Chapter 24 : Unexpected

Ophelia dragged her heavily injured body through the dark alley, pushing herself to the limit, on the verge of fainting at any second.
The teleportation magic seemed to have been affected by unknown interference, causing her to land in an unknown location.

“Oh dear, honestly, I shouldn’t have pushed myself so hard…”

She touched the blood on her forehead, her eyes still twitching from the pain. Her blood-stained golden hair hung loosely, staining her ethereal appearance with a hint of gore.

“It’s truly frustrating, I boasted I would help him…” She bit her lip tightly, trying her best to calm the turmoil in her heart.

‘To have escaped from her clutches counts as good luck for me.’

In reality, she also had her own ulterior motives. If she were to help Schiller at such a great cost, how would he reciprocate?

‘I wonder how Schiller is doing. At least, I hope he wasn’t caught in bed…’

She clutched her crucifix, silently praying for him.

‘If he were caught, that would be no laughing matter.’

Ophelia couldn’t help but imagine that bloody scene, and for some reason, Schiller always seemed to shrink into a corner, frozen in fear.

‘Her possessiveness is truly off-putting.’

‘That Schiller, he acts so much like a bottom! ’

She recalled Celia’s terrifying, almost overflowing “love.”

‘But, what exactly happened…’ ‘Once I recover, I must get to the bottom of this!’

Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes.

‘Has the tiger fallen to the plains?’

In front of her, three men were approaching, licking their lips.

They exuded an aura of desire.

‘Demon God cultists? No, just ordinary people…’ She felt no evil aura from them.

“Hey, little lady, how about we go somewhere else to play?”

The leading man spoke in a vulgar voice.

“…” Her magical power was already at rock bottom, making it almost impossible to conjure magic.

‘Better safe than sorry.’

Ophelia intended to ignore them and walk straight ahead.

Suddenly, the man threw a punch at her abdomen. Ophelia quickly twisted to dodge, while the two men beside him quickly covered her mouth and nose with a cloth.

“!”

A familiar scent surged into her nostrils. As someone who personally formulated medicines for years, she knew exactly what it was.

‘A sleeping drug. It seems they want to vent their desires on me.’

However, that plan was going to fail today.

‘Being bullied by Albion was bad enough, now I have to deal with these random thugs too!’

“I, Ophelia, am not that cheap!”

She twisted the man’s arm and kicked him away.

Her voice was tinged with furious anger.

Instantly, golden runes flashed before her hand.

[Crush] [Crush]

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from her mouth. Forcibly activating magic while lacking magical power was an extremely dangerous situation.

[Crush]!

A massive impact instantly and precisely struck the groins of the three men.

From then on, they would never again be able to lay hands on women.

“It seems my luck isn’t so good after all…” She thought words that were irrelevant to her pain, while still forcing herself to walk forward.

“At least, at least I’ll make it to the church here…”

The Holy Church, as the sole divine religion of the Empire, its name was known to all.

And that was also her base.

Lack of magical power had already muddled her thoughts.

“Why am I here? Albion?”

“No, that’s not right, Schiller, Schiller…”

She tried her best to talk to herself, to prevent herself from losing consciousness.

Thump.

Her body hit the ground.

“…”

In the last second, her gaze swept over a black-haired female swordswoman, who seemed to be running towards her in a panic.

“Schiller”—this was her last word before her consciousness sank into darkness.

The sunlight shone on the girl’s face, and she felt incredibly warm and comfortable.

“Ha!” The girl woke up from the bed. She seemed to have had an extraordinary dream just now.

‘It’s an unfamiliar ceiling.’

She shook her muddled head, trying to recall what had happened.

“Hiss!” A sharp pain shot through her mind.

‘Why was she here? Where was she before? No, who was she?’

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Just as she began to panic, a black-haired girl pushed the door open and entered.

“Are you alright?” She anxiously placed a bowl of herbal soup on the table and sat down beside her.

“Yesterday, do you remember what happened?”

“No, I seem to have lost my memory.”

“Amnesia! How pitiful, you must have gone through something very painful.” She sympathetically took the girl’s hand, as if telling her not to be afraid.

“My name is Evelyna, and I’m an adventurer!”

“Adventurer? I, huh? My name is…” The girl couldn’t remember her name for a moment. Her face flushed red, as if she was struggling to recall something.

An inexplicable conversation resurfaced in her mind.

It was a dimly lit room, but the specific details were impossible to recall.

She seemed to be talking to a certain man.

“My name is Opheliel, yes, Opheliel.” The girl rubbed her hair, confirming her name.

“Opheliel, what a cute name!”

“Oh, oh, is that so. Evelyna’s name is also, also very nice!” Opheliel shyly touched her hair.

“Can I call you Liel!”

“Hmm, I’ll call you Lyna then.”

The girls’ friendship was established at that moment.

“Um, if you don’t mind me asking… Schiller, is he your boyfriend?” Evelyna asked, her voice sounding a little awkward.

“Boy, boyfriend!” Opheliel’s face flushed red. She waved her hands repeatedly. “I, I don’t even remember, you know…”

“But you kept calling that name after you collapsed…”

“Is that so?” Opheliel pondered the name in confusion. Indeed, it seemed to ring a bell…

“Besides, you remembered it even after losing your memory. If he’s not your boyfriend, then what is he? He must be a very important person!”

“Oh, is that so? Heh heh, I, I have a boyfriend…” Opheliel sank into her own fantasy, failing to notice the trace of coolness in Evelyna’s eyes.

“Speaking of Schiller, isn’t he that famous lecherous Viscount?”

“Vis-Viscount! That’s impossible. It must just be a coincidence. I’m not a noble.” Only this one point, Opheliel was inexplicably certain of.

“By the way, adventurer, what’s that?” Opheliel asked, her wide eyes filled with curiosity, looking at Evelyna.

“Oh, oh, interested, Liel? Do you have magic?”

“Magic?” Opheliel tilted her head cutely.

“It’s like this,” she said, raising her sword and closing her eyes.

[Attachment]

The sword blade was enveloped in black magical power, emitting an astonishing aura.

“Evelyna is so amazing!” She let out a gasp of admiration.

“Huh? I… I think I remember using magic…”

She touched the crucifix at her chest, and a familiar sense of security came from it.

“Liel, you’re truly devout~” Evelyna said playfully.

[Blessing]!

Golden light showered over Evelyna, and she felt her body lighter than ever before.

“I’ve truly found a treasure!” She embraced Opheliel, her eyes sparkling.

“Lyna, it’s hot, it hurts, I can’t breathe!” She struggled desperately in the girl’s embrace; the girl’s immense “weaponry” was crushing her head.

“Phew, phew, so violent, so brutal!” Opheliel, finally freed, gasped for air.

“Heh heh, it seems Liel is a support mage. Our team just happens to need someone!”

“Team?”

“That’s right, there are three of us now. If Liel joins, we’ll be a four-person team!”

Opheliel nodded. To regain her memories as soon as possible, and even to repay Evelyna for saving her life, she would accept this proposal.

“Please take care of me until I regain my memories!” Opheliel extended her hand to Evelyna, a flower-like smile gracing her face.

“Mhm!”