Strength 99999 but the Holy Sister

Although Sophia was blind, reading the letter was not difficult for her. Sophia opened the envelope and her fingers brushed across the letter paper. The magic light made each word appear in her mind.

The priest kept watching Sophia's expression until she showed hesitation, then he slowly spoke:

"The lord wants me to convince you, but I think the decision on this matter should be left to you. Are you willing to go? To Dammas City. This time, the client is the lord himself. If you can fulfill his request beautifully, I think he will remember you. This is a good opportunity for you."

Sophia was silent.

Of course she wanted to go, because Vivian was in Dammas, and she missed her terribly. For the past year, she had missed her daughter all the time. But she also knew that Vivian had suffered countless cold stares and malice because of her identity as a witch. Sophia didn't know whether her appearance would bring joy to Vivian or...

But it is difficult to hide the longing, which is the innate "selfishness" that everyone has. She really wants to see the Vivian in the letter who is smiling again.

"Can you let me think about it? I haven't touched upon Abyssal Magic for a long time. I think I should look through some of my old manuscripts first."

Sophia made an excuse for herself.

"Of course, if you ever make a decision, you can always contact me. However, I believe there's no daughter who doesn't miss her mother. No matter where she is, she'll definitely be happy to see you."

The priest hinted at something and left.

Sophia returned to the house, sighed, and stared at the broken cup on the wooden table in a daze.

On the other side, the priest was leaving the forest, but halfway, he slowly stopped, his eyes paused, and looked towards the woods beside him.

"Who is there?"

As he finished speaking, a figure in a gray robe appeared out of thin air. It was a beautiful woman riding a deer. Her gray dress outlined her seductive figure. She looked at the priest sideways.

The priest frowned tightly, and the wrinkles on his face slowly twisted together. His eyes were solemn. He naturally learned about the arrival of the Ash Witch from Sophia. He had to treat this witch who had betrayed her contract with the church with caution.

"Ashe Witch? I thought you had escaped. I didn't expect you to appear again. It seems like you have been waiting for me here for a long time."

"Are you the priest of this town?"

Grace slowly slid down from the deer's back, her long gray skirt falling to the ground with her.

"Let me ask you, why did you go to see Sophia?"

She asked expressionlessly, but the priest could see the displeasure in her eyes.

"I have no obligation to answer you."

"She's my best friend, I need to know all this."

Grace spoke each word clearly, and she walked towards the priest, leaving burning footprints in her wake, with a thick threat hidden in her eyes.

"If you don't tell me, I'll make you tell me."

"No, Witch of Ashes, you have betrayed the agreement between the church and witches. You cannot get any information from me," the priest said, watching Grace's actions. "Go back to where you belong. You should know that your arrival will provoke conflict—both for the church and for your best friends."

"Shut up! You're just a lackey of the Holy See, you have no right to lecture me!"

The blazing flames swept towards the priest along with Grace's roar. The barrier of holy light rose instantly, blocking the scorching wind and waves steadily outside his body. The priest snorted coldly, his black robe rolled up, and a silver flail and a cross shield appeared in his left and right hands.

All the wrinkles on his face seemed to be wiped away by the surging holy light at this moment, bringing him abundant strength.

"You have usurped the Holy Light, Ash Witch. Stop your magic! Don't be stubborn and keep making the same mistake again!"

The heavy hammer head of the flail carried holy light to dispel the flames and shouted to Grace.

But Grace ignored it.

"See how long your feeble Holy Light can protect you."

Seeing this, the priest knelt down and raised his shield, turning into a fortress of holy light and suddenly rushing towards Grace. The rich light was like a broken bamboo, easily breaking through a glorious path in the flames. However, with a snap of Grace's fingers, the trees around the priest, the grass under his feet, and even the soil burst into a blazing light.

The priest's eyes darkened and he suddenly pulled off the cross on his chest. The cross emitted a dazzling light, and the next moment a small mushroom cloud rose in the forest, startling a flock of birds.

