The Dark Church Holy Maiden, Anastasia...
So you are still alive!
Wayne looked at the magic puppet before him, astonished. He had always thought that the Holy Maiden of the Dark Church was dead. It never crossed his mind that she was alive and well, simply having dislocated her mind and moved to a new "nest."
Based on the name, she’s also a Western girl!
Now, what to do? Should I give her body back to her?
Wayne frowned deeply. As a complete outsider, he had thoroughly enjoyed the body of the glamor lady with dark skin, not just in a hundred and eight positions, but in a thousand and eight hundred styles.
Giving her body back now would likely plunge her into an abyss.
I can’t return it, there’s no enmity between us, that would just be harmful!
However, she seemed to be in a really bad state, having lost her body for a whole sixteen years and only able to reside within a magic puppet, deprived of the joys of being human...
Still, I can’t give it back. Anastasia’s body has already been reshaped by me. Once her mind enters, the consequences would be unimaginable. She wouldn’t even be human anymore, let alone enjoy the joys of being human.
After thinking it over, Wayne decided that silence is golden.
Indeed, using Anastasia’s body for experiments was wrong of him. However, the glamor lady with dark skin was his spoils of war, and it was already tainted when it came into his hands.
Even without him messing around, Anastasia wouldn’t be able to use her own body anyway.
Once she gets in, she would turn into the shape of the Ancient God’s Kin!
Finding a reason to convince himself, Wayne felt a little less guilty as he said seriously, "So, you are the Dark Church’s Holy Maiden. I’ve heard a lot about you. I come from Lundan, and I know a few friends from the Sun Church. I heard you died in the Misty Sea, so I referred to you as the former Holy Maiden. I hope you don’t mind."
"It’s okay, I may still be alive, but it’s almost the same as being dead," Anastasia replied slowly.
Such a pessimistic attitude!
Wayne silently criticized, true to the Dark Church’s Holy Maiden, fitting the definition of ’darkness’ perfectly.
"Anastasia, so you are still alive. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from you, I thought you were dead,", Saina said as she came next to Wayne, examining the puppet body from head to toe with a smile, "The craftsmanship is good, it suits you well."
Her tone was sarcastic, clearly indicating past grievances. Wayne’s expression turned stern as he silently moved to Megan’s side, looking forward with an anticipatory expression as if waiting for justice.
He hadn’t seen the great battle between the Black and White Knights of yesteryears, but even the Holy Maiden/Dark-Skinned Elf/Puppet VS Divine Oracle High Priest/Dragon Blood/Tentacle Monster scenario was good enough for him. He wasn’t picky.
Anastasia murmured, shaking her head slightly, "I’ve been stagnating for sixteen years. Not only have I failed to progress, but I’ve also regressed a great deal. If we’re talking about past victories and defeats, consider it a win for you now."
What do you mean consider it a win for you? Aren’t you being modest!
Saina was inwardly irked, about to retort with her lips pouting, but halted at Wayne’s telepathic transmission, grudgingly backing down.
She asked on Wayne’s behalf: "Anastasia, what’s your current status? Are you alive or dead, and who crafted this body for you?"
"Is that any of your business?" Anastasia responded airily.
Saina was caught off guard and quite choked up. If not for Wayne holding her back, she would have taken it apart under the guise of learning.
Under Wayne’s order, Saina couldn’t blow up. She took a deep breath and said rigidly, "We are friends after all, aren’t we? Years of friendship, can’t I be concerned about you for a moment?"
Anastasia laughed lightly, her tone seemingly tinged with nostalgia.
Wayne seized the chance to let Saina reflect on the past, while he skimmed through these memories. Setting aside the profane and the refined, the two had a sort of benign rivalry, with some personal grudges but not many.
Anastasia and Saina were of the same age. After becoming a Holy Maiden, Anastasia’s first meeting with Saina wasn’t too pleasant, both being geniuses and equally attractive, they immediately wanted to compete.
Since then, they compared themselves in various aspects, always pushing to distinguish a winner...
In Saina’s memory, opinions of Anastasia were mixed. The good side recognized her magical talent; the bad evaluations, all stemming from pride, jealousy, and a desire to win, revolved around her dislike of Anastasia’s perceived haughty demeanor.
Wayne, acting as an impartial judge, made his assessment and remarked, for good measure, that Anastasia was indeed a great beauty before turning into the dark-skinned elf.
The two once had a duel deep in the mountains. After the fight, they washed their wounds beside a waterfall and casually compared their figures.
That memory was crystal clear, lasting a whole half hour. Wayne got a good look, silently calling them childish. What was there to compare? He had never seen such a petty rivalry.
He copied and pasted the memory into a compressed folder.
After reminiscing, Anastasia looked at Saina, thought about her current state, and sighed, "Telling you won’t hurt. The Dark Knight has been out of touch all this while. I received a divine decree from the Goddess to replace him in guarding the seals of the Icebound Continent. Due to the failure of the seals, my body became contaminated and I had no choice but to abandon it..."
"This body was crafted by me, with the help of Mula, Leo, and Dreyne, the three Knight Lords. My strength has receded significantly, and I’m no match for you now."
"You were actually qualified to replace the Dark Knight?"
Saina’s face soured. Upon hearing Wayne’s question, she learned about Anastasia’s magical prowess, a natural-born prodigy, and suspected that before losing her body, Anastasia’s power had far surpassed hers.