Chapter Forty-Three: The Shameless Ambition

Remilia and her servant left in rather an anticlimactic fashion. Although Link didn’t quite understand what had just transpired, he was fairly certain it had something to do with Reimu, and so he planned to call her over for questioning. Before that, however, he decided to have Altair and White Spirit secretly follow the pair to see what their true intentions were, but as soon as he voiced this idea, Altair anxiously stopped him. “Archbishop, you mustn’t. Though those two appear young, neither is simple. When I was tailing them earlier, they already detected me— even the skyborn vulture was discovered.”

“You and the vulture were both spotted?” Link was taken aback.

Altair’s expression was grave. “As unwilling as I am to admit it, yes. You may not have noticed, Archbishop, but just now, that maid called Xingye glanced directly at where I was hiding. That single look felt like I’d been plunged into an ice cellar, as if death itself had its gaze on me. She then shot a quick glance at the vulture above. Since you were engaged in conversation with Remilia Scarlet at the time, you didn’t notice. As for Remilia herself, though she seems harmless enough, my instincts tell me she’s far more dangerous than her servant. If we recklessly tried to tail them, we’d be discovered for certain.”

Hearing this, Link understood that it was simply impossible to surveil the pair. If even Altair, master of stealth, could be discovered— and White Spirit, flying high above, was also seen— sending anyone else would be a waste of effort.

After a moment’s thought, Link instructed Altair to look into Remilia and her servant’s origins, while he himself went to find Reimu.

When they met, Reimu had just persuaded Jack to give her two boxes of nails and a small hammer, which left Link quite perplexed. Reimu hurriedly hid the items behind her back, her gaze evasive, and stammered, “W-what do you want?”

Her guilty, furtive demeanor left Link speechless. He couldn’t help but ask, “What have you been up to these past days? I hear you’ve been gathering wood and clearing land— all sorts of manual labor. Yet you always complain about being tired when asked to help out. What’s going on? Are you planning to build yourself a house?”

At these words, Reimu’s slender frame trembled, her gaze flitted even more, and her voice shook. “Heh, you’re overthinking things…”

Link, amused and exasperated by her poor attempt at deception, thought to himself that while Reimu’s moral discipline was lacking, she was no schemer.

He chose not to expose her clumsy act and changed the subject. “Anyway, do you know anything about those two who were just here?”

“Those two? Which two?” Reimu looked mystified.

“The two girls who were with me earlier— one with silver hair, the other with purple.”

At this, Reimu finally remembered and shook her head. “No idea. I’ve never seen them before, so how could I know where they’re from?”

Link could tell she wasn’t lying, which only made him more curious. He couldn’t fathom why those two would be wary of Reimu, as she wasn’t strong— neither her actions nor White Spirit’s perception suggested anything more than the weakest of first-tier cultivators, barely stronger than an ordinary girl.

Could it be that they know Reimu is the High Priestess of the Celestial Spirit and thus fear the order behind her? Link reasoned that this was the most likely explanation, which only deepened his curiosity about the Celestial Spirit Order— he resolved to visit their headquarters during the upcoming All Gods’ Festival.

Meanwhile, Remilia and her servant had already left the cathedral and, not far from the Church of the Father, purchased a small villa. The original owner hadn’t wanted to sell, but by some unknown means, Remilia and her servant persuaded them to leave with their family the very same day.

Once settled in, Remilia went up to a room on the second floor. She gazed out at the distant silhouette of the Holy Light Cathedral, a subtle, meaningful smile curving her lips. “How interesting. I thought this was just some charlatan sect, yet there are quite a few things here that pique my interest.”

At this, Xingye, standing nearby, asked in puzzlement, “My lady, we have many destinations yet to visit. Why remain here? If there’s something in that church that interests you, just say the word and I shall bring it to you.”

Remilia’s tone turned slightly displeased. “Are you questioning my decision, Xingye?”

Xingye immediately bowed her head. “No. Your will is everything to me.”

Remilia regarded her for a moment. “Relax, I’m not angry. I’ll tell you. Although the people in that church are weak, there are several things within that even I cannot comprehend. The first is the cathedral itself. Though it’s just a building, it possesses an indescribable property. I can sense that if I were to become an enemy of the Church of the Father, that cathedral would unleash a power capable of threatening me. Then there’s that woman, Reimu. By all appearances, she’s as insignificant as any ordinary human, yet within her thread of fate, I glimpsed my own death. Don’t you find that fascinating?”

