The Defeated Saintess Is On A Journey To Tame The Evil God Book 01 Chapter 08.01.3 - Late September's Whispers

Vivian took their stunned silence as confirmation and continued smugly, “It wasn’t hard to figure out. When you walked in, the way Alice looked at you—clear as day. You two were totally out on a secret date last night!”

“What are you talking about?” Alice narrowed her eyes and pinched Vivian’s cheek, “Say that again?”

“Ow ow ow—ouch! I was wrong! Don’t bully the injured!” Vivian whined as her head tilted under Alice’s grip.

“Hmph. Dragon Girl.” Alice let go and flicked her forehead, “I was planning to tell you eventually, but I didn’t expect you to figure it out on your own.”

“I’m not stupid, okay?” Vivian huffed, “You’ve been ignoring me lately—going off to the docks, then the church—and last night, you didn’t even stay by my bedside! I’m delicate too! I have feelings, you know!”

“You have feelings…?” Alice looked at her in disbelief, “Alright, so then?”

“So then I thought about it all night!” Vivian cried, “Wondering why you didn’t want me anymore! I nearly spiraled into full-blown depression! With tears in my eyes, I imagined you charging into battle side by side with some mysterious, black-haired, green-eyed beauty! And obviously—that had to be your secret lover! My brain instantly connected the dots. It had to be Xing Mo!”

Xing Mo finally couldn’t hold it in, “Do you have any actual evidence?”

Vivian puffed up her cheeks, “The hair and eye colors match perfectly! That is evidence!”

Xing Mo: “...”

Alice: “...”

Well… she got to the right answer, just not through an unconventional process.

Alice looked down at the teary-eyed Dragon Girl and sighed. It was true—she’d gotten a little carried away last night. After confirming Vivian was stable, she had gone straight to Miriam’s place. It must’ve felt unfair to Vivian.

“Alright, alright. I’m here now, aren’t I?” Alice softened her tone and reached out to stroke Vivian’s hair.

“My heart is shattered—beyond repair.” Vivian said dramatically, shaking her head.

Alice didn’t bother arguing. She simply pulled Vivian into a gentle embrace, running her hand down the back of her head, “There, there. Don’t be mad. I like you the most.”

“You can’t just coax me like this…”

“Be good. Don’t be mad anymore.”

“I said you can’t coax me…”

“Then I guess I’ll leave?”

“Waaah… okay, you coaxed me…”

Vivian rubbed her face against Alice’s like a spoiled little critter whining to its mother. It was… oddly adorable.

Just then, she peeked out from behind Alice’s shoulder and fixed her gaze on Xing Mo.

Those icy Dragon eyes, on the verge of turning into vertical slits. Xing Mo instinctively tensed, a chill crawling up her spine.

This Dragon… easy to placate, but seriously terrifying when riled up.

“Ahem…” Xing Mo cleared her throat awkwardly but didn’t say anything, watching as Alice patiently continued comforting the wounded Dragon Girl.

After a while, Vivian finally pulled away from the hug—reluctantly—and pouted, “So… are you going to explain what you were doing last night? You weren’t cheating on me, right?”

“I already said no.” Alice sighed and began recounting everything that had happened the night before.

When she finished, she lowered her voice, “But you must keep it a secret. Promise. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Mhm.” Vivian nodded obediently, “Not like I’m a devout follower of the Goddess anyway... Ahem. Forget I said that. But…”

Her gaze drifted toward Xing Mo, narrowing suspiciously, “Are you really Xing Mo? You look all cute and small… No—wait, you’re just as scrawny as ever! Nowhere near as well-proportioned as me!”

"It's not that bad, Senior Vivian... still jealous after all this time?" Xing Mo mused inwardly before saying aloud, "It's me. Really."

“Hmmm…” Vivian stared at her for another long moment before nodding, “You’re not as pretty as me!”

Alice frowned and flicked Vivian on the head.

“Ouch!”

“Focus.” Alice said, exasperated. She’d long since given up expecting Vivian to say anything remotely normal, “Does it still hurt?”

Alice’s gaze lingered on Vivian’s chest, tightly wrapped in bandages. A pang of heartache tugged at her.

Vivian blinked, momentarily surprised—then smiled, a little bashfully, “Hehe… it doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ll be fine in a couple of days. I just need more meat.”

“Then take it easy for the next few days.” Alice said softly, brushing a hand over Vivian’s cheek, “Don’t go wandering off. I’ll come visit you at night.”

“I was really scared...” She trailed off.

“I’m tough.” Vivian replied with a carefree grin, “It’s no big deal.”

But they both knew it had to have hurt—a sword through the chest…

As Alice gently stroked the Dragon Girl’s head, her tone shifted, becoming more serious, “Regarding that strike against Steam Man... how confident are you?”

She was referring to the Disintegrate command Vivian had issued. A strike that, under normal circumstances, tore through space and matter alike. A move meant to erase an enemy from existence.

Vivian simply shook her head, “You’ve probably guessed already—no chance. It’s a specter. Even if it disintegrates, it can just reassemble itself.”

“I figured as much.” Alice murmured with a sigh.

Then she turned to Xing Mo, “Mo-mo, could you walk me through the information on Steam Man again?”

Xing Mo gave a quiet nod and began to explain.

She detailed how Steam Man was a manifestation of a curse—one that didn’t follow a consistent pattern, appearing seemingly at random. She went over the anomalies tied to its manifestation, the behaviors it exhibited, and most importantly, the thing that controlled it: the Black Heart.

“To truly destroy Steam Man.” She concluded, “There’s only one method. Find the Black Heart, anchor it, and kill it.”

Alice and Vivian both listened intently. When Xing Mo finished, they exchanged glances and nodded.

“We had similar suspicions.” Alice admitted, “But nothing that solid. Your analysis ties everything together.”

She smiled and gave a small chuckle. “As expected, Mo-mo’s imagination is top-tier.”

“Well... it’s not really my idea.” Xing Mo thought to herself, “That mysterious proprietress simply guided me to the right conclusions.”

She continued aloud, “It seems the real purpose behind Prince Austin’s ritual at the birthday banquet was to collect the curse he’d sown across the Citadel.”

Alice nodded, her expression darkening, “As for his whereabouts, he should be aboard the Humpback Whale. A storm’s trapped the ship in the Middle Sea—he won’t be escaping anytime soon. But reaching him... that’s the hard part.”

“That’s fine.” Vivian chimed in, her tone confident, “Erum will be back soon. He’s massive. One bite and that ship’s gone.”

Her mention of the Dragon carried an air of pride, almost smug.

Alice gave her a look, “Let’s leave that to the White Tower Council. After what he’s done, they won’t let him get away.”

The three chatted a little longer—until it was time to part.

“Remember to visit me again!” Vivian called out with a wave, her eyes shadowed with a flicker of loneliness.

Leaving the hospital, Alice led Xing Mo through the courtyard, the spires of the Holy Spirit Church gleaming behind them. Out on the street, she raised a hand.

With a soft roar of wind, another carriage descended from the sky—sleek, elegant, and drawn by a pair of Pegasi. It touched down smoothly before them.

As they climbed inside and the carriage pulled away, Xing Mo glanced sideways, “Senior, where are we going now? Lunch?”

“All you think about is food.” Alice chuckled, lightly flicking Xing Mo’s forehead.

“Ow.”

“Ahem… we’ll eat in due time. But before that, there’s something else.”

Xing Mo tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her delicate face, “Something else? What is it?”

Alice gave a mysterious little smile, “Yes. We need to do something about your… appearance.”

......