Imperial Capital
"Hey, hey, is this the monster you fought with all night last night?"
In the carriage, Liqin looked at Zhixi sitting beside Aili and asked with a doubtful tone.
"I really don't want to say anything anymore, nor do I want to explain."
Aili held her head, looking as if she had a headache.
And next to her, Zhixi—
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
She had been treated to a al by that girl nad Yinhua.
Then, Yinhua said they were going to the imperial capital to participate in the Spirit Selection.
And then, for so reason, she just said she too was going to participate in the Spirit Selection.
Now, here she was, sitting in the sa carriage with her.
But she wasn't here for the Spirit Selection! What even was the Spirit Selection?
Hey, hey, hey, let off the carriage!
This was a misunderstanding.
Ever since eting Yinhua, had her intelligence taken a hit or what?
No, she just kept feeling that whatever Yinhua said, it would just beco so.
Was she crazy?
Zhixi's inner monologue.
"What's wrong, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Yinhua asked gently.
"No, nothing. I'm fine,"
Zhixi replied.
"Are you nervous because of the Spirit Selection tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah, isn't it you who said you wanted to participate? It starts at noon."
"Ah, right. Sorry, I'm just too nervous."
"Hehe, it's alright. I'm the sa—I get tense whenever I think of seeing my mother empress."
"Mother empress?"
"My master is the princess of this country. Her mother, naturally, is the empress."
Aili took up the conversation from Yinhua.
"By the way, you're not actually going to join the Spirit Selection, are you?"
Aili asked via magical voice transmission.
"How is that possible? I don't even know what it is. When we get there, I'll just make an excuse and leave."
"Then why did you get in the carriage with us in the first place?"
"Would you believe if I said I was ntally controlled?"
"I...!"
Damn it!
With considerable self-restraint, Aili resisted the urge to curse.
"You guys sure get along well."
Liqin looked over, seemingly now firmly convinced that Aili had been lying to her all along, and all that had been just to avoid eting this 'friend.'
But now they seed to be chatting so happily.
Could Aili be a tsundere?
"You'd better stop whatever you're thinking."
Aili could instantly tell that Liqin was imagining sothing improper.
"No, no, it's just rare to see you get close to anyone besides little Yin. Right, little Yin?"
"Little Yin?"
She turned and noticed Yinhua had already fallen asleep leaning against the carriage window.
'Falling asleep in such a bumpy carriage??? And she was just talking to a second ago?' Zhixi was startled.
"By the way, your master is really unfathomable. With my abilities, I can't see through her at all."
"... Ah, yes."
Aili replied.
'Is that really so?' Liqin wondered.
"Actually, it's because little Yin has zero affinity and zero compatibility with magic. That's why you absolutely can't observe her with magic."
"Zero?!"
No wonder Zhixi was so shocked.
In this world, which relied on magic, even the most ordinary person had a 5%–10% magic affinity.
A princess—soone of royal blood—could have a compatibility of zero, but as long as they had so magic affinity, they could use magical items.
If their affinity was zero, no flying carpet, scroll, magic book, teleportation gate, shopping device, not even healing potions or magic for recovery or disease could be used.
Such a person couldn't receive a priest's blessing nor the prayers of a Saintess and was nearly abandoned by the gods, with nowhere in this world to belong.
"Ah, sorry, I actually dozed off. I've just been feeling so sleepy recently."
Yinhua opened her half-closed eyes as she woke.
"It's fine. Maybe it's because you're too nervous, so your body can't relax, and you feel exhausted?"
Aili asked with concern.
"Maybe so. I just can't calm my heart whenever I think of tomorrow."
"Hey, Aili, if I fail... What should I do? No, should I say... do you think I'll succeed?"
"You'll definitely succeed. Even if you fail, I will stay by your side until this very heart ceases to beat."
"Following must be tiring. Almost everything is left for you to do."
"Please never say that!"
Aili suddenly raised her voice. Not only Yinhua, but even Liqin and Zhixi beside her were startled.
"......"
"Sorry, maybe I'm just not fully awake. Ignore what I said, I'm going to nap a bit more."
With that, Yinhua closed her eyes again.
"That one must really be unwelco in the palace,"
Zhixi witnessed it all.
She now realized she still underestimated how much Yinhua affected Aili—it was the relationship between the most devout believer and their god; Aili lived almost purely for Yinhua.
Just like she herself did once, becoming a weapon for a certain person—even if her body was destroyed thousands, tens of thousands of tis, she had no regrets.
"She must really be unwelco in the palace."
For the first ti, Zhixi used magical voice transmission to communicate with Aili.
"Mm."
"She has no magic compatibility, not even magic affinity. She has basically beco the family's disgrace, right? I guess she's been expelled from the royal family?"
"All of those people deserve to die!..."
"If I'm not wrong, you've already died once, so you see her as your rebirth. All these years, you've always looked after her—if not for you, I don't think she could have survived in this world, am I right?"
"Mm."
"You're soone at the top of the pyramid. Your lifeti might last thousands, tens of thousands of years, or even longer. But she's different—she's not even as strong as an ordinary human and might not even live to see fifty years."
"...... What are you trying to say?..."
"I'm just thinking—what if Yinhua isn't around anymore? What if she... died?"
"You!!"
Aili's eyes radiated a chilling coldness, as if she was ready to attack at any mont.
"I didn't an to provoke a fight, so calm down. This is sothing you're perfectly aware of—you're just running away from it. I'm just saying it out loud, that's all."
Yes, that was the truth Aili had always avoided: Yinhua's lifespan might not even reach that of a normal human, while her own life was almost without end.
The domain of Sages granted endless longevity—unless killed, it was nearly impossible to die.
At that mont, Liqin's voice ca, interrupting their conversation.
"What are you two talking about? The imperial capital is here."
Liqin pulled open the curtain, and outside was the hustle and bustle of prosperity.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】
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