“Focus, Phyllis.”
Iona’s voice sounded in Phyllis’s ear.
“Try to feel the presence of the wind, let it become a part of you.”
Phyllis struggled to sense the flow of air around her.
She could feel the breeze brushing through her hair, could hear the sound of distant water droplets falling, but turning these sensations into actual power wasn’t easy.
“Imagine you are a feather,” Carola’s voice suddenly chimed in, “light, free, moving with the wind.”
Phyllis instinctively followed Carola’s suggestion.
She relaxed her body, imagined herself losing weight, drifting with the air currents…
Something wonderful happened.
Phyllis felt her body truly become lighter, her feet lifting slightly off the ground, hovering a few centimeters above the platform.
“Excellent,” Iona said with surprise, “to grasp Wind Suspension Technique so quickly…”
Before Phyllis could feel elated, she heard Iona say:
“Your meditation method just now… was somewhat special. Who taught you?”
Alarm bells rang in Phyllis’s mind. She stammered, “N-no one taught me, meow… I just had a sudden inspiration…”
Iona stared at Phyllis for a long while.
“Um, Priestess Iona, is there a problem?”
Phyllis felt uneasy under Iona’s gaze.
Iona finally shook her head.
“Perhaps I’m overthinking it. Continue practicing. We’ll perform the Purification Ritual this afternoon!”
“Okay.”
Only after Iona left did Phyllis let out a sigh of relief.
“That was close, meow!” she whispered to Carola in complaint.
“Why did you suddenly speak up just now?”
“You looked so troubled, I couldn’t help but want to help!”
Carola’s voice held a hint of laughter.
“My little kitten is so smart, understanding with just a hint!”
“Who’s your little kitten, meow!”
Although Phyllis retorted, the corner of her mouth unconsciously lifted.
The Sacred Ground was even quieter in the afternoon, with most practitioners choosing to rest or engage in personal meditation at this time.
Following Iona’s instructions, Phyllis came to the Purification Altar and sat cross-legged.
She was to perform the Purification Ritual here through meditation.
The Purification Altar was a circular platform made of pure white stone.
When Phyllis sat on it, the platform began to emit a soft white light.
Phyllis could feel the surrounding mana slowly flowing towards her.
This feeling was very comfortable, like soaking in warm water.
‘I wonder if Carola will be affected.’
Phyllis thought with some worry.
“Don’t worry,” Carola’s voice echoed in Phyllis’s mind.
“I’ll sleep for a while. You focus on meditating here.”
Reassured, Phyllis devoted herself wholeheartedly to meditation.
Time passed quietly.
When Phyllis awoke from deep meditation, the sun had already begun to set in the west.
The effects of the Purification Ritual were obvious.
She felt light all over, and her body seemed a bit easier to control.
‘I wonder what happened to the Master-Servant Contract?’
Phyllis really didn’t want the Master-Servant Contract to be purified away.
For now, the most obvious way she could improve her attributes was by relying on Carola’s blood-sucking.
And this connection was likely because of the Master-Servant Contract.
Moreover, this Master-Servant Contract didn’t allow Carola to force any commands on her.
For Phyllis, keeping the Master-Servant Contract was more beneficial than harmful.
“Awake?”
Carola’s voice sounded again in Phyllis’s mind, though it sounded somewhat lazy.
“When did you wake up, meow?”
Phyllis asked.
“Just now. This Purification Ritual… is more interesting than I imagined,” Carola said.
“I thought it would wash away the Master-Servant Contract we signed, but surprisingly, it had no effect at all. And, perhaps because of the Master-Servant Contract, even I received nourishment from this Sacred Ground.”
“Really, meow?”
Phyllis asked in surprise.
“Mhm, perhaps the Master-Servant Contract connects us two, so I was also judged as part of you,” Carola analyzed.
“This is an unexpected delight.”
Phyllis was also happy about this discovery.
If Carola wouldn’t be affected by the Sacred Ground’s purification, then she could stay by her side all the time.
In the evening, after finishing dinner at the Sacred Ground’s dining room, Phyllis prepared to return to the resting place arranged for her at the Sacred Ground.
“Phyllis, there’s something I want to ask you.”
Iona called out to Phyllis.
“Priestess Iona, what is it?”
Phyllis asked, puzzled.
“During your practice today, did you feel… a certain gaze?”
Iona’s expression was somewhat serious.
“A gaze?”
Phyllis’s heart skipped a few extra beats nervously.
“A faint, elusive line of sight, as if something was secretly observing you,” Iona explained to Phyllis.
“At first, I thought it was an illusion, but later I realized it truly existed. Do you have any idea what it could be?”
‘Not good! We’ve been discovered!’
“N-no, meow…”
Phyllis forced herself to remain calm.
“The Blood Tribe is very skilled at long-range surveillance and tracking. If that Blood Princess wants to find you…”
Iona said to Phyllis with concern, “Anyway, be careful! If anything feels off, you can come to me.”
It had already happened once that Phyllis was taken from the Sacred Ground by Carola.
Even though the Sacred Ground had strengthened its security, Iona was somewhat hesitant to give a full guarantee in front of Phyllis.
“I’ll be careful, Priestess Iona.”
Phyllis said seriously.
After bidding farewell to Iona, Phyllis walked towards the rest hut assigned to her at the Sacred Ground.
It was one of many standard small huts.
Although they didn’t look very luxurious from the outside, Phyllis, having lived in one for a while, knew…
They were very comfortable to live in.
Better than her home in the village.
Of course, not as good as the rooms in Carola’s castle.
Only after entering the Sacred Ground’s rest hut did Phyllis finally relax.
“She seems to have sensed it?”
Carola asked in Phyllis’s mind.
“It seems so, meow…”
Phyllis carefully retrieved the bat ornament of the Mirror Magic Tool from inside her dress, asking with some worry, “Will you be discovered?”
“Relax, my concealment ability is far stronger than that Priestess imagines!”
Carola said confidently.
“She can only sense an anomaly but can’t find the source. However…”
“However what, meow?”
Phyllis pressed.
“This shows that the three great Priestesses of your Catkin race are truly not simple!”
Carola’s voice held a hint of admiration.
“To be able to sense my presence, even if only a vague feeling, is enough to prove her strength. It’s fortunate I didn’t encounter them when I came to capture you last time, otherwise I might not have been able to take you away.”
Hearing Carola’s words, Phyllis nodded thoughtfully.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure if Carola was praising the three great Priestesses of the Catkin race or using them to highlight her own prowess.
Phyllis gently placed the mirror on the table and began to remove her outer clothes.
Although the Sacred Ground’s hut was simple, it was fully equipped.
The bathtub in the corner was already filled with hot water, emitting a faint aroma of medicinal herbs.
This helped with relaxation after practice.
As the warm water enveloped her body, Phyllis couldn’t help but let out a comfortable sigh.
All the tension from the day and the fatigue from practice slowly dissipated in the hot water.
She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts drift.
Plop~
Phyllis felt something burrowing against her.
She opened her eyes and saw Carola.
“Y-you! What are you doing, meow!”
Phyllis exclaimed.
“Bathing together, of course!”
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