Vol 5. Chapter 55: Telepathy?

If that was really what had happened, then this was bad.

Vinny crouched in the bookstore, staring up at the sky that looked so familiar and yet entirely alien, and let out a long sigh.

The problem was not merely that he had been transported to a world that was both completely unfamiliar and eerily familiar.

Vinny recalled that, before he arrived in this parallel world, mirror Vinny had seemingly dragged him inside.

Had he switched places with that Vinny with bloodshot eyes in the mirror?

Had Vinny been sent to this parallel world while that other one remained in his?

The moment the thought occurred to him, Vinny felt as though the sky had collapsed.

Thinking back, the Vinny from that parallel time and space had felt strangely familiar.

Vinny had never met him, yet he had felt familiar all the same.

Now that he considered it, could that person have been the Vinny from the main-story worldline of Carillian Citrus?

The Vinny who had gone astray, committed every imaginable evil, and ultimately caused a bloodbath.

The Vinny who had even killed Aesphyra once, only to escape neither the judgment of the major fate heroine nor a humiliating, icy boxed-lunch ending.

That was the fate Vinny had wanted most desperately to avoid when he first transmigrated here—or perhaps when he was reborn.

If that really was the Vinny from that worldline, then what would happen to Vinny’s own world?

He would definitely run wild there.

He absolutely would.

Those eyes, steeped in dead silence and hysteria, had already told Vinny everything. That person had long since lost any road back. All that remained was a body numb to pain and a soul driven mad, trembling with frenzy.

Vinny said nothing. His nails silently dug into his palms.

If it was Aesphyra, she would surely notice something after spending some time with him. She would recognize that villainous young master Vinny was not right.

Vinny was not too worried about Mirexia or Isatia, either.

The one he was truly worried about was Shicodale.

Would that little idiot really be able to tell?

If villainous young master Vinny happened to notice that the Vinny of this world was close to Shicodale, would he hurt Shicodale?

And then there was Aesphyra.

The Vinny from that worldline and Aesphyra had been mortal enemies—enemies who would not rest until one of them was dead. Aesphyra might be a major fate heroine, but villainous young master Vinny had managed to kill her once. That alone meant he had to be extremely strong.

Could the Aesphyra of this world defeat villainous young master Vinny?

But none of that was the main issue.

Those were the best-case scenarios, conclusions Vinny had reached only by assuming villainous young master Vinny was a complete lunatic and an idiot.

If the other Vinny was not simply a mindless madman, then he would surely choose to lie low in that unfamiliar world, wait for an opening, continue plotting his so-called great undertaking, and kill his enemies.

By the time anyone realized something was wrong, it might already be too late.

Vinny covered his eyes, exhausted.

This had still happened.

He suddenly remembered what that false, fractured voice had told him just before he was dragged into the mirror.

Could this be worldline convergence? Does a story’s repair force really exist?

If it does, then what was the point of fighting so desperately to change the ending?

Vinny clenched his fists, his heart sinking.

“Young man, are you all right?”

At that moment, the bookstore owner’s voice pulled Vinny from his thoughts and worries.

“Have you run into some kind of trouble?”

“No.” Vinny shook his head.

“That’s good. Sorry, but it’s getting late. We need to close up.”

Only then did Vinny realize that he had spent the entire afternoon flipping through history books. It was already dusk, and the bookstore was closing.

“Sorry. I lost track of time.”

Vinny returned the book to its shelf.

“It’s all right. You’re from out of town, aren’t you? The local church is not far from here. Turn left when you leave and walk a little way. You’ll see it—it’s the tallest building around here.”

“Okay. Thank you. I understand.”

Vinny left the bookstore, feeling as though he had nowhere to go in this strange world.

At least before, he had had something to work toward.

Now, he did not even know how to return to his original worldline.

What if he never found a way back?

Would he have to stay here for the rest of his life?

Vinny sat by the roadside in utter confusion, looking at the city’s buildings. Their style was familiar, yet somehow strange. As he watched, the sky slowly darkened.

