Chapter 886: Departing The Thousand Blossoms Peak
In truth, Seina was a bit skeptical about whether or not Izroth's plan would work. However, it ended even better than she anticipated!
Not only did Seina uncover who was responsible for poisoning her disciple, but she even acquired solid evidence of Yuveil working with outsiders.
Still, although Seina was glad that she got some answers, she was truly heartbroken and deeply wounded by her senior sister's betrayal.
She knew that their relationship had deteriorated since the day her master chose her as the Holy Maiden over her senior sister, but Seina did not think it had reached such a low point.
As her junior sister, a part of Seina wanted to ignore Yuveil's misdeeds and try giving her another chance to redeem herself.
However... As the Holy Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Seina knew what needed to be done.
"Senior sister... Do you really hate me so much that you were willing to betray our Order?" Seina wanted to ask this question, but could not find it in herself to speak those words.
"Excuse me, Izroth. There is one last matter that I must attend to." Seina said as she walked towards Yuveil and stopped right in front of the opposite side of the table where she sat.
"J-junior sister, you must believe me! I had nothing to do with the poisoning, I swear-"
"Enough!" Seina's voice erupted, causing Yuveil to fall silent.
"...Enough already... Yuveil..." Seina said as a pained expression flashed through her eyes.
Seina closed her eyes and continued, "First Guardian Yuveil, you have betrayed the Order of a Thousand Blossoms and conspired with outside forces to do it and its Holy Maiden harm. For your actions, you will immediately be stripped of your title of First Guardian and have your Blossom techniques abolished. In addition, your name shall be removed from the Order archives and you shall spend the rest of your life confined to the Self-Reflection Room to contemplate the weight of your actions. Yuveil, I am glad our master is not alive to see what you have become. It would have broken her heart... Just as it has mine."
"You can't...! You..! Y-!" A look of dread and defeat appeared on Yuveil's face as she tried to speak; however, she could not form a proper sentence as she fainted on the spot from shock.
In the end, Seina took everything from her senior sister, besides her life. This would be the last mercy she could show to her senior sister.
...
A few hours later...
It did not take long for the news of Yuveil's punishment to spread throughout the Thousand Blossoms Peak.
It was the first time in the history of the Order that a First Guardian had been stripped of their rank and sentenced to life within the Self-Reflection Room. However, there were mixed feelings among the disciples.
Some of them felt that the story going around was too wild to be true. It was no secret that the Holy Maiden Seina and First Guardian Yuveil did not exactly see eye to eye. And, now that she recovered, framing Yuveilf was the swiftest way for the Holy Maiden to reclaim her authority within the Order.
That being said, the disciples who thought like this were in the minority.
Yuveil's abuse of her authority as the First Guardian did not sit well with the majority of the Order's disciples. This was even more so for the newer disciples who were often left to the mercy of those who curried favor with Yuveil's faction despite Jade's best efforts.
They were glad to see that Yuveil was finally paying the price for her actions.
As for the other guardians, Seina had not punished them.
Since Yuveil was the mastermind behind the entire matter, the Holy Maiden decided to overlook their actions for the sake of the Order's future. After all, if she suddenly locked away all the guardians or expelled them from the Order, its foundations would become incredibly weakened.
Instead of punishing them directly, Seina sent the guardians a strong statement by making a clear example out of Yuveil.
If they still chose to follow down a similar path after seeing the end results, then Seina would handle matters accordingly.
Still, Seina did not let the guardians off entirely. She stripped away most of their authority to the point that they were only guardians in name without any true authority or influence. If they wished to gain what they lost, they would have to prove their worth to the Order from scratch.
In order to fill the void in power, Seina created a new division within the Order that would be overseen by her eldest disciple, Sylvia.
This division would work to ensure that no one was abusing their authority within the Order. And, to keep that division in check would be the division that her second disciple, the Thousand Blossom Saintess Jade, was in charge of.
The two divisions would keep each other in check and would answer only to the Holy Maiden. In this way, the entire power structure of the Order had undergone a drastic change in under a day.
As for the several guests left behind in the main hall, Seina released them all except for Avia and Balugon. She saw no reason to pointlessly slaughter those who were simply used as tools for those above them.
Unfortunately for Balugon, he dared to have thoughts about their young disciples. This was an offense that the Holy Maiden could not ignore. Therefore, as punishment, she decided that the High Enforcer Balugon would be crippled and thrown off the Thousand Blossoms Peak to fend for himself. As for whether he would survive or not—Seina had no interest. After all, this much could be seen as her giving some face to the old monster of the Eight Heavens.
And, when it came to Avia, Seina was surprised after Izroth asked that she leave her to him.
In the end, Avia was still someone at the primary stage of the legendary realm. She was not to be underestimated. That's why she was a bit hesitant to approve. But, once Izroth gave her some reassurance, Seina reluctantly agreed. Of course, she made certain to give Avia a "friendly" warning of what would happen to her if even the slightest harm came to the Official Saint of her Order.
Now, after having made sure that all the major loose ends were tied up, Seina was currently standing at the main entrance of the Thousand Blossoms Peak.
Next to the Holy Maiden were her three disciples, Sychia, Jade, and Sylvia.
As for why the group was at the main entrance, they were there to properly see off Izroth, who was accompanied by Avia.
"My apologies, Izroth. Getting everything in order again took much longer than I anticipated. But, it does not excuse our lack of hospitality, especially after all you have done for our Order. You must visit again one day so that we can properly entertain you." Seina said with a blossoming smile.
Izroth shook his head and replied, "Being able to read the rare books in your private collection and keep the materials you've collected is more than adequate. I will not forget the kindness your Order has shown me. If you ever need some assistance in the future when it comes to crafting, do not hesitate to contact me."
If anyone else were there, they would think Izroth's words were too arrogant. After all, what could a grade three Apothecary help a grade seven Apothecary accomplish?
However, those who were present knew exactly what Izroth was capable of. After all, they witnessed it for themselves.
"Then, I may have to trouble you in the future, Apothecary Izroth. My previous promise still stands. If you run into any trouble or require some help, do not hesitate to use the Twin Blossom Crest I've given you. If you show it to a disciple of our Order on the outside, then they will be able to contact me and I will come rushing over with haste." Seina stated.
Izroth and Seina went on to exchange a few more words before Sylvia and Jade also gave their farewells to Izroth, being sure to thank him again for saving their master's life.
Then, it was finally Sychia's turn to bid her farewells.
"Izroth, I will never forget all that you have done for me, my master, and our Order. You forever have my gratitude. I may never be able to repay you in my lifetime, but... One day, I will become the Holy Maiden of our Order. When that time comes, I will continue to uphold and honor my master's promise. Izroth, you will forever be a benefactor to our Order. And—a great friend." Sychia said sincerely with a grateful expression on her face and a slight hint of reluctance in her eyes.
"I've never been all that good at farewells, so I'll just say this. It's been fun, young maiden. I'm sure this is not the last time our paths will cross. That's why, rather than saying farewell, I'll say this instead. I'll see you around, Sychia." Izroth said as he began his descent down the Thousand Blossoms Peak along with Avia.
"Farewell, great benefactor." Seina, along with her disciples, said in unison as they watched Izroth depart along with Avia.
As Izroth started his descent down the Thousand Blossoms Peak, his focus immediately shifted to what lay ahead of him.
'The raid on the Night Lord's Crypt is starting soon. I have to head to Xanaharpe and start making preparations.'