East Tivian, Blue Moon Bay Street.
In the afternoon, a biting cold wind carrying snowflakes sweeps through the streets of the East District. People bundled in thick clothing hurry along the sidewalks. The Boyle Family Mansion stands right beside this street.
Wearing a cozy sweater and loose pants, Nephthys sits at her desk in her bedroom. Beside her is a charcoal brazier providing warmth. As she warms herself by the fire, she reads a book on her desk, occasionally glancing out the window at the cold street and the occasional patrolling police officer.
“It’s been over a week since the incident… but the tense atmosphere on the streets hasn’t eased much. It seems the death of Duke Barrett has left the King and the others furious.”
Looking out the window, Nephthys ponders this. She then glances at a newspaper on the side of her desk. The newspaper, from a couple of days ago, reports the news of Duke Barrett’s death due to failed medical treatment.
“I never imagined… that the events I participated in that day were part of an assassination plot against the Duke… I thought it was just a matter involving the indigenous people, but it turned out to be a scheme by the Eight-Spired Nest.”
“This Eight-Spired Nest… I originally thought they were just a group of scoundrels targeting university students, controlling and extorting them. I never expected their influence to be so vast, daring to directly assassinate a duke…”
Looking at the newspaper, Nephthys reflects on this. After learning from Dorothy that the mastermind behind the assassination attempt was the Eight-Spired Nest, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear. She never imagined that the organization secretly controlling students at her university had the means to target the royal family.
Initially, Nephthys thought the Eight-Spired Nest’s main goal was to control students and slowly siphon wealth from wealthy families. She considered them a low-tier Beyonder organization targeting students. But now, with such a high-profile incident, Nephthys feels a chill. An organization capable of targeting the royal family is no small-time group.
“So, I’ve been opposing such an organization all this time? It feels really terrifying… If it weren’t for Aka and Miss Dorothy’s help… I would have died several times by now, wouldn’t I? An ordinary university student like me… has gotten involved in such a major event?” Nephthys feels a lingering fear. Initially, she was thrilled and excited after successfully advancing to the Black Rank. But after learning the truth about the events of New Year’s Eve, her excitement quickly faded.
The thought of opposing a terrifying secret society capable of targeting the royal family, coupled with the Kingdom’s serious investigation into Duke Barrett’s case—and her own involvement in it—makes it hard for Nephthys to feel happy. For over a week, she has been in a state of constant worry.
After all, not long ago, Nephthys was just an ordinary university student with little knowledge of the mysticism world. Although she has participated in many secret activities, the divide between the mystic and secular worlds made it hard for her to grasp the impact of her actions. She always felt detached from the mysticism world. It wasn’t until that night, when she participated in the Duke’s assassination attempt—an event with significant repercussions even in the secular world—that she realized the weight of her actions.
“Without realizing it… I’ve gotten involved in such a major event… It feels quite unsettling… Especially with the tense atmosphere in the city lately… Whether it’s the government or the Eight-Spired Nest, if I slip up even a little, it feels incredibly dangerous…”
Nephthys thinks to herself. The tense atmosphere on the streets of Tivian makes her feel uneasy, and she even considers whether she should leave the city for a while to avoid the heat.
As Nephthys sits in her room, lost in thought, there’s a knock on her door. She immediately calls out.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, miss. We’ve just received a letter for you downstairs.”
An elderly voice comes from outside the door. Nephthys recognizes it as the voice of Nust, the Boyle Family’s butler.
Hearing the familiar voice, Nephthys quickly stands up from her seat and walks to the door. After opening it, she sees the old butler standing in the hallway, holding an envelope.
“A letter for me? Who’s it from?”
With a puzzled expression, Nephthys takes the letter. Nust promptly replies.
“According to the address, it’s from your university. It might be a list of things you need to purchase for next semester.”
“From the university?”
Looking at the university’s seal on the envelope, Nephthys murmurs. After thanking Nust, she closes the door.
