Chapter 7: She is an angel
The Saintess smelled of sunshine and honey as she sat beside Duoluosa.
Liang Lai began telling tall tales.
Her fingers traced glittering, crystalline trails in the air.
“…So…”
Liang Lai’s voice grew fainter, slurring.
Duoluosa noticed her silver hair spreading unconsciously across the quilt.
When Liang Lai finally fell asleep, head tilted to one side, Duoluosa crept closer.
She confirmed Liang Lai was truly asleep.
Gently, she tugged the sleeve of Liang Lai’s nightgown.
“Thank you…”
She buried her face in Liang Lai’s scattered silver hair.
It smelled of morning dew and cornflowers.
The crystal rabbit glowed softly between them.
It fused their two shadows on the wall.
The next morning, light streamed into the refectory through stained-glass windows.
Liang Lai adjusted her crystal tiara in the mirror.
Duoluosa stood behind her, wearing a newly made white robe.
She nervously tugged at the too-long sleeves.
“Today, we’re learning about the Eucharist.”
Liang Lai turned, and her crown tipped to one side.
“It’s a must-have skill for important occasions!”
She fumbled to straighten the crown, like a juggler balancing a water pitcher.
To be a qualified priest, liturgical training was essential.
Duoluosa’s throat tightened.
She stared at the solid gold cutlery on the long marble table.
In the underground sanctuary, such tools held the eyeballs of the “ungodly.”
“First, raise your chalice like this.”
Liang Lai demonstrated, her fingers moving with surprising grace.
A stark contrast to her usual clumsiness.
Duoluosa noticed that when Liang Lai was serious, her golden pupils emerged naturally.
A divine aura enveloped her.
Duoluosa tried lifting the chalice.
But she heard Liang Lai mutter:
“Wait, what’s the Eucharist blessing…”
The silver-haired Saintess curled her hair in distress.
“Is it ‘May the grace of God be with you’ or ‘May the light of God shine upon you’…”
“You don’t know?”
Duoluosa’s eyes widened.
“Of course I know!”
Liang Lai blushed, pulling out a gold-embossed booklet.
“Just checking!”
As she flipped through it, Duoluosa spotted a paper tucked between the pages.
It had a crooked cartoon head drawn on it.
On their tenth practice, Liang Lai suddenly slammed the table.
“I remember now!”
She grabbed Duoluosa’s hand excitedly.
“My toast in church is totally orthodox.”
Before Duoluosa could react, Liang Lai put on a solemn expression.
She raised the chalice to her forehead with both hands.
“May God bless you with a good appetite, Amen~”
The air froze.
Duoluosa blinked in confusion but repeated obediently:
“Good appetite, Amen.”
She was starting to trust this foolish Saintess.
“No, no.”
Liang Lai frowned.
“Your tone needs more piety, like this…”
She took a deep breath.
“May God bless you with a good—”
“Third Saintess!”
A sharp rebuke startled Liang Lai.
Her hand trembled, and grape juice from the chalice splashed onto Duoluosa.
The First Saintess, Margaret, stood at the door.
“What kind of blasphemy are you teaching?!”
Liang Lai’s silver hair practically stood on end.
“I learned this in my hometown…”
“That’s a drunkard’s tavern toast!”
Margaret snatched the booklet from Liang Lai’s hand.
She pulled out the note.
It showed a chibi Jesus holding a beer glass, with a speech bubble saying, “Cheers!”
Duoluosa watched Liang Lai’s face cycle from red to white to blue, like a spilled paint palette.
The First Saintess trembled with rage.
“Write a 5,000-word confession by tomorrow!”
“In the ancient church language!”
When Margaret stormed out like a whirlwind, Liang Lai slumped in her chair.
“That’s it…”
“I only know ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Old Church Tongue, and I just learned those yesterday…”
Liang Lai insisted she was very hardworking.
Duoluosa twisted the corner of her juice-stained robe.
She whispered:
“I know the Old Church Tongue.”
“Huh?”
Liang Lai looked up.
Duoluosa lowered her head, twisting her fingers.
“I can help you.”
Liang Lai’s eyes lit up.
She hugged Duoluosa tightly.
“You’re amazing!”
She suddenly paused, letting go.
“Wait, you can read?”
Duoluosa nodded, giving a small smile.
“I can also write three ancient scripts.”
She dipped a brush in grape juice.
She wrote smooth runes on the table.
“It’s the orthodox way to say ‘May God bless you with good food.’”
Liang Lai stared at the glowing words.
“This is prettier than Margaret’s writing.”
Duoluosa dictated the Old Church Tongue, and Liang Lai transcribed.
Whenever Liang Lai erred, Duoluosa guided her hand to correct it.
Duoluosa’s hand was cool but steady.
Her writing was elegant.
“Where did you learn this?” Liang Lai couldn’t help but ask.
Duoluosa paused.
“I used to live in a library with ancient books.”
She didn’t mention she’d been locked there, surviving by eating book pages.
At the 3,000th word, Liang Lai’s quill drew a golden line.
Duoluosa was shocked to see the words on the parchment stretch and align.
They completed the rest of the text in an instant.
“Crystallization ability can do this?!”
Liang Lai was even more shocked than Duoluosa.
“If I’d known, I would’ve…”
Before she finished, the confession rolled up on its own.
It tied itself with a ribbon and a bow.
Duoluosa reached to touch it, but the paper floated up.
It landed neatly on a tray by the door.
“This…”
“I didn’t control it!”
Liang Lai waved her hands in panic.
But she saw a strange light flicker in Duoluosa’s eyes.
“Impressive…” the girl whispered.
Liang Lai suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
She thought Duoluosa didn’t know because she was poor, cut off from the “upper class.”
But in truth, in this world where power was for combat and punishment, no one had told her it could be used for homework, toys, or tying bows.
“Come.”
She took Duoluosa’s hand.
“I thought of a better way to learn.”
In the kitchen, Liang Lai used her crystallization ability.
Potatoes peeled themselves.
Carrots diced themselves.
Duoluosa watched intently.
When Liang Lai made a spoon stir the soup on its own, Duoluosa finally smiled.
She didn’t even notice how often she was smiling now.
“The most important thing about the Eucharist is the intention.”
Liang Lai pushed a butter sculpture shaped like a little angel toward Duoluosa.
“Like this—”
She raised her juice glass, speaking fondly to the carrot cubes.
“May God bless you with a good appetite~”
Duoluosa pursed her lips.
She wanted to act mature, stay cool.
But she couldn’t…
Outside the window, the First Saintess, Margaret, stood in the corridor’s shadow.
The confession in her hand glowed faintly gold.
She gazed at the kitchen window thoughtfully, as if noticing something.
“No, I can’t be sure yet…”
“I need to test it.”