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墨書 Inktalez
"What does it mean?" A hint of confusion flashed in the Blonde Woman's eyes. As a Fleet Girl, she could not possibly mistake an old companion. Although the two had not seen each other for four years, that feeling could not be wrong; the person before her was none other than the first Secretary Ship of her Naval Base, Lexington!
However, why did the other person's expression seem so indifferent? In her memory, no matter what happened, Lexington always wore a gentle smile that had a soothing effect on others. Additionally, during their time at the Naval Base, she had never seen Lexington wear such a solemn pure black outfit. Thus, she couldn't help but hesitate; was this really Lexington? Had she mistaken someone else for her?
"On May 8, 1942, the lead ship of the Lexington-Class Aircraft Carrier, numbered CV-2, sank due to an aviation fuel explosion. That same year, Full River Shipyard renamed an under-construction Essex-Class Aircraft Carrier from Cabot to Lexington and launched it on September 23. I am that Aircraft Carrier Ship Girl who inherited the glory of the previous Lexington, the Essex-class Aircraft Carrier CV-16 named Lexington. Therefore, I am not the senior you knew."
After saying this, Black Dress Lexington did not wait for the Blonde Woman to respond and began walking towards the outskirts of the town.
"It's going to rain!" Black Dress Lexington looked up at the overcast sky and quickened her pace towards the county town. The strong wind blew her flaxen hair and ruffled the hem of her black coat.
"Where is the Admiral?"
The wind carried Black Dress Lexington's words from afar into the Blonde Woman's ears.
"Li..." Looking at that familiar yet strange figure, a hint of disappointment appeared on the Blonde Woman's face. Lexington would never say such things nor pretend not to recognize her, so she confirmed that this person was not the Lexington she knew. As she had said, although they shared nearly identical appearances and names, they were not the same person. Besides, as an Admiral's Wedding Ship, how could Lexington be driven out of the Naval Base by an Admiral?
It seemed that this Lexington had also lost her Admiral. Nevertheless, Black Dress Lexington seemed happier than her. From her tone, it was clear that Black Dress Lexington had not been expelled from the Naval Base; her Admiral must have gone missing! And what about her? She had most likely been abandoned by her Admiral and now lacked even a bit of courage to return to the Naval Base to ask about it. How pitiful was that!
After watching Black Dress Lexington disappear into the distance, the Blonde Woman turned and walked towards the church in the center of town with its circular dome.
The Blonde Woman was named Lydia and served as the Bishop in this small town located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
Pushing open the large red door of the church, a faint glimmer passed through Lydia's sky-blue eyes. It was time for the evening service. In other churches, this prayer hall, designed in a European medieval style, would be filled with devout worshippers waiting for her, the Bishop, to lead the Mass. However, looking around, she saw only a handful of people—about ten or so—all young men in their early twenties, full of youthful vigor. How many of them were here sincerely praying? Lydia knew all too well that it was probably none.
Despite her disappointment, as a member of the clergy, she had to fulfill her responsibilities and conduct the Mass for these pseudo-believers who came every day.
"…May God's love fill the world and always protect us. Thank you, Lord. Praise the Lord. Amen."
Closing the thick Bible in her hands, Lydia sighed lightly and turned to leave. However, before she could pull open the wooden door leading to the church's backyard, a hesitant voice from behind her called out.
"Father Li, when will you return to secular life?"
Lydia paused for a moment before quickly opening the door and stepping outside. She feared that if she stayed any longer, she might lose her temper with these ignorant individuals who came to church with ulterior motives.
What did they mean by "Father Li"? In the teachings of God, women cannot serve as priests and certainly cannot be Bishops. Even if she had self-appointed herself as a Bishop, how could these people be so ignorant as to call her a priest? Moreover, as a member of the clergy, one is not allowed to marry for life—wasn't her meaning clear enough? And what did they mean by "returning to secular life"? If she remembered correctly, that term was used by several sects in that Eastern Kingdom.
The church's backyard was small, featuring a little flowerbed and a two-story villa—this was Lydia's home, where she had spent most of the past three years.
Once back in her room, she placed the Bible on the shoe cabinet by the door and removed her red Bishop robe, revealing an outfit that was fashionable yet understatedly elegant. She wore a cream-colored round-neck knitted sweater under a black blazer and paired it with straight black trousers that complemented her jacket perfectly. On her feet were low-heeled black leather shoes. The slightly fitted clothing accentuated her tall figure with graceful curves: a full and firm bust, rounded hips, and long straight legs that embodied feminine beauty.
After sitting down in a chair by the window, Lydia took off the Lorraine Cross from around her neck and held it tightly in her hand while staring blankly at the distant sea beyond the window.
Ever since she inexplicably left the Naval Base four years ago and realized she could no longer feel Admiral through their mysterious contract connection, Lydia understood that she had been abandoned by him. The inability to recall where the Naval Base was located led her to completely abandon any thoughts of returning there.
Looking back now, she realized that part of her had acted out of spite at that time. Since Admiral no longer wanted her, why should she chase after him? Wouldn't that seem spineless? She thought that with time passing, she would forget Admiral; however, she found that notion laughable. The longer they were apart, the more she missed him. Yet every time she ventured out searching for the Naval Base, she came up empty-handed. One thing terrified her: despite missing Admiral so much, she had completely forgotten what he looked like. No matter how hard she tried to recall his appearance, nothing came to mind. Fortunately, just a few days ago, her memories began to clarify; she recalled many things from the Naval Base and finally remembered Admiral's face. But thinking about it was still futile because she still couldn't remember where the Naval Base was located.
"Admiral, have you really been so heartless? It's been four years, and you still haven't come to find me?" Forced by life circumstances, she had registered as a Mercenary at the Mercenary Guild three years ago. If the Admiral truly wanted to find her, he could have submitted a request to access the Fleet Girls' files through the Admiral Alliance, and that way, he would have been able to locate her quickly.
In this world, how many Fleet Girls are named Richelieu? How many Richelieus have become Mercenaries? She was probably the only one! It should have been easy for him to find her, yet four whole years had passed, and she still had not seen the Admiral.
At this moment, the French Cardinal Ship, the brave knight of France, the noble and aloof Richelieu, was crying quietly like a little girl, her sobs muffled by the sound of the raging storm outside.
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