A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 148 The Road Home

It was the same rain, the same road.

When they left, things were completely different from when they came.

Whether she was happy or upset, or even with raindrops falling on her face, her broad shoulders were always warm when someone carried her, but right now she only felt cold.

He has someone he likes, but it's not me.

Xia Dai'er is young and Quinn often makes annoying jokes like "naive and innocent," but she is not stupid after all. In the two months they spent together, she could always sense some awkwardness.

He didn't seem to have a crush on her as her brother said, or as she thought.

You can't hide feelings of liking someone. Like a magnet, you can't help but be drawn to the other person. It's an unintentional gaze, a favoritism in every gesture, a probing that goes beyond friendship and gets more and more complicated the more you try to hide it. But there was nothing like that. Quinn was like a magnet to her, but she wasn't to Quinn.

There was always a sense of distance between them, but Xia Dai'er deliberately avoided thinking about it, stubbornly believing that their feelings were mutual—Quinn was arrogant, dense, and a composed and cold adult, but he was definitely not indifferent to her.
But the worst possible outcome still happened.

Even after willingly surrendering her dignity and innocence, she was still rejected.

A sigh, like a lament, echoed in my heart.

Xia Dai'er, what are you doing?
Embarrassment? Pain? Sadness? Angry?
My mind was blank when I left.

He showed no emotion whatsoever, only a weak, self-deprecating tone feigned magnanimity.

Haha, what are you being so delusional about?
She ran downstairs without even getting dressed properly, and only after getting soaked did she realize that she had an umbrella. The umbrella she had secretly hidden was left by the entrance, but Xia Dai'er felt there was no need to take it anymore. Anyway, even with the umbrella patched up, she wouldn't be able to wait for a second person to share it with her.

In the drizzling rain, she wiped away the tears that had welled up inside her. She just wanted to run faster, but the thought of 'what if he catches up and takes me home?' kept creeping into her mind. In the end, she slowed down, feeling that it was impossible, yet unable to help but feel a little hopeful.
Until it was completely soaked by the rain, like being doused with cold water by God.

After turning one street corner after another and walking a long, long way, Xia Dai'er looked back silently, only to find that the mansion had long since disappeared at the end of the road.

Raindrops clung to her eyelashes and hair, casting a hazy, shimmering light over the world. The dim streetlights swelled from the rain. She didn't see the figure with the umbrella. Only then did the girl realize that the story of the knight silently protecting the princess on her way home would never happen in reality.

A sense of melancholy gradually welled up within me.

She stood there in a daze for a while, sniffled, and then went home.

My feet are so sore!
The mountain road was so difficult to walk on.

Everything was wet in the rain, both the rain and her emotions. Little by little, Xia Dai'er began to recall from the Goblin Cave.

It's like someone moving out is giving their old house a final cleaning.

Three months isn't a long time, but when you think about it carefully, it feels like so much has happened.

Once the beautiful filter was removed, Xia Dai'er realized that her rejection was inevitable. Many things were omens, but fate had simply tied the two of them together and then played a cruel joke on her.

If I were to say when I started to like him
When I first saw that wild man in the cave, I felt an inexplicable trust in him. After he chased away the goblins with a few slaps, my trust turned into thoughts like, "This man is quite interesting."

Before that, I had never found any person of the opposite or same sex "interesting".
Along the way, Xia Dai'er could feel many eyes lingering on her. After all, this was East Will, and she was heading towards the mountaintop; even on a rainy day, there would be people everywhere. But the conversations she used to receive had all disappeared, and even carriages were avoiding her. The world suddenly felt empty, with only the wind and rain accompanying her on her solitary journey.

The rain pattered against my face and body, and my hair felt as heavy as if it were tied with a stone. I must look incredibly pathetic. Who would want to bother with a stray dog?

Xia Dai'er wandered aimlessly through her memories. She wasn't very familiar with the roads, so she just kept walking towards the top of the mountain, figuring she could always get home eventually.

As the heavy rain stopped and the setting sun peeked out, memories caught up with reality. In the dazzling twilight, a corner of the imposing Branson Manor was revealed, and she knew she was almost home.

Those memories, whether happy or complicated, that figure that always made her look forward to, along with her insignificant and short first love, were submerged in the rain, replaced by dusk or night, until a new day arrived, a day when she no longer had to toss and turn.

