When Ivan returned to the real world, it was already evening.
The setting sun cast its glow over the corners of the campus, gilding the stone walls in warm gold. The fountain's spray shimmered in the light, as if it had been brought to life.
To his surprise, he found himself beside the school fountain, not in the library archives.
"Hmm, I came out of the archives?"
He wondered to himself, realizing that after returning from the Spirit Realm, he didn't necessarily appear where he had been before.
The place seemed to correspond to the real world in some way, and moving around in the Spirit Realm also changed his corresponding location in reality.
Not far away, Diana stood quietly beside the fountain, holding Myth of the Era in both hands. Her gaze swept across the surroundings now and then, as if she were waiting for something.
She clearly didn't know that the "Lord's spirit" had already returned from the Spirit Realm, though he was still invisible.
Ivan watched the girl repeatedly look around, her eyes full of anticipation and anxiety. In the end, he spoke up to prompt her:
"Now that you've returned, why are you still standing here?"
"It's the Lord's voice."
Diana stopped looking around. Her bright blue eyes lit up at once, like a ship that had found its course.
Her voice held a trace of lingering fear and urgency:
"I-I opened my eyes and found myself in the school washroom, still clutching this book...
"I was a little scared. I called out your name, but there was no answer, so I hurried straight to the central fountain, hoping to see if your spirit would suddenly appear."
Ivan frowned. Although Diana and he had emerged from slightly different places in the Spirit Realm, could their real-world locations really be as far apart as the washroom in the academic building?
"It seems the positions in the Spirit Realm and the real world correspond in some distorted way. It's not as simple as walking a certain distance there and emerging that same distance away..."
"If I can figure out the pattern, could I use the Spirit Realm to travel quickly?"
"Uh... if that's the case, did Diana take the book out again without filling out a library card...?"
He chuckled and shook his head, keeping his plans to explore the rules of movement in the Spirit Realm in mind.
"Heh. After I brought you out, my spirit naturally continued to roam the Spirit Realm. There are still other believers waiting for me to save them."
But when he thought of the Spirit Realm's unknown dangers and anomalies, Ivan's voice took on a more serious tone:
"The Spirit Realm is very dangerous for you right now. Try not to recall those symbols you saw earlier unless you have to. And even if you do remember them, absolutely do not touch them with your Spirituality."
"Very dangerous?" Diana muttered to herself, lightly pressing a finger to her lips.
"But I didn't have any trouble beating that strange shadow at all..."
"Could it be that the Lord's majesty intimidated it, so it didn't dare fight back with all its strength?"
She thought back to the battle in the Spirit Realm. The shadow had indeed lunged at her with claws bared at first, but after that it had barely put up a proper fight, and hadn't displayed even the slightest trace of supernatural power.
"That's it! It must be!"
The more she thought about it, the surer she became. "The great Lord of All Spirits is the master of every spirit in the world. The spirits in the Spirit Realm naturally fall under His authority, too.
"When those spirits saw the Lord's spirit beside me, they immediately stopped fighting. They even seemed to treat me with great respect."
The reverence in Diana's eyes grew stronger, as if starlight were glimmering within them.
She clenched her little fist and slowly straightened her back. Facing the empty space before her, she bowed deeply and spoke in a quiet but exceptionally devout voice:
"Praise the great Lord of All Spirits. Thank you for bringing me back from the maze of the Spirit Realm."
Around the fountain, students chatted or read. None of them seemed to notice anything unusual about her.
Watching her elaborate inner monologue, Ivan felt helpless at her wild guesses, yet a faint unease crept over him.
If he really were the "master of every spirit in the world," that would be one thing.
But for now, he was only a jellyfish who had accidentally gained the power of faith and was still feeling his way around the supernatural world. He was worried that one day the real Lord of All Spirits might come knocking...
Ivan quickly pushed the thought from his mind. Since he had already decided to return to the path of faith, he couldn't keep holding back in fear.