At this moment, in a small house deep in the forest, Sophia suddenly raised her head. Without any thought, she immediately opened the door and stepped out. A piece of ice crystal paved a clean and bright road out of thin air, sparkling in the sun. The trees around Sophia quickly retreated, and a wooden staff appeared in her hand.

Soon, she felt a magical aura that couldn't be more familiar.

"Stop it! Grace!"

bang——

The ice crackled in the heat, and Sophia's magic shook Grace away from the fallen priest.

Sophia stood in front of the priest and raised her staff towards Grace - her gray eyes were invisible, but filled with deep disappointment and sadness.

She felt the chilling abyss in the air.

She will never forget that feeling.

"Grace, why...why can't you let go of the abyss?"

Sophia spoke in sorrow, but Grace just smiled.

"Sophia, you're just in time."

Grace's hoarse voice was filled with sarcasm. She looked into Sophia's dim eyes and took a step back.

"I don't want to fight you, Sophia, my dear friend, but you truly disappoint me. You actually stood against me, directed your beautiful ice at me, while protecting an outsider. Is this all I hold in your heart? Look at yourself, you seem increasingly compatible with that filthy Holy Light." As she spoke, resentment and hatred crossed her face. "You even refused to confess everything to me, instead trusting someone from the Church."

"No, that's not the case," Sophia shook her head in disappointment. "Grace... if you're unhappy with me, you can just hit me directly, but you shouldn't hurt an innocent person..."

"He's not innocent."

Grace had restrained all her flames and mounted the gray deer.

"The Church took everything from me, Sophia. They killed the witch, killed everyone, took away our hope, and then deceived you with the false holy light."

"Don't mention those days anymore, Grace... You know they've gone mad. The abyss swallowed them... If it weren't for the Church, even we wouldn't have survived..."

"But we're almost there! If we succeed, no one will die!"

"There are no ifs, Grace. Everything has already happened. The answers we seek do not exist in the abyss. It will only drive us mad. You should know this. Stop using those self-deceiving excuses to numb yourself! You promised me that you would never again be involved in anything in the abyss. Have you forgotten?!"

Grace was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"It's a shame. Sometimes promises need to be broken, and you can't understand that... How sad that such a great distance has already been drawn between you and me. There's nothing more to say. I will prove to you that I, we are right, and that the sacrifices of the Witches' Society will not be in vain. You have disappointed me so much, Sophia. As you wish, I will not bother you anymore. By the way, my next stop is Dammas. I want to see our daughter."

"Grace, you!... Stop!"

Grace didn't say anything more and rode the gray deer into the forest. Sophia raised her staff but had to give up in the end.

She knew that she couldn't stop Grace, because Grace had once again absorbed the abyss into her body, and her strength was far stronger than her who had abandoned magic for many years. If she fought with Grace, not only would she not be able to hold Grace back, but the seriously injured priest might also die.

Sophia gritted her teeth, took out the potion, squatted down and handed it to the priest.

The priest felt much better immediately after drinking the potion.

"Ahem...thank you."

The priest looked at Sophia deeply and shook his head.

"The Witch of Ashes, she's going to Dammas... Is it for your daughter? Sorry, she's been rummaging through my memories, and she seems to know about our conversation..."

Sophia remained silent.

Searching memories, this seems to be Abyss Magic - because Grace is not good at mental magic, but Abyss Magic can do all this without mental operation.

Seeing this, the priest stopped asking questions and shook his head.

"Her strength is beyond my expectations... Is this also the power from the abyss?"

Sophia looked in the direction Grace left and nodded.

"She's stepped into the abyss again. I'm sorry... I didn't know she would take this step again..."

"Don't blame yourself, kid. This isn't your fault. I don't know if anything happened between you two, but a lot of times, heaven and hell are just a matter of a thought. People change."

Sophia pursed her lips, lowered her eyelashes, and sighed softly.

"Goddess...will you really forgive the sins of us witches..."

"I do not know."

The priest said.

He picked up the burnt flail and shield and put them at his waist. Then he bent down, took the broken cross pendant in his hand and wiped it carefully with his sleeve, revealing its dull silver color.

