"In that case, Est, focus on recovering your strength first!"
Elise brought Est to a tree by the lakeside. Here the shade kept them safe from the harsh sunlight.
Elise leaned her back against the trunk, while Est nestled close against the spot of the seal.
The two of them resting together formed a breathtaking picture.
Beneath the small tree by the lake, a daughter leaning into her mother's embrace, drifting into slumber.
...Ahem. Elise did not want to be a mother!
Unfortunately, no one else could witness this scene. Even if someone did, perhaps they would end up with physical memory loss?
Though Elise looked calm on the surface, in reality she was carefully controlling her Prana.
Gradually, the Prana within her body transformed into thread-like circuits, which flowed through their dual contract into Est's body, helping her recover her lost power.
But…
Even through clothing, it was still embarrassing!
Feeling the sensation coming from her chest, even Elise couldn't help but blush.
What was Elise's essence?
A transformed girl!
A famous person once said:
"The shy appearance of a woman is very beautiful, but the shy appearance of a transformed girl is even more captivating!"
Right now, Elise was exactly like that.
Her own body had basically only been touched by herself—perhaps with a few friends helping scrub her back while bathing, but truly private places were not something she let anyone touch!
And yet, so many of those "first times" had fallen to Est, who didn't even understand such things!
Perhaps this was fate.
At that moment, however, the burning sensation at the seal once again drew Elise's attention.
"This can't go on!"
Though a bit of heat was normal, that particular spot heating up was absolutely abnormal!
Imagine if a human male, in the middle of battle, suddenly felt a certain area growing hot—what would happen?
If an explosion struck there, then what?
Would he be able to endure the pain and keep fighting?
Of course not.
The same applied to women!
If struck in such a place during battle, it could be fatal!
Elise didn't want to leave herself with such a weakness.
"Perhaps… I should relocate the seal?"
Yes, that was a good idea!
As long as it wasn't right on that sensitive spot, the sensations wouldn't be so intense.
Though it would affect combat a bit, at least it wouldn't be like this.
With that thought, Elise acted immediately!
Faith power began gathering in her body. To shift the location of a seal shouldn't consume much faith at all!
Even her Sacred Speech was already prepared.
But just then, Est in her arms seemed to sense something. Her expression grew troubled as she quickly lifted her head from Elise's chest, looking at her contractor.
But that gaze… filled Elise with a very bad premonition!
"Master… do you dislike our contract?" Faint light glimmered at the corners of Est's eyes.
It was hard to imagine—normally expressionless, Est now looked like a small animal abandoned by its owner!
And moreover—
Good grief!
She had just been calling her Sister, and now she switched back to Master?
"..."
Elise froze, halting her actions and stopping the flow of faith power.
Though she wasn't exactly a saintly person, this was really unfair!
"Not at all. I like Est very much. But the placement of the seal—I think it would be better to adjust it a little."
Her saintess demeanor radiated outward as Elise tried to soothe Est's emotions.
Still, Elise had no intention of simply giving up. If others found out her contract seal was in that place, the title of saintess would weep!
"Sister… though Est's contract is incomplete, you mustn't abandon Est…"
But at this moment, Est seemed unable to hear Elise's reassurance, her emotions instead growing stronger.
During their contract, Est had sensed clearly—she and Elise had actually formed two contracts. One was her own spirit contract, while the other was the blood contract Elise spoke of.
The blood contract, or "blood pact" for short, was considered one of the highest forms of contract across countless worlds—whether xianxia, fantasy, or magical worlds. That was why Elise had chosen to use it.
But Est's spirit contract was entirely different. Compared to a blood pact, there was no comparison at all!
In the original story, Kamito Kazehaya had only been able to draw out a tenth of Est's true power due to their incomplete contract.
Now Elise faced the same issue. Est's spirit contract was also incomplete.
Though better than Kamito's case—allowing Elise to use about a third of Est's power—it was still far from strong.
And this time, the flaw lay with Est herself, leaving her with a faint sense of inferiority before Elise.
After all, in Est's eyes, Elise was merely human. Yet a human's contract outshone that of a high-level sword spirit? That alone was beyond belief!
Now that insecurity had erupted, triggered by Elise's intention to tamper with the seal of their contract.
"Am I going to be abandoned, Sister?"
Sigh…
Est truly seemed emotionally shaken, leaving Elise no choice but to stop.
From now on, during battle, she would simply have to endure a little discomfort. If it became too much, she could always rely on faith power to bear through it.
"It's fine, I won't abandon you, Est."
Wrapping her arms around the unstable Est, Elise gently rested her head on her own shoulder.
"You are my contract spirit, my partner, and also my little sister!"
"How could I ever not want you?"
Click—
"Hm? What was that sound?" The strange noise nearby caught Est's attention. She turned her head, ready to look toward the source, but Elise pressed her head back down.
Click—
"Don't mind unnecessary things, Est."
Elise chuckled softly while secretly tucking away the old-fashioned camera in her hand.
"Just as I said, you are my contract partner. I will always move forward with you. No matter when, no matter what world, I will be with you!"
And so, the matter was left unresolved. Est stopped crying, and Elise did not manage to shift the seal.
Perhaps in the future the location of the seal would change. But for now, it remained at Elise's heart.
Most likely, it would never again see the light of day.
But perhaps that was for the best—for mystery only makes a woman more alluring.
And on the body of a saintess, there were even more mysteries waiting to be unveiled!