If no other being had come forward to claim the title of Lord of All Spirits, why couldn't he, Ivan, be the one?
The Lord of All Spirits, Ivan, grew a little taller, and his voice deepened:
"Miss Knight, you did well today.
"From now on, keep a careful eye out for other ancient books. They can help you learn the truth about this world."
"T-The Lord just called me a knight..."
Diana's face turned bright red in an instant, the flush spreading from her ears to her cheeks and even coloring the tip of her nose. Her body, which had been tense just moments ago, stiffened completely, and the copy of Myth of the Era in her arms nearly slipped to the ground.
She didn't hear a single word about "ancient books" or "the truth." Her mind was filled with the words "Miss Knight." That wasn't an ordinary form of address! It was the Lord's recognition of her!
She bit her lower lip hard to keep from crying out in excitement. Tears shimmered in her bright blue eyes, born of an indescribable joy. She bowed deeply again, even more solemnly than before.
"Great Lord of All Spirits, thank you for recognizing me. I will follow your revelation and keep... um, exploring the truth!"
The people around her glanced over and began quietly discussing her strange behavior.
Diana paid no attention to their looks. Clutching the book to her chest, she walked briskly toward the school gates.
Watching the girl's erratic train of thought, Ivan hadn't expected a casual form of address to affect Diana so deeply.
He fell silent for a moment, but in the end said nothing. He quietly followed her.
When Diana got home, she threw herself onto her bed.
Her little feet kicked excitedly in the air, whether from the day's marvelous adventure or the Lord's words of recognition, she didn't know.
"Miss Diana, dinner is ready. Mr. Logan has come home as well." Louise, the head maid of the mansion, called from outside the door.
Diana quickly stopped kicking and tried to hide her excitement. "Thank you, Louise. I'll be right there."
She skipped along the carved hallway on the second floor, still seemingly caught up in her happiness.
Logan Gustav had just returned home from City Hall. He hung his dark gray suit on the coat rack, then spotted his daughter bouncing along the second-floor hallway and couldn't help asking:
"My dear little Diana, what happened at school today to make you as happy as a little fawn?"
Diana realized she was still moving a little too excitedly, so she shortened her steps and walked downstairs with the poise of a proper young lady.
"Nothing, Father. I just... deciphered an ancient text today."
"Oh, is that so? It seems my little Diana is going to become a professional scholar of ancient history," Logan teased with a smile.
Little Diana stamped her foot, then sat down at the dining table with her father.
The head maid, Louise, and the maid Sophia uncovered one silver tray after another.
In front of her was a steaming serving of beef brisket stewed with tomatoes. The tender meat was coated in dark red sauce, with a few bright green peas scattered beside it.
The bowl at her side sent out a rich aroma of cream and mushrooms.
At the center of the table, a golden roast chicken rested on a platter lined with lettuce, its skin glistening with oil.
Wow!
Seeing the food on the table, Diana reached for her fork, but the moment her fingers touched its cool silver handle, she remembered to maintain her ladylike composure.
She quietly drew her hand back, but couldn't help swallowing.
She really was hungry today. After all, she had fought that shadow in the Spirit Realm and used up quite a bit of energy. Now, with the aroma of food in the air, her stomach had already started rumbling despite her best efforts.
Watching her, Mr. Logan gave an amused, helpless smile. He cut her a piece of roast chicken and placed it on her plate.
"My dear little Diana, didn't you like the afternoon tea at school today?"
"No, Father." Diana hurried to explain, not daring to mention her adventure in the Spirit Realm. She speared a piece of chicken and stuffed it into her mouth. Her eyes narrowed in contentment as she added, indistinctly:
"I was translating a book and forgot about afternoon tea..."
Mr. Logan shook his head, once again feeling a headache coming on over his daughter's mischievous nature.
He picked up his cutlery, but seemed to remember something. His expression grew serious:
"By the way, Diana, His Grace the bishop is organizing a special service tomorrow morning. You should come with me."
Before you continue