“My lady’s death?” Xingye’s pupils contracted, her eyes suddenly sharp with murderous intent. “I’ll kill her at once!”

Remilia waved her off. “Calm yourself. That’s but one of countless branches of fate. Besides my death, I saw other interesting things in her— perhaps even a way to solve Flandre’s problem.”

“A chance to save the young mistress?” Xingye was startled, then bowed her head and said solemnly, “Understood, my lady.”

Remilia nodded. “Aside from Reimu, the one I’m most interested in is that man, Niel-Milia.” Her crimson eyes glimmered with a supernatural light. “He’s even more intriguing than Reimu. Not only is he utterly unaffected by my aura, but I cannot see his fate at all— as though he doesn’t belong to this world.”

“You can’t see his fate? How is that possible?” For the first time, Xingye’s cold face showed genuine shock. “Every living thing in this world has a thread of fate. If you can’t see his, then his strength must surpass yours— but that man can’t be stronger than third tier, at best.”

“That’s why I say he’s fascinating, as if he’s not of this world,” Remilia’s smile deepened. “I’d planned to test Niel-Night, but that woman’s sudden appearance disrupted my plan.”

“Shall I test Niel-Night’s strength for you?” Xingye asked.

Remilia shook her head. “No need. I’ve decided to stay in this town for now; there will be time enough to study him.” She turned to look at Xingye. “Xingye, I’m hungry.”

“At once,” Xingye replied respectfully. In the next instant, she conjured a dagger out of thin air and, expressionless, sliced open her own wrist. Blood flowed freely; she let it drip into a pot of already brewed black tea, allowing the blood and tea to blend together. Soon, the wound healed as though it had never been.

Shortly after, Remilia picked up a cup of this blood-laced tea and drank elegantly, the crimson beverage matching her scarlet attire. The scene was both haunting and wicked.

In the days that followed, Remilia and her servant kept mostly to themselves, rarely leaving their villa. Aside from the archbishop’s weekly Sunday prayer sessions, they were hardly ever seen, and even then, they left immediately after the service.

Nevertheless, the pair’s allure caused quite a stir in Chinko Town. Though their arrival didn’t trigger as much excitement as Reimu’s, most of the town was abuzz with talk of them. Many tried to approach the villa just to catch a glimpse; some young scions even attempted to court them, but without exception, all failed— not even catching sight of the duo. Anyone who neared the villa would stagger away, dazed and bewildered, as if possessed, which left onlookers chilled to the bone.

Over time, only the most determined admirers persisted in hanging around the villa; the rest dared not approach.

During this period, Link continued to investigate the origins of Remilia and Xingye, even sending people to consult Count Lothar, but to no avail. No matter how deeply he probed, their backgrounds were a mystery, as if they had simply materialized out of thin air. The surname Scarlet was rare, but not unknown— there were a few nobles in other countries with that name, but tracking them down would be difficult.

In the end, Link was forced to abandon the investigation, turning instead to having White Spirit keep a distant watch over the pair. Though they might notice White Spirit, as long as she kept her distance, it would be fine.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was May 6th— All Gods’ Festival was nearly here, and Link had made all preparations to travel to Bath City for the celebration.

But before he could depart, something happened that left him both amused and exasperated. After much effort, Reimu had finally built a crude, miniature chapel in the forest. She proudly announced to Link that she now owned it, stating she would place a handmade donation box at the door to collect money— her recent secretive behavior had all been for this.

Lastly, Reimu declared her “ambition” with great arrogance: “You said I couldn’t put up donation boxes near the monastery or the church, and I couldn’t use the name of the Celestial Spirit Order or the Church of the Father to solicit donations— so I built my own chapel, and I’ll collect offerings in my own name! You never said I couldn’t build a chapel or set up a donation box in the woods, did you? I haven’t broken your rules!”

Link stared at Reimu, hands on her hips and brimming with pride, and was speechless for a long while before finally saying, “I have to admit, you’re impressive. I won’t make you tear down your chapel. But I have to ask— how do you plan to get worshippers out there? Your chapel is so remote, no normal person would trek out there to pray. If no one comes to you for blessings, how will you ever collect donations?”