Chapter 116: She Has Me in Her Heart (Two-in-one)
The azure blue crystal emitted a brilliant and dazzling light. Shaya injected his mental power into it, and then, letting the gentle power guide his consciousness, he ascended towards the higher reaches of the Spirit World.
Long-distance communication technology, much like bidirectional teleportation arrays, was a cutting-edge magitech that countries on the Western Continent spared no effort in developing, classifying it as highly confidential information. After all, any strategist with a modicum of foresight could clearly understand the immense strategic value of such a magitech that enabled real-time communication irrespective of distance. On the battlefield, even a difference of a few minutes in intelligence transmission could lead to a vast disparity, potentially deciding the victor of an entire war.
Of course, while similar communication technologies existed, they differed slightly: the Empire utilized “Astral Spirit Travelers” to establish communication circuits in the Astral Realm, while the Holy See’s technology achieved this through the Spirit World.
Gradually, blurred light spots began to appear before Shaya. He watched as these blurry spots converged, and casually deactivated the Tsukuyomi disguise he wore as a saint. Having played the role of an eccentric character in the Historical Echo for over half a year, constantly exuding a detached demeanor of concern for the nation and its people, Shaya now had a touch of PTSD regarding the phrase “faint smile.”
Seconds later, the blurred light spots coalesced into a clear image. A maiden was seated at her desk, engrossed in writing something. The twilight glow fell upon her exquisite, plain white face, and her long hair, as black as ink, cascaded over her shoulders, gently fluttering in the evening breeze. She held a pen in her right hand, while her left hand idly toyed with a small, exquisite puppet. Inscribed on the puppet’s surface were several cryptic characters.
With Shaya’s experience, he recognized the script as belonging to the Succubus race, often used for contracts and curses. This was an ancient ritual among succubi, something Diris had mentioned in passing during a casual conversation. According to ancient legends, when a succubus maiden encountered a man she fancied and wished to marry, she would craft a puppet identical to her beloved and inscribe it with a curse of falling in love, making the target hopelessly infatuated with her.
This small puppet also had black hair and black eyes, its facial features not sharp and rigid but possessing a gentle curvature. Simply put, the puppet’s appearance was, if not ninety percent similar to Shaya, then at least identical.
“Who is…?” The lazy yet pleasant female voice began, then abruptly faltered, “Shaya.”
The black-haired maiden in a panic hid the Shaya puppet behind her back. However, her hasty movements caused the book she had been writing to fall from the wooden desk, clearly displaying the text within the Spirit World communication image. Although she quickly shut the exquisite book tightly a few seconds later, Shaya’s mental power, having now reached the Fifth Ring, was more than sufficient to memorize the words on the open pages in that short span of time.
[A black-haired, black-eyed youth, with a Snow Mink on his shoulder, looked at the maiden from the Holy Court before him. A faint smile appeared on his frosty face, both charming and unrestrained, with a wild and wanton tone: “An interesting woman, you have captured my attention. But have you ever considered that you are playing with…”]
Looking at the flustered Saintess of Dawn before him, her cute face flushed with a hint of red, Shaya remained expressionless. “Is this your new method to make me fall for you?”
As Shaya spoke, the Spirit World communication screen flickered slightly. In the next moment, the rosy blush on the Saintess of Dawn’s cute face, along with her shyness and anger, vanished. She took a slight step back and, through the Spirit World communication, examined Shaya with her chestnut-colored eyes, a faint smile gracing her lips.
“My calculations were off.” The Saintess of Dawn toyed with the Shaya puppet between her fingers, her demeanor shifting. She was no longer the noble maiden who admired flowers and butterflies but resembled an orchid in a secluded valley – beautiful yet shrouded in mist, making her difficult to decipher.
“Youthful and innocent, detached from worldly affairs, even resorting to succubus curses to be with the one she loves. Furthermore, she incorporated her beloved into her novel as the protagonist… yet desperately tried to conceal it when her romantic feelings were discovered by her beloved – a tsundere maiden.”