"what"

She let out a long sigh. It wasn't anything particularly unforgettable, nor was it as painful as she had imagined; a good night's sleep would make it all go away.

Life is long, yes, life is long—this young lady doesn't need to care.

She looked up, and the sunset reflected in Mirror Lake was so bright that she could hardly open her eyes.

The moment the sunlight hit her eyes, she suddenly remembered that every Wednesday evening, Quinn would stop here to take her home. In a daze, she thought Quinn was standing in the old spot, waving goodbye to her, the setting sun shining on the man's back. She would always secretly stop until Quinn was far away. When her eyesight gradually adjusted to the light, there was nothing in front of her. The two of them could never go back to the relationship of chatting, taking walks and waving goodbye.

The rain stopped.

I'm heartbroken.

Tears suddenly streamed down my face.

Something seemed to be churning within her, and the sadness, pain, and emptiness poured out like a burst dam. She could no longer bear it, and she walked forward step by step, wiping away her tears and sobbing.

Until a woman's figure appeared before them at some point.

"Did something happen to the poor child?"

"No, it's nothing. My house is just ahead. Thank you for your concern."

do not Cry.

Do I look that bad? Should I smile?
Are you a follower of the White Sect?

".Um."

She then realized that her voice had become so hoarse that she was starting to catch a cold.

Then, she looked at the bell in the woman's hand. The diamond-like bell was inscribed with intricate and orderly divine patterns, and it was bound with a knotted rope woven from the stems of sacred flowers—a ritual object worn only by priests of the White Sect. The red, blue, and orange dyes indicated the woman's identity.
“I am Cardinal Amamiya Yu of the White Sect. Do not grieve, child. It was the goddess who brought us together here.”

Xia Daier rubbed her eyes, trying to see more clearly. Her red eyes flickered slightly, and she even temporarily forgot her sadness.

Anyone who witnesses such a pure, flawless, and excessively beautiful gentle smile would be involuntarily mesmerized.

"Your hair is beautiful."

Xia Dai'er sat by the flower bed at the entrance of King Ron's manor, while a woman named Yuu Amamiya gently and gracefully dried her hair with a towel, as if she were rubbing a dog's fur.

“Your Excellency, thank you.” she said cautiously.

Logically speaking, there is absolutely no way that a cardinal could be so young.

The White Church does not have a pope; instead, it has a "court of the gods" composed of cardinals who handle internal affairs. There are only twelve cardinals in total, most of whom reside in the Eastern Kingdom. The identity of the person appearing near Eswell with this name is already quite obvious.

Xia Dai'er couldn't help but feel a little awkward.

Her long, jet-black hair was elegantly styled into a spiral, and two natural bangs framed her delicate, oval face. A lace choker adorned her swan-like, long, and fair neck. She wore a simple, pale yellow dress, and through her exposed ankles, one could see sheer black stockings that were barely visible. It was as if the pure, youthful spirit and the mature charm of a married woman could coexist in one person.

Xia Dai'er had almost never felt inferior about her appearance, but at this moment she couldn't help but lower her eyes and dare not look at her for too long.

So beautiful.
She finally understood what the "most beautiful woman in the Southern Continent," the "moonlight that King Ron could not obtain," looked like standing before her.

How old is the woman in front of me? Twenty-five? Twenty? Or sixteen like her? I can't tell at all. The tall, beautiful woman next to her, puffing up like she's jealous, must be her daughter. They're both so pretty.
"Mom~!!" Amamiya Nene hugged her mother and pleaded, "I want my hair dried too, please help me dry it!"

"Go aside."

After drying Xia Dai'er's hair, Amamiya Yu handed the towel to her daughter and said, "Mommy has to work now, don't make trouble."

"Hey? What job do you do?"

"Mom must carry out the will of the goddess."

"The goddess really struck gold," Amamiya Nene scoffed. "When have you ever attended a single meeting of the Divine Court in all these years? People who only cause trouble and do no work still have to go to work."

Despite saying that, she still obediently picked up the towel and left, giving the two of them some space.

"Lord, Your Majesty Bishop."

Normally, when she met such an important person, especially a cardinal from the White Church, Xia Dai'er would definitely have maintained proper etiquette and treated him with respect, but she was in no mood for it right now.

"Thank you for your concern and help. My home is right next door, I'm fine."

Amamiya Yu stopped standing and sat down next to the flowerbed, not minding getting wet in the rain, and sat down next to Xia Dai'er.

