"I think I should get going, Syl."
Jane looked at the sun outside, then continued to Syl, "Today's digestion speed was a bit unexpected; I might have to go back early to drink a bottle of Holy Medicine."
"This time, I will definitely be able to obtain a powerful means of attack."
Jane clenched her fists, appearing quite full of confidence.
"Good luck..." Syl watched Jane walk toward the door with light steps, and a slightly mad thought rose in her mind.
Why... shouldn't I share this information with the other Saintesses and think of a way to solve this problem together?
Looking at Jane, she seemed to be in the same situation as herself, just being raised as some sort of vase or... material.
No... I can't tell Jane about this first; she might not be able to understand this kind of thing.
Syl's mind immediately thought of Vera from just now.
Perhaps Vera could understand what she was worried about.
Having made up her mind, Syl stood up and accompanied Jane to the stairs.
When Jane waved her hand, saying there was no need to see her off, Syl smiled naturally:
"Then next time, bring Vera along to come play with me."
"I'm always alone; it's so boring."
Syl's tone and expression were flawless; she was exactly like a young girl inviting a good friend to come over and play next time.
To others, they would surely consider this polite chatter, but Syl knew that Jane would not treat this as polite chatter, but would earnestly carry it out.
Syl is lonely by herself, and must come with Vera to play with Syl more. This was the subconscious message Syl wanted to instill in Jane.
Now it seemed that Syl had succeeded.
"No problem! I'll definitely drag her over!" Jane smiled and gave Syl a thumbs up, then walked down the stairs, "See you next time~"
"Okay, see you next time."
Syl waved her hand, then watched Jane leave.
When Syl withdrew her gaze and turned around, she saw a figure wearing a pristine white robe already standing behind her.
She was looking at her with a smile, holding two vials that shimmered with a faint golden light.
It was Sharon.
"Is it the new Holy Medicine?"
Syl revealed a "surprised" expression and trotted over to Sharon's side.
"Yes, the final stage Holy Medicine for the 'lamb', as well as the first stage Holy Medicine for the 'Ascetic'."
"Yay~" Syl tugged on Sharon's sleeve and said happily, "Jane also praised me just now for my fast Holy Medicine digestion speed. Next time we meet, I'll have to surprise her~"
"Good, good... haha." Sharon said "good" several times in succession, then followed behind Syl into Syl's room.
What neither of them noticed was that a figure was watching this direction from afar.
"Syl..."
"Smart, child..."
After enunciating the few words one by one, the black-robed figure also disappeared into the corridor, leaving not a trace behind.
Inside Syl's room, Syl was sitting on the edge of the bed, while Sharon stood in front of her.
In Syl's hand, she was still holding a bottle of Holy Medicine.
"I will protect you well," Sharon said gently, "Drink it quickly, don't be afraid."
If Aishala hadn't previously warned Syl to drink the Holy Medicine slowly, Syl might not have discovered that there was anything unusual about Sharon at all.
But now, the gentler Sharon was, the more Syl felt a chill down her spine.
Thinking about it now, perhaps Aishala had deliberately reminded Syl, and for some unknown reason, Aishala could not explain this matter directly to Syl.
"Mhm."
Syl nodded gently, her face revealing no trace of anything unusual.
She unscrewed that pale golden bottle of the final stage 'lamb' Holy Medicine and downed it in one breath, as if she were drinking happy water instead of some Holy Medicine.
The final stage Holy Medicine was not as terrifying as Syl had imagined; it was even milder in effect than the second stage Holy Medicine.
After drinking it, apart from her whole body heating up slightly, Syl didn't even feel much of anything.
No... it's not that there was no feeling, it was as if it had been blocked by some power!
Syl suddenly looked up and saw that the Sharon in front of her had become slightly translucent; looking back, she saw Sharon's figure appearing behind her.
Is it Divine Art: Self-Sacrifice?
"Take this chance, Syl," Sharon urged, "The 'Ascetic', drink it together."
"But like this... won't the whispering effect of that Holy Medicine be too strong?" This time, Syl's expression was genuinely worried, without a shred of pretense.
"It's fine, you are a Saintess after all," Sharon comforted with a smile, "Drink it, this is not a difficult task for you; you have a talent for this."
At least for now, Sharon would keep her life safe, right...
Holding onto this thought, Syl took a deep breath and downed the first stage 'Ascetic' Holy Medicine in one go.
The burning sensation in her body became increasingly intense, but Syl's mind still did not feel any unusual movement...
"Are you ready? Little Syl."
"3... 2... 1..."
After Sharon finished counting down, the faint phantom of Divine Art: Self-Sacrifice dissipated, and the terrifying ravings, like a black tide, directly occupied Syl's head.
This time it was not the kind of words that could be clearly heard, but another kind of unspeakable, mysterious language that would cause a normal person to have a mental breakdown just from hearing it.
"Thump—"
Syl's heart convulsed violently; she could almost hear the intense thumping of her own heartbeat. Every heartbeat felt like a heavy hammer striking her mind, and every strike nearly caused her spirit to collapse.
At this moment, Sharon just stepped back two paces, watching Syl, who was moaning in pain on the bed, with a smile.
She wasn't watching Syl at all... it was as if she was watching something else behind Syl.
At this time, black light flashed behind Sharon, and Aishala's figure appeared silently behind Sharon.
It seemed that the newcomer had interrupted Sharon's originally high spirits, so she asked somewhat indifferently:
"Is something the matter? Archbishop?"
"I have come to assist the Saintess."
"Heh, can you still withstand the ravings in your current state? Let me remind you, don't actually mistake yourself for her mentor."
Aishala just remained silent and did not answer Sharon's words; she just watched Syl on the bed, whose body was already gradually emitting scattering black light particles, with a blank expression.
"Fine, suit yourself; your seniority is much older than mine anyway." Sharon shrugged her shoulders, turned around, and walked toward the door, saying as she walked, "You must take good care of her."
"Mhm."
After Sharon left and the door was completely closed, Aishala slowly walked toward Syl.
The golden little shield on Syl's body was still lingering around her. Through this, Aishala could feel Syl's current despair, terror, and helplessness.
In Aishala's mind, the image of Syl standing in punishment with a book on her head surfaced again, along with the image of her feeding her cake, and the smile every time she called her Archbishop Aishala, and finally her current painful appearance. This appearance gradually overlapped with another figure.
"Sister..."
Aishala sighed deeply, slowly leaned down, and gently hugged the shivering Syl with her long tentacles that were glowing with a pale golden light.
These tentacles stretched out towards Syl, accurately piercing into the places where black light particles were escaping from Syl's body. Then, the color of these tentacles became even dimmer.
One of the tentacles had completely lost its light, and a moment later, from the root to the tip, the entire tentacle turned black, twisting in a weird and wanton manner.