Chapter 68 - 2.29

Zenith heard it loud and clear, however. The words were like a powerful energy drink, immediately making him feel better.

Although Zenith still felt a bit unsettled, he obeyed her command. Her straight words had caused some ripples in his heart. Relief. Relief that he didn't anger the lady too much, that the lady was still willing to forgive him. He did not know why, but ever since Xu Jiaqi got mad at him, he had actually treaded very carefully and evaded the lady so that he could sort his mind out and not trigger the lady even more.

He was very scared.

That continuous effort led to this moment, where he was being interrogated by the lady. A smile erupted on his face. The lady wasn't mad. It was a good thing.

Zenith nodded. "However, my lady, we still have to be verified. If you do not wish to stay alone until a guard comes.. Perhaps we could go to the post together? The horse must be left here, though, so we would have to walk." He said.

"En." Xu Jiaqi let out a sound of acknowledgement, and with that, they began walking side by side towards the new destination.

Although things were still awkward between the two of them, Xu Jiaqi definitely patched the torn bits up a little bit.

They found the person in charge and was able to verify their identity after explaining what had happened to the two representatives. Xu Jiaqi and Zenith was also sure that the news they had deliberately spread had arrived here somehow, so they were not anxious at all.

He followed the correct procedures for a Saintess candidate and prepared Xu Jiaqi's room along with other workers who showed him the way to the place they were going to stay in. They would have to separate from each other. The Saintess candidates lived in a separate building- no one else except them lived there. It was meant to be pure and untainted, so outsiders, except for the high ranking officers were not allowed to enter. Even those officers had to state their reasonings clearly.

Naturally, a knight like Zenith would never be allowed in the chamber. Zenith did not mind, since he too felt like sleeping with Xu Jiaqi was too bad for his heart. It would race in an extreme pace and cause him to think that he was going to explode out of pure stimulation.

Since they had just arrived after long days of travel, they were both exhausted and were escorted to take a plentiful amount of rest. Xu Jiaqi laid down in her room, which was extremely lavish and comfortable despite the religion having criticized luxury and a vain life.

However, since Xu Jiaqi did take comfort in it, she did not complain and immediately went to sleep.

She was given a manual on her proper etiquette and duties, so when she woke up alone the next day, she didn't have any fear in proceeding. She changed into the Saintess candidate clothes and got out of the room after having cleaned herself up with magic.

She never saw another candidate even as she exited the building, which made her frown a little bit since it was unnatural. However, when she got out, she saw that Zenith was waiting outside of the chamber's gates, which made her smile a bit.

"Zenith, I think I will have to focus on learning Holy magic as much as I could. I'm already pretty confident in my abilities, but the other candidates.. Since I have been trapped for so long, they would have the time advantage against me. Which is why, I will disappear for some time. In this period, you are free to do whatever you want, but I believe that you will be able to satisfy me with whatever results you come up with by the time I end my seclusion." Xu Jiaqi spoke with a gentle tone, looking at him with eyes that seemed so dear.

Zenith's heart skipped a beat. The lady's expression brought him some strange premonitions, but he quickly shook it off and nodded resolutely. "I shall heed your orders, my lady."

That was the last time they saw each other within a week.

Because there were still other candidates to be picked up, Xu Jiaqi did not need to do a lot of things yet. She also took advantage of her rights in the Holy land. She was able to go into seclusion without undergoing much supervision because of her status, and no one was able to seek her out without waiting for her to go out on her own accord.

After a week, she came out to be a strengthened version of herself. Because Palla was a region that was so rich in magical energy, she was naturally able to gain more benefits as she cultivated her magic up.

However, there was something she experienced daily in that seven days.

Every time she fell asleep, she would dream of a tragedy. Those tragedies would then influence her psyche, making her mental levels become unstable and shaky.

She clutched her head, feeling that there was a constant stinging pain hitting her.

This was her final day of seclusion as the System told her that the final Saintess candidate had finally been accepted into Palla, and her duties would start very soon.

She notified Zenith, sending him a letter that told him to wait for her in the gates. Zenith, who received this letter, immediately set off to pick the lady up.

Meanwhile, as Xu Jiaqi left towards the gates to reunite with Zenith, she met up with the first person she saw inside the candidates' living quarters.

It was a girl with flowing jet black hair and brown eyes. She looked normal, but there was a warm aura surrounding her that caught Xu Jiaqi's eyes.

A chill spread through her body, and the System also became more alert.

The girl's identity was precisely the original main character, Serenia Aubellin.