Returning to her desk, Nephthys opens the envelope and takes out the letter. As soon as she sees the handwriting, she knows who wrote it—her archaeology professor at Royal Crown University, a middle-aged man named Professor John.
…
“To the diligent and outstanding Miss Nephthys Boyle,
Your studies in the archaeology department are about to enter the second semester of your second year. Over the past year and a half, you have acquired a wealth of theoretical knowledge, enriching your mind. However, in our quest to explore the past, the knowledge gained from books alone is far from sufficient. More knowledge awaits us outside the university gates.
Your learning journey is about to enter a new phase. In the second semester of your second year, our teaching will focus on practical fieldwork. I will personally lead you to visit famous historical sites and even some active excavation sites, allowing you to experience firsthand the traces of past stories in the present. You will apply your knowledge in practice, uncovering the secrets still buried beneath the earth.
Your third year of study will involve a significant amount of time spent away from campus. The first leg of this journey will begin on the 20th of this month, with our destination being several historical sites in the Conquest Sea nations. Our first stop will be the ancient city of Adria in Ivengard. In mid-February, this famous water city will host a rare artifact exhibition, showcasing many relics unearthed from sites around the Conquest Sea. This is an excellent opportunity for us. After visiting the exhibition, we will continue by boat to explore other famous sites in the Conquest Sea nations. If time permits, we may even head south to North Ufiga to conduct on-site investigations at some excavation sites.
This entire journey is expected to last two to three months, or even longer. To prepare for this extended trip, you should start making arrangements now, ensuring you have the necessary funds and items for the journey. The estimated costs for this trip are as follows…
…
The rest of the letter details various expenses, including living costs, boat tickets, tutoring fees, and more. The total comes to around a hundred pounds—a significant sum for ordinary expenses, but manageable for the wealthy students of Royal Crown University.
“This is… the bill for the fieldwork course… Right, I almost forgot. In the second semester of the second year, many of our courses involve fieldwork and investigations… Professor John mentioned it many times last semester, but with all the mystical activities, I completely forgot.”
Looking at the bill in her hand, Nephthys realizes. As an archaeology student, archaeology isn’t something you can master by staying on campus and studying alone. It inevitably involves a lot of fieldwork.
In the past, her professor occasionally took her class to historical sites in Pritt for short-term investigations, allowing them to experience the thousand-year history of the kingdom. Now, in the second semester of her second year, they are about to embark on their first long-term fieldwork trip.
“A two-to-three-month fieldwork trip, exploring sites around the Conquest Sea nations, and possibly even heading south to North Ufiga… This is the first time we’ll have such a long and distant fieldwork trip, even going abroad…”
“This might be a good opportunity. The atmosphere in Tivian has been quite tense lately, and staying here makes me feel uneasy. If I can take this chance to leave for a while, by the time I return, Tivian might have calmed down.”
As she reviews the contents of the letter, Nephthys considers this. She is already looking forward to the trip. However, after a moment of thought, she frowns slightly.
“But there’s another issue. In a way, I’m now a member of the Rose Cross Order… I’ve been involved in their activities in Tivian, and I’ve contributed in some small way… If I just leave like this, would it affect Miss Dorothy’s future plans and arrangements?”
Frowning slightly, Nephthys ponders this. As a member of the Rose Cross Order, if her academic commitments interfere with the organization’s important activities, she would feel guilty.
“Sigh… Regardless, I should inform Miss Dorothy about this first and see what she says…”
Taking a deep breath, Nephthys murmurs to herself. She then pulls out a thick history book from her drawer, flips to the page where she communicates with Dorothy, and begins to write.
…
North Tivian, Aphro Grace Hospital.
In the Mystical Injuries Ward of Aphro Grace Hospital, doctors in white coats and nuns in white habits bustle through the long corridors and numerous wards. The pungent smell of disinfectant fills the air. Stretchers carrying various injured patients move through the halls, and cries of pain echo in every corner of the hospital. Tension and suffering are everywhere.
