"Ursula, why are you here…?"
Sylvia covered her mouth in disbelief. No matter what she had imagined, she never thought the surprise Elise promised would be this.
"Your teacher had fallen into slumber due to certain reasons, and medical methods weren't effective," Elise explained, gently placing her hand on the pod.
"But now there shouldn't be any problem. I can finely control my power now. Awakening your teacher shouldn't be an issue."
With that, Elise instructed the surrounding medical staff to open the pod. Ursula was released from within.
Of note—inside the pod, Ursula was completely unclothed. After all, the pod was filled with nutrient solution, and staining clothing inside would've been inconvenient.
Elise gazed at the quietly sleeping beauty with white hair, placing her hand over Ursula's heart.
So soft!
But Elise wasn't thinking of anything indecent—just noting her impression.
Sacred Speech!
"Awaken, Ursula!"
At the same time as she invoked Sacred Speech, Elise also activated her Strega purification ability, cleansing Ursula's body of all harmful influences.
With this, Ursula would awaken!
Sure enough, the moment Elise finished speaking, Ursula's previously serene face tightened slightly, her brows furrowing, her eyelashes trembling.
Her consciousness, sealed by Valda-Vaoth's power, now began to return, reuniting with her body.
With another invocation of Kotodama, Elise renewed her completely, dressing her in clean clothes and moving her from the pod to a hospital bed.
So convenient!
At last, Ursula's eyes opened slightly, and a faint voice slipped out.
"…Sylvia."
"Ursula, I'm here…" Sylvia rushed forward, clasping her teacher's hands, tears welling in her eyes. But with so many people watching, she held herself back.
"Let's give them some space. They've been apart for so long—it's time for them to talk."
Elise noticed this at once and instructed the others to leave, giving Sylvia and Ursula the entire room.
Surely Sylvia would be deeply moved by this reunion after so long?
As for Elise herself…
Of course she stayed outside the room!
Still, she felt if she didn't leave some kind of memento, she would regret it later. So this time, she had prepared cameras, recorders, and even video equipment all set up inside!
"Hehe! Sylvia-exclusive footage… hehe!"
Ever since Fan Xinglou had drawn out her "true nature," Elise had grown—not as a saintess, but in another direction entirely. Still, this didn't conflict with her saintess role, did it?
Her inner delight didn't affect her saintess image. In fact, a saintess who often wore a genuine smile might win people's favor even more easily!
"Lady Saintess, what are you doing?"
A nurse's voice startled Elise, making her shiver.
It seemed she had been leaning against the door in an indecent pose… and had been seen!
"N-Nothing at all!" Elise quickly stood up, tidying her appearance and restoring her saintess demeanor.
"I… I just saw…" The nurse seemed ready to say more, but Elise immediately acted.
Sacred Speech!
"You saw nothing just now!"
"You saw absolutely nothing!"
The nurse's eyes went blank for a moment, then cleared.
"Eh? Lady Saintess? What was I just…?"
"Please give them some time. Examinations can be done later. Right now, don't disturb their reunion."
The radiance of the saintess shone in the nurse's eyes, and she grew excited at once.
"Yes, Lady Saintess! I'll withdraw and return later!"
That was close! She had almost exposed herself!
"But… I really do need to restrain myself a little…"
But when Sylvia's sobs drifted out from the room, Elise couldn't resist anymore. She crouched down by the door, listening intently to the sounds inside.
Sylvia's crying video—without a doubt, it would become a prized gem in her collection!
...
After a long while, Sylvia finally managed to compose herself. Leaving the ward, she found Elise waiting at the door.
"Ely, can you tell me how you found Teacher?" Sylvia asked seriously. "I asked her myself earlier, but for some reason, she doesn't know anything!"
"During the time I was on tour, I searched all over the world and even came across some insider information."
"I suspect there's a secret organization behind all this, which is why I came to you, Ely."
"If you were the one who saved Ursula, then you should know something, right?"
Know? More than that!
I'm one of them!
When it came to the organization behind the scenes, Elise knew everything—she was even technically one of its upper ranks!
Sorry, Sylvia. This is something you're better off not getting involved in!
"I found Ursula in a collapsed ruin. She was already in that state, unable to wake up, and no medical methods worked."
"At that time, I couldn't fully control my power yet, so I didn't tell you. I'm sorry!"
"There's nothing to apologize for. You helped me find my teacher. For that, I should be thanking you!" Sylvia said earnestly. "If not for you, Ely, I don't know how much longer it would've taken to find Ursula!"
"Thank you, Sylvia. But about that mysterious organization…" Elise furrowed her brow, feigning thought. "I didn't really hear much during the process. I can't be sure it exists."
"Really?" Sylvia frowned slightly. "Even Ely didn't catch wind of it? Then this organization must be huge…"
Though Sylvia seemed unwilling to give up, she didn't plan on dragging Elise into it. Instead, she decided silently to investigate on her own.
Now that she had found her teacher, her next goal was to uncover that mysterious organization.
She couldn't allow more people to suffer the same fate as Ursula!
Sylvia had already resolved to pursue this lead. Perhaps one day, she really would uncover the Golden Bough Alliance.
And when that day came, it might very well pit her against Elise.
But for now…
"Let's call it a day. Teacher just woke up, and she's still not stable. She needs to rest more."
"It's getting late anyway. Come on, I'll treat you to dinner! I already made reservations!"
Hand in hand, Sylvia led Elise away from the hospital. Her heart was light, her mood bright.
And Elise felt the same.