Chapter 39: The Strength of Trust

After watching Bai Zhi and Bastet depart, Rena’s tightly coiled shoulders finally began to unwind. Her body, suddenly weightless, slumped back onto the sofa with a soft thud.

In truth, she hadn’t quite grasped the meaning behind Bai Zhi’s parting detective novel analogy.

Deep down, a persistent skepticism lingered regarding the ill-conceived battle plan; she still believed the wisest course of action would be to bide their time, gathering more intelligence from various sources.

Yet…

Rena lowered her gaze, her eyes falling upon the silver ring adorning the ring finger of her right hand. A faint, unconscious smile curved her lips.

Still, if Bai Zhi was so resolute, then Rena knew she could do nothing but lend her full support, could she?

‘Honestly, I feel as though Bai Zhi has completely tamed me…’

Rena mumbled softly, her words sounding like a complaint, yet her tone held not a trace of resentment, but rather a sense of helpless compliance.

Sitting upright, Rena gently patted her cheeks a few times, forcibly rousing herself.

“Since that’s the case, I must also fulfill my part of the work!”

Although the pre-battle preparations were still in their early stages, offering little scope for her direct involvement, she reasoned that preparing everyone’s meals and ensuring they faced each day with vigor could also be considered a contribution.

Rena told herself this inwardly, then rose and walked towards the kitchen.

“Perfect! The soup should be ready. While I’m in the mood, I’ll prepare the remaining dishes as well… Hmm?”

As if sensing something, Rena suddenly turned her head, only to see a small, slender figure cowering in the corner.

“Ranxin… you’re here.”

The figure was indeed Xia Ranxin. She had been hiding behind the wall since an unknown moment, and now she regarded Rena with a hesitant gaze.

Rena’s heart suddenly lurched. She hadn’t known when Ranxin had arrived, nor whether she had overheard the conversation between Rena and Bai Zhi.

After all, when Rena had been trying to persuade Bai Zhi earlier, she had repeatedly mentioned the low success rate of the operation and suggested abandoning it.

For Xia Ranxin, who was to play the perilous role of bait in this operation, failure would, in most scenarios, mean only one thing:

Death.

If Ranxin had inadvertently overheard her words, it would be too cruel for the girl.

Rena tried her best to maintain her usual composure as she beckoned Xia Ranxin to sit beside her.

“Where is Lin? I don’t see her.”

Soon after Xia Ranxin sat down, Rena preemptively asked.

“Lin… she was asked by the Black Cat Lady to go out and buy something. She’s not home right now,” Xia Ranxin replied. “So I came to find you, Rena. Lin said it was the only way to ensure my safety.”

“You can just call me Rena; I’m not a student, you know…” Rena offered an awkward smile. “Buying things, huh… Is it something needed for this operation?”

“No.”

Xia Ranxin shook her head.

“The Black Cat Lady said she was very interested in the cat food advertised on TV, but it doesn’t seem to be available in this city. So she asked Lin to buy it for her in the next city.”

“Cat food…” Rena’s expression turned quite peculiar. “Lin actually abandoned you and went out for such a trivial matter?”

“Actually… I initially suggested going with Lin, as she’s still quite unfamiliar with this world.”

Xia Ranxin nervously rubbed her hands.

“However, the Black Cat Lady suddenly said after that…”

Xia Ranxin paused here, deliberately imitating Bastet’s voice.

“‘Even a child can handle such a small errand as buying things. Are you truly going to bother your master for help? What an incompetent subordinate!'”

As she vividly recounted the words, Xia Ranxin wore a helpless expression.

“After that, Lin was provoked and insisted on going out alone to prove herself. So, I ended up coming here…”

“That creature… how old is she, to be provoked by such words?” Rena looked utterly speechless.

Ranxin offered a shy smile as she defended Lin.

“Lin… she just has that kind of personality.”

“And Bastet, too, thinking about such trivial matters at a critical time like this.” Rena complained, but Xia Ranxin saw it differently.