“I thought you might like this kind of persona.” The maiden’s voice held a hint of a mournful tone. “Even knowing it was a pretense. I am truly disappointed that I couldn’t even see a flicker of emotion from you, my ‘husband.’ Is my charm as a woman so unbearable? And where did you learn these terms ‘husband’ and ‘my dear’?”
“Of course, I learned them from your novels published by the Royal Publishing House, Shaya-san…” The Saintess of Dawn stepped back, her gaze drifting towards the bookshelf beside her. A row of books was neatly arranged on the shelf. Shaya looked up: *The Count of Monte Cristo*, *The Legend of the Brave Abin*, *The Revenge of Hamlet*, *The Three Musketeers*, *The Maiden Bai Lian*… all his own works.
“I have collected and organized every single one of your works. And the reason I tried to write that novel was to understand your heart more deeply from the creator’s perspective…” The maiden’s pleasant yet subtly mournful voice evoked a sense of helplessness in Shaya’s heart. Apart from Little Ai, the Saintess of Dawn was the second peer of his age he knew. They met in Arcane City, the City of Knowledge – Lokiia, though at the time she was not yet the Saintess of Dawn. The three of them spent over a year together. Later, Shaya and Aerora went to the Imperial Capital, while she went to the Holy Court. A few years later, news came from the Holy Court that the new Saintess of Dawn had been established.
While theoretically, the Saintess of Dawn, like Little Ai, could be considered Shaya’s childhood sweetheart. However, her personality was vastly different from Aerora’s. If Little Ai was like a blank sheet of paper, easily understood and her interactions with Shaya more akin to an old married couple, then the Saintess of Dawn was like an obscure and difficult-to-read book. Every communication was bound to involve some teasing, yet it was difficult to discern her true intentions amidst her declarations of deep affection.
Of course, teasing was always a two-way street. Shaya certainly didn’t feel he was at a disadvantage. “Actually, there might have been a moment of heartfelt emotion initially. But recently, people around me have given me some kind of stress reaction, making it hard to feel anything.”
“The people around you?” The Saintess of Dawn paused. Her chestnut-colored beautiful eyes lingered on Shaya’s face for a moment: “With Little Ai’s tsundere and emotionless personality, she certainly wouldn’t lower herself to role-playing. So, is it the Azure Silver Witch, by any chance?”
“It’s a shame you’re not a detective…” Shaya expressed his sincere admiration. “Speaking of which, have the details of the Borgia Family’s banquet, along with the news about Sylvia, already reached the Holy Court?” Although Shaya had experienced over half a year in the Historical Echo from his perspective, in reality, it was only the second day after the banquet. Given the speed of information dissemination on the Western Continent, it shouldn’t have spread so rapidly.
“Official news hasn’t arrived yet… but I am, after all, a Saintess of the Holy See, so I naturally have my own channels.” The Saintess of Dawn paused. “While the direct order from Wolf Lord Warwick and the Borgia family head, Goodrian, hasn’t been confirmed. However, the Arbitration Council has already expelled the Borgia Family from its cooperative relationship with the Holy Court.”
“Thank you.” Shaya nodded. He knew that such resolutions normally took over half a year to process. The fact that a decision was made so swiftly on the second day was undoubtedly thanks to the push from the Saintess of Dawn before him. After the death of family head Goodrian, the cooperative relationship with the Holy Court was the Borgia Family’s greatest shield. Now that this relationship was severed, it would be much easier for Isadorella to target the Borgia Family. With the Second Princess’s methods, she could completely dismantle one of the once most powerful Oathbound Families, ensuring they would never rise again. Although, theoretically, the vast majority of the Borgia Family members were unaware of what happened in Ceylon, Shaya wouldn’t show any mercy to his enemies. After all, if he were to annihilate his enemies and see a young boy looking at him with the same hatred he once had, he would likely be the type to think, “I was better hidden back then, I’ll kill you next time we meet,” or, “I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
“Oh, and Hisdalia…” The Saintess of Dawn’s chestnut-colored beautiful eyes shifted slightly. “She is a God’s Chosen of Dawn, supported by a Cardinal, and is also a candidate for one of the Thirteen Saints. Therefore, the resolution to revoke her status as a God’s Chosen has not yet been finalized… The Saintess of Dawn gave Shaya a deep look, smiling charmingly, a slight upturn at the corner of her lips. “Shaya-san, are you interested in turning Hisdalia into your plush ball?”
