Ray lightened his steps, falling beside the young woman like a feather.
Cartethyia was leaning against a mottled stone pillar, fast asleep. Morning light filtered through the gaps in the vines, dancing on her gently fluttering lashes.
A faint smile played at the corner of her lips, as if she was having some sweet dream.
"This... this is... the holy meal..."
"Green Branch... Laurel Salad... from now on... the Order of the Deep... must... have this every day..."
"Can't... can't be picky... this is an order from the Saintess..."
Ray leaned closer, and those fragmentary murmurs fell into his ears, making him laugh softly.
It seemed this Saintess wasn't as unworldly as she appeared on the surface. This childish authority was more like a child secretly wearing an adult's cloak.
If Phoebe ever found out that Green Branch Laurel Salad would henceforth be a permanent fixture on the Order of the Deep's dining table, she'd probably pout and tug at his sleeve, complaining.
"Cartethyia?"
Ray called softly.
But the young woman showed no reaction, her eyes still closed, sleeping soundly.
"Saintess?"
After a moment, Ray called again, this time raising his voice slightly.
Cartethyia's eyelids trembled.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, murmuring softly, "Mm... good morning... still so... sleepy..."
Perhaps because she had just woken up and was still defenseless, her blue eyes reflected the faint morning light, rippling within them.
As she slowly turned her head and her gaze fell on Ray, time seemed to freeze for an instant...
Then she shrank back like a startled little animal, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her skirt.
"W-When did you..."
"Was I just..."
A blush crept onto her cheeks. She frantically tidied her disheveled hair, every movement betraying an unplaceable shyness.
Watching the young woman's adorable, flustered state, the corner of Ray's mouth lifted slightly. "So the Saintess talks in her sleep too?"
"I... I talk in my sleep?" Cartethyia's face grew even redder. "Forget it! Forget everything!"
"The Saintess's sleeping face isn't something just anyone gets to see. I wouldn't want to forget such a beautiful sight."
Cartethyia slightly turned her face away, her little mouth pouting, murmuring softly, "Th-this is an invasion of privacy! If the Order of the Deep found out, you'd be sent to the Penitentiary to reflect on your sins!"
Invading the Saintess's privacy only warranted reflection on one's sins?
That was nothing. He'd thought it would mean a pilgrimage ship.
"Unfortunately, the Order of the Deep's reach doesn't extend here." Ray spread his hands helplessly and sighed. "But, Saintess, you seem to have a special fondness for Green Branch Laurel Salad. Speaking of which, you've been here for twenty years. What do you usually eat?"
As he spoke, he looked around.
Besides all these plants, there was nothing edible here.
Could it be that the esteemed Saintess had been living like a hermit, eating grass all these years?
"Don't call me Saintess..." The tips of Cartethyia's ears reddened even more. "Just call me Cartethyia. As for eating... actually, I don't feel hunger here."
"Otherwise, I couldn't have stayed here so long. But if I had the chance, I'd still like to taste Green Branch Laurel Salad again."
"What's so good about that sour, astringent dish? Even Anby shakes its head at it..."
"What do you mean!" Hearing someone badmouth her favorite food, Cartethyia immediately turned her head, her blue eyes shining with earnest light as she argued, "Green Branch Laurel Salad is delicious! It's not only sweet and tasty, but also very nutritious. Back when I was at the Order of the Deep, I could eat it for three meals in a row!"
"Your taste reminds me of someone I know." Ray's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Speaking of which, I once met a former Carnival laureate at the Fool's Troupe. The Sentinel had recommended Green Branch Laurel Salad to him too. Later, the dish was even designated as a holy meal by the Order of the Deep, to be enjoyed several times a week."
Cartethyia scratched her head sheepishly. "Actually, that was me."
"Huh?"
"The body is the temple of the spirit; one should eat less food that is harmful to it, that's what I said, I think." Cartethyia said. "Actually, after I became a Resonator, the voices the laureates heard were all mine. What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ray pressed his lips together, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Nothing. I just remembered something funny."
Cartethyia turned her head away with a soft hmph. "What's so funny about that! Green Branch Laurel Salad is the most delicious food in the world!"
But soon, she turned her head back to look at him. "By the way, how did you get in this time? Did you find a way to break through Leviathan's seal?"
"Something like that." Ray nodded and told Cartethyia everything that had happened recently, including the ordeal on the pilgrimage ship and Ciaccona's help.
Hearing what the Order of the Deep had done, Cartethyia looked deeply pained.
"What is the Order of the Deep doing now?"
"To come up with such a vicious scheme, have they all forgotten their original purpose?"
"These people..."
Her clenched knuckles turned white. Her eyes, always full of starlight, were now filled with pain.
She bit her lower lip, as if to stop more angry words from spilling out, but in the end, she could only let go of her clenched hands.
After all, to the people of Ragunna, their revered Saintess had already been martyred in the catastrophe twenty years ago.
Now, even if she had a thousand words to say, she couldn't cross the wall built by time.
"Who is the Primus of the Order of the Deep now? What is that person doing?"
Ray thought for a moment. "The Pontifex? I think it's... Fenrico?"
"Fenrico?" Cartethyia's eyes lit up, then she fell into memory. "That guy? He's really come up in the world."
"You know him?"
"Something like that. We met a few times at the academy." She nodded gently, then sighed softly after a moment of silence. "I wonder what the Order of the Deep has become now..."
"Oh, right." Ray suddenly remembered something very important. "Didn't you ask me to bring you some books?"
"Huh, you really brought them?" Cartethyia looked incredulous.
"Something like that. I brought a helper." Ray looked at the Tacet Mark on the back of his hand. "Anby, your turn."
Before he finished speaking, the little creature leaped lightly from the Tacet Mark and floated in front of Cartethyia.
"Wow! Another girl I've never seen before!"