Starting with the defeated female knight

"In order to protect others, I accepted the help of an 'existent'."

Cecilia raised her hand and gently touched her 'clothes', her expression complicated.

The latter trembled slightly, even extending tiny tendrils to touch her fingertips, responding to her touch in this way.

"But it seems that the extent of this 'help' has exceeded our expectations."

Book 1: Chapter 19: Sister Vanessa

"I wonder what Lady Cecilia and her mother are talking about."

I guess they're talking about that living armor.

Meanwhile, in Edith's room.

Edith, dressed in her pajamas, lay on the headboard, stretching out her finger and gently drawing circles on the tentacles in front of her.

Knowing that his existence was not suitable for exposure, after entering the capital, although he was very curious about the situation of humans in this world, Grimm stayed obediently inside Edith's clothes until she stopped and indicated that it was okay before he poked his head out again.

It was a beautiful room, clean and tidy, stylish, with a good location and good lighting. Although I couldn't quite tell the materials, the bed and the surrounding furniture were obviously high-quality. The air was filled with a faint, refreshing scent mixed with the fragrance of a young girl.

"This is my room."

After saying that, Edith put Green on the table, took a shower, and changed into her pajamas.

After being away from home for so long, Edith finally lay down on her familiar, soft bed again. She squinted her eyes, stretched like a kitten, and looked completely relaxed.

After a moment, she let out a long breath, lay on her side by the headboard, stretched out her fair fingers, drew circles on the tentacles, and chatted casually with Grimm. As they talked, they started talking about the living armor Cecilia was wearing.

There's really nothing I can do about this.

Although they had promised to help Cecilia remove her armor and had tried earnestly, the result was beyond everyone's expectations.

It's unclear whether Cecilia was too outstanding as a host, or whether the tentacles absorbed too much power during the previous battle.

But anyway, after everything was over and he had recovered for a while, Grimm was surprised to find that the tentacles attached to Cecilia had evolved again.

Not only are they more robust and flexible, with higher energy absorption and transmission efficiency, but they also have many new functions, such as energy storage, hardening, and even short-term overload...

In a sense, this is a good thing, because it means that this living armor is no longer just an external energy circuit for Cecilia when she is injured. Even if she fully recovers, this armor can still provide her with a certain combat power boost—and it might even evolve.

But there is a small problem.

That was the price of growth; those tentacles swelled and spread, becoming increasingly intertwined with Cecilia.

In fact, if Green hadn't been trying so hard to control himself, shrinking and trying to detach from her body, at this point in time, he could have filled Cecilia's body completely, turning her into a breeding ground specifically for these tentacles.

At this point, Green's abilities alone were no longer sufficient to detach the tentacles from Cecilia's body without harming her.

Left with no other option, Green could only suggest that she return to human society and see if she could find someone to help her.

Upon returning to the church, Cecilia immediately sought out her adoptive mother and explained her situation.

"you this......"

Looking at the tentacle armor waving its little tentacles and greeting her, even the well-informed Sister Vanessa was a little at a loss for words.

"That's really... quite peculiar."

Sister Vanessa, strictly speaking, was just an ordinary nun—at least, according to the church's division of duties.

Even a dog on the street inside the church wouldn't treat her like an ordinary nun.

After all, even disregarding her status as Cecilia's adoptive mother, it's common sense that no ordinary nun could sit in that place for decades without her appearance changing at all.

Behind the scenes, there are rumors that Vanessa controls the healing industry, which is the economic lifeline of the entire church.

Faced with such rumors, Cecilia, who raised Cecilia from childhood, had to clarify that these were not just rumors.

Is the truth.

Vanessa's brow furrowed slightly as she gently stroked Cecilia's armor, then slowly relaxed.

Vanessa initially thought Cecilia was lying, since this thing didn't look 'kind' at all like what she described.

But after actually investigating, she was convinced that if the owner of the armor had any ulterior motives, or even just relaxed the controls a little, Cecilia in front of her would not be as 'complete' as she was now.

"He seems... to be someone who can be trusted."

Vanessa nodded, and the same gentle smile that she had shown before returned to her face.

"You said you brought back His 'eyes,' so can I see Him?"

Although Cecilia and Edith agreed before returning that Green's existence needed to be kept secret and they issued a gag order to the members of the investigation team.

Vanessa was clearly not included in this list, and Cecilia also prepared to write a report to present to the Pope separately—if he could still understand it.

"It's possible, but..."

Cecilia looked in the direction of Edith's room.

"He's with Edith now. The child just got back and should be resting..."

"I see."

Vanessa nodded and did not insist.

"Then let's wait until tomorrow. You've just gotten back and need to rest."

Vanessa patted Cecilia's head and said softly.

"I've already prepared the room, you can just go straight there."

"Don't worry about things at the church, I'll take care of it for you."

......

Edith is asleep.

