"Is this the address Shun sent?" In the deathly silent Nagazora City, a white-haired loli carrying a cross larger than herself glanced at the last address sent on her phone, compared it with the street situation, and confirmed something.
"It should be here… But why is it inside a manga shop? No matter what, a bank or something like that would be safer." Theresa habitually complained, but she had still underestimated the combat power on Shun's side.
With Mei and Misteln acting as gatekeepers, even an idiot goose couldn't break in. So for Shun and the others, safety wasn't the top priority when choosing a base.
Theresa easily pushed aside the manga shelves used to block the door. The moment she entered, she saw a pleasant surprise.
"Wow, the complete Homu manga collection!" Although the packaging was somewhat damaged, as a hardcore Homu fan, she recognized it at a glance.
"No, this isn't the time to think about Homu manga. Shun is still injured right now. I wonder how he's doing…" Theresa reluctantly stepped over the manga books scattered across the floor and walked deeper into the manga shop.
This manga shop was the largest in Nagazora City. Almost every work since the concept of modern manga was born could be found here. It was a full three stories tall.
Theresa browsed the entire first floor. Other than feasting her eyes, she gained nothing.
She then went up to the second floor. Compared to the first floor, the second floor was much tidier. It looked like there were no traces of anyone moving around. Theresa came to this conclusion after a quick look.
In that case, she might as well go straight to the third floor. Theresa didn't waste time. Although she spotted some works that caught her interest on the second floor at a glance, she still didn't choose to take a look.
Finally, she reached the third floor. Theresa had seen the architectural diagram of this manga shop. The third floor had a rest area and staff changing rooms. So if Shun and the others were on the third floor, they were most likely in those places.
There was only one thing Theresa hadn't expected: the moment she stepped onto the third floor, she saw someone she had longed to see.
That familiar white-haired figure filled her vision. In that instant, Theresa couldn't help but utter the name in her heart.
"Ce… Cecilia." Theresa couldn't believe it. The person before her was too similar to the Cecilia in her memories—not only in appearance, but also in demeanor and eyes. They overlapped perfectly with the figure in her heart.
At the same time, Misteln also saw Theresa carrying Judas. Looking at her expression, Misteln knew that Theresa had probably misunderstood.
But there was nothing she could do. Who told her to look exactly like the Schicksal Saint from over a decade ago? It was normal to have so many misunderstandings when wearing the same face.
"I'm sorry, Lady Theresa. I am not the person you imagine." Misteln's words pulled Theresa back to reality. After receiving the other party's personal denial, Theresa could no longer convince herself otherwise.
In the end, it was only her own delusion. Cecilia had already died in the Siberian snowfields over ten years ago. The dead cannot be brought back to life. If resurrection were that easy to achieve,
her grandfather wouldn't have needed to live for five hundred years without being able to revive Grandma Kallen.
After adjusting her emotions, Theresa extended her hand toward Misteln, who looked strikingly like Cecilia.
"Hello, I am Theresa Apocalypse. Are you the companion Shun mentioned?"
"Hello, Lady Theresa. I am Misteln Schariac. It's a pleasure to meet you." In truth, having inherited some of Cecilia's memories, she had known Theresa for a long time, but this was indeed their first meeting.
"Schariac?" Logically speaking, she should know all members of the Schariac family. There was no reason for a Schariac who looked identical to Cecilia to suddenly appear out of nowhere without her having any impression.
"How should I put it? Strictly speaking, I am not a Schariac recognized by the secular world. My Schariac name is actually self-proclaimed."
Misteln, born from the Schariac Stigmata, said this, just like how Kevin said he was not a Kaslana.
"Oh, I see." Theresa nodded and continued, "Where is Shun? How is his injury?" Although she also wanted to see her other niece, since Kiana was not injured, Theresa felt it was better to ask about Shun first.
"How should I say it? It's not very optimistic. Mainly because we don't have the means to treat radiation sickness, and the dual depletion of body and spirit has severely lowered his immunity."
"Is it that serious? Yet on the phone he still said… he was just slightly injured." Theresa suddenly thought of a certain someone who always said the same thing, and instantly felt her anger rising.
"What idiots! Why are the people around me all like this?" Theresa clenched her fist and said angrily.
"Let's not talk about that. Shun just woke up not long ago. Miss Mei is taking care of him. I'll take Lady Theresa over."
"You can just call me Theresa. Being called 'Lady' feels weird. Also, Mei… is she the Thunder Herrscher?"
"Understood." Misteln nodded and added, "Miss Mei's situation is a bit special. When you meet her, please treat her as an ordinary girl."
"I've dealt with the First Herrscher before. Don't worry, I won't have that many prejudices against Herrschers."
Misteln led Theresa to the door of the room where Shun was and knocked.
"Miss Mei, may I come in?"
"It's Sister Misteln. Please come in." Mei's voice came from inside the room.
Only after receiving permission did Misteln push the door open. This was actually a safety measure. To ensure the safety of those inside, Mei had released an electromagnetic barrier capable of decomposing matter into atoms.
It didn't matter for a memetic lifeform like Misteln, but any physical matter would inevitably face decomposition.
"Please, Theresa." Misteln gestured with her hand.
Theresa slowly reached out and gently placed her hand on the tightly closed door, then pushed with slight force. Accompanied by a soft "creak," the door opened. The first thing that greeted her eyes was bright and warm light pouring in from the large windows like a golden waterfall, spilling onto the floor. The entire room was illuminated by this ample natural lighting, with no dark corners anywhere. One could clearly see the fine dust particles in the air dancing freely, as if they too were enjoying the joy brought by this light.
Theresa slowly turned her head, and her gaze immediately fell on Shun, who was quietly sitting by the bed. He was leaning his back against a soft pillow, looking somewhat languid and relaxed, with a manga book placed on the quilt.
At this moment, Shun's originally youthful and energetic face was covered by an unmistakable pallor. That pale color was like a thin veil gently covering his cheeks, making him look extremely weak and sickly. This appearance was vastly different from the image Theresa had when she first met him.
Finally, Theresa's gaze landed on his empty sleeve. Her originally delicate little face turned pale, and her voice trembled slightly as she asked,
"Your hand… how did it end up like this?"