Chapter: 118. The Origin of the Saintess (3k)
Under the night sky.
Starlight scattered like tiny diamonds on the peak of the towering ice mountain, the ice and snow reflecting a dreamlike seven-colored glow.
In the air, a light figure slowly descended, her steps as graceful as a feather, until the black little leather shoes gently touched the cold snow, producing a crisp sound that broke the silence of the surroundings.
This is the Arctic.
This is where Nagi once hid the “Blade of Life” in her past life.
Her slender figure appeared particularly lonely on this frozen land.
She was surrounded by golden flames, the fiery blaze burning brightly in the cold wind, enveloping her entirely as her exposed skin continuously healed from the frostbite caused by the low temperature.
This desolate world of ice and snow could easily claim the life of a girl dressed in thin uniforms within seconds.
However, the regenerative flame within Nagi could restore her body to its optimal state in less than a second, making her completely oblivious to the bone-chilling cold.
Her gaze fixed on the familiar sight before her, as memories of the past flooded her mind like a tide.
Once.
When Nagi first stepped onto this snow-covered land in her previous life, a girl was by her side.
The girl’s long hair, as bright as cherry blossoms, was particularly eye-catching in the cold wind, like a flower blooming in the snow.
Nagi remembered that her first sentence upon arriving here was—
……
……
“Are you not cold dressed like that?”
“…… Not cold at all, just feeling really hot—” the girl replied with a light laugh, her pink hair flowing in the cold wind, she was still clad in a thin summer uniform, seeming completely unconcerned about the Arctic chill.
“Isn’t that the feeling of warmth right before freezing to death?!”
“Kou-kun, you’re really being dramatic~ Are you worried about me~” the girl smiled slightly, taking a few steps back to stand next to herself, deliberately bumping her shoulder.
However, she hadn’t felt that bump.
Because at that time, she was wearing a heavy down jacket, equipped like an Arctic explorer, the only thing exposed was a pair of eyes.
“Stop talking nonsense. Is there anything more meaningless in this world than worrying about you?”
“Alas~”
“What kind of reaction is that? Do you like me?”
“Me? Like Kou-kun? How is that possible—” the girl paused slightly, then laughed, “I don’t have any feelings for kids. We’re just mutually beneficial partners, nothing more.”
At the end, she diverted her gaze, staring at the distant ice mountain, her eyes revealing a hint of profound light.
“And I can’t even imagine Kou-kun being attracted to someone else.”
“That’s really disheartening. Even I might have one or two people I like, you know?”
“That’s quite an interesting joke.” The pink-haired girl smiled gently, “Though I don’t know how you found this place, it’s time to set off.”
“We can’t let that weapon fall into someone else’s hands.”
“Yes, yes, Your Excellency the Origin Saintess…” she responded perfunctorily while taking steps toward the massive ice mountain before her.
……
……
Nagi looked up at the howling mountain wind, stepping into the icy cave.
Snowflakes gently landed on her long black hair, but under the protection of the golden flames around her, they quickly melted, evaporating before they could even form droplets, keeping her in a pristine state.
Deep in the cave.
Nagi’s footsteps echoed in the cold cavern, the golden flames illuminating her figure, the icy walls reflecting a glacial sheen through the light of her flames.
The pink-haired girl from Nagi’s memories was the first main character she encountered upon arriving in this world—Natsuki.
Natsuki, the beautiful girl who intruded into Nanase Island in the original work of “Star Pull,” attracting the pursuit of ability users.
She was the first female protagonist in “Star Pull” and the character positioned in the center of the cover.
At the same time, she was also the one who stayed longest by Nagi’s side in her past life.
In her past life, Nagi had summoned Garuda using dark methods on Nanase Island and successfully defeated the pursuing ability users. Since then, Natsuki had always stayed by her side; no, more accurately, Nagi had obtained Natsuki.
Because Natsuki was not an ordinary person—
In the original document collection of “Star Pull,” Natsuki was referred to as “the Origin Saintess.”
She was an existence of “immortal and ageless.”
In fact, even when she appeared in this world was a huge mystery.
Due to her special identity and powerful abilities, she was often targeted and used by those with ulterior motives.
Throughout the endless flow of time, Natsuki witnessed the cruelty and indifference of this world, her heart gradually growing numb, longing to escape this dark and painful world through death.
But unfortunately, the power of the Saintess made her unable to die by her own will.
So—
“Kou-kun, if it’s you, you must be able to change this world—”
Nagi’s thoughts were interrupted by the scene before her. Her gaze refocused, and everything seemed to snap back to reality.
