"A name?"
Luo Shu was somewhat surprised by Sword Maiden's request.
He lowered his gaze slightly, studying Sword Maiden's face. Beneath the blindfold, he saw nothing but hopeful anticipation.
"Is it because of what Mai said to you before?"
Luo Shu made this deduction while sighing:
"Though I think it's normal for such matters to be decided by parents, if you truly want me to name you, it's not impossible."
Seeing Luo Shu say this, the Sword Maiden's anxious heart finally relaxed.
She turned to Luo Shu with an expectant smile and said:
"Please bestow a name upon me, Your Eminence."
As she spoke, she knelt on one knee and bowed her head to Luo Shu, just as she had five days prior when swearing loyalty in the cavern.
Witnessing this, Luo Shu pondered for a moment, considering the Sword Maiden's circumstances, before finally smiling and saying:
"How about 'Lucia'?"
After speaking, Luo Shu continued to explain:
"In the world I come from, this is the name of a saint who protects the blind and those with eye ailments."
"She was also a blind saintess renowned for her chaste deeds and miraculous healing abilities."
Luo Shu now wore a smile as he gazed at Sword Maiden before him:
"Doesn't that suit you well?"
"Thank you for bestowing this name, Your Eminence."
Sword Maiden slightly raised her head, smiling as she responded to Luo Shu's words.
After speaking, she paused before adding: "I like this name very much."
A chaste saintess who protects against illness...
Though Luo Shu had only described her verbally, Sword Maiden faintly felt a resonance with that saintess.
Similar deeds, aligned ideals—perhaps 'Lucia' was indeed the most fitting name for her.
...
After completing the naming.
Luo Shu exited the rear hall and, upon slightly turning, saw Mai Sakurajima leaning against the wall.
The girl's pure white priest robes fluttered gently in the breeze, lively and spirited.
"That's quite a good name you chose." Mai Sakurajima smiled at Luo Shu, the corners of her lips lifting.
Hearing this, Luo Shu sighed and shook his head helplessly:
"Eavesdropping so blatantly—you're truly beyond help."
After speaking, Luo Shu even glared at Mai Sakurajima, lightly reprimanding her:
"And most importantly, this whole trouble was caused by you in the first place."
Mai Sakurajima didn't refute this, merely sighing:
"I merely exposed some unspoken rules that were hard to address directly."
"Ultimately, isn't it strange for a person to not even have a name?"
"If a person lacks even a name to refer to themselves, can they truly still be considered human?"
As she spoke, Mai Sakurajima glanced towards the door leading to the rear hall, thinking of Sword Maiden praying inside, and couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.
Whether in Japan or China, both societies value one's achievements in life and reputation after death.
Thus, the importance of names and family names—these identifiers belonging to individuals—goes without saying.
An unnamed Sword Maiden—not only would daily life be inconvenient, but after death, would anyone in this world truly remember her?
Or rather, without Luo Shu, in the church's records, Sword Maiden's final designation might only be 'XXth Generation Maiden'.
A Maiden whose very traces are blurred, a Maiden controlled by the church her entire life—people truly shouldn't live like this!!
"So you instigated this to make me name her?"Luo Shu's expression turned somewhat odd as he said:
"This whole situation makes me feel like I've suddenly gained a seniority rank."
"Mmm?" Mai Sakurajima's expression immediately became playful at these words: "Isn't that rather nice?"
"You boys probably enjoy this kind of relationship where you can be called 'Daddy', right?"
"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Luo Shu instinctively imagined the scene of Sword Maiden 'Lucia' with her eyes covered, blushing crimson and timidly calling him Daddy.
Well... that was indeed an extremely tempting thought.
"Ahem!" Luo Shu cleared his throat and changed the subject: "That's not important."
"Anyway, for the time being, you'd better not cause any more trouble for Lucia."
"Reorganising the local churches and nobility is keeping her busy enough as it is."
Hearing this, Mai Sakurajima tacitly played along with Luo Shu's subject change, but still voiced her confusion:
"But the Familia's plans don't seem to include any reorganising, do they?"
"Chairwoman Lacus appears intent on completely purging all the privileged classes from this land."
Seeing Mai Sakurajima say this, Luo Shu's expression became somewhat strange again.
So Lacus wanted to play it this way?
"I thought she would keep this place as a testing ground for the 'Divine Miracles' system..."
That said, Luo Shu fully supported purging the nobility and religious leaders.
After all, it wouldn't be him putting in the hard work for this revolutionary activity - offering some verbal support was easy enough.
"But in that case, Lucia probably won't be able to stay here in the end."
Currently, the biggest religious leader of the Supreme God's temple is none other than the newly named Maiden.
Unless she 'disappeared', the reforms probably couldn't be fully implemented.
"She might actually be quite happy about that." Mai Sakurajima teased Luo Shu with a smile.
She wasn't stupid - some things were clearer to her than even to Sword Maiden herself.
Like why, when Mai had been the one to point out Sword Maiden's lack of a personal name, the Maiden had specifically asked Luo Shu to name her.
Or why, after completing missions and rushing back to the temple, a certain Maiden would deliberately bathe and put on that revealing ceremonial outfit before meeting Luo Shu.
Was that proper behaviour for a Maiden?
With such precedents, Mai was absolutely certain that, compared to continuing as a so-called Maiden in this Abyss world, Sword Maiden would much rather 'serve' by Luo Shu's side.
This was practically a foregone conclusion.
"Happy? Perhaps." Luo Shu didn't seem interested in pursuing this topic.
He wasn't oblivious to Lucia's feelings, but this wasn't something to discuss in front of Mai Sakurajima.
Or rather, no matter how foolish he was, Luo Shu knew better than to talk about other girls in front of any female Familia member.
"We've got about two more days in this world before the channel blockade lifts."
As he spoke, Luo Shu glanced at Mai Sakurajima and smiled:
"Which means in two days, we'll be returning to modern society. Be mentally prepared, Mai-san."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Mai Sakurajima looked at Luo Shu, confused.
Hearing this, Luo Shu gave Mai Sakurajima a strange look, then seemed to realise something as he said with an amused expression:
"Miss Mai, surely you haven't forgotten what situation you're facing back in the real world?"
"Shall I remind you?"
"Miss Mai Sakurajima, who was forced to accept shady industry practices under her mother's watchful eyes?"
At these words, Mai Sakurajima froze momentarily before her expression twisted violently.