He had thought the pedestrians would thin out as night fell.

Oddly, there were not fewer people in the streets.

There were more.

The noise grew deafening, leaving Vinny puzzled.

It was already dark. Other than people with nowhere to go, who would not want to get home early? Why were they still outside?

Vinny stood and noticed that the crowd seemed to be converging in one direction.

He followed their gazes.

That direction was brightly lit. Through the opened fortress gates, a vast, fully armed procession was steadily entering the city.

What was that...?

The distance was too great for Vinny to make out more than the rough silhouette of the armed convoy.

“They’re here! The Church’s procession is here! It’s Her Eminence the Saintess!”

Excited cries rose from the noisy crowd.

The Dawn Saintess?

Vinny remembered what the elderly woman had told him earlier. The Dawn Saintess of this world would be passing through the city soon, resting here and listening to the faithful.

She was here already?

Vinny was curious about what the Dawn Saintess of this world looked like, so he followed the crowd to join the spectacle.

At the city gates, the townspeople had voluntarily formed two lines, welcoming the procession as it passed between them.

“Make way! Everyone, make way!”

Crushed among the crowd like a sardine, Vinny finally found himself a place to stand where he would not be shoved off his feet.

It was not easy. Everyone was pushing closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Saintess.

From his slightly higher vantage point, Vinny could finally see the procession in full.

Silver armor gleamed beneath the firelight.

The design was unmistakable: blessed armor issued specifically to the Radiant Cross Knights.

The Radiant Cross Knights, armed to the teeth, rode in two columns upon fully armored warhorses, slowly advancing through the road in the middle of the crowd.

The procession was so long that its end was nowhere in sight.

So many men and horses had already entered the city, yet Vinny still had not seen the Dawn Saintess.

“Everyone, please maintain order!”

Several Radiant Cross Knights dismounted to keep the crowd under control.

“Watch your step. Do not trample anyone. There is no need to rush. Her Eminence the Saintess will hear your voices. It is already late, so please return home and rest for today.”

However, the people clearly had not taken the knights’ words to heart. No one showed the slightest intention of leaving.

Vinny stretched his neck toward the rear of the procession.

After the dragonlike vanguard had finally passed completely through the gates, a platinum-white carriage entered the city behind a valiant woman with short black hair and elaborate silver armor.

A burning six-winged cross was painted upon the carriage.

“Her Eminence Kaleni!”

The crowd cried out the Saintess’s name.

The night, which should have been quiet and deserted, roared with noise.

Was she here?

Vinny looked toward the luxurious platinum-white carriage.

Of course he recognized the Facilis Family crest. Hell, when he opened his Virtue System, that was the very emblem stamped against its black background.

The moment the carriage entered the city, Vinny instinctively turned toward it.

Every cell in his body seemed drawn to the carriage—or more precisely, to the person inside, though he had not even seen that person yet.

He lowered his gaze to his palm.

He could feel it clearly.

His bloodline, even his Spirit Soul, had begun resonating violently with that person.

The sensation was sharp and real.

It was not unfamiliar to him.

But he had only ever felt it when meeting the Dawn Goddess and the Dawn Saintesses of previous generations.

“Her Eminence Kaleni!”

The cheers grew even louder, a tidal wave of fervor no one could possibly stop.

Vinny blinked and pressed his lips together.

He was suddenly glad no one in town had heard what he said earlier.

Otherwise, he really might have ended up hanging from the city wall for a day or two.

“Please forgive us, everyone, but it is already late. Her Eminence the Saintess is weary. Please do not disturb Her Eminence’s rest.”

At that moment, the black-haired young knight standing before the carriage called out to the crowd.

Her voice carried strength, experience, and calm authority. Even amid such a deafening uproar, many could hear her clearly.

Vinny noticed a broad scar across the young woman’s face.

It cut straight through one of her eyes, which had long since clouded white.

Yet her gaze was astonishingly calm.

She might as well have had dangerous written across her face.

