"Veronica, I don’t have a sister like you!"
"Hmm, I don’t have a brother like you, either."
Veronica flipped the page of her book and said heartlessly, "Stop humming. You’ve been restless all day long, and you’re giving me a chest pain."
"Then let me rub it for you."
"Hehe, just rub your own."
"Let’s swap. If someone sees us rubbing our own, they’ll think we’re perverts," Wayne suggested with a serious face.
No need. Other than Saina, no one else can come in here. In Saina’s eyes, we’re half-siblings with the same father, so whether we rub our own or swap, we’ll only be judged as perverts.
"Wayne, how’s your recovery going?"
Saina came to the garden to see Wayne lying alone on a chair humming, while Veronica was reading next to him. She couldn’t help saying, "Veronica, I asked you to take care of Wayne, why aren’t you obeying? He’s your brother, after all."
"Teacher Saina, I just sat down."
Veronica sighed, looking as aggrieved as if it were true.
Lately, spending time alone with Wayne had improved her lying skills, and there was no hint of acting to be seen.
Saina took it for truth, the relationship between these siblings was too close, intimate to the point where hugging and cuddling was the norm. Heaven knows how Veronica took care of Wayne when she wasn’t around.
It’s bound to go south sooner or later!
Thinking this, Saina couldn’t help but start to doubt the real reason why Veronica dropped out of the Holy Maiden selection. Was it to be Wayne’s bride?
Truly Hefei’s daughter, mixed with the blood of Austin, she’s even crazier.
"Teacher Saina, I’ve nearly completely recovered; my body is fine now, it’s just my thinking that’s still a bit slow."
Wayne sat up from the rattan chair and patted his chest, indicating his good health.
He hadn’t patted twice when he began to cough continuously.
Veronica turned her head away, and Saina hurried over, gently patting Wayne’s back. After a check, she confirmed that Wayne had fully recovered and didn’t need a couple of days—to be active and bouncing around right now.
The coughing must have been feigned, intentionally teasing Veronica, a little game between siblings.
Why would siblings have such an unhealthy game?
Saina shook her head secretly. Since Veronica had withdrawn from the selection, she didn’t bother to persuade the two to behave more appropriately. Let them be, as after all, Naturalist Knights had no strict purity requirements.
"Teacher Saina, how’s the investigation going on your end? Have you found the mastermind behind it all?" Wayne coughed again.
"After my insistence, the Pope gave in a bit and allowed me and Vice Commander Gavin to set up an investigation team. But after so many days, I’m afraid all evidence has probably been cleaned up," Saina said with a dark expression, then added, "Tubie is also within the scope of our investigation. Some monkeys have appeared around here these past few days; he’s monitoring you, so remember not to give him the chance to make excuses."
"The Knight Vigil and Sercy who attacked you are currently missing. Tubie likely moved them, and the Pope is also a likely suspect. Their presence at the selection is the best evidence; only the Pope could have managed all that..."
"There are also the two Holy Maiden candidates, Ottelia and Regina from the Prussia division, who were arranged by the Pope to flee for fear of prosecution, and now buried beneath who knows which barren mountain."
Saina scoffed again and again, indoctrinating Wayne that the Great Prophet and the Pope were unscrupulous, whereas by simply caring about Wayne, she was practically a saint.
"Saina, thank you for your hard work,"
Wayne said with a sigh, "You’ve been so busy these days, protecting me and Veronica, and you must have been under a lot of pressure. To be honest, I didn’t like you very much before, but now it’s much better."
"Good child, you are Hefei’s student, we are all one family. If I don’t help you, who will?" Saina was delighted; regardless of whether Wayne’s words were mere politeness, she took it as a good start towards thawing any previous animosity.
Veronica lowered her head to read, taking mental notes of Wayne’s tricks for deceiving women.
So that she wouldn’t be duped herself and to keep an eye on Wayne with other girls—ready to give a direct dragon punch warning if she spotted any signals.
"By the way, Saina, the two candidates from the Prussia sector, are they really missing, or ... have they been made to disappear?" Wayne’s heartbeat sped up a little.
"I don’t know, in any case, they haven’t been found,"
Saina glossed over, then continued, "Tubie’s student tried to assassinate you, he lacks discipline, so he’s a big suspect. It’s highly possible he’s colluding with the Pope, fearing that you’ll become the Naturalist Knight, he might have had the two students killed first and then plan to kidnap you to become the successor to the Great Prophet..."
While Saina continued to pour out her theory, Wayne wasn’t paying attention, silently praying that Otilia hadn’t been disappeared.
At an age like a flower, not running into a spectacular scumbag wouldn’t complete life.
Thinking about it, she probably wouldn’t be disappeared. Flora had cultivated students for many years; the emotional investment was touching. Having poured so much heart into it, she would surely find a way to protect her students.
It’s not a big problem!
"Wayne, I came to see you today because there’s something very important,"
Saina stopped her mudslinging, placed her hands on Wayne’s shoulders, and said gravely, "Vice Commander Gavin has responded to me: Mr. Mula, the Naturalist Knight, will soon return to the Church headquarters. Mr. Mula still has missions to undertake, and he won’t stay long. He wants to meet you, so we have to prepare in advance."
Wayne nodded, having already prepared a plan to seize the Dragon Blood.
Take as much as is given, split into two portions, one for Austin, and something for the entire Randao Family to gain from—it’s simply perfect.
Wayne could only apologize; he had forgotten to say earlier that his constitution wasn’t suited for Dragon Blood, and he could only ever be a Knight in this life.
Thinking about it, Saina, with her magnanimous heart, would surely forgive him.
"Saina, I’m ready. When do we start?"
Wayne’s expression became serious, "As soon as possible would be good. The Naturalist Knight could return at any time, and I still need time to get accustomed to the Dragon Blood to increase my chances of becoming the God-chosen Knight."
"The Dragon Blood Ceremony is already prepared. We can start at any time," Saina said, her eyes narrowing. She had waited for this day for a long time, and if not for Wayne’s injury, the blood exchange ceremony would have already been completed.
"Can we do it today?"
"We can start now, but your injuries..."
"I’m already better."
Wayne patted his chest where this time he didn’t cough.
Saina nodded in satisfaction, rejecting Veronica’s offer to help: "You have Dragon Blood in you, so you can’t be at the scene of the Dragon Blood Ceremony. Otherwise, your bloodline will be taken by Wayne. I am enough on my own."
Having said that, she closed her eyes to open the Dark Domain and took Wayne into another space across from the villa’s garden.
Before leaving, Wayne gave Veronica a look that meant there was no need to worry: everything was under control.
Whatever sins Saina had committed before, by meeting him, she had paid them off!