She had arrived at the innermost part of the cave, standing before a thick ice wall.
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed there was no way forward.
But Nagi let out a light breath of relief.
For her, this merely meant that her treasure chamber had not been discovered by anyone.
Nagi’s hand naturally reached for her pocket, instinctively wanting to take out the card, but after groping around, she remembered that the card was no longer with her—
“I didn’t expect this door to be a one-time use…”
Nagi murmured softly.
After some thought, she slowly placed her palm on the cold wall.
Her magical power surged, and in an instant, a brilliant light flashed in her eyes.
The entire ice mountain, along with the ground beneath her feet, began to tremble slightly.
The power of Mother Earth Gaia was transmitted through Nagi’s body, swiftly destroying the ice wall before her.
The wall crumbled like paper blown away by the wind, revealing layers of hard dragon scales beneath the ice.
These were the barriers she had set up to disguise herself in her last life—using pure-blood dragon scales to craft a door could evade some blanket-type magical detection.
Nagi used the power of her authority to rip apart the scales one by one.
As the scales fell, the ice surface beneath her began to crack, and the ice mountain overhead gradually began to collapse.
Massive blocks of ice fell from the heights, slamming into the snow-covered ground, sending up a flurry of snow mist.
Those loud booms echoed through the quiet polar region like the sound of the sky and earth collapsing.
Beneath the starry night sky.
A colorful light soared from the collapsing ice mountain, shooting up into the sky, piercing the darkness, as if breaking the boundaries between this snow world and the starry sky.
As the thick snow mist dispersed.
Nagi’s figure reappeared, drawing out the blade that radiated a radiant light. The brilliance of the blade streaked across the night sky like a shooting star, instantly transforming into a dreamlike aurora, as if weaving a magnificent ribbon beneath the starry sky.
“It’s been a long time…” Nagi smiled at the colorful blade in her hand, then tucked it into a strange flower made of mirrors.
This is the ability from her contracted beast, “Amaterasu,”
She used the authority of Amaterasu as an infinitely large storage space.
“Now, it’s time to go to the second place…” Nagi raised her head, her gaze turning toward the distance.
Back then, for the sake of caution, Nagi hadn’t hidden all her supernatural items in the same place.
Thus, if she wanted to retrieve those items now, she would have to make several trips.
“I must return before everyone wakes up….. back….. right?” Nagi murmured softly, her gaze pausing in the empty cave for a moment, then softly said, “I never expected that one day, I would have a place to return to.”
————————————-
Morning.
Outside the car window, the morning sun streamed into the compartment, the warm light penetrating the glass and gently spilling into the interior.
Minute dust motes floated slowly in the beam, like tiny stardust embedded in golden light, dancing gently with the motion of the compartment.
Kanade woke groggily from his dream.
Last night, he had worried that Nagi might sneak over to find him in the middle of the night, so he hadn’t locked the room door.
However, to his surprise, he had slept so soundly, and Nagi hadn’t come to find him—no, retract that statement. Kanade sensed something was off.
Something soft and warm seemed to be resting on him.
He gently lifted a corner of the blanket, and what came into view was Nagi’s angelic and adorable sleeping face.
Unbeknownst to when, Nagi had burrowed into his blankets, tightly hugging him, fast asleep.
—Is she treating me like a pillow again?
Kanade couldn’t help but want to sigh, but quickly sensed a subtle difference.
Today, Nagi, who was holding him, felt different from usual.
She didn’t have that clingy, spoiled feeling; rather, she seemed more like a child unable to sleep due to anxiety, needing to hold onto something that made her feel secure to fall easily into a deep sleep.
Kanade couldn’t help but gently reach out, stroking Nagi’s happy and serene face.
—Little Nagi, what made you so restless last night?
At that moment.
The train’s announcement sounded, reminding them that they were about to reach the destination city.
Outside the window, the vast blue sea came into view, rippling with gentle waves. The sunlight spilled onto the water, reflecting dazzling glimmers, as if countless stars were blinking in the ocean.
In the distance, a silver island stood silently in the azure sea. The island’s outline radiated a cold brilliance under the sunlight, shrouded in a layer of mist, like a mysterious veil in the morning light.
That was another artificial academy island under the SEMA umbrella—Infinity Academy.
It was also the venue for this year’s “Academy League.”
“Wow, I can finally see it….. Infinity Academy.” A voice of admiration came from the neighboring room.
This commotion also woke Nagi in Kanade’s arms.
She slowly opened her eyes and locked gazes with Kanade in the morning light, then revealed an angelic smile—
“Good morning, Kanade-kun.” And, I’ve returned.
