earlier, you were always here in our room receiving treatment,” Luna said seriously.

“Then where is Winnie??”

“Dell, I don’t understand what you mean. It was indeed Winnie who asked us to save you, but his soul armament ability isn’t [Holy Envoy]. Even if he wanted to help, he couldn’t. He was just anxiously watching, making everyone nervous. It was better to send him back to wait, so we sent him off early,” Luna explained earnestly.

“What about before?”

“Eh? The patient is awake?” At that moment, a red-haired girl entered.

“He’s awake. Seems he misses his roommate terribly, keeps muttering about him nonstop,” Luna said amusedly.

“Are you… Miss Fanya?” Shikondell recognized Fanya immediately.

“Yes, long time no see, Dell,” Fanya greeted her. “Glad you’re alright.”

“Miss Fanya, have you seen Winnie?” Shikondell asked, still persistent.

“Winnie? After handing you over to us, we sent him back. Staying here longer wouldn’t have helped anyway,” Fanya raised an eyebrow. “After that duel incident, I still owe him a favor. I couldn’t just ignore a classmate in need.”

That statement directly provided the reason.

The logic was clear.

As part of the Church faction, Fanya naturally knew many talented students within the Church and had good relationships with them. And since she owed Winnie a favor, of course she was the one who found help.

“Anyway, Dell, if Winnie could heal you himself, why would he need to ask us?” Fanya said.

“Now that you’re recovered, we’ll send you back.”

“Back?”

“Yes. You were lying in Carillian Academy’s church earlier. The junior nuns and priests sent by the Church of Radiance were completely at a loss regarding your condition and said they needed to report back to headquarters to request more specialized personnel.

Winnie was anxious, worried you wouldn’t survive until the reporting process finished, so he came to me, asking if I knew anyone in the Church.

Fortunately, my childhood friend Amisa knows Lady Luna Horaleth, whose family happens to possess a hereditary technique for healing spiritual afflictions.

Combined with Amisa’s [Flawless Light], they managed to heal you.” Fanya explained the whole story.

Though lying was beneath a knight’s dignity, she had no choice, this was a white lie, words said for a good cause, ordered by the Saintess herself. She couldn’t refuse.

Fanya had learned some flexibility.

A complete lie was hard to believe, but half-truths were hardest to detect, that was what Luna had just taught her.

This explanation was perfectly logical, mostly true, with only a small portion untrue. That was all.

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask the golden elf still guarding the bedside. She knows the truth,” Fanya raised her eyebrow.

“Golden elf? You mean… Milian?” Shikondell asked in surprise.

“Yes, I think that’s her name. Anyway, the junior nuns from the Church couldn’t treat you, and the reporting process would take too long, no telling when it would be approved. So Winnie decided to act first and report later.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep