10
What was loading wasn’t a memory supplement but rather the Affection System and the Codex System.
These were features available only to SR cards and above in the game. The former unlocked character-related storylines, while the latter unlocked multi-character interaction storylines, but only after collecting all the required cards for that specific plot.
—Even though it wasn’t a full memory supplement, getting fragments was still good!
I looked at the various codex storylines arranged in different combinations and hesitated for a moment—since I was about to be taken away by the Free Alliance, maybe I should start with the storyline related to Selena?
I clicked on the codex storyline for [Alvin + Hilier + Selena].
…
The scene shifted to a sunlit courtyard. Judging by the architecture, it was the Great Cathedral of Light. In the courtyard, two boys were present. One had blonde hair tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head, his body weighed down by seven or eight sandbags as he earnestly practiced sword swings. The other had long, neatly braided flaxen hair hanging down his back, sitting under the shade of a tree with a book in his hands. However, instead of reading, his focus was entirely on the boy swinging the sword.
At that moment, a tall woman in light armor entered the courtyard from outside, holding up a large tray with a three-tiered dessert tower and a tea set. The boy practicing with the sword heard her and immediately turned around, putting down his sword and running over excitedly, shouting, “Teacher!”
“Shoo, shoo, don’t block my way! Have you finished your thousand swings?” The knight, holding the tray in one hand, disdainfully grabbed the boy’s small ponytail with the other hand and pulled him aside.
The boy wasn’t annoyed; he grinned and reclaimed his ponytail, nodding vigorously. “I’m done! You can ask Hilier if you don’t believe me!”
Hilier closed his book and nodded. “Alvin swung his sword exactly 1,351 times.”
The knight snorted through her nose and placed the tray on the small round table in the courtyard. Alvin had already scrambled onto a chair, and as soon as the tray was down, he reached out to grab a pastry—only to have his wrist caught by the knight.
“Wash your hands first!” she yelled. “When will you learn from little Hilier and stop acting like a wild monkey all the time?”
“So naggy…” Alvin muttered, jumping off the chair and running toward the water tap.
Hilier, having already washed his hands, returned and obediently sat down in another chair. Looking up at the knight, he asked expectantly, “Selena, will my teacher join us for afternoon tea today?”
Selena flashed Hilier a smile. “Ah, the Pope is busy preparing for Grace Day recently… How about this: I’ll lend you that little brat Alvin for now! You can order him around all you want for the time being, how’s that?”
“Don’t just hand me over like that, you lousy teacher!” Alvin yelled from a distance.
Selena pretended not to hear him.
Hilier blinked, gave a quiet “Oh.” and said nothing more.
After washing his hands, Alvin ran back, jumping into his chair and quickly grabbing two pastries, stuffing them into his mouth one after the other. Selena tried to stop him, but it was too late. Furious, she raised her palm and smacked him on the head. Alvin swayed left and right, dodging while munching on the food, mumbling something incomprehensible through his full mouth. Hilier, accustomed to this scene, calmly poured three cups of tea, glanced enviously at the teacher and student squabbling, and then quietly picked up a pastry to eat with perfect manners.
Eventually, Selena gave up fighting with her monkey-like disciple. Her gaze drifted past the lush tree to the towering white spires of the cathedral. After a long pause, she lowered her eyes and took a sip of her tea.
The scene faded to black and then transitioned to a dark forest. Heavy rain made it hard to see, but the white flames flickering in the forest were unmistakable, illuminating the figures of two people.
—One was a young Alvin, dressed in light armor, with a massive sword wound slashing across his chest. His blond hair was soaked with rain, and the injury on his chest was washed pale by the water. Kneeling in the soft mud, he looked utterly defeated. The light sword burning with white fire was stabbed into the ground not far from him—near the body of another person.
That person’s heavy armor was just as battered, and long hair draped over their face, obscuring their expression. They held a two-handed greatsword, also burning with white fire, and bodies lay scattered around them. A luxurious staff was skewed into the ground near their feet, its gem shattered and its fragments scattered over the richly dressed body of a middle-aged man.
“Why…” Alvin’s voice was hoarse as he looked up at her. “…Teacher?”
Selena remained silent.
After a long moment, she stabbed the greatsword into the ground and walked toward Alvin, stopping a few steps away. She extended her hand to him. “Little Al, come with me.”
“…Where are you going?”
“Anywhere will do.” Selena forced a strained smile, though it looked more like a grimace. “At worst, we’ll join the Dark Church. Your teacher won’t let you starve.”
Alvin stared at her, his gaze shifting to the body of the middle-aged man. He blinked, confusion evident in his eyes. “You killed the Pope…”
“More or less.” Selena lowered her hand, her smile freezing on her face like a pale mask. Softly, she asked, “You’re not coming with me, are you?”
“…”
Alvin closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his expression was blank. He struggled to his feet and staggered toward Selena, but she retreated in a panic, quickly backing up to where the bodies blocked her path. She stood among the corpses, her hands hanging limply by her sides, like a criminal awaiting judgment.
But Alvin didn’t look at her. He walked past Selena and gripped the hilt of the greatsword that had once belonged to her. With his back to her, his tone was flat. “You should leave.”
Realizing what he meant, Selena’s eyes widened. “You…”
“Someone has to bear the blame.” Alvin’s head hung low as he stared at his hands gripping the sword hilt. His voice was cold. “Go… From now on, you are no longer my teacher.”
“Al…” Selena wanted to say more.
But the sound of armor clinking suddenly echoed through the forest. Startled, Selena turned her head just in time to hear the whistle of wind behind her. Instinctively, she rolled to the side, dodging just as Alvin swung the greatsword with all his might, smashing it into the ground where she had just stood. His blue eyes were bloodshot as he shouted, “Get out of here!”
