Chapter 47: Arrested in a Special Place
In the long and empty corridor, a sudden burst of footsteps echoed, causing the breathing within several cells to grow heavier.
There were two sets of footsteps—one relatively light and brisk, the other steady and firm.
A few seconds later, the footsteps came to a halt, followed by two crisp "clicks."
At that moment, Anwendeika, who wore a look of despair, suddenly turned his head, locking eyes with a pair of deep purple pupils.
"Hmm, how delightful, we meet again."
Sylvia wore her usual smile—a habitual mask—as she looked at the widening eyes of the man before her.
"You… no, you've finally remembered me!"
"Lady Saintess!"
“?”
“?”
“?”
The moment he spoke, the trio standing outside the door—a person, a puppet, and a crow—froze in place.
Although Sylvia managed to maintain control over her expression, Loruze’s reaction was noticeably more evident.
Saintess? What Saintess?
However, Anwendeika, seemingly too overwhelmed with emotion, failed to notice the confusion on the face of the so-called emissary of the Lord of Radiance and continued:
"Eh? Lady Saintess, why are you wearing a black cloak today? I remember you had on a pure white one just a few days ago?"
"Did you come to clear my name and save me?"
He still wanted to keep speaking, but his slightly calmed senses had begun to notice something—was that a… crow perched on the opposite shoulder?
Why would a crow, the symbol of the God of Death, be sitting on the shoulder of the Saintess of Radiance?
Moreover, the man clad in the Radiant Bishop’s attire seemed to have an odd expression?
At this moment, even with his thick nerves, he began to sense that something was off.
He immediately let out two dry chuckles and stopped talking.
Seeing this, Sylvia tilted her head slightly, a faint, ambiguous smile on her face.
“Saintess?”
“Why would you think that?”
Anwendeika replied with an awkward smile:
“Last time I saw you, you were wearing attire marked with the Church of Radiance emblem, and your presence and appearance… they made the gems shining here lose their luster…”
As he said this, he noticed the increasingly eerie smile on her face and shivered suddenly, abandoning any thoughts of flattery.
“Besides, this *is* the Court of Radiance after all. If you weren’t someone from the Church of Radiance, there’d be no way for you to enter.”
Sylvia nodded slightly, offering no comment.
At this moment, Loruze, standing half a step behind her, frowned and spoke:
“The Church of Radiance never had anything like a ‘Saintess.’ That so-called ‘Saintess’ is merely a rumor—some high-ranking female clergy romanticized and spread through exaggeration.”
“You’re right.”
Anwendeika nodded repeatedly, perfectly embodying the meaning of cautious deference.
“Alright, come with us.”
Sylvia clearly had no interest in dragging out the topic.
In truth, she hadn’t yet fully adapted to this new body—beneath her composed appearance, she still felt an intense awkwardness whenever someone complimented her beauty.
Yes, it was the kind of awkwardness that left one drenched in sweat.
The three of them, plus the crow, walked silently along the path leading out of the Court of Radiance.
Only Lakdevo, the fat crow, occasionally glanced back with a peculiar look at the adventurer who claimed to be from the Southern Cross Constellation.
After returning to the office, Sylvia took her seat and tapped the tabletop with her finger, drawing the attention of the adventurer who was still darting glances left and right.
“I apologize. Because of *his* mistake, you were held in the underground cells for a long time.”
As she spoke, she pointed at the expressionless Loruze, then continued:
“But I’m very curious. Why didn’t you reveal your identity as a member of the Southern Cross Constellation right away?”
While discussing Anwendeika’s identity with Loruze earlier, the Radiant Bishop had expressed clear surprise upon learning he was part of the Southern Cross Constellation.
According to Loruze, an organization that collaborated so closely with the major churches would have been enough to vouch for his background and prevent his arrest.
But the issue was that this man had never mentioned that identity from the beginning.
Hearing the question, Anwendeika gave an embarrassed smile, seemingly hesitating whether to explain.
With that attitude, if Sylvia hadn’t already used mysticism to verify the truth of his words, even she might have begun doubting his identity.
Then, after noticing Sylvia’s superior, scrutinizing gaze, Anwendeika shuddered again and reluctantly began to explain, stammering:
“The place where I got arrested… wasn’t very respectable. I can’t let my teammates know. Especially not *her*.”
“At the time, I thought the Church of Radiance would quickly solve the case and clear my name. But I didn’t expect no one to come for me after all this time.”
“Where was he arrested?”
Sylvia shifted her gaze to Loruze, who stood nearby.
The Radiant Bishop paused for a moment before uttering a location:
“Perodley Theater.”
At the mention of the name, Sylvia also fell silent.
It was because this was the largest and most infamous underground cabaret in the City of Alova, known for offering “special services” to customers.
Noticing the reaction of the puppet-like girl across from him, Anwendeika’s gaze started to wander.
Suppressing the slight curve of her lips, Sylvia continued her questioning.
"Then why did you choose to reveal your true identity to me?"
Anwendeika took a deep breath and answered the question:
"I’ve been missing for so long, my teammates must be getting anxious."
"Also, according to our schedule, we’re about to head to a large ruin within the Kingdom of Ulpus for an exploration mission."
"Very well."
Sylvia nodded, and then no longer suppressed the upward curve of her lips, letting them gradually lift into a smile.
"Would you be interested in telling me more about this ‘her’?"
"I believe having some prior understanding would help when I send someone to return you and explain the reason behind your disappearance."
In that instant, Anwendeika’s mouth fell open, and his face flushed bright red.
"You, you can’t do that! I… I must maintain the image she has of me!"
"I… I—"
"Caw!"
Lakdevo, perched on the back of the chair, flapped his wings twice, and even Loruze’s lips couldn’t help but twitch upward. The room was filled with an air of amusement.
A few seconds later, Sylvia tapped her finger on the tabletop and said to the flustered Anwendeika:
"Alright, it was just a joke."
"Let’s talk about something serious now—or rather, a transaction."
"What Extraordinary path do you follow?"
From the size of his spiritual light points and the quality of his spirituality, Sylvia had already judged that Anwendeika was merely an Extraordinary who had undergone his first metamorphosis.
In truth, the first metamorphosis was the mainstream among the Extraordinary in this world.
Those who completed a second metamorphosis were already considered elite.
And those who underwent a third metamorphosis were significant figures, often forming the upper echelon of major organizations.
As for the fourth metamorphosis—that was a realm beyond the reach of most.
Hearing Sylvia mention the word "transaction," Anwendeika visibly paused.
A second later, though still hesitant, he answered:
"Warrior."