"...Sister Mary?"
The woman stopped the moment Erza spoke her name. Although Sister Mary had already sensed the overwhelming presence inside the command room long before the doors opened, seeing the Dragon Queen directly before her was still different. Without hesitation, she lowered herself onto one knee and bowed her head respectfully.
"Your Highness, may you live forever. It is a great honor to stand in your presence."
Erza didn't immediately respond. Her violet eyes remained fixed on the familiar woman kneeling before her, and for once, genuine confusion could be seen across the Dragon Queen's face. She had expected to see humanity's mysterious Holy Saint walking through those doors, not the woman who had raised Yuuta.
"Sister Mary..." Erza murmured before suddenly shaking her head. "Wait. Are you telling me that you are the Holy Saint of humanity?"
Sister Mary remained kneeling with her head lowered.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am the one humans came to call their Holy Saint."
