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The Saintess and I babbled on, doing our best to shoot out excuses left and right while stuttering all the while.

While I didn’t know why we had to do this, I just had a gut feeling that we should be trying our best right now.

“Nothing’s going on between me and the Saintess, Seria… R-r-right, Saintess?”

“T-That’s right. As a priestess entrusted with spreading the grace of the Lord, I always make sure to maintain an appropriate distance from Brother Ian.”

Despite our explanations, Seria’s sunken eyes didn’t return to normal, and to make matters worse, Celine began glancing back and forth between us dubiously.

Looking back, the Saintess was on bad terms with Seria and Celine, as she had previously kicked them out of my hospital room.

That precedent seemed to have heightened Seria’s suspicion. Her gaze remained cold as she continued to silently interrogate the Saintess with her eyes.

In the end, the Saintess was the first to give under pressure. She indignantly raised her voice and expressed her dissatisfaction with being caught up in this situation with me.

“….R-Really. I am the Saintess. I don’t know what you think a Saintess is, but I thoroughly distinguish between work and my private life!”

‘What we think of the Saintess? Didn’t she call herself a ‘divine power pouch’ before?’

Normally, I would’ve retorted like so, but we were in a temporary alliance. At least until Seria calmed down.

I nodded and backed up the Saintess.

“Yeah, Seria. The Saintess is a maiden favored by the Heavenly God. Just look at her divine power pou-!”

The Saintess discreetly pinched my side before I could finish my sentence. I clenched my teeth in pain but managed to correct myself.

“I-I mean that you can easily tell just by looking at her divine power. She’s not in a position to carelessly enter a relationship since it could become a religious issue.”

Faced with our firm defense, Seria gave in as the light of reason gradually returned to her eyes.

After coming to her senses, Seria suddenly bowed her head and mumbled, realizing that her behavior could be perceived as rude.

“…….T-that’s true.”

This was the Seria I was familiar with. Now, all she had to do was accidentally bite her tongue and stumble over her words to create a picture-perfect recreation of her normal behavior.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief now that we had successfully smoothed things over, but oddly enough, the Saintess seemed to have been strangely affected by the whole ordeal. Her usual composure as a sly schemer was nowhere to be seen.

In the next moment, the Saintess uncharacteristically made a slip of the tongue.

“But, even if Brother Ian and I were in some relationship, you have no right to say any- Ah.”

Once again, silence befell us. Seria’s expression turned cold, and Celine didn’t hide her displeasure either.

Faced with such a situation right after we barely managed to diffuse the first bomb in the form of Seria, I whispered my grievances into the Saintess’ ear.

“…….Are you mad?”

“M-my competitiveness got the best of me.”

That lame excuse was the only thing she said as her cheeks blushed a slight pink.

Needless to say, the three of them grew a little more distant after that.

**

We may have slain several demonic beasts, but the bigger mystery surrounding the case remained unsolved. As such, I chose Leto as my first advisor to help unravel this mystery.

He had always been the one to find solutions to every problem I faced, and I had no doubt that he would be of great help this time as well.

After I explained the situation, Leto remained silent for a while before letting out a deep sigh.

“…….I think the demonic beasts are guarding something.”

“Demonic beasts, protecting something? Protecting what?”

“How would I know?”

Leto scratched the back of his head with a troubled look. It seemed even he had something he didn’t know.

“Whatever it is, it’s strange. Demonic beasts are still creatures of nature. They wouldn’t try to protect something at the cost of their lives… But you said that they held onto your sword till their last breath, right?

“Yeah.”

“And they only stayed in that specific area?”

“Yeah.”

“Hu…”

Another sigh escaped his mouth. His complexion suddenly turned grim.

“…….It’s obvious they’re trying to protect something.”

“But are demonic beasts even capable of such a thing?”

Even Leto, who was the smartest one among us, seemed uncertain, as he knew very little about the topic.

