"Feliciana? How did you get out of that labyrinth?"
Receiving reports from his subordinates, Cysper emerged from the tent to greet me, his face showing surprise. But his gaze was quickly drawn to behind me.
"And what's with your wings?"
"It's not convenient to explain here, let's find a place to discuss it slowly!"
I nodded, not in a hurry. In truth, I didn't really want to tell him about the experience in the trial space since we hadn't spent that long together with this guy who forcibly joined our team midway. Most importantly was his unclear relationship with Saint Angel.
From Cyra's account, Cysper did suddenly appear outside the cave entrance. But not completely outside - to be precise, it was near the lake we first entered. Only Brennan and Yulanda were guarding there at the time, so they were the only two who actually witnessed it.
But then again, if I didn't tell him, the two Star Glory knights Ron and Mike wouldn't hide it from their lord either. They started saluting as soon as they saw the Pope, since their identities were known, so it was better to just be upfront.
"...Of course, no problem!"
Cysper seemed stunned for a moment after hearing me, then nodded in realization. It seemed he had read some deeper meaning in my words, realizing there may have been some unmentionable experiences involved. He immediately led us towards the largest tent.
"Vivianne, Adrian!"
Along the way, Brennan and Yulanda also arrived after hearing the commotion. They excitedly rushed towards Adrian and the others behind me, peppering them with questions non-stop.
"Looks like those two lovebirds' affair has progressed quite fast these past few days!" Cyra, standing beside me, secretly winked and kept hinting.
"Huh? Isn't Brennan supposed to be with Vivianne?" I turned back in confusion, finding it hard to believe.
As everyone chatted animatedly, I noticed Vivianne talking and smiling with Yulanda but seeming rather distracted. After a moment's hesitation, she suddenly took out a large, oval, fiery red object.
If I wasn't mistaken, that was the cause of this whole incident - the phoenix egg! It looked quite big, needing both hands to hold.
"Brennan..." Vivianne opened her mouth softly. But it was too soft for him to hear. So mustering her courage, she went up to Brennan and, face flushed, held the phoenix egg right before his eyes.
"You wanted a phoenix, right? This way...your demon taming abilities can be enhanced!"
"Vivianne, what's this?" Brennan turned around in surprise from talking to Adrian, looking rather flustered by the unexpected gesture.
This was practically an outright confession! Although she didn't say those exact words, from what I knew, Vivianne had always harbored hidden feelings for Brennan that she never openly expressed. For her to make such a move must have taken immense internal struggle.
Maybe the life-and-death battles against Saint Angel and the God of Light in the trial space made her have a change of perspective.
"I..." Brennan hesitated, glancing back at Adrian beside him as if seeking help. But Adrian only gave him an encouraging nod, making him panic even more as his gaze unconsciously shifted to Yulanda behind Vivianne.
"Sorry, I've really been oblivious! Only when Adrian told me did I realize you actually..." After faltering for a long while, with everyone present including the surrounding Church followers starting to murmur, Brennan finally had to respond - but unexpectedly with an apology.
"But I'm still sorry, I can't accept it!"
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"Why?" Vivianne's face fell, but maintaining her composure suggested she anticipated this might happen, only asking him desperately.
"Sorry! I've always seen you as a sister, never had those kinds of thoughts, so I can't accept the egg you risked your life to retrieve!"
Brennan apologized loudly again, even bowing his head to his chest.
"And...and I already like someone else!"
"Her?" Following his gaze, Vivianne turned back to see Yulanda, her face instantly turning pale. Sensing everyone's eyes on her, Yulanda looked extremely nervous as she hurriedly explained to Vivianne.
"Sorry Vivianne, I've actually liked Brennan for a long time. I really didn't mean it!"
"Well well, isn't this the legendary plastic sisterly rivalry? Fighting over a man, looks like this drama never gets old no matter what world we're in!" Cyra's mocking voice sounded beside me. Unlike the rest of us still figuring out the situation, she had probably foreseen this scene playing out.
"It's not quite the same though. At least I don't think Yulanda really meant it, otherwise she wouldn't have waited in the holy capital to help rescue Vivianne..."
I clicked my tongue, voicing a different perspective to Cyra as Vivianne ran off feeling betrayed, Brennan chasing after her at Adrian's urging.
But I saw Cyra was busily munching on something.
"Hey, what are you eating?"
"Sunflower seeds! Got them in the holy capital. Want to try some? The taste is just so-so, but paired with this love triangle drama, it's perfect!" She even offered me a handful.
"Thanks, but no thanks!" I rolled my eyes. Truthfully I was worried about Vivianne, but with Brennan going after her, there was no need for us bystanders to fret too much. Besides, Cysper was still waiting for us to recount what happened in the cave.
"Seems love can't surpass our unlimited devotion to the Lord after all!" One of the Star Glory knights sighed from the side. Mike seemed to have gained some realization as he said to Ron.
"Maybe..." Ron didn't comment much, just staring in the direction Vivianne left, lost in thought, before turning to urge Mike.
"Let's go, the Pope is still waiting for us to report!"
...
"So in summary, that's what happened! We encountered the ruins of an ancient civilization in the cave and entered a training ground they had set up to defeat the God of Light Beluto."
Inside the Pope's private tent, I briefly recounted our repeating trial experiences to Cysper, with the two Star Glory knights also present along with Adrian, Judith and Cyra.
"Saint Angel Cyra looked just like me?" Cysper stroked his chin in puzzlement after hearing the account, glancing at Cyra.
"Are you sure you have no relation to Saint Angel? Especially your past -"
"Heh, still have the nerve to ask others when you should be doubting yourself first!" Judith cut him off with a cold snort, stepping forward to accuse him relentlessly. Though unfinished, I knew Cysper was referring to Cyra's past life - in his understanding, Cyra was an angel reincarnated with memories, whose previous appearance matched his own.
"Her name may be similar, but this little angel girl looks completely different from Saint Angel! And she only has two wings. If anything, it's you this Pope that our Sage Council has long suspected of having ties to the God of Light!"
"Of course I have no relation to Beluto!" Cysper immediately refuted, but perhaps realizing he didn't fully understand his own origins either, he changed his tone.
"Uh, well! Even if there's no proof...but you heard Feliciana say our True Church's beliefs differ completely from the God of Light!"
"Heh, then how do you explain being directly transported out of the cave? Feliciana said you were sent out because you triggered the trial space's defense mechanisms. So what was an ancient civilization from millennia ago defending against? It's obvious!"
Judith was quite stubborn - even after Cysper stated his position, she still didn't easily believe him. But it was understandable given she had seen Saint Angel Cyra's identical face to Cysper, not to mention the Church's unclear relationship with Saint Angel.
"That's slander! I'm doubting your origins too! Hmph! Judith, as a senior Sage Council researcher, don't tell me you're trying to claim that long-expired bounty..."
Seeing Judith's relentless pestering, Cysper was clearly in no mood either as they traded barbs. Looking at the Star Glory knights Ron and Mike beside them, they wore resigned expressions, unwilling to intervene between a former comrade-in-arms and their spiritual leader.
"Enough arguing! We just went through a huge battle, everyone is tired. Let's go rest first. Cysper, get us some tents!"
I couldn't stand it anymore. I grabbed Judith's clothes and forcibly dragged her out. Even as I pulled her away, she kept ranting stubbornly.
"Let me go! Today, I'm going to fight it out with this True Church crowd until the end!"
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