"Forgiveness is the goddess's mercy. Mortals like us cannot peek into it. All we can do is atone for our sins."

Sophia's gray eyes looked up at the sky, remembering what Grace had just said.

"No, I have to go to Dammars and get there before Grace."

She said.

……

The competition finally came to an end in the afternoon. After the evening, the nuns had time to rest and review the scores. Before the rematch on the next day, several people who advanced and several people who had "second qualifications" would be selected, and the rest would be eliminated.

Vivian returned to the room with a feeling of confusion and relief.

Filia brought Vivian some delicious fruits and desserts. Unlike Elsa, Filia was an outsider in all aspects, so she did not receive an invitation to attend as an audience member. In the morning, she left the monastery and walked around the city, bringing back these things.

Filia had already learned about the trials from Aisha. Knowing that Vivian lost the first game, she did not deliberately mention the trials. Instead, she chatted with Vivian about some less important topics in order to ease Vivian's mood.

However, Vivian was not sad or depressed because of the defeat in the first battle, but was thinking about other things.

"Do I have to win the trials?"

Vivian murmured softly, curled up with her knees hugged.

"But, is it okay if I lose?"

She knew that both Elsa and Filia expected her to win, but this expectation was based on the fact that both Elsa and Filia believed that she wanted to become a holy nun.

But in fact it is not the case.

Vivian really wanted to confess all this to Elsa. She really wanted to tell Elsa that she just wanted to stay with Elsa, wanted to continue to be friends with Filia and Ruth, and wanted to live with her mother in a place where they would not be treated with hatred by others.

Vivian felt that she was becoming more and more greedy. She used to be easily satisfied.

Maybe this is how people are. Once they get something they like, they want more and more. However, this greed will only make people fall into confusion and pain.

Regardless of whether the selection is successful or not, everything Vivian likes will always change, this is the fact.

At this time, Aisha returned to the room.

Vivian looked at Elsa's beautiful profile, and once again remembered the words Elsa said in her ear last night - between inquiry and questioning, but also closer to the truth.

Her heart was throbbing, and Vivian felt that she had so many things she wanted to say, but they were almost squeezed out of her throat by the violent heartbeat.

I originally just thought Elsa was pretty, but now my heart is beating fast.

Do you want to tell Elsa?

Tell Elsa now. If it's Elsa... I can rely on her, right? If it's Elsa, she won't hate her or look down on her, right? Because Elsa said so, so that's it.

But just as Vivian was gathering up the courage to speak out about her struggles and confusion, there was a knock on the door.

Elsa pushed open the door and saw Sir Hibern waiting outside - he seemed to have something to say, but when he saw Vivian, he couldn't speak.

Aisha knew that it was probably about Vivian's mother.

"Let's go out and talk."

……

------------

201. It came so fast

When they parted ways that year, Sophia and Grace made a promise.

"You should stay here, in the Empire. The Church will welcome you. They need your brilliant wisdom and rich knowledge. I trust your judgment, Sophia. Besides, you also want to stay with Vivian, don't you?"

At that time, Grace said with a smile, but there was hope and determination in her tired eyes.

"But...what about you? Where are you going?"

"I will leave here and go to the Kingdom, to the Federation, to the Grand Canyon, to the Elf Forest, to the other side of the sea... I will go wherever miracles have happened and legends have visited. Those treasures and lost magic may still exist somewhere, and maybe I can find the answer there."

Grace said with a smile.

"Sophia, although we two will part ways here and embark on different paths, one day we will find a future where witches can grow and live like ordinary people."

At first, Grace would write Sophia a long letter every time she arrived at a place, telling her where she had been, what stories she had heard, and who she had met. But as time went by, those letters gradually became less frequent and shorter.

Then it disappeared.

Sophia couldn't contact her for a long time.

Sophia didn't know what Grace had been through, whether she had deliberately avoided contacting her, or whether she had other difficulties. So when she received Grace's letter again, Sophia was extremely surprised, but the reality disappointed her.