Chapter 1165 - D480: Longing Like a Shooting Star_2

She said leisurely, "Looks like your investigation on me didn't yield the results you wanted."

"I, I wouldn't dare—" The Catcher hurriedly tried to deny, but before he could finish, the Mute Girl raised her hand to interrupt him.

"Come on now. Did you think I invited you to be a teammate because I admired your noble character?" The Mute Girl chuckled.

"Whether or not you investigate me or comment on me, those are just trivial matters." Her tone was light and breezy, "As long as you still need my healing and obey my orders, you'll remain a satisfactory team member until the treatment ends."

Upon hearing this, the Catcher couldn't help but show a slight bitter smile.

"Big Sister, I truly am very grateful to you..."

"That's about enough. The doctor-patient relationship is the one that needs the least feelings involved; you just need to follow doctor's orders." The Mute Girl waved dismissively, then grew somewhat curious.

"So, what did you find out? Tell me."

The Catcher was silent for a moment, carefully choosing his words and glancing around before he spoke quietly:

"It seems you were from the Ancient City Church Orphanage... I heard you were abandoned by your Mage parents."

"Yes, the reason for abandonment was supposedly because I was mute." The Mute Girl shrugged, "Couldn't even learn chanting, let alone spellcasting, so discarded. Funny, right?"

Though she spoke of past events that would be hard for most to articulate, her demeanor was as if it was none of her concern.

Seeing the Mute Girl's magnanimous attitude, the Catcher also relaxed a bit.

"I think it's their loss," he said earnestly, "After all, now you can perform spellcasting without chanting."

It relied entirely on precise manipulation of Magic Power to produce speech, not a simple skill; he knew very few Spellcasters who could achieve it.

"Hmm, although I haven't learned magic, if it's similar to Healing Skill, it should be possible," the Mute Girl thought and then answered.

The two resumed their steps and chatted as they walked.

"...With your current skills, can't you heal your own vocal cords?" The Catcher hesitated but boldly asked.

"This isn't a disability like yours acquired postnatally," the Mute Girl replied blandly.

"The Archbishop's examined me already. The issue isn't with the physical body, but relates to the Abyssal root structure, so there's no concept of healing it.

"Being able to speak like this was quite an effort, once fueled by sheer resentment to learn to talk; whether I can muster such motivation again is uncertain."

"Abyssal root... that's a Magician's concept, right?" The Catcher's gaze carried some sympathy, "They say it involves not only diet and lineage but can also relate to past lives."

"Ha, maybe in a past life I was a Siren Princess," the Mute Girl chuckled, ambiguously, "But I haven't gone to the Warlock Association for testing."

"Siren Princess..." Whatever he imagined, his expression turned slightly peculiar, and even his tone became cautious, "Well, is Lady Saintess really at the Ancient City Cathedral now?"

[Attitude towards the Saintess (Derisive–Respectful–Teasing)]

D100=78

"Oh." Upon hearing, the Mute Girl turned her head slightly, casting a sidelong glance.

"What, are you one of her fans too?"

"So what if I am?" The Catcher's face reddened slightly.

"Who in the Kingdom isn't a fan of Lady Saintess?"

He spoke with conviction.

"Big Sister, you work for the Church; you see Lady Saintess up close and surely understand more than I do how admirable she is..."

"That's why I can't communicate with people who filter everything." The Mute Girl sneered, "Don't see her as too holy, or it'll be your loss."

"How can you say that!?" The Catcher was suddenly shocked, disregarding honorifics as he exclaimed, "Wasn't it because you joined Lady Saintess in the border campaign against the Great Demon that you were promoted exceptionally to Silver Adventurer?"

His face showed disbelief.

How could someone who witnessed such miraculous events be so unpious?

"You've never switched roles at the Church either, but did you even find this out?" The Mute Girl was speechless, "Although she did fight well at the border..."

The Mute Girl paused as if remembering something, her mouth curling into a mischievous smile.

"But afterwards..."

"After, afterwards?" Realizing he might learn something serious, the Catcher swallowed hard.

"It's nothing, but if you were onsite back then, maybe you could've easily charmed her into going home with you."

"...What do you mean?" The Catcher's face turned solemn.

"Just literally; what did you think I meant by 'loss'?" The Mute Girl scoffed teasingly, "If you see her as too sacred, so much so that you don't even dare to approach and miss the chance, isn't that a loss?

"Even though she holds herself well publicly, she's surprisingly passive; if you met her on the street and invited her frantically, maybe she'd happily wander with you." The Mute Girl's smile was sly.

"Re-really?!"

"Of course, provided you can recognize her."

"How could I not recognize Lady Saintess!"

Watching the excited Catcher, the Mute Girl offered an affectionate gaze, as if looking upon someone with Intelligence barriers, and spoke no more.

With their chat, they suddenly neared their destination without realizing.

On the street, several ornately decorated bird carriages appeared, their doors opened by attendants from which elegantly dressed individuals stepped out.

There were also Adventurers simply dressed in formal wear, like the two, arriving on foot.

Although the host of the estate was a newly minted Noble, due to the special status of the adventurer noble in the Ancient City, this party drew quite a crowd.

With the increase in surrounding people, their conversation ceased, and the Catcher's tension slowly resurfaced.

"Big Sister, although I indeed investigated some information about you..." He lowered his voice, "But I still don't understand why you're suddenly fixated on entering the Dungeon and why you're so strict in selecting teammates?"

Entering the Dungeon itself wasn't odd; in this city, there were legions of people spontaneously wishing to become Adventurers daily.

Yet the Mute Girl's method of selecting companions puzzled him.

It seemed less like picking teammates and more like searching for slaves, or rather, looking for individuals guaranteed not to leak secrets.

And including Dungeon worshippers among the candidates made it seem as though entering the Dungeon would inevitably trigger something—

"Don't be so anxious." The Mute Girl smiled slightly, speaking casually.

"As long as today's recruitment succeeds, our first adventure will be within a couple of days.

"So now, let's first see what the future Vanguard looks like."

With that, the Mute Girl retrieved two invitations from her small handbag, her skirt lightly swaying as she elegantly walked to the gatekeeper.

[Vanguard: Esoteric Knight LV (below 50 has Special Skill, 50+ Legendary)]

[Body type 1~3 Maiden, 4~6 Young Girl, 7~9 Mature Woman, 10 Big Lady, 11~15D Species]

D15+45=(14)=59

[Species]

1.5. Dwarf

2.6. Elf

3.7. Beastman

4.8. Otherworldly People

9. Demon (Anchor)

10. Great Success/Great Failure

D10=8

♛: Otherworldly People