Volume 4, Chapter 24 – A Brief Respite

[Third Form Awakening]

A white light instantly enveloped Yisi’s entire body. When the short blade struck the white light, the force of the rebound was so strong that it made Samael’s entire palm go numb.

Then, just a second later, a girl with azure eyes, a cascade of pure silver hair, cat ears, and dragon wings appeared before everyone. Her appearance, a combination of divinity and allure, instantly captured everyone’s attention.

The count’s eldest daughter’s previously injured arms also returned to normal under the white light’s embrace.

“So you’ve revealed your true form.”

Not frightened by Yisi’s transformation, Count Pescia took two steps back with a grim expression, readjusting his two-handed sword stance. Refina, who had been tangling with the Count, also retreated to Yisi’s side. Refina had seen Yisi use her third form awakening before, so there was no chance of her not recognizing her.

The most shocked one, however, was Hetty.

Previously smug because Count Pescia had sided with her, she was now trembling from the aura Yisi was exuding.

The oppressive feeling, which only fallen angels could sense, was so suffocating it almost made it hard for her to breathe. She could even see the elements in the air rejoicing at Yisi’s appearance, swirling and gathering around her like a vortex.

Perhaps only the most skilled combatant among the fallen angels could be her enemy.

Without hesitation, Hetty also joined the battle, taking out a staff from her storage magic.

[Mental Power Drain]

A magic that could ignore the difference in mental power between two parties and forcibly seize the opponent’s, causing them to become disoriented and weak.

A nearly invisible ball of blue light shot straight at Yisi. Yisi simply waved her hand and dispelled it.

“How is that possible!”

Subconsciously, Hetty cried out in shock.

Yisi just tilted her head slightly.

“I don’t know what you threw at me, but it doesn’t seem to work.”

Even if it could ignore the difference in mental power, no mind magic could break through the barrier of [Mind Control Immunity].

While Yisi was speaking, Count Pescia on the other side had not slacked off on his attack. The speed of his sword swings was dazzling. If there were a master swordsman here, they would surely marvel at his skill. But even the strongest praying mantis cannot stand against a chariot wheel. Yisi easily blocked the attacks coming from all directions with Gungnir.

In Yisi’s eyes, the Count’s sword swings were no different from a slow-motion scene. She could even directly snatch his weapon or simply block it with a defensive barrier, but that would feel condescending. She had no grudge against Count Pescia; there was no need to subject him to that level of humiliation.

To put it another way, he was Edith’s father, after all.

“[Falling Blossom Slash].”

She blocked the Count’s jumping slash from directly above with Gungnir, then waved her free hand, dispelling an unknown magic that came flying from Hetty.

“Father, use the Tower of Pescia!”

Rеαԁ oո KαtRеaⅾіոɡСαfе

He probably won’t use the Tower of Pescia, right?

From what Yisi had seen of the Tower of Alexia’s power on Mount Hermin, if Count Pescia used it, it would surely blow up the entire mansion along with the nearby houses.

No matter how much the Count doted on Edith, he wouldn’t be so blind as to disregard his own subjects.

“No… I take that back.”

Sensing a lock-on from the Tower of Alexia in the city, Yisi was at a loss for words.

She quickly flew to Refina’s side.

“It’s time to go.”

If it weren’t for sharing a body with Edith, she would have had no reason to even save her. Although she could help Edith solve the problem now, withstand the bombardment from the Tower of Alexia, drive Hetty away, and bring the Count back to his senses, that was not Edith’s wish. Edith had always emphasized that she didn’t need others to interfere in her affairs; she wanted to reclaim her status with her own hands. Helping her without permission would not only not be appreciated but would also attract resentment.

Most importantly, as long as Edith asked, she could drive away Hetty and Samael at any time and let Edith return to the Pescia family. Therefore, it wouldn’t be too late to offer her help when they could sit down and talk properly.

At that time, it would be Edith asking for her help, which was a completely different thing from helping her without permission.

For someone as strong-willed and stubborn as Edith, she would probably only be grateful for help when she was truly at her wit’s end.

Refina turned her body slightly, dodging Yisi’s attempt to grab her shoulder. Her golden eyes held both hope and anxiety.

“Miss Yisi, why don’t you kill Hetty? You should be able to do it, right?”