Putting his hand on his forehead, Leto pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

“Try consulting Mr. Gilford.”

Mr. Gilford was a seasoned veteran who had been a mercenary for decades. Given his extensive experience with demonic beasts, it was reasonable to ask him for advice.

That was why I was now sitting alone with Mr. Gilford.

Mr. Gilford quietly poured tea into my cup. It was a cheap brand, but tea was still tea. An aromatic fragrance tickled my nose.

Then, he thanked me with his characteristically benevolent smile.

“Thank you for donating the gold from selling the corpses of the demonic beasts. Thanks to you, the children won’t have to worry about their meals for a long while.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s just my duty as a noble. It’s not like I’m going to starve without that gold.”

Mr. Gilford nodded his head in agreement as his eyes filled with warmth. Feeling a bit of admiration within his gaze, I squirmed around in my seat.

In truth, he was the one worthy of admiration. There were very few people as outstanding and kind-hearted as Mr. Gilford, and I simply wasn’t that good of a person to earn admiration from someone like him.

Unsure of how to act in this uncomfortable atmosphere, I cut to the chase.

“……..Mr. Gilford. You said you used to be a mercenary, right?”

“Yes, a long time ago… I had quite a few achievements under my belt, but now it’s all a thing of the past.”

Mr. Gilford quietly closed his eyes as he took a sip of his tea. His expression was filled with sorrow.

Life as a mercenary was bound to be rough, but Mr. Gilford showed no sign of it. He only seemed like a benevolent and quiet elder.

And that fascinated me. I continued with my inquiries.

“Then, have you ever hunted demonic beasts before?”

“Countless times… Have you ever heard of the Verdant Sanctuary?”

It was something I had never expected to hear in response. I sat there silently for a brief moment while digging through my memories.

The Verdant Sanctuary was the largest jungle on the continent, located within the Southern Kingdom. It was said that numerous resources and legends lay hidden there, but very few dared to explore the place

It was because a monster inhabited the area—a legendary beast that hadn’t been subjugated for the past thousand years.

“…….It’s the habitat of the ‘Vampire’.”

“That’s right. The deeper you go into the jungle, the stronger the demonic beasts become. I once attempted to venture into the Verdant Sanctuary, but the results were disastrous.”

Mr. Gilford sighed briefly, his eyes deepening as if he were recalling past memories.

“Dozens of my comrades were torn to death by demonic beasts. In that place, we couldn’t distinguish poisonous plants from medicinal herbs. And unable to acquire proper drinking water, I was on the verge of death from hunger and exhaustion.”

Recalling the horrors of the Verdant Sanctuary, Mr. Gilford’s eyelashes quivered. It was rare to see ripples in his usually calm expression.

His mouth opened and closed. Then, after some hesitation, his voice flowed out.

“I saw hell that day… Ever since then, I’ve become very reluctant to face demonic beasts.”

Though his story was brief, it was enough to depict how traumatic his experience had been.

I couldn’t find the words to respond. I didn’t know what I should say.

Seeing me at a loss for words, Mr. Gilford put on a faint smile and shook his head, assuring me that I didn’t need to worry about him.

“It’s okay, it’s all in the past. I’m sorry, this old man rambled on needlessly. What is it you wanted to ask about?”

“……The demonic beasts are protecting something.”

Mr. Gilford gasped lightly.

“…….Just like the Verdant Sanctuary.”

Mr. Gilford added that there could be only one cause for their odd behavior.

A demonic human––a human being who had become similar to a demonic beast.

They made pacts with the Evil God, Omeros, gaining the power to control the demonic beasts.

The ‘Vampire’ of the Verdant Sanctuary was one of the most infamous of demonic humans.

At that moment, I realized that the difficulty of the mission had shot up several levels.

**

A demonic human… I was deep in thought as I left the director’s office.

The fact that there was no concrete evidence yet made the situation even more tricky to handle. If I at least had evidence, I could have reported it to either the city office or the temple.

