Vol 4. Chapter 29: The Dizzy and Disoriented Bai Xiaozou

In the southern part of Skyvault, inside the most luxurious residence in Molokezeer City,

The members of the Asumos Church, led by Archbishop Nick, were quietly resting here, doing their best to recover from the trauma of the Abyss Demons' sudden assault.

Now that Skyvault had been destroyed,

Countless refugees were flooding into the cities surrounding Skyvault, placing several of them under unbearable strain and gradually plunging them into chaos. However, while disputes had begun breaking out outside due to shortages of supplies, the environment inside the residence where the Asumos Church members were staying was, contrary to all reason, exceptionally comfortable.

Not only were they staying in the finest residence available, but they also seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of provisions.

The reason for this was that, back when Xue Tianao had been trying to curry favor with the Child of Destiny, he had already instructed his subordinates to provide the members of the Asumos Church with the finest possible treatment at all times.

Although Xue Tianao had already kicked the bucket, those imperial officials who remained 'loyal' to Xue Tianao were still tirelessly carrying out the orders he had left behind.

Thus, Archbishop Nick and the others continued to receive the very best treatment.

Of course,

There was another not particularly 'important' reason why these people treated the members of the Asumos Church so well:

They wanted to cling to a powerful backer.

After all, the Snow Night Empire had now suffered an unprecedented catastrophe. Its strength simply could not be compared to that of the Asumos Church, or rather, the Crimson Leaf Empire.

For the sake of their future wealth and status, quite a few people had already begun shamelessly currying favor with Archbishop Nick and the others.

Before the attack on Skyvault, these officials would never have imagined themselves committing such an outrageous act of betrayal.

However, after Skyvault fell, they were astonished to discover that betraying Xue Tianao somehow didn't seem like much of a problem at all?

Their loyalty toward the Emperor of the Snow Night Empire,

Oh, no,

Toward the former Emperor of the Snow Night Empire, had somehow been almost completely worn away within a single day...

But regardless,

Thanks to this, the members of the Asumos Church did not have to suffer from hunger or cold and instead enjoyed a far more comfortable recovery than the other diplomatic delegations.

And within this peaceful recuperation environment,

A certain white-haired girl who had been lying unconscious on a bed for a very long time abruptly sat upright under the shocked gazes of the surrounding maids!

?!!

Me?!

What's...

What's wrong with me again?!

Ah...

My head, my head hurts so much, waaah...

Feeling the intense pain coming from her head, the white-haired girl—our Heavenly Apostle, Miss White Yama—couldn't help putting on an agonized expression as she raised both hands and tightly clutched her head.

Only after the pain gradually subsided did White Yama barely manage to half-open her hazy blue eyes.

Looking at the blurry surroundings, White Yama almost felt as though she might lose consciousness all over again.

However,

Relying on her powerful willpower, the Heavenly Apostle barely managed to remain conscious and avoided falling unconscious once more.

As her vision gradually cleared, the sight of her battered body, covered in wounds and wrapped in layer after layer of bandages, entered White Yama's eyes.

The Heavenly Apostle immediately froze.

The sleepiness in her blue eyes abruptly vanished, replaced by deep solemnity.

'What... what exactly happened to me?'

Why?

Why am I hurt this badly? Who did this to me?

Wasn't I fighting the Abyss Demons at Skyvault?

How did I suddenly end up here?

And why did I pass out?

The inexplicable gap in her memories left Miss White Yama utterly bewildered. Countless questions continuously flooded into the white-haired girl's mind, throwing her thoughts into complete disarray.

After struggling with her confusion for a while, White Yama's eyes suddenly contracted.

She abruptly realized an even more serious problem.

Namely,

'Where am I now?'

What is this place?

As her mind gradually regained clarity, White Yama hurriedly raised her head and looked around. At the same time, she released the Holy Aura within her body through her perception, attempting to determine exactly where she was.

However, the instant White Yama raised her head, a figure standing not far away in front of her bed suddenly made her entire body tremble and her eyes contract sharply.

"A-Archbishop?!"

Standing before White Yama's bed,

The stern-faced white-haired old man surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere was none other than Nick, one of the three Archbishops of the Asumos Church—and Miss White Yama's direct superior.

Upon seeing the old man standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and displeasure written all over his face, the fog inside White Yama's mind instantly vanished.

An intense wave of panic immediately surged through her heart!

The next moment, the girl whose entire body was wrapped in white bandages abruptly revealed an utterly terrified expression.

With a 'whoosh~', she kicked away the blanket and nervously retreated until her back pressed against the wall at the head of the bed.

