Sister Devlin raised her head, her Mithril Blindfold facing toward Shade's eyes. At that moment, Shade could see Sister Devlin's entire face. So pale, so fragile, so beautiful.
Her expression remained blank, and her voice as cool as ever:
"I do not wish to understand this only after an even greater rift has appeared between us, so please accept my apology. From this day onward, freely draw upon the power of any flame. The growth of your strength is my wish."
Shade pressed his lips together as he looked at her. Sister Devlin, pale-faced, continued to hold her head up.
Only after a long while did Shade figure out what to say:
"I admit that I was indeed concerned about you before, so I was not so proactive about obtaining the powers of the nuns from the past. But I want to stress one thing—I do not care what responsibilities the flames have given you. I will not see you as a tool for increasing my strength. In my eyes, you are Sister Devlin, the one and only Sister Devlin."
The nun's lips moved, as though she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing. She merely lowered her head.
"Having you receive the flame in the first place was something I forced upon you. At the summit of Sikar Mountain, after you fought against that bloodthirsty god."
"But I have accepted it now, and besides, this power is truly useful. I should thank you for the decision you made atop Sikar Mountain back then, though that really was somewhat despicable—cough, cough, I mean, I have already come to like this Warm Fire. It has helped me greatly along the way, and I can no longer do without you."
The dim underground Sacrificial Ground fell silent after