She was probably the personal guard captain of Saintess Kaleni—the commander of the entire Radiant Cross Knights.

At her words, disappointment appeared on many faces.

Then Vinny noticed the black-haired young woman lean closer to the carriage, as though the person inside had called to her.

Her expression changed. She looked troubled, but could only agree in the end.

“All units, halt!”

The black-haired young woman’s order was relayed from knight to knight.

Before long, the entire procession came to a stop.

Just as everyone wondered what was happening, the curtain of the platinum-white carriage was raised.

Pink hair, holy and pure as cherry blossoms, shone brilliantly even beneath the night sky.

A beautiful young girl appeared at the carriage entrance, dressed in a pure-white Saintess gown trimmed with pale cherry-pink. She looked as though she belonged in a fairy tale.

Her white-gloved hands were clasped in prayer.

Then her lashes lifted, revealing a pair of bright, captivating, heart-shaped peach-pink eyes.

“Her Eminence the Saintess!”

“Lady Kaleni!”

The people erupted in excitement.

Even Vinny was a little taken aback as he watched.

This was the Dawn Saintess of this world?

He did not know whether it was because they were, in a certain sense, of the same generation, but when he saw her for the first time, Vinny thought he was looking at Vanessa.

To answer the people’s expectations, Kaleni clasped her hands beneath the moonlight.

A pair of flawless white wings blossomed from behind her.

Angel feathers drifted and glittered in the air, adorning the bright, clear moon.

The feathers fell upon the people, and it was as though they had heard the Goddess’s sacred hymn. Their spirits were refreshed, their whole beings renewed.

She was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the real thing.

Vinny had known that the Dawn Saintess of this suspected parallel world was probably genuine, but nothing was ever absolute.

Now he was certain.

She was unquestionably real.

Blessing Angel wings could not be faked.

Neither could that feeling.

Vinny had always wondered why so few people in history had tried to impersonate a Dawn Saintess.

Now he understood.

It simply could not be done.

Once someone had seen the genuine article, the difference between the real thing and a fake was far too obvious.

There was only one situation in which impersonation might be possible: if the Dawn Saintesses had been absent for several generations, leaving everyone’s impression of them confined to books and historical records.

Then it would be easy for a counterfeit to pass for the real thing.

But anyone who had actually seen a Dawn Saintess would never confuse the two.

Vinny caught one of the Blessing Angel’s feathers in his hand and considered this silently.

After blessing the faithful, Kaleni gave them a gentle smile and prepared to return to the carriage.

Then she paused.

“Your Eminence the Saintess?”

The black-haired young woman beside her did not seem to understand what was wrong.

Kaleni did not answer.

Instead, as though she had sensed something, she looked toward a certain point in the crowd.

At that same moment, Vinny also turned toward the resplendent cherry-haired angel.

Their eyes met across the distance.

Neither looked away.

A flash of surprise passed through Kaleni’s eyes.

She seemed to be wondering why, among so many people, she had noticed that blue-haired young man at first glance—and why that blue-haired young man happened to be looking directly at her as well.

Kaleni said nothing, quietly committing the blue-haired young man’s appearance to memory.

She had sensed it too.

The resonance of bloodline and [Saint’s Envoy].

That unfamiliar blue-haired young man felt so close to her, as though he were a brother or sister born of the same parents.

But she knew that was impossible.

Restricted by the blood of the [Saint Sage], the Facilis Family had always passed down through a single direct line. No generation of the Facilis Family could possibly have brothers or sisters.

Besides, the young man’s appearance clearly did not resemble that of a Facilis.

The sensation was profoundly strange.

Interesting.

A faint smile touched Kaleni’s lips.

Had there not been so many people watching, she truly would have liked to go over and find out exactly who that blue-haired young man was.

So her alluring peach-pink eyes sent Vinny a meaningful look, as though she were saying:

There are too many people here. If it is convenient, could we speak in private?

For some reason, the meaning she wanted to convey reached Vinny with perfect clarity even across such a distance.

It was almost like telepathy.