"Actually, I can roughly guess—"

"..." Xia Dai'er looked at her timidly, her profile illuminated by the sunlight.

"Have you encountered a wonderful destiny?"

The setting sun was reflected in her eyes, and her tone was calm and natural, as if she were casually chatting: "For example, being rescued from danger, spending a lot of time with him for various reasons, and gradually, you realize that you've fallen for him without even realizing it."

Xia Dai'er's eyes slowly widened.

Amamiya Yu's eyes narrowed into crescents as she turned her head and softly asked the girl, "Are you wondering how I know?"

She couldn't help but nod.

“Actually, when I was young, I had similar experiences to you. Around your age, I suppose.” Amamiya Yu paused, then suddenly changed the subject: “Do you believe in fate?”

“Fate,” Xia Dai’er muttered, repeating the word. Looking back…

Everything that happened between her and Quinn seemed to be the work of fate.

"Are you saying that everything that happened between him and me was the will of the goddess?"

“God,” Yuu Amamiya said, examining the knotted bell on her pale wrist, “fate isn’t some divine will. The very existence of God is a struggle against fate.”

Xia Dai'er didn't quite understand. What Yu Gongxi had just said was absolutely treasonous. Believers were not allowed to speak ill of the gods, so she didn't dare to interrupt.

“Fate is like rain.” Amamiya Yu’s pure black eyes revealed a naive and innocent look. She stretched out her fingers and said, “Some raindrops will meet in the sky, and the wind that blows them is fate. And some raindrops will never notice each other’s existence until they fall to the ground, never intersecting, or just brushing past each other. Their trajectory is predetermined from the moment they fall, and that is also fate.”

So, were our fates destined to never intersect?

Amamiya Yu sighed softly:

"Judging from your appearance, it seems so."

"However, when things that shouldn't intersect end up intersecting, there's always a reason," she said, speaking in a strange tone. "For example, there might be a raindrop that doesn't belong to this world, falling from who-knows-where, and the wind can't move it. Some malicious beings want to keep it, so they send other raindrops to intercept it."

Xia Dai'er didn't speak, her eyes staring blankly at the wet hem of her skirt.

"You've met someone who's not easy to get along with," Yuu Amamiya said, stroking her hair. "Why did you fall in love with him?"

"I tried to control myself," Xia Dai'er said softly, as if she could be blown away by the evening breeze.

Upon hearing this answer, a complex and inexplicable soft light flashed in Amamiya Yu's eyes.

"I once asked my first love, if my love for him was a destiny meticulously woven by the gods, was it all real? Would we ever have a future together?"

"How did he answer?"

Amamiya Yu laughed, "Back then, I thought he would say something like a Marxist who doesn't believe in gods or ghosts, or that gods have health bars or something abstract, but he answered me very seriously—"

He said that fate may be swayed by the will of great beings, but love will not; love is the freedom of the soul.

What happened to you afterwards?

“That guy always suddenly becomes very reliable during these strange times.” Amamiya Yu smiled. “A reliable man is worth marrying, so he later became my husband.”

“You’re so lucky,” Xia Dai’er said enviously in a low voice. “The person I like doesn’t like me back. We’re like raindrops that will never fall together.”

"That's not necessarily true. If it weren't for those ill-intentioned guys, who knows if you two would have ended up together in the future? You're only sixteen, it's nothing, just try again—"

Amamiya Yu stood up.

"You'll have to work hard for that yourself. You've been chasing after things for a long time, haven't you?"

Xia Dai'er was slightly taken aback.

It was fine while walking, but now that I've been sitting for a while, my delicate little feet are burning with pain; they must be blistered.

The bell suddenly stopped above her head. Amamiya Yuu closed her eyes and softly murmured, "By the divine authority bestowed upon me by order. In the name of the Holy Spirit. I, Amamiya Yuu de Cavendish, spread the Gospel on His behalf, administering the grace of Holy Communion, in perfect goodness."

Holy light suddenly shone.

Her quiet, clear voice seemed to have a magical power; gradually, even the clamor of the evening breeze around us quieted down.

Holy light flowed in her eyes, and at this moment, Amamiya Yu was like a god among mortals.

Finally, the bell on her wrist gave a slight twitch.

"Healing in the name of the Holy Spirit and order."

The bell rang softly.

Ding.

A faint holy light condensed into a crystal-clear drop of water, which dripped from the bell.