“Although she hides it well, this daughter of your enemy, this God’s Chosen of Dawn, is actually a lesbian…” “If you’re interested, I have plenty of evidence on hand.” The Saintess of Dawn’s beautiful eyes glinted. “In Hisdalia’s current predicament, the entire Borgia Family relies on her to sustain them. Once the news of her being a lesbian is confirmed, Hisdalia will have no standing in either the Holy Court or the Empire, let alone receive support from the Holy Court to revive her family… Using this as leverage, you can make Hisdalia obey your every command… Even achieving your desired ‘Star Fury’ shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Shaya paused. “If I’m not mistaken, Hisdalia is quite a devoted admirer of yours, isn’t she? I noticed her every word and action imitates yours. Is it really appropriate to sell out your loyal fangirl like this?”
“She’s certainly acting like a fangirl… but so what? My dear chestnut eyes of the Saintess of Dawn turned slightly cold. “It’s just that I’m such a bad woman, who is not only manipulative but also holds grudges…” The icy gaze flashed and vanished quickly, and a smile reappeared on her cute face. “So, Shaya-san, what do you think? Turning your enemy’s only daughter into your exclusive plush ball… to be squeezed and molded as you please, to be ground on the floor… Don’t you want revenge? Plus, she’s a God’s Chosen of Dawn, a future Saint. If you seize this opportunity to bring her firmly under your control, it’s equivalent to having an extra chess piece within the Holy Court.”
Shaya pondered. “While what you say is indeed very appealing, I’ll pass.” “Since she’s a lesbian who admires you, I’m actually a bit worried about the tangled wings in my fishpond.” Upon hearing Shaya’s reply, the faint smile on the Saintess of Dawn’s cute face became clearer. “I didn’t expect Shaya-san to have such strong possessiveness and exclusivity towards me…” She smiled contentedly, her gaze towards Shaya filled with undisguised affection. “I’m a bit happy… Shaya-san has me in his heart.”
Bad women are truly hard to understand… Shaya couldn’t help but lament in his heart. He missed his little angel, Aerora. However, the Saintess of Dawn quickly composed herself, resuming a dignified posture.
“Alright, Shaya-san, let’s get back to business.” Her voice held a hint of melancholic complaint. “I know you wouldn’t contact me for any other reason… otherwise, you wouldn’t have kept the matter of dealing with the Borgia Family from me.”
“Indeed, there are matters to attend to.” Shaya nodded. “Regarding the Steam School, how is the mechanical spark I ordered progressing?” The familiar he was preparing for his Fifth Soul Pact was mechanical. Shaya had asked the Saintess of Dawn for this matter because this maiden was the most gifted Mechanist he knew. Apart from the Spirit of Holy Light she was required to contract as the Saintess of Dawn, every single one of her soul pacts was with mechanical familiars. The Saintess of Dawn, who transformed into a mechanical Valkyrie. Although the style was a bit unconventional, it was surprisingly cool.
The matter of Shaya’s fourth mechanical familiar had already been discussed many times. Their current communication was merely to confirm the pickup time, which was quickly concluded.
“Well then, Shaya-san, see you in the City of Knowledge.” “Remember, this is a secret between just the two of us…” The Saintess of Dawn brought her slender, plain white fingers to her lips, gently touching them, and said with a smile. In the next moment, the azure blue communication crystal flickered slightly, then faded, ending the communication.
A secret between the two of us? Shaya was still puzzled by the meaning of the Saintess of Dawn’s last message. However, as his mental power withdrew from the Spirit World channel, Shaya understood the implication of her words. Behind him, the blonde maiden was silently sitting by the bedside, polishing the silver spear on her lap. Aerora looked at Shaya calmly, tilted her head, and revealed a beautiful smile. “Shaya-san…”