"Archbishop, why are you here?"

White Yama asked uneasily.

Although White Yama could absolutely crush Nick in terms of raw strength, she had been raised by Nick since childhood. To White Yama, he was essentially her adoptive father, and she was still quite afraid of him.

The moment she saw his stern, furious gaze, all her courage immediately disappeared...

Yet upon seeing the white-haired girl curled up in the corner of the bed and trembling like a frightened animal, Nick showed absolutely no sympathy for her.

Rather,

Nick himself was covered in injuries and even had bandages wrapped around his head. The instant he saw White Yama reveal her naturally cowardly side, the anger inside him flared even more violently.

"Why am I here?! That's what I'd like to ask you! You're [N O V E L I G H T] a Heavenly Apostle, yet not only did you act on your own, you somehow managed to get beaten into that miserable state by Abyss Demons?! Where am I supposed to put this old face of mine?! You damned girl, you've completely disgraced the Light of the Sun!!!"

Nick roared somewhat hysterically.

"I-I...?"

Listening to the Archbishop's scolding, White Yama trembled as she lowered her head and examined her body.

"I was beaten up by Abyss Demons?"

"You?!"

Hearing White Yama respond with a question, Nick stretched out his index finger and viciously pointed it directly at her face.

"That's what I want to ask you! You're a freaking Heavenly Apostle! You didn't even encounter a Demon King-class enemy, yet somehow a bunch of small fry beat you into this miserable state?!"

"B-But, Archbishop, you look pretty miserable yourself..."

"Don't talk back!"

"S-Sorry..."

White Yama meekly lowered her head.

"B-But, Archbishop Nick, I really don't remember what happened before... Was I defeated by the Abyss Demons?"

"You don't remember?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Sigh... Looks like those Abyss Demons did quite a number on your head."

"Were my current injuries caused by Abyss Demons?"

"What else could have caused them?"

At White Yama's utterly pointless question, Nick sneered coldly before looking at the confused white-haired girl in front of him with an expression caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement.

"The wounds all over your body are filled with traces of Shadow of Silence Power. If Abyss Demons didn't do this to you, what happened? Did you trip while walking?"

"I-Is that so..."

After receiving a definite answer from the Archbishop, the confusion within White Yama's blue eyes only became even stronger.

"But... defeated by Abyss Demons? Why didn't they kill me? Logically speaking, my body is filled with Holy Aura. There's no way Abyss Demons would willingly spare me, right? Then why am I still alive?"

"Heh. That's something I'd like to know myself."

Nick answered dismissively.

Although deep inside he was ecstatic that White Yama had survived, the doubts within Nick's heart were inevitably multiplying at an alarming rate.

"Why the Abyss Demon horde spared you is something I can't understand either. It makes absolutely no sense."

Looking out the window, Nick murmured in a low voice.

If they couldn't find a reasonable explanation for this, there would probably be quite a few people within the Church who would seize upon the matter and make an issue out of it.

After thinking for a while without reaching any conclusion, Nick could only turn his attention back toward the still utterly bewildered White Yama—

Miss Bai Xiaozou.

"Think carefully again. What exactly happened before you passed out? You're a fucking Heavenly Apostle, aren't you?! At least remember something for me! A Heavenly Apostle getting beaten into amnesia by a bunch of ordinary Abyss Demons—where am I supposed to put this old face of mine?!"

"S-Sorry... I'll try again..."

Faced with Nick's aggressive questioning, White Yama could only pitifully clutch her head and desperately attempt to recover her memories from Skyvault.

However,

After another period of intense recollection, White Yama could only helplessly shake her head.

"Sorry, Archbishop... I really can't remember anyth—...??!! Hm??"

However,

Before she could finish speaking,

White Yama's eyes suddenly contracted.

It seemed that her desperate attempts to remember had actually produced some results.

A hazy fragment of memory abruptly surfaced within Miss White Yama's mind.

Although it was incredibly blurry, as if the entire scene had been covered in mosaic censorship,

Miss White Yama could vaguely make out a palm rapidly growing larger within her field of vision...

And the owner of that hand seemed to be...

A girl?

Desperately trying to recall the black-haired figure that had appeared within that fragment of memory, Miss White Yama couldn't help narrowing her eyes slightly.

'She...

Who is she?'

...

However, just as Miss White Yama was lost in thought,

A sudden knock on the door, followed by a masculine shout, abruptly shattered the contemplative atmosphere inside the room.

"Archbishop Nick! Miss Mengxi has returned!"