“Perhaps the Black Cat Lady had a deeper meaning.”

“Really? I think she simply wanted to amuse Lin,” Rena teased. “You always think too highly of others, Ranxin. From what I know, there are quite a few magicians with terrible personalities.”

“If you trust her so easily, you might end up being tricked like Lin one day.”

“No, the Black Cat Lady is one of the people who wants to save me. She would never deceive me like that.”

Xia Ranxin smiled, her tone filled with absolute certainty.

But then, her expression instantly clouded with a hint of melancholy.

“Actually… I overheard your conversation with Bai Zhi just now, Rena.”

“Ranxin…”

Rena’s smile froze. She was momentarily speechless, unsure what to say.

‘Ranxin must be terrified…’

Rena thought, yet she still proactively offered comfort to Xia Ranxin.

“What I said earlier was just my personal worries; you shouldn’t take it seriously. And look how confident Bai Zhi is; she must have already thought of all the solutions, so you don’t need to worry…”

However, Xia Ranxin remained distraught, offering no response to Rena’s words.

Seeing this, Rena sighed helplessly. She placed a reassuring hand on Xia Ranxin’s shoulder, speaking with earnest conviction.

“Don’t worry. We will do our utmost to protect your safety, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

“I… I’m not actually afraid.”

Xia Ranxin shook her head, forcing a bitter smile.

“It’s just that I suddenly realized just now… I always cause so much trouble for those around me.”

Rena paused, surprised. She had always known this outwardly delicate girl possessed an unusually strong personality, but she hadn’t expected that even in such dire circumstances, Xia Ranxin’s primary concern was still the fear of troubling others.

So, she inquired hesitantly:

“Ranxin, why… why do you think that way?”

“I’ve always known, but I was just afraid to admit it.”

Xia Ranxin lowered her head, her hands clasped together.

“The Shadow Beast is an incredibly troublesome monster. Even powerful individuals like Lin or Bai Zhi would find it difficult to deal with. Yet, despite this, Bai Zhi still said things like, ‘I will definitely protect you.'”

“That’s just her personality, you know…” Rena softly chimed in.

“Yes, that’s why Bai Zhi is truly an amazing person, like a hero… No, she *is* a hero.”

Xia Ranxin articulated her thoughts.

“Not just her; Lin, the Black Cat Lady, and you, Rena—everyone is working hard for my sake.”

As she spoke, Ranxin unconsciously lowered her head even further.

“Conversely, I, the weakest one, the one everyone protects… I can’t do anything at all.”

“That’s not your fault.”

Seeing her constantly belittling herself, Rena quickly reassured her.

“Any ordinary person would be helpless in such a situation. Rather, the fact that you can completely trust us and are willing to risk your life to accept that battle plan—your courage already surpasses many others.”

“But… this self-righteous courage, in the end, only hinders things.”

Xia Ranxin gave a bitter laugh, then turned to look at Rena.

“During our time together, I’ve gradually realized something: Bai Zhi is actually a person with a very strong sense of responsibility.”

“For someone like her, if something were to happen to me during the upcoming operation, she would likely suffer a great blow.”

At this, Ranxin gripped the hem of her clothes tightly. She couldn’t bear to imagine the scene of Bai Zhi’s potential breakdown.

“Rena, you tried to persuade Bai Zhi to abandon the operation at this critical moment for this very reason, didn’t you?”

“……”

Rena was momentarily speechless. She hadn’t expected Xia Ranxin to be so perceptive, instantly grasping the unstated meaning.

Xia Ranxin, however, continued speaking to herself.

“Bai Zhi is my hero. Even if the operation ultimately fails, it won’t be her fault. No one, including me, would blame her for it.”

Xia Ranxin’s hands rested uneasily on her knees, giving her a very constrained appearance.

“But even if I told her this directly, Bai Zhi would only smile and tell me to trust her; she wouldn’t truly accept the outcome of failure so easily.”