Since the Kingdom’s government launched a retaliatory crackdown on Tivian’s mysticism world, Grace Hospital has been in a state of constant activity.
In just over a week, nearly eighty large and small hideouts in Tivian have been cleared, resulting in dozens of clashes. The numerous casualties from these conflicts have been sent here, keeping the hospital in a state of continuous busyness.
In one of the wards, Vania, dressed in a white nun’s habit, is treating a Hunter with severe chest wounds. Under anesthesia, Vania uses tweezers to remove broken fangs from the patient’s horrifying wound. After cleaning the wound, she uses her Healing Prayer abilities to accelerate the initial healing. As the patient sleeps and the nurses watch with admiration, she completes another treatment. This is just one of many such treatments Vania has performed over the past few days.
Taking a deep breath, Vania hands over the remaining tasks to the nurses and picks up a glass of water. After drinking it all, she steps out of the ward with a tired expression. However, as she opens the door, she is surprised to see a familiar figure waiting for her.
“Sister Anlei?”
Looking at the elderly nun with a kind smile, Vania is somewhat surprised. This woman is the one who guided her on the path of a Healing Prayer. In a way, she is also Vania’s direct superior in the church, as Vania doesn’t yet have a fixed position.
“Hehe… How have you been lately, Sister Vania? It seems… you’re facing new trials.”
“Not at all… I’m just doing my usual work. This isn’t much of a trial…”
“I’ve just reviewed your records. Over the past few days, you’ve continuously worked, efficiently treating twelve serious injuries, all with excellent results. Even though you’re not officially part of the hospital staff, you’ve taken on such heavy responsibilities. You’ve worked hard.”
With her hands clasped in front of her, Sister Anlei looks at the busy hospital and smiles at Vania, who responds respectfully.
“This isn’t much of a trial, and there’s no need to talk about hard work. This is just part of my duties. With all the injuries in Tivian converging here, as a servant of the Holy Mother, it’s my duty to do everything I can to heal them.”
With a pious and humble demeanor, Vania speaks to Sister Anlei, who nods with a smile.
“Hmm… The Holy Mother is fortunate to have such a loyal, diligent, and talented servant like you. For the entire church, this is a blessing… Sister Vania, in my opinion, you deserve a special reward.”
“A special reward? Sister Anlei… What do you mean?”
Hearing Sister Anlei’s words, Vania is slightly puzzled. Sister Anlei continues with a smile.
“A few days ago, you were caught up in the chaos at Bishop’s Square. At that time, you performed exceptionally well. Not only did you promptly treat all the injured civilians, but you also saved many severely wounded guards, pulling many back from the brink of death. Although the tragedy couldn’t be prevented, you managed to contain its spread. Your quick thinking and correct actions minimized the damage, making it easier for Serenity Bureau and our subsequent work to proceed. Many people have spoken highly of you.”
“This is what I should have done…”
Vania continues to respond humbly, thinking to herself that many of her actions that night were guided by Dorothy’s advice.
“Your actions that night left a deep impression… More importantly, you promptly treated Princess Isabella’s injuries, saving her from danger. This prevented the royal family from losing two important members in quick succession. Queen Despenser personally expressed her gratitude to Archbishop Francesco.”
Sister Anlei continues slowly. Hearing this, Vania is momentarily stunned, then immediately bows.
“Her Majesty the Queen herself? I’m truly honored!”
“In any case, thanks to your efforts, our relationship with the Despenser Royal Family has grown closer. Archbishop Francesco also holds you in high regard. Combined with your previous achievements in secretly assisting in the destruction of a cult hideout, His Eminence has decided to reward you.”
As she speaks, Sister Anlei looks at Vania and continues.
“Sister Vania, Archbishop Francesco has decided to grant you a promotion. He recommends that you go to Ivengard, to the Leichel Valley, the holy land of our Holy Mother Sect, for a pilgrimage.”