The red-haired man shattered the mirror with a single elbow strike. Stelle, reflected in the mirror, screamed in pain.
"Ouch! You hit too hard!"
A mass of energy glowing green all over scurried out, scared enough to hide behind Stelle.
"Hiss... you have a special scent. I heard the fallen leaves of Fyxestroll Garden whispering, the sparks weeping; they poured out to me that a powerful physical body was approaching..."
"They said that person carries the aura of having fought [Phantylia]... You are... the one who drove away [Phantylia]..."
"So... so powerful. Just feeling your existence is delicious enough to make one tremble!"
Hearing this perverted, stalker-like speech, Stelle only felt a chill run down her spine.
"Let me taste you? Just one bite, a small bite. I can't wait to savor your flavor!"
"Blech~"
An ill-timed sound interrupted it. The red-haired knight took out earplugs. "Disgusting enough."
"What?!"
Another voice was obviously displeased. "Hey, you guy, watch your mouth!"
"Joke! I, the dignified Knight Commander of the [Church of Eternity], have strength and reputation that crown the universe. I was born this arrogant; can't help it."
"Eh? What do you mean 'crown the universe'?"
Stelle blinked. Why hasn't she heard of him?
"Hiss~ This lady, how can you tear down my stage at a time like this?" The red-haired Knight Commander sighed, suddenly remembering that he didn't seem to have introduced himself yet.
"Cough cough! I stand by my name: Bertnis. Nice to meet you."
Bertnis ignored the flickering ghostly fire beside him and took out the Book of Eternal Virtues that every Church member must have.
"Sigh~ I was originally drinking freely in the teahouse, but then I was dragged over by Big Sis."
"[Big Sis]... you aren't talking about Freesna, are you?"
"Hoh! Very smart, young lady. Looks like you know the High Priestess. That makes things easier!"
In a sense, Freesna really was the [Big Sis] of the Church of Eternity, though her image didn't quite match the title.
"The High Priestess told me she heard someone calling for help from [Eternity]! And as the Knight Commander, I happened to be vacationing on the Xianzhou, so I was brought along by her..."
"Can you understand? Going to work on days of paid leave, this feeling is painful!" Bertnis covered his head. At least he wasn't caught slacking off work.
"Hey, how long are you guys going to chat? Do you really treat me as air? Whatever!"
Under Bertnis's gaze, that mass of energy dived headfirst into Stelle's body.
"Eh? Launching a surprise attack? Is there no law anymore!"
Stelle angrily rebuked the unfairness of this act, but the opponent's efficiency was surprisingly fast, staying inside and not coming out.
"Hehe~ The resistance in those few seconds just now, your desire to survive has been stimulated. I'll take this as an invitation and temporarily attach to your body, okay?"
The moment she was possessed, Stelle simply chose to empty her brain: "Fine, just stay there. Don't cause trouble."
"...Wow, your emotions are very relaxed, like a fluffy pastry. Like... this body isn't yours? Sister, what makes you so open-minded?"
"Also, what is deep inside your body? A sun? It's so hot!"
"Wait... why is there a cup of milk tea? Hey hey hey hey! Sister, why is that milk tea flying towards me?!"
Cirrus's tone suddenly became panicked, successfully attracting Bertnis's attention.
"Milk tea?"
Then came bursts of screams from Cirrus. "Ow ow ow~ Not good, sister! The milk tea inside you is attacking me! Think of a way quickly."
"It hurts! Why does it even have weapons!"
"Damn it! This is intolerable! Sister, bear with it; it's going to hurt a little next."
Cirrus couldn't hold it anymore. Stelle clearly felt the voice getting farther away, and there was a burst of restlessness inside her body.
Mmh... is this situation optimistic or pessimistic?
"The hindering noise disappeared. Where were we just now?"
Bertnis picked up the broken mirror shards on the ground. This Fyxestroll Garden is dark enough.
"You skipped work to slack off, neglecting your duties."
Bertnis: ?
"No no no, Miss must have misunderstood something. Whether it's the clerics or the Knights... we strictly abide by the rules set by Pontiff Blake. There is absolutely no such bad phenomenon as slacking off!"
"To tell you the truth, what I, Bertnis, hate most in my life are those guys who neglect their duties, work only one hour a day, and have a negative attitude!"
It was only natural for Bertnis to think this way. The schedules of the Church and the Knights were really different. They didn't need to sleep, but there would still be some mental fatigue.
And as the Knight Commander, he had to set an example even more.
"Sigh~ If such a person came to work in the Church, they'd probably be fired by Pontiff Blake on the same day."
"Haha... is that so." Stelle laughed awkwardly. Why does everything he said fit Adrian perfectly!
After waiting in place for a few minutes, Stelle was quite looking forward to the result of the battle. Not long after, a loud noise came from inside her body, followed by Cirrus's screams.
"I'm furious! If you have the ability, fight me one-on-one! Why did you call a mask over too!"
Unfortunately, Stelle couldn't act as a referee, but she could feel that the battle was very intense.
"Hey, I say, sister, you have a lot of things inside your body... There's actually a fire lance that turned traitor to help me. Feels like my injuries have been swept away; seems I've been given a shield!"
"So what are you?"
"Cough cough... You can call me [Cirrus]. I just want to leave here; I don't want to hurt you."
"Let's talk about the current situation. The Xianzhou people call your encounter 'Ghost hitting the wall' (trapped in a loop). Continuing to walk aimlessly won't help."
Cirrus introduced herself while not forgetting to fight against the mysterious milk tea inside Stelle.
"So, I will help you leave the illusory maze set up by [Ignarous]; and you, help me escape the pursuit of the Ten-Lords Commission Judges."
"Mutual benefit, no one owes anyone, how about it?" Cirrus proposed.
"New term appeared! [Ignarous]?"
"As you can see, I am not the master here. Another Heliobus, [Ignarous], set up this maze... Regrettably, I'm the only one who can help you."
"Say no more. We can reach a strategic cooperation."
This Cirrus really has some skills, able to fight those two things without losing ground, and even has the mind to chat with her.
"Mmh~ Not bad. You indeed have some insight. Out of respect, I won't toss your body around at will..."
Crack!
It was the sound of the shield shattering. Cirrus realized it belatedly.
"Eh, what am I saying?" Is there a mistake! Right now, it's clearly your body attacking me!
"Ouch~ That milk tea is spitting black bullets at me again! Sister, can you control it? If this goes on, I'm going to die."
"Has nothing to do with me." Stelle looked innocent. How would she know there were protective measures left by Adrian inside her body!
And this is a good thing! Teacher Adrian is thoughtful.
May [Eternity] always be with HIM... Ah, seems something is wrong with that phrasing.