Chapter 36
Wakako recalled a phrase she had once read in a book: “One day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth.”
It described how the realm where God resided was so blissful that time passed in the blink of an eye.
She didn’t know what that felt like, but she knew that the five days she spent with Miki on the mountain truly passed in the blink of an eye, vanishing before she even realized it.
They ate and lived together, drank from mountain springs, swung on vines, played, and became one with nature, no different from the other creatures on the mountain.
Miki was ill, drifted between consciousness and sleep, mostly unconscious. Wakako wanted to ask her something, but a vague premonition held her back, fearing it would shatter the hard-won peace. In the end, she said nothing.
After the mudslide, many animals had lost their lives, and the ground was littered with bodies. When Miki’s health improved, she and Wakako buried some of the dead animals together.
There were only two of them, after all, and they couldn’t care for all the animals on the mountain. They could only do their best to bury a few.
The Saint stood beside the small mounds Wakako had dug, softly chanting a waka for them.
“In the twilight of the year,
The wind and snow rage,
Layers upon layers of white snow pile up,
As the years pass by in the distance.”
Miki bit her finger, letting drops of blood mingle with the damp soil, a simple ritual for the departed souls, allowing them to rest in peace.
“That’s enough.” Seeing that she hadn’t withdrawn her finger, Wakako stepped forward to stop her. “You’re still sick, don’t lose any more blood.”
A dozen drops of blood meant nothing to an ordinary person, but it seemed to make Miki’s face paler.
She smiled, putting her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding. “Thank you for helping me send them off.”
Wakako didn’t particularly love animals; after all, when she was a child, she had fought with stray dogs for food. But if Miki wanted to do this, she would accompany her.
Sometimes, though, she would wonder how the Saint could casually condemn an entire city to death yet grieve for the wild animals that perished in the disaster. The compassionate side of God’s messenger would occasionally surface, but it never extended to humans.
“We have half a day left, Wakako. Is there anything you want to do?” Miki asked. “They’ll be coming up the mountain tonight.”
“By ‘they,’ you mean…”
“Saionji Saburo, and your mercenary companions.”
Wakako’s eyes flickered. “You mean they’ll all come up the mountain?”
She had been sent to kill Saburo last time but had come up empty. If she had another chance to encounter him, wouldn’t she be able to…
Miki saw right through her thoughts. “You can’t kill him.”
A mocking smile played on her lips as she let words too filthy for a Saint escape her mouth. “That bastard has already pledged his allegiance to God, offering to be God’s second pair of eyes in the mortal realm… He’s under divine protection now. No one can touch him.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Miki’s body trembled violently, and she collapsed to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, drop by drop, mingling with the blood from her fingertip in the soil.
Clearly, these words were not meant to be shared, and she had been punished by God for speaking them.
Wakako instinctively rushed forward to catch her limp body. “Miki!”
Then it dawned on her. “So that’s why he wasn’t there when I went to kill him last time.”
The ambush had been planned so suddenly, and Saionji Saburo, being the commanding officer, leaving his post suddenly was indeed strange. But if he had divine protection, allowing him to consistently evade death, then everything made sense.
The incident at the Hyman estate was also understandable now. He must have relied on the same method to avoid her and Liu Siruo.
Seeing Miki about to speak again, Wakako gently placed her finger on Miki’s lips. “You don’t have to say it. I understand.”
She knew there were many things that needed explaining between them, but if it all came at the cost of Miki’s suffering, she would rather remain in the dark forever.
Wakako gently wiped away the bloodstains from Miki’s lips. “I don’t ask for much. I’m already content.”
Just knowing that her master hadn’t intentionally abandoned her five years ago was enough.
Miki was enduring some agonizing divine punishment, yet she bore it without complaint, only her curled fingers and slightly trembling voice betraying her pain. “You’re so easily fooled, Wakako.”
She unusually called her by her full name instead of the usual nickname.
“Have you ever considered that I might be lying?”
Wakako gently cradled Miki in her arms, hoping it might ease even a little of her pain. She smoothed the Saint’s hair. “Then are you lying to me?”
“No.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” She said, “I believe you. Even if it’s a lie, I accept it.”
After a long silence, Miki sighed. “You’re so foolish. One day, someone will deceive you completely…”
Wakako had already been deceived by her, leaving her with nothing.
The loss of blood had drained the luster and color from Miki’s long black hair, even causing the ends to turn slightly white. This was what happened to the Saint’s hair when she was weak.
“Wakako, after tonight, don’t see me again. Go back and be the mercenary you were meant to be.”
The Saint, who always clung to her, said this.
“God has been displeased with me lately. There’s no telling when God might take my life… If that happens, I don’t know if I can still protect you.”
Their time together had always been forbidden; every glance they exchanged brought down a heavy divine punishment. Miki wasn’t afraid of pain, and she could still endure it for now. But if one day she couldn’t bear it anymore, it would all fall mercilessly upon Wakako.
The life of a Saint was as fleeting as a flower, most passing away before the age of twenty-five. Miki was already twenty-two, and no one could predict how much time she had left before the final bell tolled.
“So, after tonight, go back.”
Go back to being the grand mercenary and stop risking your life for her again and again.
“I intentionally asked you to bring me to the mountain, just to spend a few more days with you.” Miki’s cheeks were flushed with fever as she smiled. “Time passed so quickly; I really don’t want to leave, but I have to go tonight.”
