Chapter 96: Goodbye Tilysha

It feels strange, doesn’t it? Like someone who is very much alive suddenly writes multiple wills one day; no matter how you think about it, it’s just odd.

But Vilyric didn’t think that what she could imagine on the spot, the Winged People wouldn’t discover after thousands of years. Existence itself is reason enough; perhaps there’s a deeper reason hidden within.

The main issue now still revolves around the “seed” mentioned in the divine oracle.

“I think I get what you mean. Let’s go inside and talk, shall we?”

“Alright.”

After greeting the two gun-wielding girls guarding the inner courtyard, who were clearly a level above the white-feathered ones outside, Sigrid smoothly led Vilyric into the building.

Just as seen from the outside, this room wasn’t large, having only a single room with a small door leading to a toilet, but there was no kitchen, indicating that food was directly provided by the Winged People.

Like the typical living environment most people are familiar with, there was a small bed, a desk, two chairs, and a wooden cabinet with a few books on a shelf.

That was all there was in the room.

The white bedding was neatly piled up, pressed beneath a pillow, and warm sunlight streamed through the barred window outside, shining directly on the front of the desk, where a few green potted plants gently swayed in the light.

A girl with long, bluish-green hair sat at the table in a simple long dress, back to the door, seemingly engrossed in a thick book spread open beside her. She appeared so focused that she didn’t even notice the gentle sound of the door being pushed open.

Sigrid seemed to anticipate this situation, giving a helpless glance to the other two before knocking on the doorframe behind her.

“Tilysha, stop reading, the person I mentioned has arrived.”

“Ah? Miss Sigrid? Sorry, I got too engrossed. Is this the esteemed guest you mentioned yesterday…?”

Hearing the voice, the Little Village Girl quickly turned to stand, not forgetting to place a bookmark in the thick book on the table. Her smile remained as simple as when they first met, though a hint of sorrow had crept into her eyes.

Then, she saw the black-haired girl smiling towards her.

“！！！”

“Hi, long time no see! Never thought we’d meet again like this, Tilysha.”

The Little Village Girl looked startled, nearly kicking over the chair at her feet.

“V-Vilyric?! How did you end up here… No, I clearly didn’t…”

Standing behind Sigrid, the Priestess playfully winked at her, and seemingly more clever than before, Tilysha hurriedly changed the subject, her expression complex and excited.

“I’m sorry… I’m just so happy. I never thought I’d see you again. I couldn’t have dreamed… How has Miss Vilyric been recently?”

“Um, I’m doing alright. But you’ve been wronged, haven’t you?”

Since Sigrid was still present, Vilyric didn’t want to be too clear, knowing her current situation wasn’t suitable for openly discussing Xi Fu Lin’s existence and their relationship; otherwise, it would definitely lead to more troubles.

“No, I… Boo hoo…”

Feeling an overwhelming fondness and trust for Vilyric, much like a long-lost child seeing her mother, the Little Village Girl quickly covered her mouth with red-rimmed eyes when she heard the Priestess say this, seemingly fighting back tears.

“Alright, sweet child, no crying.”

After hesitating for a moment, Vilyric stepped forward and gently hugged her.

“Miss Vilyric… Waaaaah!!!”

Though her physique was clearly more mature, or rather, Vilyric was just so small, like a girl who hadn’t finished growing, being embraced so tenderly by the black-haired girl caused Tilysha to instantly release her pent-up emotions and burst into tears.

“It’s okay ~ it’s okay ~ no problem.”

Goodness… It felt like comforting a child who had been bullied.

Sigrid and Xiao Guang, watching this scene from the side, wisely refrained from interrupting them, even though the latter was gnashing her teeth the whole time; she still understood what behaviors counted as spoiling and what would truly upset the master.

After sobbing in the Priestess’s embrace for a while, Tilysha looked much lighter than before, the sorrow that had lingered on her face now noticeably faded.

“I’m sorry… I was so ungrateful, I not only showed such a pitiful side in front of Miss Vilyric but also got you all wet… Huh?”

The black-haired girl laughed while brushing the dry and clean sleeve of her white robe, tapping the nose of the stunned Little Village Girl to bring her back to her senses.

“Hehe, impressive, right? Because Tilysha is a very cute girl, so this level is nothing! Well, now that you’ve cried it out, let’s talk about business.”

“Um… so, what does Miss Vilyric want to discuss? I’ve already said everything I can.”

Wiping her tear-streaked eyes and glancing at Sigrid, who had just walked over with the unfriendly-looking Giant Dragon, Tilysha hurriedly pulled the chair from beneath her for Vilyric before saying this.

The Priestess nodded inwardly.

Though it had barely been less than a month since their separation, this silly little girl had grown a lot, not only becoming smoother in her demeanor but also learning to read situations and cooperate with the Priestess’s acting.

Indeed, only adversity can rapidly improve a person’s abilities.

Sigrid took a couple of steps forward.

“Tilysha, my colleagues should have repeated the same thing many times already. Free Wings is a very open-minded organization and wouldn’t randomly accuse a good person. Upon thorough investigation, your origins are indeed very clear, and you don’t even have any Abyssal echoes. I don’t understand why you stubbornly refuse to tell us the source of that seed?”

“You’ve already witnessed the horror of the Abyss; it is the common enemy of all beings. What we do is to prevent the same disaster from occurring in countless others. The stakes have been clearly laid out; what are you still hesitating about?”

“If it’s because of my past actions or for forcibly bringing you here without consent, I’m willing to apologize, or if you need any compensation, feel free to ask. Look, your most admired Miss Vilyric is right here; she is also our ally against the Abyss. Even if you don’t trust Free Wings, she surely won’t harm you, right?”

“Miss Vilyric…”

Tilysha hesitated, turning her gaze towards the black-haired girl next to her. Perhaps from Sigrid’s perspective, she was struggling with whether to speak, but Vilyric understood that the Little Village Girl was actually asking how to handle things here.

It seemed Tilysha was dead set on standing in the same camp with her. This intense trust, though Vilyric didn’t quite understand the reason why, indeed moved her.

   

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