Chapter 52: The Unveiling of Change

“Grandma?” Xiaoke spun around, realizing she had been tricked. “Hey! You rascal!”

Upon turning back, she discovered that Eileen and Setia had already departed, leaving behind only a few gold coins.

“Xiaoke?” Grandma’s gentle voice drifted over.

“What is it, Grandma?” Xiaoke flew to her side.

Had Eileen and Setia still been present, they surely would have cursed, ‘You faker.’

Xiaoke gently took Grandma’s hand, observing her silver hair and tightly closed eyes.

As Eileen had mentioned earlier, the old woman was blind, despite the existence of magic that could restore her vision.

However, she herself seemed to have refused such an intervention. After all, if she were to open her eyes, what she saw might no longer be the Xiaoke from her memories.

“Did we have guests?”

“Two rather strange people came by,” Xiaoke replied.

“Then why didn’t you call me? Did the guests buy anything?” Grandma inquired.

“Of course they did! I’m not a child anymore, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Alright, alright, Xiaoke is the best.”

“Why did we suddenly run out like that?” Setia asked.

“For various reasons, you know,” Eileen replied, shrugging her shoulders.

The old woman in the clothing store was blind, and it was precisely because of her blindness that Eileen wished to avoid her.

The old woman distinguished Eileen from Kassim based on their voices and speech patterns.

It was for this very reason that Eileen feared the woman might recognize her from her manner of speaking.

“At any rate, our objective has been accomplished, hasn’t it? Let’s rest for a bit, then head back.”

The surrounding shops showed no signs of opening, so remaining there would be a waste of time.

Though Setia felt a touch of reluctance, Eileen spoke the truth. With no shops open, there was no reason to linger.

To press the matter further would seem a little too deliberate.

After returning to bid Liana farewell, the two boarded the carriage for their journey back. Eileen leaned by the window, lost in thought.

In just a single day, she had witnessed many things she had never perceived before.

These past five years had also revealed to Eileen that the words she had heard previously were not necessarily true.

“Setia… returning just like this might not be ideal,” Eileen mused.

“What’s wrong?”

“Wouldn’t it be rather impolite not to bring something back for Lady Faltis? I believe that’s a custom in the human world.”

“But it seems none of the nearby shops are opening, and Lady Faltis might not even be in the castle,” Setia pointed out.

Dragons, for their part, lacked such traditions. They held little interest in gifts given freely, finding a sense of accomplishment only in what they acquired with their own hands.

“You’re right…” Eileen’s gaze caught a glimpse of a shop. “Wait a moment!”

Eileen leaped out of the carriage window.

“Eileen?” Setia watched as Eileen scurried towards a shop.

Before long, she returned with several bags in hand.

“This is that shop I used to love! It wasn’t open when we passed by earlier, but I never expected it to be open on our way back,” Eileen said, handing a bag to Setia. “Try it? The taste is absolutely divine!”

“Mm.” Setia took the bag but didn’t rush to eat, instead watching Eileen.

Eileen scooped a spoonful of pudding, placed it in her mouth, and with a gentle press of her tongue, a delicate fragrance bloomed on her palate. It was the same taste as before—absolutely delicious!

“Eileen,” Setia called softly.

“Hm, what is it?” Eileen looked at Setia.

“You truly are like a completely different person,” Setia reiterated.

This time, Eileen didn’t panic excessively; she merely gazed out the window. “Setia, do you think change is a bad thing?”

Eileen’s question struck Setia speechless.

Was change truly a good thing?

This question had, in fact, been a persistent source of perplexity for Setia.

However, Eileen answered herself without prompting. “Whether change is good or bad, it remains an unknown until you actually make that change, doesn’t it?”

Eileen looked at Setia. “So, do you think this change I’ve made is good or bad? Do you prefer the old me, or the current me?”

The answer was inevitable. The old Eileen had been like a flawless machine, executing her master’s tasks without superfluous actions. The current Eileen, however, was more akin to a sentient being, capable of experiencing joy and sorrow.

Such expressions were almost entirely absent from the old Eileen.

“The current Eileen is better,” Setia mused thoughtfully. “The old Eileen, while perfect, was a little too serious.”

“If it were the old Eileen, she would have returned after completing the mission last night, not gone shopping with me, and certainly wouldn’t have listened to my request to buy an outfit…” Setia shook her head. “No, if it were the old Eileen, she would never have let me come along.”

‘I apologize for my past lack of human warmth.’

“Did Lady Faltis ask you to do this?” Setia inquired. “I’m very curious… Eileen, is this an act, or is this truly you?”

Setia felt a touch of fear, afraid that Eileen might suddenly revert to that maid who was somewhat familiar, yet utterly alien.

“Something like that…” If Faltis hadn’t restored her memories, Eileen likely would never have known she was once a Dragon Slayer.

The thought of Durandal trying to awaken her, only for Eileen to dismiss it as a hallucination, was truly mortifying.

“But this isn’t an act,” Eileen clarified. “Lady Faltis simply allowed me to have a few of my own thoughts, and that’s how I became like this.”

“Isn’t that wonderful?”

“You also think change is a good thing, don’t you?” Eileen looked at Setia. “Why don’t you try changing too, Setia? I think you could do even better than me.”

“Me?”

“Yes, yes! For example! Show your lovely face and don’t hide it with those bangs,” Eileen urged.

‘The Yan State map is too short!’

“Ahaha… I’ll try…” Setia chuckled.

Meanwhile, within the ruins of the Golden Sanctuary, a figure appeared in Izawa’s room.

She sensed the residual magical aura, an unfamiliar scent of magic permeating the space.

Following the traces of magic, she walked through the very spots Eileen had traversed yesterday.

With a wave of her hand, Izawa’s soul was grasped within her palm.

She saw a figure in white armor appear, its form blurred as if intentionally concealing its identity.

But her body began to tremble with excitement, and her breathing grew shallow. “Though your magical aura has changed, your fighting style remains identical to how you fought before… Kassim… you are indeed alive…”

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