“If you think Edith won’t call me a meddlesome person afterwards.”

Using [Ring of Repulsion] to push everyone around her away, Yisi shrugged.

Understanding the unspoken meaning, Refina’s expression froze, and she lowered her head in frustration.

“If you understand, then let’s go. We can talk about whatever you want to say later.”

Yisi placed a hand on Refina’s shoulder, then looked at the fallen angel Hetty, who was hiding behind Count Pescia, her face filled with hatred.

“A gift for you before I go.”

Not helping Edith reclaim her status and causing trouble for Hetty were not mutually exclusive. Yisi snapped her fingers, and a ball of blue, viscous substance instantly enveloped Count Pescia.

[Undine’s Blessing].

It could remove most abnormal statuses and was the same magic Yisi had used on the Fallen girls before.

It would clear the mind magic Hetty had cast on Count Pescia, which would surely throw Hetty into a state of confusion.

“[Short-Distance Teleport].”

Rеαd οո КatRеаdіոɡСаfe

Yisi and Refina instantly disappeared from the courtyard.

◇

The destination of the teleportation was set to the abandoned stone house in Termi City. Although she could have teleported further away, far from the Pescia territory, given the power she had just displayed in front of everyone, it was probably better not to be so shockingly impressive.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, as soon as Refina’s feet touched the ground, she stumbled and almost fell.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Reaching out to support Refina, Yisi frowned.

Previously, because she had to deal with the battle and think about the most appropriate course of action, she hadn’t paid much attention to Refina’s condition. Now that things had settled down, she realized that Refina was covered in wounds left by a blade. Although each one had avoided vital points, the sheer number of them was frightening. A normal person would be bathed in blood by now. Refina must have used emergency magic to prevent too much blood loss.

“Don’t touch me, you opportunist who cooperates with my master but doesn’t help her.”

Trying to shake off Yisi’s support, Refina tensed her arm, but it only caused her wounds to split open. Blood soaked through her clothes, dripping onto the ground with an unsettling pat-pat sound.

Shhh.

Without warning, the long-brewing dark clouds outside finally unleashed their rain. A summer downpour, mixed with thunder, enveloped the land.

Yisi did not let go of Refina.

“Now is not the time to talk about this, is it? Besides, didn’t I already explain? Even if I had helped Edith drive away Hetty just now, she would have only thought I was being a meddlesome person. You know that too, don’t you, Refina?”

“Actually helping Master and how Master treats me afterward are two different things. I will only do what helps Master the most—ugh.”

Halfway through her words, Refina’s lips twitched from the pain of her wounds. She gave up talking to Yisi and walked step by step to the wall, sat down, and took out a potion from her storage magic, pouring it over her body. As it was not a magic potion, the dark green liquid brought a sharp pain when it touched her wounds, making Refina grit her teeth and let out a muffled groan. Fine beads of sweat also formed on her forehead.

Stepping over to Refina’s side, Yisi’s palm lit up with a golden glow, preparing to cover her wounds.

“[Healing Arts].”

“Get away. I don’t need your charity.”

Knocking away Yisi’s outstretched hand with her elbow, Refina’s features contorted slightly, whether from mental frustration or physical pain—or perhaps both.

“If I could stand by and watch you self-harm like this, I wouldn’t be called Yisi.”

If the person standing here were a complete stranger she didn’t know, Yisi would have already left. But this was Refina.

If Yisi had initially been helping Refina out of a sense of atonement, now it was more of an instinctual thought. Refina was always by Edith’s side, even when she was in a desperate situation, she would desperately try to find a glimmer of hope for her. This kind of self-sacrificing devotion, like a maiden offering herself as a sacrifice, made Yisi subconsciously want to help her.

Refina tore off a piece of bandage with her teeth, then wrapped it around her left arm, which was drenched in the potion.

“You can just not look at me and get out of here.”

This is the place I found, isn’t it?

Rеaⅾ оn ΚаtRеаԁіոɡСαfe

A surge of anger made Yisi want to say this, but the words died on her lips. If she said it now, Refina might really stand up and walk out of the stone house into the rain.

The master and the servant are both cut from the same cloth.

Feeling annoyed for a moment, Yisi simply placed a bottle of magic potion on the ground.

“If you can’t bear it, drink this.”

