Tachibana Koneko looked confusedly at the girl who emerged from the portal. For some reason, Tachibana Koneko felt a sense of familiarity with her.
The girl with short red hair looked at Tachibana Koneko, and seemingly noticing something, her gaze towards Tachibana Koneko became somewhat serious.
"Is it you? The one who inherited the Stigmata containing my life's techniques? I wonder how much you've truly mastered."
"Inherited... techniques... Stigmata? Could it be, you are!?"
Tachibana Koneko touched her back, where the Stigmata was engraved. It was a gift Inaba Tsukiyo had given her then, and it was the Stigmata that allowed her to learn Bajiquan, the Stigmata of Li Shuwen.
However, how could Li Shuwen's lifetime of techniques be so easily learned? Tachibana Koneko had only just started, and had not yet delved into the deeper aspects.
"Hahaha~ You figured it out? That's right. I am Li Shuwen! Li Shuwen, who descended as an Assassin Servant. If Master hadn't gone to the Honkai World, perhaps the one appearing before you would have been my male self."
The girlish Li Shuwen laughed loudly. If Inaba Tsukiyo hadn't gone to the Honkai World, allowing her to become a member of the Throne of Heroes, perhaps the Spear God Li Shuwen would have appeared this time.
(fuhai: Alaya's idea, and also only possible with Herrscher Tsukiyo's power. After all, Herrscher Tsukiyo is the will of humanity, and to make someone from that world a Heroic Spirit, consent is still needed.)
"Since you have inherited my life's teachings, you are essentially my disciple. Let us test through actual combat how much you have truly learned."
With that, Li Shuwen struck a starting pose for Bajiquan, and Tachibana Koneko mimicked Li Shuwen's stance for Bajiquan.
Because Tachibana Koneko inherited Li Shuwen's Stigmata, her starting pose was identical to Li Shuwen's; their movements were like reflections in a mirror.
The two silently gazed at each other, seemingly waiting for something. In this silent Imaginary Space, time seemed to have paused.
Just then, for some unknown reason, a small pebble suddenly fell from above. The sound of this pebble hitting the ground was like a signal, and Li Shuwen and Tachibana Koneko instantly rushed forward.
Li Shuwen: "Ora Ora Ora Ora—"
Tachibana Koneko: "Muda Muda Muda Muda—"
While Tachibana Koneko and Li Shuwen were engaged in friendly physical communication, someone also walked into Asia's area.
"Are you my student? Although the medical abilities I possess may differ somewhat from your Sacred Gear, I hope you can tell me one thing."
The girl who emerged from the portal did not introduce herself immediately. She walked up to Asia, as if wanting to see into Asia's heart, her aura imposing.
"In the information Master gave me, you were once a member of the Church. But you treated injured devils. Why did you do that? Devils are enemies of the Church, so why would you do such a thing?"
"Eh? Th-that? I... I didn't think that much at the time. I accidentally encountered an injured devil then. Thinking that I possessed the ability to heal others, I treated her."
Although nervous, Asia still answered the other party's question completely.
"Hoh oh~ Is that so? Did you not consider the consequences of doing so? Like how you are now expelled from the Church, and would be homeless if Master hadn't taken you in?"
The other party asked again. This time, Asia did not show the same nervousness as before, and her heartwarming smile blossomed once more.
"Even if I was expelled by the Church, even if I had nowhere to go before. But I still met Tsukuyo, and I met Koneko, Munechika, and the Heavenly Father. I feel this is a blessing from the gods, and those previous events were tests for me. It's precisely because I passed this test that I can be so fortunate to meet them and find a warm home."
"..."
The other party looked at Asia, and after a long while, suddenly revealed a warm smile, looking at Asia with satisfaction in her eyes.
"Good, I acknowledge you, young girl. Even if the races are different, the first thing to do when seeing a patient is to cure them. Your kindness and purity have moved me."
The girl gently stroked Asia's head. Asia, feeling the oppressive aura disappear, breathed a sigh of relief. She cautiously looked at the girl in front of her and couldn't help but ask,
"Excuse me, who are you? And the Master you mentioned, do you mean Tsukuyo?"
The other party had said that she learned about her past from the information given by Master. Inaba Tsukiyo knew about her, and it was Inaba Tsukiyo who brought her here, so the only one who fit the description was Inaba Tsukiyo.
"Yes, that's right. My Master is the Tsukuyo you speak of. Let me introduce myself again. I am your teacher for the next period of time. I am the Servant Nightingale, who descended as a Ruler. My true name is Florence Nightingale. Please take good care of me."
"Eh? Eh! Eh eh eh~ Ni... Nightingale?! Th-that's not...?"
Asia looked at the girl in shock. That name was too famous! It was the name of the first female nurse in history!
But... but hadn't she been dead for a long time? Why was she appearing before her with such a youthful appearance? Was she dreaming?
"It seems you don't know about Heroic Spirits. It doesn't matter, I'll slowly introduce these things to you in later lessons. Anyway, we'll be spending some time together."
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I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
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