The moment those words left his mouth, it was a blatant declaration of war against the Church.
Shuen’s gaze deepened. If he dared move against Glenn, then he would dare move against Fion as well.
The blond young man had not expected Shuen to say something like that.
His gaze settled on Wuli once more. This girl truly carried far too many secrets.
“If you had to choose between the Sinclair family and Wuli, would you still take Wuli away?”
He was asking Shuen.
The white-haired young man showed no reaction. Standing opposite Fion, the two of them seemed to split the area into two separate worlds through their confrontation alone. Neither world was crowded, and there was more than enough room for a single Wuli.
The moment Wuli heard Fion’s question, her guard shot up.
If it came down to choosing between the Sinclair family and herself, she would undoubtedly be the one abandoned. The white-haired girl lowered her eyes, wondering what she should do, only to see the man before her answer without the slightest hesitation.
“You think that threatening me with the Sinclair family will make me afraid to take Wuli away?” The corner of the white-haired young man’s lips curled upward, as though he had just heard something amusing.
Between Wuli and the Sinclairs, the family would naturally come first to him.
But deep down, there was little difference between the two.
He had never cared much about such matters in the first place. And today, taking Wuli away was clearly far more important than the alternative.
Hearing that, Fion stepped aside and gave them room to pass.
“Lord Shuen, remember what you said today.”
“Of course.”
With that, Shuen took Wuli’s hand and led her away.
After going around in circles, she still ended up returning to the Duke’s Residence.
As they passed by Fion, Wuli shot him a puzzled glance. In her mind, Fion was not the sort of person who would so easily allow Shuen to take her away.
Yet this was exactly what had happened.
The situation gave her a bad feeling. After all, whenever something unusual happened, there was usually something hidden beneath the surface. It felt almost like a trap.
Fion raised a gentle smile, as though none of this concerned him. But the moment his gaze met Wuli’s, his eyes grew unfathomably deep.
Something’s wrong.
The white-haired girl’s movements stiffened for a moment before she silently followed behind Shuen.
*
The Duke’s Residence.
After half a month, Wuli had finally returned.
In truth, only half a month had passed. Nothing here had changed.
Yet during those short fifteen days, Wuli had narrowly escaped death more times than she could count and uncovered clue after clue.
Wuli entered the room together with Shuen.
The moment they stepped inside, Shuen closed the door behind them, and the space was instantly left with only the two of them.
The white-haired young man stood by the door. His emotions were impossible to read.
After meeting his gaze for only a moment, Wuli lowered her eyes.
She had no idea why Shuen had suddenly appeared. Everything had changed too quickly, and there were far too many unanswered questions.
Shuen took two steps forward.
“I didn’t expect you to still be alive.”
Wuli hesitated.
She had not expected that to be his opening remark.
‘So you already knew what I would go through if I went to the Church?’
Wuli’s pupils contracted slightly.
Shuen clearly caught the change in Wuli’s expression.
Unhurriedly, he walked over to her.
The white-haired young man lowered his head to look at her, while Wuli’s tense body instinctively leaned back slightly.
Then he reached out, lifting the deep-blue earring hanging from her ear with a finger.
The light reflected by the earring shimmered faintly in Shuen’s eyes.
His tone remained calm, as though he already knew everything.
“Do you know why those spells had no effect on you?”
The sudden question left Wuli’s mind blank for a moment.
It was true.
Whether in the game or during the desperate circumstances of the sacrifice, there should have been no way for her to survive a situation like that.
Yet not only was she standing here perfectly fine, she was still full of energy. She looked exactly the same as when she had gone to the Church. After that trip, she had returned completely unharmed.
“Why?” Wuli genuinely did not understand.
The white-haired girl frowned. Her light-blue eyes were far from calm, like layers of rippling water disturbed by countless waves.
Shuen let out a quiet laugh.
“Because you don’t belong to this world. Naturally, those spells have no effect on you.”
So that was the reason.
Wuli’s expression changed.
“I don’t think it’ll be long before Fion discovers your secret as well.”
Wuli’s heart skipped a beat.
Interrupting him, she asked, “You brought me back from the Church and told me all this. What exactly do you want?”
Her voice dropped lower, every word carrying coldness and distance.
The white-haired young man showed little reaction to her question.
The two of them were never people from the same world to begin with.
As a result, Shuen generously chose not to dwell on the matter. Instead, he changed the subject with a smile.
“It must have been difficult, struggling through this world all on your own, hasn’t it?”
“I’d like to help you.”
The sincerity in Shuen’s words was practically nonexistent. His tone was casual, his manner completely informal.
Wuli instinctively looked up.
The corners of her lips turned downward. She deeply doubted every word he had just said.
Shuen did not seem to care whether she believed him or not.
Smiling, he continued, “Another world. Isn’t that interesting?”
Simply because it was interesting, he wanted to help her?
Shuen was obviously not that kind of person.
And yet, no matter how wary she was, Wuli could not afford to turn against him right now.
After several seconds of silence, she seemed to arrive at a decision.
“Fine.”
Wuli smiled at Shuen.
“It’s better to have one more friend than one more enemy. You’ll help me.”
“Then what do you want from me in return?”
The white-haired girl’s eyes were bright.
It was as though this turbulent fate had not affected her in the slightest.
She looked up at Shuen, showing no concern whatsoever about whether she would ever be able to return home. For a brief moment, Shuen almost felt that she was carrying no burdens at all, living with complete ease.
So he smiled back at her.
“Nothing.”
*
News of Wuli’s return from the Church was known only to the people of the Duke’s Residence.
No one else had heard about it.
The matter did not spread far.
Wuli climbed into a carriage. The two of them were heading to the rumored black market.
This was not a world where magic flourished openly. Aside from members of the Church, very few people had access to magic. The rest were scattered independent mages with academic talent, and most of them gathered in the black market.
This trip had been Shuen’s suggestion.
To follow through on what he had promised Wuli: helping her find a way home without asking for anything in return.
Throughout the journey, the white-haired girl quietly studied Shuen’s profile from time to time.
She could not understand why, after her return from the Church, his attitude toward her had changed so dramatically.
Having been betrayed by 《A Maiden’s Western Fantasy World》 game more times than she could count, she dared not trust too easily.
“How many clues did you find in the Church?” the white-haired young man asked casually.
“I got into the Restricted Archives.”
Wuli lowered her gaze and answered honestly.
“I found records about a transference spell, but I didn’t have time to read them.”
So, rounding things up, she had gained absolutely nothing.
Well…
Wuli rubbed her face and forced herself to perk up.
At least the key to the archives was still in her possession. Perhaps one day, after the current Saint fell from power, she would have more opportunities to visit the archives, continue searching for clues, and find her way home.
She stared absentmindedly into the empty air before her.
Her thoughts were filled with visions of the days after she finally returned home.
Resting his head on one hand, Shuen did not look at her.
His gaze remained fixed outside the carriage window.
As they passed a certain location, his eyes suddenly froze.
Then his gaze darkened.
With a flick of his fingers, he pulled the curtain shut.
“What is it?”
The sudden movement snapped Wuli out of her thoughts.
The moment she looked up and saw Shuen’s less-than-pleasant expression, alarm bells immediately rang in her mind. After surviving so many life-and-death situations, she had developed sharp instincts for trouble.
Hearing her voice, Shuen did not move.
There was a hint of madness lurking in his eyes, yet his tone remained casual, as though he were discussing something utterly insignificant.
“The Church has sent people.”
“Hm?” Wuli’s brows immediately furrowed.
Her repeated encounters with Fion had conditioned her to sense danger whenever he was involved.
Yet Shuen seemed completely unconcerned.
“This Saint really does keep his word,” Shuen remarked out of nowhere.
Wuli: “…”
The rivalry between male leads was always the same.
They fought over everything.
The female lead, power, wealth, reputation.
Everything had to be contested.
As an actress who had played countless roles and seen every imaginable type of male lead, Wuli was long since accustomed to this sort of thing.
She coughed lightly.
“Will this have any effect on the Sinclair family?”
If they were being targeted, how serious would it be?
If the consequences were too severe, then it would be a debt of gratitude she could never repay.
After all, she did not even belong to this world.
Shuen seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
He maintained the same relaxed posture, his head resting against one hand. Only then did he turn his head slightly, his peripheral vision falling perfectly on the white-haired girl beside him.
Because they were heading to the black market, Wuli had deliberately dressed modestly this time.
The outfit was simple, yet she still carried an air of nobility.
It was understated without appearing plain or ordinary.
Her eyes were lowered slightly, and the sapphire earrings at her ears remained unchanged, complementing her remarkably well.
They suited her far better than the ruby pendant Glenn had given her, Shuen thought.
After a long moment, he shifted his gaze forward and said calmly,
“It won’t have much of an impact on the Duke’s Residence. Just make sure you protect yourself. Take a few more knight guards with you whenever you go out, and remember not to wander off alone.”
Shuen rattled off his instructions in one breath.
After a brief pause, he added, “And stay close to me later.”
They got out of the carriage some distance away from the black market.
To avoid attracting attention, they decided to walk the rest of the way themselves.
After Shuen helped her down from the carriage, Wuli carefully surveyed the surroundings.
She was searching for signs of the Church’s people, but she was also afraid of being noticed herself.
The enemy was hidden while she was exposed.
Wuli was quite familiar with that sort of situation, so she knew very well that she could not afford to alert the enemy.
The moment she stepped down, Shuen noticed her head subtly turning from side to side, her eyes darting around.
He immediately knew what she was trying to do.
The white-haired young man glanced at her indifferently.
Then he raised a hand and covered the side of her head near her temple. With a gentle push, he guided her in another direction.
Wuli’s head turned along with the force of his hand.
In the center of her vision stood a person who looked completely out of place in the surrounding environment.
The moment their eyes met, the person immediately lowered their head and pretended to focus on whatever they were doing.
Their movements became frantic and clumsy, making them look extremely busy despite having no obvious task at hand.
Wuli: “…”
The white-haired young man tilted his head slightly and smiled faintly.