Chapter 49: Be Happy
A long, long time ago, when the High Priestess was still a child, she wasn’t yet the High Priestess. Everyone just called her Nimora.
She was a prodigy, a once-in-a-generation talent among the elves of the Bewildering Forest. Any spell she saw, as long as she possessed the power to cast it, she could replicate after just a few glances.
And with a bit of practice, she could even surpass the original.
But… even then, she wasn’t the strongest prodigy in the Bewildering Forest.
Among the fairies, who still existed then, there was another who was her equal.
“What was her name… well, it’s been a long time,” Nimora thought, watching Norma approach, a memory of her old rival, her old friend, flashing through her mind.
A story of fated enemies, of love and hate, cut short by one’s early departure.
But at least… she had left behind a legacy…
“High Priestess,” Norma said, bowing slightly.
“Norma, it’s been a while,” Nimora said, her expression softening. Even Norma, whom Eleanor called “Aunt,” was still a child in her eyes.
“About five years,” Norma replied, her expression as serious as ever. She rarely smiled, rarely showed any emotion.
Only with Bai had she been more… relaxed.
“A blink of an eye,” Nimora smiled. “Can you tell me… the truth about the explosion?”
Norma paused. “It was a Dream Demon.”
Lying to the High Priestess was pointless, and Norma had no intention of doing so.
“A little fox?” Nimora’s expression flickered, then she composed herself. “Are you sure?”
She wasn’t surprised by the name.
She had seen it in the ancient texts.
And in the picture book Bai had taken, the little green figure had been her.
“I’ve compared it to the texts. I’m certain,” Norma replied calmly.
So, the High Priestess, like her ancestor, held a certain… fondness for the little fox. Norma wasn’t worried.
“I see…” Nimora paused. “How many… tails did she have?”
Her memories of that time were hazy, including the little fox’s appearance.
She only remembered she had nine tails, and a serious, yet adorable, expression.
But beneath her cute exterior, she possessed terrifying power, and a deep-seated kindness.
“Only one. It’s probably not the little fox you remember,” Norma said softly.
The texts were filled with her ancestor’s longing for the little fox. The High Priestess must have felt the same.
“Alright,” Nimora said, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. “Is she gone?”
“She left at noon.”
“A pity. I would have liked to meet her.”
She stroked her chin, a memory of a carefree afternoon, long before she became the High Priestess, flashing through her mind.
A memory of meeting the little fox.
But then, so many sad things had happened. She had witnessed the fall of the fairies, their names erased from history, even her old friend.
And though she had tried to find the little fox again, she had failed. All she knew was that she was a Dream Demon.
And then, with the arrival of the Abyss, she had finally learned more, but even they had no record of any living Dream Demons. They were thought to be extinct.
But now, a juvenile Dream Demon had appeared… she really wanted to meet her.
“There will be another chance,” Norma said, sitting down beside her.
Nimora looked at her.
Perhaps because Norma possessed a trace of fairy blood, from her nameless old friend, the High Priestess felt a certain… kinship with her.
She had felt the same with Eleanor, but even stronger.
Norma only possessed a fraction of the bloodline, while Eleanor… was almost a reincarnation.
“Even their personalities are almost identical…”
“High Priestess?” Norma asked, confused.
Nimora snapped back to the present. “It’s nothing.”
“I’ve sent Eleanor to hunt down the demon, the Dream Demon,” Norma said, knowing the High Priestess was concerned for her.
“Oh? Alright… although it’s a shame I won’t get to meet Eleanor, the little fox helped her and me a lot in the past. It’s good for Eleanor to repay that debt.”
Nimora didn’t ask any more questions about Bai. From Norma’s actions, she could tell this little fox was just as kind and cute as the one she remembered.
“But now, the important thing is…” Nimora’s voice turned serious. “The fate of the Bewildering Forest is… uncertain. Even with the Great Prophecy, I can’t see the future clearly.”
“All I could see was a pair of strange, terrifying eyes. And I can’t even remember what they looked like.”
“Like the Abyssal invasion?” Norma’s expression was filled with concern.
The calamity brought by the demons had ended only five years ago. She didn’t want to experience that helpless despair again.
“Perhaps worse. Or perhaps… the future is simply being concealed.”
Nimora remembered the divination in the capital five years ago. She had, on a whim, stopped a young girl with short, light brown hair.
And that divination, unexpectedly, had revealed countless possible futures for the Bewildering Forest, and among them, a single thread of hope.
That was why she had given the generous gift, and had rushed back to the Bewildering Forest.
And then, during the Battle of Vikarn, she had held off Queen Shaya, forcing the Abyss into a difficult position, forcing them to sacrifice their ancient commanders and seal their borders to perform the sealing ritual.
And that was what had brought the long-awaited peace to Solor.
She still didn’t know what was so special about that girl with the light brown hair. Even looking back through the river of time, she couldn’t find any connection between her and the events that had followed. It must have just been… fate.
But fate, so fickle, so irreversible… always returned to its intended path.
“We still have some time. Be happy, Norma,” Nimora said, poking her cheek, a faint smile on her face. “Tell me more about the little fox, will you?”