Selena stared at him for a few moments before suddenly breaking into a grin.
She leaped nimbly into the air, pushed off a tree trunk, and delivered a knee strike to Alvin’s chest. The sheer force of the blow sent the boy flying, his grip on the greatsword lost as he rolled twice in the mud, eventually landing at the feet of an approaching squad of Holy Knights. Struggling to get up, he found himself unable to move, his vision tilting as he watched Selena discard her heavy armor and vanish into the rain in an instant.
“Al, are you still alive?” A voice, shrill with excitement, came closer. A pair of hands lifted him, and a young Hilier placed a healing hand over his chest. A soft white light, representing a healing spell, glowed as it quickly sealed the gaping sword wound. Hilier’s face was a mixture of joy and fear as he urgently asked, “Who hurt you?” He glanced around warily, worried that the assailant was still nearby.
“I…” Alvin stared blankly at him, then suddenly realized something and struggled to cover Hilier’s eyes.
But it was too late—Hilier had already seen the luxurious corpse.
With disbelief in his voice, he called out, “…Teacher?”
“Teacher… Teacher?” He let go of Alvin and crawled desperately toward the body, his hands trembling, too afraid to touch it. All he could do was softly plead, “Teacher, what’s wrong? Wake up… Please get up… Teacher?”
A Holy Knight approached to inspect the body, but like Hilier, he stopped abruptly upon seeing the gruesome sight—The corpse had been split open, with its organs and bones exposed, the abdominal cavity filled with murky rainwater. The death was horrifying.
Alvin clutched his wound and managed to get up, staggering a few steps before collapsing next to Hilier. The sound of his fall seemed to snap Hilier out of his trance. He turned to look at Alvin, his face pale as a ghost. His gaze drifted over the massive sword wound across Alvin’s chest, then to the greatsword lying on the ground nearby, and suddenly, he began to tremble.
He jerked his head back toward Alvin, his teeth chattering as he struggled to speak, “It… it was… Sel… She…”
Alvin shook his head again and again, as if unsure what he was trying to convey.
“It was Selena,” a Holy Knight who had been inspecting the other bodies said solemnly. “She has betrayed the Church of Light!”
Those words struck like a whip, causing both boys to flinch. Hilier froze for a moment, then regained his voice, shouting, “No! Selena was loyal to the Pope, devout in her faith—she would never… she couldn’t… right?” He turned to Alvin, pleading for confirmation. “She didn’t kill the Pope… Did she?”
Alvin silently stared at the greatsword lying on the ground.
Hilier’s voice gradually weakened until it faded into nothingness. He remained quiet for a few seconds before asking, “…Where is she?”
“She fled. We weren’t able to capture her, but two squads have been sent in pursuit.” the Holy Knight knelt on one knee, reporting to him.
Hilier nodded absentmindedly, his gaze falling on the Pope’s corpse before quickly shifting away, only to fall back on it again.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He stared blankly at the Pope’s body, not saying a word, while the rain washed away his tears as quickly as they fell.
Next to him, Alvin took a deep breath and spoke up, “Call off the pursuit. Bring everyone back.”
The Holy Knight looked at him.
Alvin turned to face the knight, his expression emotionless. “Gather the bodies. We need to be out of this forest before dawn.”
“But…”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Alvin stood, towering over the Holy Knight, then glanced at the surrounding knights and priests who were watching him. He spoke slowly and deliberately, “Selena assassinated the Pope and defected from the Church of Light. Remove her name from the Holy Knights, add her to the list of heretics, and leave her fate to the tribunal.” He took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and issued the order, “Everyone, get to work! Record the names of the dead, bury them where they lie, leave a marker, and prepare to retreat from Greenleaf Forest!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Holy Knight saluted and went off to relay the orders. Soon, everyone was busy with their assigned tasks. Alvin stood in place for a moment longer, then looked down at Hilier, meeting his cold green eyes.
“Selena…” Hilier murmured her name, his once-gentle voice now filled with hatred. He stared at Alvin. “I will kill her.”
“…”
Alvin gazed at him, his blue eyes momentarily clouded. Then he knelt down and pressed his right hand to his chest, swearing an oath: “I will kill… the sinner Selena… for you.”
Hilier shook his head vehemently, protesting, “No, I will kill her with my own hands, to avenge our teacher!”
Alvin lowered his head, then raised it again and repeated his words, “I will kill the sinner Selena for you.”
Hilier sensed something in his tone and stared at him intently.
“I, Alvin, swear my loyalty to Hilier for the rest of my life. I will be your sword, your shield, and I will clear all obstacles from your path.” Alvin’s voice was calm as he continued, “Whether it’s Selena or anyone else who stands in your way, I will… cut them down for you.”
Hilier’s eyes widened.
“Hilier, you will be the next Pope.” Alvin attempted to smile at him, though it came out as more of a grimace. “The people need the Light, and the Light… requires sacrifice.”
“You can’t…” Hilier stammered. “I can’t…”
“It’s alright. Sacrifice me.” Alvin grasped his hand, pressing it to his own chest along with his own, locking eyes with him. “This is my one and only oath. I swear I will never betray you.”
“…”
After a long pause, Hilier finally tightened his grip on Alvin’s hand.
“I will never forget your oath.” He solemnly pressed his other hand to his chest, swearing in return, “I, too, will never betray you.”
Alvin nodded at him, then released his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up his light sword and handed it to Hilier, while he retrieved the discarded greatsword. Strapping the sheath left behind by Selena to his back, he wiped the rain from his face and turned to Hilier, saying,
“Let’s go. Let me escort you out of this forest.”
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