"Isn't that our new neighbor Old Xenia? I didn't know that she would attend seeing as she shouldn't care for commoner traditions as she was once a noble. Or she's just a fake Madam and that she's an abandoned slut!"

The sneer came from Jennifer who has the same age and speciality as Andrina.

She was one of the petty wolves in the sheep crowd who harbored bad intentions as Alist saw her flirting on Kyan.

'I think I should be on guard against her especially when her mother Jenna is participating in my godparent selection. After all, she's the same age as my mother and I'm guessing she may plan on becoming Daddy's whore. Humph! We'll see about that.'

So from her position, Alist maintained the stance of a wolf pup stalking the barking bitch called Jennifer.

'Xenia…now where have I read about that name before?'

She tried recalling such a character in the story but she couldn't recall reading about her.

'Niaaaaaaa! I have avenged you and I am sorry that we couldn't be together. It's because of me that you died alone…Xenia!'

Alist jumped from hearing the wailing voice of a certain earworm.

'AHA!' She exclaimed. 'That's why I couldn't remember reading about her. I heard it over the audiobook version of the novel!'

Turning in the direction of where the bitch Jennifer sneered at, Alist saw a thin youngest-old woman who was the only candidate not conversing with the others.

She was wearing a light daffodil yellow kirtle over her white long sleeved tunic with no lace-up bodice and a thin wooden circlet on her faded grey hair.

Xenia Verdant.

The greatest love and grief of the Shade Army Recruit named Coru of the Diseerin Elven Clan.

Xenia was actually Coru's long-time lover, who were both Eudarian residents, and was once a marriage candidate to the crown prince of the Ordell Kingdom, her former home.

After refusing and terminating that role, Xenia smoothly reunited with Coru though she was then disowned by her own influential Marquis family and made her a commoner.

They did marry in private as Coru, an elf dutifully and lawfully loyal towards his partner, and Xenia settled near the Elven Woods of Eudaria.

Aware of their different lifespans, they both decided not to have children but instead support each other in doing the work they were tasked to do.

The conflict happened when Xenia received news of Coru's apparent death during his duties to his clan.

Xenia wanted to claim the body but was refused saying his corpse left not even a trace of flesh as it had been incinerated by the enemy.

Unable to fight for him, she cut off all contact with her Botanical Communication Link towards the entire Eudarian plant kingdom and lived somewhere in Talineah until the end of her sad old age.

At the same time as Xenia's demise, Coru was finally released from his lengthy clan duties.

Only when he heard of his wife's disappearance and the schemes of his clan causing such fake news about his death did Coru left the woods and searched for Xenia.

Unfortunately, he was too late as he never got to spend his last moments with her.

Not even catching a glimpse of her frail old face.

'Driven mad by rage and desire for revenge, Coru joined the Khaos Army in order to destroy all of Eudaria, the land he now hated. My goodness! A person's tragic love life became the sole reason for a continent's annihilation and to think I memorized closing phrase of Coru's tragedy.'

Alist shuddered in disbelief.

For Coru to abhor all of Deo meant that he vividly remember the conspirators from each continent who destroyed his love life.

Xenia is a certain variable that can offset the success rate of her Glassheart Safety & Protection Plan because she is related to the future villain of the continent.

To prevent the rise of the Shade Army Recruit, she must ensure that Xenia lives her life in town long and well.

Obviously, if the Xenia she saw in front of her was the actual Xenia Verdant, then she had no choice but to take the woman as her godparent instead.

In this way, she will be able to able to take care of Xenia and make a deal with Coru when she finds him.

'Well, let's just start figuring out the nature of her aura.' Alist resolved in her mind.

As the rites began, the eligible patrons and patronesses displayed their respective aurae.

The luminous glowing outlines of the Specialists contrasted each other as if these were celebrity actors trying to outperform the other diva or divo.

'From what I've seen, many are doing their best to  maintain the strongest state of aura so as to seduce me like presenting the largest lollipop they made for a victim.' Alist tried perceiving their hidden intentions.

The Glasshearts, who declined noble prestige and title, remained people of high status in the eyes of Darya's people as they had good relationships between highborns.

Therefore, it is important to have direct connections with the Glasshearts so that they will be recommended to other nobles and it all starts with becoming Alist's godparent.

Alist could definitely tell that none of them are qualified enough to satisfy her principles, except for Xenia.

'I don't know why Xenia attended my Mana Initiation Rite but I'm sure she did that because she feels close to children as she didn't have one with her husband. Her sad and lonely aura was the same as my midnight friend Yellow Moon's. Despite this effect, Xenia had the aura of an elite Specialist as she was from a Marquis family. I bet I will have a lot to learn from her so here I go!' Alist decided.

She stood up from the floor and walked step by step towards her chosen godparent who was at 10 o'clock position.

Alist then prepared herself. 'Alright then. Let's act cute!'

When the one-year-old stopped in front of Xenia, everyone was astonished because she was the only stranger with unknown origins who entered the initiation rites.

There were some who still haven't given up in the hopes that the child will change her mind and move in their direction instead.

Not minding the attendees' reactions, Alist followed her plan as if going on a mission to gain a NPC's favorability.

"Mwah…gwadpwewent." She babbled with her mouth that had incomplete set of teeth.

Xenia, on the other hand, was still in shock.

She couldn't believe that she was chosen by the little girl.

Seeing as she did not move from her position in the circle, Alist then moved to Step 2 of Plan A.

The child looked at her mother who was outside the mana circle. "Mama!"

When she heard that Alist called for her mother, it would lawfully make the godparent selection invalid so Xenia couldn't help but be disheartened at the child's decision.

It was not until they heard Alist's next gurgle.

"Gawd-MAMA! Gawd-Ma…bwah, God-MAMA!" Alist exclaimed while stomping with her little feet joyously and spreading her short arms as if she was asking for a hug.

Not wanting to miss another chance, Xenia lifted the child up into her arms and saw the girl smile at her.

"God-Ma-Mwah! Mwah mwah…mama-wah?" Alist continued her act while clapping her small hands together.

Having bit the cute bait and remaining incredibly touched by the recognition, Xenia took out a shining auric laurel wreath and placed it on top of her first godchild.

Almost every commoner will think that presenting a child the golden laurel circlet was done to show off the brilliance of the ornament instead of the model herself but it was a different reaction for Alist.

'OH MY GOD! DAMN! THIS CAN'T BE!!!' Alist was screaming hysterically inside her mind. 'This is a crown hewn out of the Vermeil Dafevrys Laurel tree. It was deemed one of the most valuable magic treasures amongst the human noblesse and the elf kind.'

For an elf, owning a Dafevrys Laurel (or Dafevrys in general) meant that he or she is loved and blessed by nature.

For a high-ranking noble, the Dafevrys is symbolizes either prestige as triumphant Specialist or great acknowledgement from the one who gave the treasure.

When owned by a noble family for so long, the Dafevrys becomes a permanent heirloom that served as the heir apparent's final inheritance.

Alist was surprised that such a prized possession is given to her as a birthday gift.

What surprised Alist even more was that Xenia was actually the heir apparent to the Marquis highborn bloodline and that she still owns the heirloom.

As for why the former noble still had the Dafevrys in her hands, Alist will never know but it seemed that Xenia's intentions of gifting the circlet was not to recognized her as the child under the noble Verdant March but as the goddaughter who was loved by nature and by Xenia herself.

Convinced of her sincerity, Alist embraced her happily while calling her "God-Ma" repeatedly.

Alist had a good feeling that with her official godmother's help, she can proudly clear the hardest of trials and obstacles in her endeavor as a Specialist.

~o~

Or maybe a little proud.