Chapter 5: The Goddess Watches Over You

Catherine hesitated, while Annie covered her face with both hands, as if too embarrassed to show herself. Her rosy lips quivered as she sobbed, “He must have seen it, definitely! I looked at his, so he must have seen mine... Oh Goddess above, how could such an embarrassing thing happen?”

A faint smile curved Catherine’s lips—this was the real Annie. After a whole day of odd behavior, Miss Annie had finally returned to her usual self.

“Miss Annie, what are you talking about?” Catherine tried to glance at the paper in her hands, but Annie quickly moved it away, unwilling to show her.

“Listen, Catherine!” Annie grabbed her shoulders with both hands, her face serious. “Today, something very! Very strange happened to me!”

When she said “very very,” Annie’s expression became animated and playful, nearly making her devoted maid laugh. Suppressing the urge, the maid asked, “Dear Annie, you’ve already been quite strange today; can you please stop saying strange things?”

Annie quickly asked, “He… no, how have I been strange today?”

Catherine asked first, “Why have you suddenly lost your magic?”

“Lost magic? Oh no, he’s the one who can’t!” Annie’s face lit up with pride. “His world seems to have no magic, at least he can’t use any. When I got out of bed, I almost fell—my body felt limp, and even walking was tiring! Oh, and he doesn’t have a maid to take care of him. Today I dressed myself, Catherine! Praise me!”

Catherine looked at her in puzzlement. Annie quickly closed her mouth with a mischievous smile, then urged her to continue telling what strange things had happened “to herself” today.

Confirming that the girl before her was indeed Annie, Catherine, after hearing the gist of her odd day, asked seriously, “Miss Annie, did you perhaps converse with an unknown evil spirit?”

“He let you change clothes with your eyes closed? Heehee.” Annie’s attention was drawn elsewhere, and she burst out laughing, her delicate face becoming even more adorable.

Suddenly recalling something, she hurriedly told her maid, “Don’t tell my father or mother about what I did today, or what I just said!”

“Hm?”

“I’m going to the chapel!”

“Now?” Catherine glanced at the window and shook her head. “The evening prayers are already over.”

“Right now. Hurry and prepare the carriage for me, ah, I still need to bathe and change. I’m going to the chapel to pray to the Goddess!”

Annie made the decision, and Catherine could not refuse. She called over several maids to prepare hot water, perfumes, clothing, and informed the lady of Annie’s intent to visit the chapel.

After a chaotic bustle within the castle…

Annie boarded a luxurious carriage, escorted by a squadron of knights. Under the watchful magical eye of the high tower mage Phyllis, she was taken to the largest Holy Light Goddess Temple in the northern territories near the castle, where she met Bishop Fergus.

“Good evening, Miss Annie,” Fergus greeted her with a smile. Annie returned the salute, then eagerly said, “Uncle Fergus, I want to pray to the Goddess!”

Before Fergus could ask more, Annie half-pouted, half-pleaded, “Today something very incredible happened, and I need to pray for the Goddess’s response. Uncle Fergus, please help me!”

Arriving at the chapel late at night, accompanied by family knights, clearly with the duke’s or duchess’s permission.

Fergus studied her carefully, then nodded after a moment: “It seems our Annie truly has encountered something extraordinary to come pray at night, asking for the Goddess’s mercy. Very well, follow me—I will take you into the sanctuary and prepare the ritual.”

“Thank you, Uncle Fergus!” Annie happily followed.

At Fergus’s command, numerous clergy of the Holy Light Goddess Temple gathered in the sanctuary, their eyes fixed on Miss Annie Weiss Swinton kneeling before the Goddess’s statue, curious why she would come to pray so late.

Ritual prayer was quite different from daily prayers. The former required the bishop to conduct a ceremony in the chapel, where the devotee sought the Goddess’s response, blessings, or the dispelling of curses.

Even Annie, the duke’s daughter, had only once received the Goddess’s blessing at birth.

In the past two years, the northern Holy Light Church had not performed a single formal ritual prayer. Yet tonight, Duke Swinton’s daughter Annie came after nightfall, seeking the Goddess’s response.

Under the watchful gaze of all, including Catherine, Annie knelt before the Goddess’s statue and recited:

“Great Goddess, Your radiance shines over the northern lands, dispelling the cold and banishing evil...

Your faithful servant Annie Weiss Swinton offers You sincere faith, and brings forth a matter, seeking Your response.

Here is the truth: today, I traveled to a wondrous place called Earth, a world of eight billion souls, where my spirit exchanged places with a man named Lu Xing…”

Having finished the prayer, Annie began to babble about the marvelous things she had experienced—unconsciously revealing even that she had glanced beneath Lu Xing’s trousers, leaving her mouth agape.

Inside the sanctuary, before the Goddess’s statue, priests, pastors, nuns, and the Swinton castle maids whispered prayers, none hearing Annie’s words.

After a long time, Annie finally finished.

Yet there was no response from the Goddess’s statue.

Annie looked back; Fergus shook his head. “The Goddess heard your prayer tonight, but She does not always respond to every supplicant.”

Annie was visibly disappointed, but soon reasoned it out and smiled: “It’s enough that the Goddess heard me—even without a response, I—”

Before she could finish, the sacred statue suddenly radiated a brilliant light. Two ethereal angels appeared before it, jointly holding a glowing orb. Under the astonished gazes of Fergus and others, the angels sang a celestial hymn as they placed the orb upon Annie’s forehead, merging it into her body.

Everyone was stunned by the spectacle.

Bishop Fergus was the first to react, shouting with excitement and clarity, “The Goddess is watching over Annie!”

The crowd came to their senses and knelt before the glowing statue, singing hymns of praise and bidding the angels farewell, offering their faith to the Goddess.

The entire northern temple was stirred; the chapel’s glow drew countless townsfolk’s attention. The high tower mage Phyllis, long absent from the tower, ascended to watch the Holy Light Goddess Temple from afar.

When Annie emerged from the sanctuary, numerous church knights and ascetics who had come upon the news saluted her respectfully, watching her depart.

The Goddess is watching over Miss Annie!

...

Lu Xing returned to Earth.

The first thing he did was search the table for the note he had written saying, “My name is Lu Xing.”

Sure enough, there was an additional paper—she had seen it and left her own message.

Raising an eyebrow, this was his first time communicating with someone from another world. The message was written in two scripts: one in Chinese characters, the other in the magical language of his world.

Inhabiting his body, she had also learned Chinese!

Lu Xing couldn’t help but smile as he read the note:

“Greetings, Mr. Lu Xing. My name is Annie Weiss Swinton, from a continent blessed by the gods—this is what the ancient elves called the world.”