Chapter 89.2
Chapter 89: In The End, We Still Inevitably Recognized Each Other [2]
After hearing most of the story, rooms were prepared for Iris and her companions at the city lord’s residence. Servants came to invite them to inspect the rooms, saying they could be further arranged if unsatisfactory.
After a general inspection and confirming there was nothing suspicious about the rooms,
Iris felt at ease moving in.
The area around the rooms was heavily guarded.
But that didn’t matter much to Iris, as long as no one suddenly burst into her room at night shouting “Open up, Gerris city guard!” everything would be fine.
After moving their luggage to the new rooms, while Naya was putting Illya down for a nap in the inner room, Iris finally had a chance to ask Naya privately about her thoughts on this matter when she came out to the outer room.
“Naya, what if it really is Linnevia, what will you do?”
“What to do? Once we find her, we’ll ask for details.”
Naya sat down on Iris’s lap, put her arms around Iris’s neck, and sighed.
Could it be that Linnevia became like this because of her?
Linnevia had clearly said before that she would let go of the past and face the future with a better attitude. Is becoming a succubus really a better way to face the future?
In her memories, Lina was so kind and pure.
For now, there’s no need to worry too much.
They would wait for dawn the next day, and once again go to the church to look for Saintess Linnevia.
The result was another disappointment.
To pass the time, today Naya joined a tour group organized by the city lord’s personal guard, which took Naya’s family of three on a free tour of Gerris City’s attractions.
As night fell, Naya went to the church once more to inquire with the nun on duty, but still received no news of Linnevia’s return.
They decided to go back and rest.
They would come ask again in the morning.
If they still couldn’t find her tomorrow, they would give up. They’d leave a letter and just depart.
“Mama, the moon is red tonight!”
Illya leaned on the windowsill, curiously gazing at the night sky.
Above the dome, a crimson blood moon bloomed with terrifying red light.
“I have an ominous feeling about this.”
Naya walked up behind Illya, placing her hands on Illya’s shoulders.
“Quick! Don’t guard them anymore! Hurry to the front lines!”
“What’s the situation?”
“A nine-tailed fox spirit has appeared at the church! We need reinforcements!”
The soldiers outside the door were suddenly called away by other soldiers, leaving the area around Naya’s room suddenly empty.
Did they just say nine-tailed fox?
Two nights ago, they had also encountered a fox. Could it be that one didn’t die?
Naya turned her head to look at Iris.
“Let’s have Illya stay next door with Flanna and the others for now, and we’ll go see what’s happening.”
Naya nodded, taking Illya to the room next door where Flanna and Bella were staying.
“Be good and stay with Flanna and Bella, don’t wander off, okay?”
“Okay.”
Illya obediently agreed.
It wasn’t that Naya didn’t want to bring Illya along, but if they were to encounter Linnevia there, some things were better not said in front of Illya.
Jumping over the high wall of the city lord’s residence with Iris,
They saw many people on the streets gradually walking in the same direction, with others crying and shouting, holding onto these people and begging them not to go forward.
“Wife, what’s wrong with you? Wife, wake up!”
“Winnie, don’t go, Winnie! Don’t go! Winnie… how can I live without you, Winnie!”
“Husband! Say something! Look at me, wake up quickly!”
Those walking towards the church seemed bewitched, not responding no matter how their loved ones called out to them.
Naya and Iris followed the crowd to near the church, where they saw a huge red nine-tailed fox spirit standing in front of the building.
The fur on its neck moved like flames in the wind, its eyes seemed to burst with fire, and its nine tails fanned out behind it like a peacock’s display.
Compared to the fox Iris encountered before, this fox’s flames were brighter and seemed to be growing stronger.
The bewitched people all appeared to be walking towards the fox, but surrounding it was a blue magical barrier several times wider than its body.
The crowd was packed outside the barrier, with faint green light emanating from their bodies, seeping into the barrier and flowing towards the nine-tailed fox – this green light was the soul energy of the people.
Inside the barrier, only soldiers and a few mages were fighting the nine-tailed fox. These scattered human soldiers looked so small yet great in front of the huge spirit beast.
Without a word, Iris led Naya into the church.
Inside, nuns were rescuing people who had fainted after crashing into the barrier. Seeing Iris and Naya, they asked with puzzled looks:
“What are you doing here?”
Iris didn’t answer the nun’s question, but asked in return:
“Where is the Saintess?”
“The Saintess is praying inside. Are you here to help?”
“No, we’re looking for the Saintess.”
Hearing they were here for the Saintess, the nun’s expression turned impatient.
“She’s very busy now. Please leave quickly and don’t interfere with our work.”
With that, she turned back to rescuing victims.
Iris and Naya stood at the entrance, watching the nuns go back and forth treating people lying all over the church floor.
Iris used her ability to sense life energy and felt that the victims’ soul energy was extremely weak.
But inside the church, she didn’t sense any isolated human energy.
After pondering for a few seconds, Iris decided to act quickly. She turned and walked towards the nine-tailed fox.
“Naya, hold onto my shoulders.”
Naya was confused but did as told.
In an instant, dazzling red light poured from Iris’s body. She transformed into a giant dragon and took flight, carrying Naya. They broke through the blue barrier, swooped past the nine-tailed fox like a falcon, grabbed it, and flew off into the distance.
The soldiers blown away by the gust were left utterly bewildered.
Flying out of Gerris City, they landed on a sparsely populated plain outside.
Iris’s claws firmly pinned down the nine-tailed fox. No matter how great its abilities, it couldn’t escape from Iris’s grasp.
The nine-tailed fox kept struggling, astonished by the powerful restraining force of the dragon behind it. All its strength was rendered useless.
It also couldn’t release any magic. It was pressed against the grass like a chicken about to be slaughtered.
“Stop!”
Finally, a familiar voice rang out.
From the shadowy ground, a pool of black liquid-like shadow rose up, eventually converging into a human form – a black-haired woman in a long black dress.
“Release Akatsukimaru!”
Linnevia glared at Iris in dragon form, her eyes full of anger.
This red dragon seemed to shine in harmony with the blood moon above, while she and her Akatsukimaru were mere foils.
Naya sat atop Iris’s tall dragon back, looking down at the comparatively small Linnevia on the ground.
“Lina, have you recognized me?”
Hearing someone call her by this name, Linnevia looked up at the silver dragon woman on the red dragon’s back in terror.
“Don’t you recognize me? Lina, why did you become a succubus? Tell me, why? The you from before was so…”
Naya feared hearing that answer.
To say it was to avenge her, to become stronger, and thus abandon everything from before.
From seeing the red moon, to witnessing the uncontrolled pedestrians along the way, she had pretty much figured out what Linnevia was trying to do.
Legend has it that the blood moon makes people’s souls more active, their dark sides stirring. Under the blood moon’s illumination, people often become uncontrollable, and their souls’ defenses become especially weak.
Linnevia had been the Saintess in Gerris City for three years.