“Basically, that’s how it is…”
Phyllis borrowed a line from a certain emotionless character.
After she finished speaking, the consciousness space fell silent for a long time.
“…”
The Cat God finally spoke.
“That’s all that happened between you two?”
“Yes, meow!” Phyllis paused.
“Is it… a bit dull?”
“Dull?”
The Cat God’s voice was surprisingly excited.
“No, I haven’t seen anything this interesting in years. It was quite exciting!”
“R-Really?”
Phyllis hadn’t expected the Cat God to find her story about Carola interesting.
“Alright,” the Cat God shifted its posture, resting its chin on its paws.
“I’ve heard the story. You can go back now.”
“Wait, Cat God!”
Phyllis called out.
“Hm? What is it?”
The Cat God was about to wave Phyllis away but stopped because of her shout.
“Can you tell me your name?”
Phyllis was a bit nervous.
She felt that asking the Cat God this question was somewhat abrupt.
“Artemis…”
The Cat God’s tail swayed gently.
Phyllis felt her consciousness beginning to float upward.
That lazy, massive silhouette gradually blurred.
But just before her consciousness completely separated, she still heard the Cat God’s voice.
Very soft, like a breeze brushing past her ear.
“Next time, remember to bring an offering. I haven’t eaten fish in a long time.”
Phyllis opened her eyes.
Several other Candidate Saintesses were still meditating around her.
Phyllis stood up and bowed to the Cat God statue.
Its yellow gemstone eyes silently gazed down at her, exactly the same as three days ago.
But after breaking through some kind of filter, Phyllis could no longer look at it the same way.
“Phyllis!”
Mia ran over and grabbed her arm.
“What did Cat God say to you? Did it encourage you? Did it—”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Phyllis nodded.
“It told me to eat well and sleep well.”
Mia froze.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Phyllis nodded a bit dismissively.
“But Cat God told me so much! It said I was a good girl, that it heard all my prayers, and it also said—”
Mia pulled Phyllis toward the dining hall as she spoke.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Phyllis let Mia drag her along.
“Cat God loves you the most.”
Mia gave a satisfied hum.
Because of the group meditation, the cultural studies class was moved to the afternoon.
In the afternoon, the sunlight was just right.
Phyllis sat in the last row.
The window was open, and the afternoon wind rustled the pages of her book.
She could no longer focus on what the priestess on the podium was saying.
Her mind was full of Carola.
‘You won’t die, but it will hurt a lot.’
The Cat God’s words surfaced in Phyllis’s mind again.
Phyllis buried her face in her book.
The word “hurt” made something clench in Phyllis’s heart.
Even though the Blood Tribe had great immunity to physical pain, this was soul pain!
That morning when she woke up, Carola had already turned back into the bat decoration.
Phyllis had asked about it then, but Carola only said it had a little effect and was fine.
‘Fine my tail, meow!’ Phyllis cursed inwardly.
Just wait. When she got back, she was going to properly—
“Phyllis.”
A voice from the podium suddenly rang out.
Phyllis jolted and looked up.
The priestess teaching the class was staring at her.
“Please answer my previous question.”
Phyllis stood up.
Her mind raced, but she still couldn’t remember what question the priestess had just asked.
She could only honestly say, “Sorry, I was daydreaming and didn’t hear.”
“Pfft!”
The Candidate Saintesses in the classroom burst into laughter.
“Sit down. Pay attention in class.”
The priestess shook her head helplessly and waved for Phyllis to sit.
“Yes!”
Phyllis sat down obediently.
‘Good thing I usually perform well.’
But this time, Phyllis didn’t dare daydream again.
In the evening, Phyllis finished dinner in a hurry and headed back.
“Phyllis.”
Someone called out to her.
“Huh? High Priestess Aiona, is something the matter?”
Phyllis turned to see Aiona calling her.
Today, the High Priestess was also wearing her formal priestess robes, her hair neatly tucked behind her ears.
She looked dignified and gentle.
“Nothing major. Just a few small things I want to ask you. Let’s walk back together!”
Aiona stepped closer.
Today wasn’t a bath day.
“Okay.”
Phyllis nodded.
As they walked, she stayed half a step behind Aiona.
“How was today’s meditation? Did you have a pleasant talk with Cat God?”
Aiona asked Phyllis some questions as they walked.
“Ah, well…”
Phyllis blinked, thinking about how to answer Aiona.
‘I can’t exactly say I spent half the time telling stories to Cat God in the consciousness space, can I?’
The only option was…
“It was good,” Phyllis nodded obediently.
“Cat God is very kind.”
“That’s good!”
Aiona nodded.
“I was out the past few days. I heard you were the first Candidate Saintess to see Cat God through meditation. Very impressive.”
“That’s all thanks to your previous guidance, High Priestess Aiona. Your teaching allowed me to be the first to see Cat God through meditation.”
Phyllis didn’t dare act proud in front of Aiona.
After all, Aiona had taken her to meditate before the Cat God statue, which was like a preview.
Phyllis being the first to successfully communicate with Cat God was indeed partly thanks to Aiona.
“During dinner, the priestess who teaches your cultural studies class told me that you were daydreaming in class today. What’s that about?”
Aiona’s words were very gentle, but Phyllis felt a chill run up her spine, straight to her head.
‘Oh no! It’s about that!’
“Well…”
Phyllis was searching for an excuse.
“Also, I heard from some Candidate Saintesses that you have a sweetheart? Who is it? Were you daydreaming in class thinking about them?”
Aiona’s questions kept coming.
For some reason, Phyllis felt as if Aiona had been possessed by the Cat God at that moment.
‘It seems that no matter if it’s the previous life or this world, whether people or other races, everyone loves to gossip and get the scoop!’
However…
Aiona had actually hit the mark.
Phyllis had been daydreaming in class because she was thinking about Carola.
But there was no way she could tell Aiona that!
“N-No, it’s not that!” Phyllis quickly waved her hands.
“I was just… just thinking about things at home, meow!”
“Home?”
Aiona tilted her head in confusion.
“Isn’t your family just you?”
“…”
Phyllis fell silent.
That was true.
In this world, both her parents had passed away when she was very young.
Seeing Phyllis’s reaction, a flicker of guilt passed through Aiona’s eyes.
She shouldn’t have brought that up.
It was just daydreaming in class; there was no need to reopen this child’s old wounds.
Aiona reached out and gently patted Phyllis’s shoulder.
“The Sacred Ground is also your home. If you have any troubles, you can come talk to me. Don’t bottle things up alone.”
Phyllis was taken aback.
‘Did High Priestess Aiona misunderstand something?’
“Got it! Thank you, High Priestess Aiona, meow!”
But Phyllis went along with it, putting on an obedient smile.
“Mhm. Let’s go. Head back and rest.”