After being away from home for so long, she finally returned home, and there was a tentacle by her side that she could confide in and find peace of mind.

The chatter gradually subsided, and the little hand that had been drawing circles slowly stopped.

By the time Green came to his senses, the sound had completely stopped.

The blonde little girl lay on the bed, her expression relaxed and her breathing even, though her sleeping posture was slightly indecent, and her loose pajamas revealed too much of her smooth skin.

Green sighed, thinking to himself that this child was becoming more and more casual. He then moved over and adjusted her sleeping position before covering her with the blanket.

Just as he finished doing everything and was about to leave, Edith, who was asleep, seemed to sense something and murmured in a daze.

"don't want......"

Okay, okay, I won't leave.

Helpless, Green, who had originally wanted to crawl around the room to investigate the surrounding environment, could only crawl back, starting from her fingertips and spreading all the way to wrap around her side.

Even though just a glance would be mentally corrupting, and the touch was actually somewhat cold and gloomy, Edith's expression became more relaxed and her breathing became longer after Green entwined around her.

All of this was observed by the pale blue butterflies fluttering outside the window.

"Although it does look disgusting, it doesn't seem like it's something malicious."

Vanessa smiled in the room, preparing to retrieve the butterfly.

But the next second, a patch of flowers in the grass below the butterfly seemed to be touched by something and trembled slightly.

A moment later, the trembling stopped, the flowers ceased their activity, and then...

He opened his dark green eyes.

Almost instantly, the wriggling branches shot out, brushed past the butterfly, wove into a small net in the air, and then contracted, binding the butterfly within.

Then, it was pulled in front of those eyes.

Vanessa's smile vanished.

Through the butterfly's perspective, she could see that the eye inside the flower was quietly watching her.

Yes, those eyes weren't fixed on the butterfly, but on the woman behind it.

She was absolutely certain of this.

"Would you believe me if I said it was just a misunderstanding?"

Vanessa tried to speak.

But that gaze remained silent.

then--

tear.

With a twisting sound, the vines tightened instantly, tearing the pale blue butterfly to pieces.

In that fragmented gaze, Vanessa saw the eyeball slightly move, turning towards the direction of her room.

Cold, indifferent, with a hint of staring.

It's like saying...

I've found you.

------

P.S.: There should be some ranking tonight, but it will be very late.

Volume 1: Chapter 20: Dawn City

Hey, you should have said it was your mother earlier! Look at the mess you've made!

Some time later, in Vanessa's room.

Edith, still sleepy-eyed, and Cecilia, looking embarrassed, sat on either side.

In the middle, dark green tentacles swayed slightly, and the nun in front of her wore a smile.

"No, it was my fault. Arriving without prior notice is certainly not proper hospitality..."

After noticing and crushing the butterfly, Grimm assumed he had encountered some danger upon his return, so he woke Edith and used the armor attached to Cecilia to summon her as well.

But when they actually met, Cecilia awkwardly explained the situation, and Vanessa apologized and explained as well, and the misunderstanding was cleared up.

"Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Vanessa, and I'm Cecilia's adoptive mother."

Vanessa smiled and spoke, her light blue eyes glancing slightly at the tentacles, as if confirming something.

“I am truly grateful for your help to this child. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know if I would ever be able to see her again. So if you need anything, please feel free to ask. As long as it is within my ability, I am willing to provide it to express my gratitude.”

"And as for that... garment, I've seen it too."

"That's definitely not your fault. She didn't think things through and overused her strength. The fact that she's in this state is a result of your efforts. Otherwise, her body would have completely collapsed by now."

No, it's not that bad. She meant well, and she helped me a lot.

The tentacles swayed and kept rising, barely managing to meet Vanessa's gaze.

The reason was simple: those two mountain ranges in front of him were just too damn obstructing his view.

If Edith is like a steamed bun, and Cecilia is like a white steamed bun, then the one in front of him can only be described as a giant watermelon.

He didn't show it when he came with hostility, but after the misunderstanding was cleared up, Edith put him on the table.

The milky-scented mountains stretched out in front of him, instantly obscuring Green's view. Without straining to look up, he couldn't even see her face.

[This would be considered a super-sized cup on some airline routes, right?]

Green thought to himself.

But strangely, despite its ridiculously large size—so large that even the most conservative and loosest nun's habit couldn't conceal its curves—it didn't appear out of place or deformed on the woman in front of him. Instead, it looked very harmonious and quite beautiful, even giving one the feeling that 'it should be this big! No, it can only be this big!'

Coupled with her gentle, maternal temperament, Green finally understood where Cecilia's physical abilities, comparable to those of an athletic student, came from.

[How could someone who's eaten so well since childhood have poor physical health?]

Of course, this is just a rant.

After all, according to Cecilia's previous introduction, Vanessa was only her adoptive mother and had never had a spouse or children, so naturally she couldn't feed her certain things.