The existence of a demonic human raised many alarms. They were monsters that had forsaken their humanity in pursuit of power and usually required, at the very least, an entire knight division to kill them. They were existences far beyond what mere students like us could handle.

My face fell. I felt depressed just thinking about it.

I needed something to lift my mood. Walking past the cafeteria, I noticed a small shadow.

It was easy to guess who it was just by their brown hair and large, wide-brimmed hat.

It was Senior Elsie.

And next to her was a woman with luscious golden hair. She was wearing a discontented expression.

Once again, it was obvious who she was—Senior Delphine.

After a brief hesitation, I quietly tiptoed into the cafeteria. When Senior Delphine found me, I quickly put my finger to my lips, signaling her to stay silent.

On the other hand, Senior Delphine’s eyes widened at my sudden appearance. She squirmed around and ultimately avoided my gaze as a series of complex emotions flowed through her eyes.

For some reason, she started reacting like this ever since we returned from the forest.

But right now, I only had one goal. Senior Elsie was busy wiping down the tables, utterly unaware of my presence.

It didn’t take long for me to get right behind her. Then, I softly placed my hand on Senior Elsie’s shoulder.

Immediately, Senior Elsie jolted like a spring.

“Hiiiiieeeeeeek?!”

A blue ball of electricity began forming on her hand as she turned around with a look that could kill.

But once she saw that it was me, her wariness quickly turned into bewilderment.

I smiled.

“Hi, Senior Elsie.”

“Sir- Ah! I-it’s you!”

She looked greatly surprised. Her eyes were swimming, and her voice was quivering as she stuttered.

Although she couldn’t meet my eyes, her reaction was slightly different from being afraid. Her perception of me had improved, and I felt pretty happy about it.

She fidgeted around for a while, and I watched her silently with my arms crossed, thinking she was quite adorable.

In the end, she was unable to bear the silence and cautiously threw out a question.

“……W-What are you doing here? Do you need something?”

“No, not really. I just came by to see you and say hello.”

It was a regular greeting.

However, her face visibly brightened up, and though she still couldn’t meet my gaze, I could feel her happiness through her shy smile.

After shyly fidgeting around, her sapphire eyes finally looked up at me with resolve.

“…….R-Really? Then is there anything you want me to do?”

I couldn’t think of anything. There wasn’t anything in particular I wanted her to do for me. In the first place, it wasn’t appropriate to order around my senior, and all the things I had to do were simple enough on my own.

But faced with her expectant gaze, I couldn’t turn her away. Her eyes were full of anticipation as if she would immediately set out to do anything I asked.

I was stumped. There really wasn’t anything at the moment.

I heaved a sigh of resignation. Right now, I had to fulfill her expectations and give her something to do. Anything would do.

“…….Then, will you get me some water?”

It was a trivial request. I was worried that ordering her around for such a menial task would hurt her pride, but instead, she nodded with a big smile on her face.

“O-okay! Just give me a min-”

“Here.”

However, her smile didn’t last long. Before she could even finish her sentence, a glass of water was already in front of me.

Senior Elsie’s eyes turned blank as she slowly shifted her gaze towards the one who had prepared the glass of water.

It was Delphine Yurdina, the lioness who protected the North.

“……It’s water. You wanted it, right?”

With slightly blushing cheeks, Senior Delphine spoke while abashedly averting her eyes.

“Kuhum…”

Then, after clearing her throat, she turned to face Senior Elsie.

Crimson-red clashed against sapphire-blue.

Even the colors of their eyes were complete opposites.

After what seemed like a long silence. Senior Delphine turned away with a scoff as a sneer tugged at the corners of her mouth.

In contrast, Senior Elsie’s eyes became chilling. The smile that had brightened her face just a minute ago vanished and was replaced with a grim look.

The atmosphere turned heavy with tension.

Even though all I asked for was a cup of water.

I just stood there, dumbfounded at the situation that had unfolded before me.