She reached out, lovingly caressing her little servant’s dimples. “After you go back this time… forget about me.”
It was hard for Wakako to imagine these words coming from Miki’s mouth. Could the domineering and willful master actually be letting go?
She lowered her head, dazed, and even though this wasn’t the first time they were facing separation, a sense of abandonment still weighed heavily on her heart. Yet, she also knew that Miki carried a burden far heavier than she could imagine.
In the end, it was still her who was being protected.
As the setting sun slowly crept up the mountain, they made love in the woods. For the first time, Wakako boldly took the initiative, kissing Miki’s lips and guiding her cold fingers to her waist.
She knelt before Miki, with the reverence a servant should have for their master, offering her passion with devout sincerity.
With the body of a mercenary, maintaining such a posture for as long as needed was no burden.
The scent of sunflowers and cherries intertwined, painting the entire mountain with sweetness, yet all Wakako tasted was bitterness, even in the throes of passion.
If she were a ruler of a kingdom, or a future heir, she could stand beside the Saint with dignity, embracing her openly.
But Wakako couldn’t. She was just a lowly, orphaned servant, born to servitude, where even a single glance at the Saint would cause her to suffer punishment. She was willing to pay any price, to sacrifice herself in her place, but she didn’t even have the right to do that.
If she knelt before God and prayed, would God show mercy? Or would God become even more enraged?
She wanted to say something to Miki, but the Saint raised her free left hand and placed a finger on Wakako’s lips. The wound from the bite earlier hadn’t healed yet, and a drop of blood seemed to fall onto her tongue.
It wasn’t metallic but carried Miki’s unique fragrance.
“But I still don’t want you to do this with anyone else,” she heard Miki say softly. “Only I can dominate you like this, understand?”
The frail Saint began to nibble on her again, leaving her unique mark on Wakako’s collarbone with her sharp teeth. With each drop of the Saint’s blood she swallowed, the pain in her body intensified.
“Answer me,” she commanded.
“I understand.”
Wakako felt intense pain, but she would rather endure this pain for the rest of her life than pull away.
Miki withdrew her left hand and patted Wakako’s cheek. “Move on your own a bit more,” she said. “You always loved getting my clothes wet, didn’t you?”
So, all those unspoken thoughts, those habits, whether intentional or not, that Wakako had as a young girl had all been noticed by Miki and remembered to this day.
She did as her master instructed, calling out her name repeatedly.
“Miki…”
“Mi…”
Miki. The sacred wine she was not worthy to taste.
***
“Will Senior Sister be here?”
The mountain path was slippery, making the journey difficult. Lin Lin looked up, then glanced at her companion. The junior apprentice from Alpha Squad had just arrived in Nanling and, without a moment’s rest, had come along to search for Wakako.
Standing beside her was Miki, who said with certainty, “She’ll be here.”
“How did Senior Miki know?” Lin Lin, being young, addressed everyone respectfully.
Miki paused for a moment. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
That day, she had followed closely behind Wakako, watching her charge into Yueqing City and then lead others up the mountain. However, with the raging mountain floods, she couldn’t get close enough to see who exactly was with her.
If she saw it with her own eyes, then why didn’t she report it directly to Her Highness, the Crown Princess? Lin Lin, unaware of the past between Miki and Wakako, couldn’t understand.
The winter wind carried the scent of sunflowers down the mountain. She sniffed carefully, recognizing it as Senior Sister’s pheromones, and finally convinced.
But there seemed to be another scent mixed in… Lin Lin showed a hint of uncertainty.
There were animals living on the mountain, and with the recent mudslide, the air was a mixture of scents. If she wasn’t familiar with Wakako, it would be difficult to distinguish.
Miki said to Lin Lin, “Let’s release the smoke signal here.”
Besides communication stones, mercenaries had special signaling tools. When ignited, they released a particular kind of smoke that those familiar with it would recognize.
Hearing this, Lin Lin lit the smoke bomb in her hand, sending up a trail of curling smoke.
After a while, a figure appeared faintly on the mountainside, making Miki’s heart skip a beat.
“Senior!” she couldn’t help but call out.
It was Wakako, whom they hadn’t seen for five days. Her clothes were relatively clean, and her complexion was good. She didn’t seem to have suffered much hardship.
Wakako took a bit of time to descend the mountain and approach the two of them, slightly surprised to see Lin Lin there. “Why are you here?”
If Lin Lin was here, then Hua Yumu were probably here too, meaning the entire Alpha squad was gathered in Nanling City. This clearly wasn’t an unauthorized action but a mission ordered by the Queen.
Lin Lin gave a brief explaination and then said, “We’ll talk more when we get back.”
But Miki suddenly said, “Wait.”
Both of them turned to look at her.
Lin Lin was only fifteen and hadn’t presented yet, so even if she could smell the pheromones, she didn’t understand what they meant. But Miki did.
A flicker of emotion crossed her eyes. “If you’re unharmed, Senior, why didn’t you return to the city earlier?”
“The mountain roads were difficult, so I stayed a few extra days.”
“But with your skills, you wouldn’t have been stranded, would you?” Miki looked directly at Wakako. “Unless there’s something you’re not telling us.”
As she spoke, she made a move to walk up the mountain.
Wakako instinctively reached out to stop her, frowning. “Miki.”
Miki had already observed her unusual behavior and understood everything. She bit her lip and asked coldly,
“Who is the Omega who has been with Senior these past few days?”
