Chapter 168: A Complete Childhood

Sevyara ultimately remained by Peretti’s side.

Just as Peretti had said, the current Sevyara was merely a tiny dragon girl who hadn’t even reached the 【Bright Moon】 stage yet. Aside from the vast knowledge and memories from the ancient era stored in her mind, she possessed almost nothing else.

After saying goodbye to Olivia, Peretti returned to the Tower together with Caroline.

Caroline’s excuse was:

“I should at least look after my junior a little. I can’t exactly let her return to the Tower only to stay alone all the time.”

The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable, and nobody objected.

At this moment, within the quiet gardens of the Elf Royal Palace, Xiaomu walked side by side with Olivia.

Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves overhead, scattering dappled shadows across them.

Xiaomu raised her head and gazed toward the World Tree that stretched through heaven and earth, her voice carrying a faint trace of inquiry.

“Aya… in your opinion… what kind of existence is that Witch of Light?”

“Eh?”

Olivia blinked in surprise and looked toward her ancestor.

Back in the reception room, Peretti’s nearly “drawing a line in the sand” type of behavior had clearly touched upon the elves’ sensitive nerves. Yet now, her ancestor was suddenly asking about Peretti herself.

“Why is Ancestor suddenly asking about Titi?”

“Just curious.”

Xiaomu’s tone remained gentle and unreadable.

“Tell me. What kind of person do you think she is?”

Olivia pondered for a moment before answering seriously:

“I think she’s someone who values promises and emotional bonds very, very deeply.”

“She rarely makes promises lightly. But once she nods and agrees to something, no matter how difficult it is, she seems willing to give everything to accomplish it.”

She paused slightly, her voice lowering with a faint complexity difficult to notice.

“Unless… something completely irreversible happens.”

Olivia lowered her gaze toward an inconspicuous wildflower beside the path, bitterness rising within her heart.

Someone who valued promises that much…

Yet in her previous life, Qingcheng had violated her own principles for the very first time—and ultimately ended up like that.

And now, in this life, Olivia knowingly pushed Peretti toward the World Tree’s impossible problem despite understanding full well that the road ahead might still be covered in thorns.

Was that truly the right thing to do?

If nothing could still be changed…

If she once again—

The thought alone weighed heavily upon her heart.

“Loyal, sentimental, and true to promises…”

Xiaomu nodded thoughtfully.

“That does sound remarkably similar to the general personality traits recorded about the Winged God race in ancient texts.”

“Perhaps Sevyara wasn’t wrong. The only true difference between Peretti and the Winged Gods may simply be the lack of wings.”

“Ancestor knows about the Winged Gods too?”

Olivia asked curiously.

“Do you remember the fairy tales about angels you read when you were little?”

Xiaomu’s gaze became distant, as though peering through time itself.

“Holy, kind, eager to help others, using strength to protect the weak…”

“But weren’t those just fictional stories made to satisfy children’s beautiful fantasies?”

“No.”

Xiaomu slowly shook her head, her voice calm as though reciting ancient history.

“‘Angels’ were not entirely fictional. Their prototypes were a race that truly once existed in this world—the Winged God race.”

“They may have been the most incredible race in the world.”

“Their nature was completely opposite to that of vampires, yet the two races remained close companions for thousands of years. They were born with a natural affinity for light elements and were also the only race in history capable of freely controlling light-element power.”

“They both possessed light elements… I see now.”

Olivia suddenly understood something.

However, Xiaomu’s tone abruptly shifted, becoming heavier with indescribable emotion.

“And it was precisely that excessive kindness… that ultimately led to the complete downfall of their entire race.”

“In this cruel world, kindness is sometimes an unbearably heavy burden.”

“Those who carry it forward, no matter how powerful they are, often meet endings that… leave only sighs.”

She paused faintly, her gaze seeming to settle somewhere deep within empty space.

“That Witch of Light is the same.”

“Young. Sharp. Curious.”

“And perhaps even somewhat… recklessly naïve.”

“Looking at her feels like looking at my younger self from long ago.”

“It’s rather nostalgic.”

Olivia’s heart suddenly sank.

Since she feared Xiaomu might develop unnecessary wariness or interference toward the current Peretti after learning about Qingcheng’s eventual fate in the previous timeline, Olivia had never revealed the final tragedy of that past life.

Therefore, Xiaomu’s evaluation right now came entirely from her own impressions of Peretti and her experiences accumulated across countless years.

Even an ancestor who had lived through endless ages believed that a personality like Peretti’s could hardly end well in this world…

Was that truly Peretti’s unavoidable fate?

Olivia remembered Qingcheng’s calm yet resolute words after returning from within the World Tree in the previous life—

“This is something only I can do. So I must do it.”

A problem the elves themselves had failed to solve for centuries…

Why should an outsider bear the heaviest burden?

It was simply too unfair to Peretti.

An impulse suddenly surged within Olivia.

“Ancestor, I suddenly remembered something important I need to deal with immediately. I’m afraid I can’t continue accompanying you on this walk.”

She lifted her head, determination flashing within her emerald eyes.

“Go on.”

Xiaomu nodded gently without questioning further.

“Don’t rush too much. Only with a steady heart can one walk steadily forward.”

“Mm. I understand.”

Meanwhile, Caroline had already followed Peretti back to the Tower.

Standing before that familiar wooden door, she fell silent for a long time, her expression complicated.

“What’s wrong, Caroline?”

Peretti noticed her unusual reaction.

“Is there something wrong with this room?”

“If I remember correctly…”

Caroline’s voice became extremely soft, as though afraid of disturbing something.

“This used to be Marsha’s room.”

“Wait… whose room?”

Peretti thought she had misheard.

“Marsha. The Blood Witch, Marsha.”

Caroline answered clearly.

“I believe I once told you that Marsha was very weak when she first became a witch, which is why her room had a wooden door.”

“You should already understand the difference between wooden doors and stone doors now.”

“I do… but why would Isabena arrange Marsha’s room for me?”

Peretti couldn’t understand.

“There are obviously plenty of empty rooms in the Tower.”

“Perhaps because Marsha’s room was the first room personally sealed by the Dust Witch, Furongye.”

“That was a very long time ago…”

Caroline seemed unwilling to elaborate further.

Suddenly changing the subject, she reached out and grabbed Peretti’s wrist, pulling her directly into the room before closing the door behind them.

At the same time, her fingertip lightly traced the air. A faint humming current spread outward, completely isolating the room from outside sound.

“Eh? Teacher Caroline, what are you doing?”

Peretti was left completely bewildered by the sudden sequence of actions.

Caroline didn’t answer immediately.

A faint flash of light appeared in her hand, and a completely ordinary-looking broom materialized out of thin air.

She weighed the broom in her hand and casually swung it twice, as though testing how it felt.

“Don’t panic.”

“I’m about to give you a complete childhood.”