Xia Dai'er naturally couldn't see the holy light dripping from above. She only felt an extremely comfortable coolness sweep over her whole body. In just a short moment, her feet were no longer in pain, and even the fatigue from walking all afternoon was swept away.

In addition, she felt that everything she saw seemed a little different.

She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different, but a feeling of freedom suddenly welled up inside her, as if some constraint had been cast aside, and even her breathing became lighter.

"You're cured. Maybe your sweetheart will like it. You should take good care of yourself." Amamiya Yu bent down and smiled at her. "After all, men are... well, some of them have strange obsessions with these parts."

"My Lord, Your Excellency—"

Xia Dai'er's eyes widened suddenly as she stared at the vast manor and the setting sun behind Yu Gongxi, stammering, "A person! A person! There's someone behind you?!"

Amamiya Yu did not turn around.

"What kind of person is he?" she asked casually.

"Long angel wings. So beautiful."

The figure, so beautiful it was breathtaking, appeared for only a fleeting moment before vanishing.

"Huh, it's gone?" Xia Dai'er looked around suddenly, puzzled.

Just now, it seemed as if even the sun, which stretched across half of the sky in the distance, had been obscured by it.

"You must have seen wrong," Amamiya Yu said with a smile.

"Uh, she seems to be rolling her eyes at you." Realizing that her words were impolite, Xia Dai'er quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, no, I must have been mistaken."

Her voice was no longer hoarse, and realizing that Amamiya Yu had treated her, Xia Dai'er hurriedly thanked her.

"Thank you so much, I'm fine, how could I trouble you?"

The clergy of the White Sect are skilled in healing.

The wealthy and noble families donate large sums of money to the White Religion every year, hoping to gain a chance to prolong their lives at the end of their days. As for the cardinals, who are at the pinnacle of the clergy, they are said to be able to bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded. Apart from the Eastern Kingdom's royal family, which can get cardinals to help, Xia Dai'er has never heard of the high priests of the Divine Court ever healing anyone.

Therefore, she was extremely apprehensive. A few blisters on her feet could be treated with some medicine, and physical fatigue was nothing. How could she allow a cardinal to perform divine magic?
Xia Dai'er originally wanted to say, "I'll donate all my allowance to the church next month," but when she saw who was in front of her, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

This is Lord Cavendish, whose wealth is comparable to that of a kingdom. One of the richest people in the world is standing right in front of you. Isn't that little bit of gold in pounds a laughing stock?

Seeing her stammering, Amamiya Yu smiled and patted her on the shoulder.

"Alright, let's go home now—well, you need to think about it."

".think?"

"Consider whether your feelings for him are just a momentary impulse or a result of a series of events causing you to lose your composure. In the name of the goddess, I assure you that your life has returned to calm, and you can have more time to think about your feelings."

As the sun set, the neon lights of the distant Cloud Avenue illuminated the scene. Arcane magic from the Eye of Grindelwald, accompanied by an airship, flashed past, piercing through the clouds. A wet-looking girl bowed deeply to the mother and daughter at the door before returning to the neighboring manor, separated by only a wall.

Hearing the panicked concern from the Branson family servants on the other end, Amamiya Nene, who had been eavesdropping, whispered to her mother, "Mom, do you know her?"

"do not know."

"Do you know the person she's talking about?"

“I don’t know him either.”

"Wow, what nonsense are you spouting? 'Calmly reflecting'? She's clearly heartbroken, okay? Trying to have fun at a time like this is just awful."

Amamiya Nene was indignant.

Amamiya Yu smiled, offered no further explanation, and took her daughter's arm as they walked towards the mountain town.

The setting sun shone on the path ahead of the mother and daughter, erasing the traces left by the heavy rain. The lakeside path was dried clean, and there was no need to worry about water accumulation, allowing them to comfortably enjoy the post-rain starry sky.

"I'm just helping her confirm whether this feeling is genuine. If not, she won't be troubled by it in the future. But if it is... who knows what will happen?"

"How do you confirm?" Amamiya Nene asked curiously.

"You'll know when you find someone you like."

"what do you know?"

"Love is something you can't think about calmly. Just like your dad married me, he knew what it meant, but he still did it."

"Hey, so why did Mom say you seduced him with black stockings?! Waaah, Mom, I'm sorry, please don't pull me!!"

(End of this chapter)