Then she used [Advanced Teleportation] to leave, bringing Camilla, who was still at Margaret, to the stone house.

Even though some time had passed, the magic potion Yisi had placed on the ground was still there. Refina continued to bandage her wounds, but perhaps because she rarely used bandages and the potion wasn’t very effective, the bandaging was very poorly done. Blood that couldn’t be stopped dripped from the bandages onto the ground. Refina herself looked like she was at the end of her rope, her arms trembling uncontrollably, her lips pale, and her body swaying as if she would faint at any moment.

Smelling the scent of blood, Camilla first frowned, then looked at Refina sitting at the base of the wall.

“Onee-sama, what is this…?”

“We ran into a little fight. Help me with the treatment.”

“Onee-sama is hurt?! I’ll get ready right—”

“No… it’s Refina who’s hurt.”

“…I see.”

With a look of disinterest, Camilla glanced at Refina, who was completely ignoring them.

“She should just go rely on her own master.”

Camilla’s words made Refina’s hands pause, but she didn’t say anything.

Yisi pushed Camilla’s back and whispered in her ear.

“Alright, alright, don’t be difficult. Help me heal Refina. She won’t listen to me, so I can only ask you, Camilla.”

“…I’m only bandaging her because Onee-sama asked me to.”

Muttering a sentence as if to herself, Camilla took out various wound-dressing tools one by one from her storage magic. Then she walked over to Refina, squatted down, and ignoring her, grabbed her wrist.

“Stop. Bandaging like this will only make it more painful.”

“That’s my business. I don’t need your charity.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m only helping you because Onee-sama asked me to. You can’t even hold things steady right now, and you’re still thinking of resisting me?”

Ignoring Refina’s weak resistance, Camilla deftly removed the bandages she had already tied. First, she cleaned the wounds with a potion she had brought, then applied a thick, black ointment and wrapped it with a bandage.

Seemingly knowing that she couldn’t resist Camilla now, Refina could only quietly watch her movements.

Rеаⅾ оn ΚatReаԁіnɡСаfе

“If I were you, I would at least accept Onee-sama’s grace. Only by keeping yourself in the best condition can you truly help Edith and be prepared for any battle that may come. To not even think of that, you must be a lower-class noble with no education.”

“…”

She wanted to say something but couldn’t. Refina could only purse her lips.

Because she knew that what Camilla said was right, and that her own actions just now were just a tantrum, it felt even more humiliating.

But Yisi didn’t stop Camilla. Camilla was just caring for Refina in her own way.

The process of treating the wounds took nearly an hour. A slightly weary Camilla stood up, wiping the bloodstains from her skin with a handkerchief.

“I’ve mostly taken care of it. The rest can be handled by your blood clan’s own blood magic.” Camilla turned to Yisi. “Onee-sama, I’m going out for a bit.”

“Where are you going, Camilla?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Camilla didn’t look Yisi in the eye.

“I need to restock on bandages and potions, for emergencies, so…”

Yisi’s intuition told her that Camilla was lying, but the reason she chose to go out must be to create an opportunity for her to be alone with Refina. Because she knew that Refina only liked the count’s eldest daughter, Camilla could be at ease. At the same time, from the atmosphere just now, Camilla might have already seen that there was some conflict between her and Refina, which required an atmosphere without a third party present.

And she usually seems so cautious…

Yisi couldn’t help but sigh.

With Camilla gone, the room became quiet, with only the pattering of the downpour outside. Yisi stood two steps away from Refina, while Refina remained seated where she was.

This silence made Yisi feel at a loss. Although Camilla had created an opportunity for her, she was struggling with how to start the conversation without offending Refina. The art of social interaction was giving Yisi a headache.

“Um… Camilla was just concerned about you. She didn’t mean any harm…”

“…”

Refina seemed to have said something, but her voice was too soft. Yisi could only see her lips move but couldn’t hear the words.

“What?”

“…Thank you.”

Thank you?

If Refina had cursed at her or simply ignored her, Yisi would have completely understood. The words of gratitude, however, left her puzzled.

As if sensing Yisi’s thoughts, Refina spoke with a tone that seemed to find it difficult to speak, her head lowered.

“That was my willful and reckless behavior just now… Please forgive my rudeness, Miss Yisi.”