Free Web NovelThe Tribunal was located halfway up the mountain, built with grandeur yet serenity, without any of that overbearing sharpness. The round-towered palace complex with platinum-tiled roofs looked more like clusters of white lotuses, quietly blooming in a corner of the mortal world.
“Senior Sister Shiyu is actually a good person, it’s just that she becomes overly enthusiastic when she sees pretty and cute girls.”
As they walked along the staircase that vanished into the dense fog, Rania held onto Vieya’s cool little hand, preventing her from accidentally getting separated in the mist.
“Senior Sister?”
Vieya usually didn’t ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) care much about other things, but she was curious about this particular title. She immediately lifted her small face and asked: “But she looks younger than you. Could it be she’s a genius?”
“Mm... Little Miss Vieya, didn’t you say you also studied at the Tower of Knowledge?”
Rania was a little doubtful, but when she saw the child’s innocent, curious eyes, she let go of her doubts and gently explained: “Senior Sister Shiyu is a very famous figure in the Tower of Knowledge. Those widely circulated branded runes were all improved from ordinary runes by her, and she even succeeded in making them cheap and mass-producible.”
“Is that so? What’s a branded rune?” Vieya didn’t understand, so she asked.
Rania patiently explained: “It’s something that can be inscribed onto all kinds of weapons and equipment, even everyday tools.”
“Even an ordinary glass cup? Wouldn’t using it like that reduce the lifespan of the vessel carrying the rune?” Vieya was stunned.
Rania shook her head. “Of course not—unless you inscribed a self-destruct type rune and deliberately triggered it. Branded runes are lazier than ordinary ones; they’re like children’s doodles.”
Then she sighed. “The only pity is that the power inside has a shelf life. Once expired, that power just dissipates on its own.”
While chatting, the two reached the end of the stairs, where the majestic buildings came into view.
At just a glance, Vieya saw several Tribunal knights escorting a group of people whose hands, feet, and necks were all bound in shackles, leading them toward prison wagons. Among them were both men and women, humans as well as demons.
“This is...” Vieya frowned, a faint unease rising in her heart.
“Someone was selling weapons and equipment to the demon race—on a massive scale. These people are just small fry; the big fish are still in the sea.” Rania sighed.
“Where will the prison wagons take them?” Vieya had never been this curious before. She wasn’t worried for herself—just asking out of pure curiosity. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Rania felt that Vieya was asking too many questions today. Maybe deep down she was still anxious. Though she usually gave the impression of being calm and precocious, in the end she was still a child.
Living all alone in the outside world, without any family or friends to rely on, forced to survive through sheer willpower—and now, dragged into the undercurrents of this struggle between humans and demons without any fault of her own.
A lonely little girl, searching for a way to live in such an unstable world.
It must be painful, right?
Rania could empathize with that feeling. A long, long time ago, she too had wandered for a while. Though brief, it had been enough to carve an indelible scar on the course of her life.
“Little Miss Vieya, don’t worry.”
For the first time, Rania boldly faced Vieya’s stern, imposing gaze, stretched out her hand, and rubbed her hair. The touch was just as soft and smooth as she had imagined—and it also carried the same thrill as touching a tiger’s tail. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
“As long as you haven’t done anything wrong, even if the Tribunal tries to detain you by force, I’ll go and snatch you back!”
“Snatch someone? Aren’t you a hero of justice?” Vieya was somewhat speechless.
Proudly placing her hands on her hips, Rania repeated the words her teacher often had on his lips:
“My heart and my deeds are as clear as a mirror—everything I do is justice!”
Vieya’s eyes grew complicated.
