::...::

"..."

((Well that’s the end of this lesson. The next time that we will meet each other, we shall be talking about the Dyson Theorem.... Oh, but you can only take that lesson if you manage to return alive from your trip to the Ancestral Tomb...))

Before Wisteria and the others could make sense of what he said, the Pope quickly disappeared, in a manner that was similar to how he came in.

His body just faded from the spot, as if he did not exist at all.

::...::

"..."

"I hope he does not come back for now. Having him here is always creeping me out."

::This is the only time that I am happy that I don’t have a body... Seriously, that Pope of yours is weird, Alina.::

"Tsk, you don’t need to tell it to me again. I always suffer under that gaze of his everyday...."

::Everyday? Poor you, Alina. And here I thought you are having a good time here...:::

______________

Wisteria’s body was still reeling from the pressure emanated by the Pope, hence her surprise when he chose to suddenly left them.

He did not even let his ’students’ ask questions, making his ’lesson’ sound more like a long ’story telling’ session from him.

This sudden departure naturally had Wisteria relieved, as she now felt free from the Pope’s weird gaze.

However, she also felt slightly distressed from the departure, as the Pope did not even finish his lesson.

He just left the area, leaving Wisteria and the other two women full of more questions for him.

{Okay, I get it if he wants to leave. But seriously. He did not even elaborate more about the Ancestral Tomb. He just told us what it is, but he did not give more details about it. Is that his so-called lesson? Hmph, even my younger brother can teach better than that!"

Wisteria had a belly full of rage at this point, with most of it obviously directed towards the eccentric Pope.

How could not Wisteria get angry at him?

Not only did the Pope pepper her with his unsettling observation, she even left them before they could clarify his details about the Ancestral Tomb!

Such irresponsibility is unfitting to be performed by anyone, and for it to be seen on a Pope out of all people just makes it worse!

"Even I do not know how I managed to endure that man’s weird actions, Wisteria. So don’t ask me. Just treat my endurance as limitless here..."

Earlier, Wisteria felt envious about Alina’s current status, as the latter seemed to have already gotten one of the best treatments here in this world.

But after encountering the Pope, Wisteria realized that her follies were nothing in comparison to Alina’s problems.

Wisteria might be grappling with her mission today, but Alina was both dealing with a weird man and a partner who left her behind.

Anyone who will be in Alina’s shoes will surely be pressured, and it is a miracle that she still had not given up.

Fortunately for Wisteria, the swordswoman Alina was not the type of person who gets irritated from petty thoughts.

"...Wisteria, you don’t need to apologize to me anymore. What we should do now instead was to plan our approach in regards to the Ancestral Tomb" Alina replied calmly. "Oh and don’t be worried about me. I am fine, even though I look weak."

Alina still looked pale even after the Pope left, but the pallor on her face had enough color in it, which indicate that she’s ready to move normally again.

Alina’s body was still trembling though, which is to be expected given the fact that she had just faced a Transcendent Being head-on.

"Wisteria. You don’t need to worry about me already. I am fine. What we should worry instead is the Ancestral Tomb..." Alina had no energy to look angry, but the sudden rise on her voice made her irritation at Wisteria’s question obvious.

If Wisteria tries to ask another question to Alina this time, the latter will undoubtedly get pissed more.

Wisteria realized this, so she could only reluctantly drop the matter.

"...."

_______________

With the threat of the Pope gone, and with a new uncertain future waiting for them, both Alina and Wisteria found themselves going silent.

They were unsure on what to do or say next, since they don’t have anything that they can use to proceed forward.

Even if both of these women are itching to make a move already, what can they do with all the paltry info that they received?

If they don’t get much more information than what they have, they will be doomed to be stuck here on this disgusting place.

"..."

Alina might not say it, but Wisteria knew that they’re still in a dead-end. And they will stay this way unless they do something about it.

Or so Wisteria had thought.

"Hmph, since you know what is right, then you should know what to do next. Wait a second, do you know what to do next, Wisteria?"

Wisteria had already decided to confer with Astria in regards to their future moves, but the sudden question by Alina brought her to a halt.

"Seriously... You don’t know what to do?"

The question by Alina earlier made Wisteria inwardly panic, but after hearing Alina ask the same question this time, Wisteria realized that she appeared to be missing out on something.

This did not make her feel well at all, and the subsequent suspicious gaze by Alina made her feel worse.

As much as Wisteria tried to analyze what Alina had told to her, she still could not comprehend what the latter was saying.

Wisteria still had no idea on ’what to do next’, and the only thing that she could think was that this whole situation was ridiculous.

And it even became much more incomprehensible when Astria joined in on the conversation, with her words in line to what Alina was saying

:::Wisteria... both Alina and I have an idea on what to do next. How come you don’t?::

"Wisteria. What is happening with you? Why don’t you know about it? Are you sick?"

::Alina... I hate to say this, but I think Wisteria might be really sick.::

"It is too early to diagnose her as sick, Astria. Let’s just wait for a few days if her situation gets worse."

::Oh right, we can do that. Should we start that now?::

"Yes, I think we should."

{Hey! Stop talking about me as if I am already dead! I am still here, you know!"

"...."

::....:::

{Hey! Why are you looking at me like that? No matter what you say to me, I don’t have any clue on what to do next!"

"...."

::...::

{Hey... don’t stare at me like that. Unlike you two, I am not that intelligent. So please tell me what you are thinking. Please tell me the ’task’ that I should do...."

"...."

::...::

With both Alina and Astria treating her as if she was an idiot, Wisteria found herself barely containing her disappointment. And this disappointment just got higher and higher, especially when these two women did something unexpected.

"..."

::...::

As if they were robots who had their batteries dead, both Alina and Astria suddenly stood still on their spots, with their bodies barely moving and their faces staring blankly at Wisteria.(Astria’s body is her Soul Body)

They did not say anything else after assuming this position, and they stayed this way, even when Wisteria was already looking creeped out by them.

They also lost signs of life, making them look like statues rather than live people.

Wisteria is a person that is hard to spook, but even her courage faltered in face of her two allies who did not stop on observing her blankly.

The actions of these two women made it seem as if they were waiting for Wisteria to say something, and that they will not stop waiting until she says what they want to hear.

Such actions served to scare Wisteria more, and the current her found herself helpless.

But as much as she was fearful, Wisteria found herself unable to express her fear fully.

How could she even have the energy to be fearful right now, when she realized that both of her allies are not acting normally?

Sure, what Alina and Astria are doing now might be a prank, but after their run-in with the Pope, Wisteria had a suspicion on what is happening now.

Wisteria is only 60% sure about this, but there is a possibility that the Pope had activated his power during his visit, and now this power was manifesting its effect on Alina and Astria!

That could be the reason why these two women are acting like this, and why they seem to be moving just as weird as the Pope.

::...::

The more that Wisteria observed the two, the more that she became sure of it.

Alina and Astria were indeed affected by an ability from the Pope, and it seems that Wisteria was the person who has to deal with this ability....

Now, all that matters was for Wisteria to find a way to clash with this ability, which for the current her is almost an impossibility...

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com