“And then I realized that I am gradually becoming a burden to Bai Zhi.”

Halfway through her sentence, Xia Ranxin clenched her fists, a hint of unwillingness in her expression.

“If I die, Bai Zhi will surely be very sad… So I must find every possible way to survive at the hands of that monster. But I don’t have enough strength to meet that desire.”

“I’m sorry…”

‘I am truly… too weak. I can’t even do something as simple as protect myself, which is why I’m dragging down Bai Zhi, dragging down everyone…’

Xia Ranxin’s face darkened. She turned sideways, her eyes complex as she looked at Rena, a bitter, unconcealed smile on her lips.

“If… if only I could be as strong as you, Rena, then Bai Zhi wouldn’t have to be so troubled.”

Rena watched Xia Ranxin in silence.

What troubled the girl before her was not the tragic outcome she might face if the operation against the Shadow Beast failed, but genuine concern for Bai Zhi, who might be devastated afterward.

‘How could someone like Ranxin be so utterly indifferent to her own life?’ Rena wondered. ‘She regards herself as less than dust, her only motivation to live stemming from the thought that someone would grieve her death.’

Xia Ranxin’s personality was undoubtedly twisted. Despite her harmless outward appearance, such a distortion would inevitably erupt one day, and when it did, it would surely hurt someone.

Rena composed herself, her gentle tone carrying an additional warning.

“Ranxin, I don’t agree with your way of thinking.”

“The idea that those without power can do nothing, and because they can do nothing, they are a burden to everyone—that thought is far too lazy and arrogant.”

“Huh! I didn’t mean…”

Xia Ranxin grew flustered, but Rena firmly cut her off.

“You presume to know the thoughts of others and stubbornly believe they will think exactly as you imagine; that is your arrogance.

You’ve convinced yourself that your weak self can do nothing, and so you genuinely stop thinking or doing anything; that is your laziness.”

Changing her tone, Rena shed her serious, stern demeanor, her expression softening instantly.

“But in reality, Ranxin, you are not as powerless as you imagine, and Bai Zhi is not as weak as you think.”

“But what else can I do besides standing in that position as bait?”

Ranxin looked particularly lost at this moment.

“In such times, simply believing is enough.”

Rena replied with a smile.

Familiar words fell upon her ears, and light sparked in Xia Ranxin’s eyes.

“Believing?”

“Believe in Bai Zhi, believe in Bastet, believe in everyone participating in the operation, and then entrust your life to us without reservation.”

Rena said softly.

“That alone is enough.”

“But… is that really okay?” Xia Ranxin couldn’t help but ask. “Ultimately, I still won’t have done anything, will I?”

“…Ranxin, in my original world, I was but a knight.”

Without directly answering Xia Ranxin’s question, Rena quietly spoke of her past.

“One of a knight’s duties is to protect the safety of all citizens, so I know very well how panicked a person can become when they are in danger.”

“Fear, doubt, and the distrust that arises from it, followed by acting rashly and ultimately dragging those responsible for protecting them into a dangerous situation—such examples are not uncommon.”

“In such circumstances, those who can wholeheartedly trust the people claiming to save them, and then place their lives into someone else’s hands—such mature and calm individuals are rare.”

“And this, precisely, spares those who come to protect them a great deal of trouble.”

Rena spoke, offering an encouraging smile.

“So, Ranxin, please don’t say things like ‘I can’t do anything’ anymore. In truth, you’ve already done very well.”

“But…”

Xia Ranxin seemed about to say something more, but Rena precisely interrupted her again.

Feeling herself pulled up by a sudden force, Ranxin was compelled to meet the gaze of the knight before her. Then, she heard a warm, powerful statement.

“Always remember, your trust will give strength to everyone.”

“Strength…”

Ranxin stared blankly at Rena.

Rena, in turn, nodded firmly, enunciating each word:

“And that kind of strength can bring about miracles.”