Lothric Cathedral, Back Hall Library.
“To hell with Old Von, I don’t want to be a Saint!”
Katy lay slumped like a piece of soft dough over a mountain of parchment scrolls, desperately pounding the expensive mahogany desk with her fists, creating a series of protesting thuds.
“Miss Katy, please mind your etiquette.
You are in the presence of the Goddess.”
Bishop Clement stood to the side.
His stern face, which usually frightened children to tears, was currently wearing a strangely affectionate expression.
“The Church has not forced you to be promoted to Saint immediately.
However, since a miracle was triggered, it is necessary to master some basic prayers and blessing rituals—all to ensure that the Goddess’s glory is not brought to shame.”
Katy’s lips twitched twice.
On the surface, she nodded obediently and stopped her complaining, but in her mind, she rolled her eyes so far back she could see her brain.
‘Big brother, if a Black-robed Bishop with A-rank power like you wants to keep me here, can I even sprout wings and fly away?’
‘I’m just a weak, pitiful E-level Priest who can’t even lift a chicken.
Besides the people from the Inquisition, this place is surrounded by three layers of the Order of Holy Knights.
How could I possibly win in a fight!’
‘Besides, with that useless Goddess in my head who only wants to sleep, is there really any “glory” left to be shamed?’
During these ten days, Katy, who was under a form of house arrest, was forced to attend the Church’s “Saint Crash Course.”
She had to wake up at 5:30 AM every morning.
After morning exercise, she recited the Radiant Code in front of the useless Goddess statue, followed by five blessing classes throughout the morning.
After a brief lunch and nap, the afternoon consisted of etiquette, magic, and physical training, lasting from 1:00 PM until nearly 7:00 PM.
What was even more despair-inducing was that Bishop Clement took it upon himself to stay and accompany Katy in her bitter studies after dinner.
This made her too embarrassed to slack off or sneak extra snacks, especially since the Bishop only ate one meal of white porridge a day as a sign of penance.
‘Demon Lord, save me!
Your spy is being subjected to inhuman mental torture by the humans!!’
As the indirect nominators of Katy’s “Saint candidacy,” Gray and Lobelia also received rewards and VIP treatment from the Church.
However, the smile on Lobelia’s face when she accepted the award was so stiff it looked like she had been hit with freezing magic.
As soon as she received the award, she claimed she was ill and refused to leave her room.
Katy strongly suspected she was stabbing a voodoo doll of her in there.
Gray, on the other hand, was quite comfortable and spent a few days resting well in the guest room provided by the Church.
Previously at the Graveyard of Ghost Ships, he had forced himself to overload the Lightning Element in his body to tear open a space rift to save Katy.
Combined with the rush to bring Katy to Lothric City overnight, his body was severely exhausted and truly needed the rest.
If it weren’t for that reason, Katy would have made more of a scene no matter what.
But back at Judgment Square, she had seen out of the corner of her eye that the guy had let out a huge sigh of relief, closing his bloodshot eyes to thank the Goddess…
At that moment, her heart had softened just a little bit.
Just a tiny bit.
‘After all, my mission is to be an undercover agent by his side and collect intelligence.
If the mission target works himself to death, I won’t be able to complete the task given by the Demon Lord.
That’s all!’
Thinking of this, Katy turned her head indignantly.
At that moment, Gray was holding a cup of hot tea, sitting on a sofa in the corner of the library, enjoying the rare afternoon sun.
‘Tsk, I don’t feel sorry for this bastard at all now!’
Unlike Katy, who wished she could poke two holes in him with her gaze, Gray saw a different scene.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the colorful stained glass, casting dappled patterns on the blonde girl at the desk.
Katy, who was usually composed, playful, or even a bit mischievous, was currently pouting because of those thick volumes of scripture…
‘Mhm, Miss Katy is indeed quite cute like this as well.’
“Mr. Gray!
You’re laughing, aren’t you?
You’re definitely laughing!”
Katy bared her teeth slightly at him like an angry cat.
“N-No,”
Gray quickly lowered his head to drink tea, trying to hide the curve of his lips with the rim of the cup.
“I’m simply admiring Miss Katy’s hard work.”
Katy angrily twirled the quill in her hand.
“Once I learn this GREAT SILENCE, you’ll be the first one I test it on!”
Gray smiled and did not argue.
In the past, Katy had always been the one teasing him.
Now their roles had briefly swapped, but he didn’t have the heart to truly bully her.
Simply enjoying this peaceful time was precious enough for him.
***
Finally, after enduring ten days of hellish torture, the “Saint Study” ended.
Since Katy’s background was impossible to trace, and the current Church headquarters already had a high-profile active Saint from the Dawn Blade, coupled with Katy’s own strong refusal, the Black-robed Bishop reluctantly agreed to let her go after consulting the Pope.
“Mr. Gray, sorry for the wait!”
Gray, who had been waiting at the church entrance for a long time, turned around.
He saw Katy running toward him, dressed in a pure white ceremonial robe with gold trim, with that still-faint Thorn Halo floating above her.
The sunlight fell on her, and the intricate gold threads shimmered with a holy radiance in the air.
She looked so sacred that one almost felt unworthy of looking at her directly.
“How is it?”
Seeing Gray’s stunned expression, Katy worried that the outfit was too flashy and might make him feel distant.
She hurriedly scratched her eyebrow in embarrassment.
“Is it too flashy?
This outfit is incredibly heavy.
It’s all gold thread.”
“No.”
Gray snapped out of it and praised her sincerely.
“It’s beautiful.
It suits you very well, Miss Katy.”
After the Dawn Blade was disbanded, he had met the squad’s former Priest, who was now the Church’s current Saint.
She was also someone who loved to play tricks.
But in all honesty, with Katy wearing this outfit, her temperament was not inferior to her at all.
She even had a sense of purity that made him want to protect her.
“Um, Mr. Gray.”
Katy shyly avoided his intense gaze, her eyes flickering.
“Since we’re free now, do you want to… go out for a stroll with me this afternoon?”
Gray was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
Was this a joke?
Being invited on a date by an officially certified angelic beauty—how could anyone in this world refuse?
***
1 hour later, on the commercial street of Lothric City.
The two, now back in casual clothes, walked side by side down the street.
Gray wore a clean, simple linen shirt and trousers, looking like a normal older brother next door.
Katy had not changed back into her black trench coat.
Instead, she wore a “modified” nun’s habit.
The hem of the skirt was shortened significantly, revealing a section of fair, slender calves and thighs covered in white silk stockings.
The originally ascetic black-and-white color scheme was worn by her in a way that radiated youthful vitality, even carrying a faint, subtle hint of seduction—at least, it was a temptation for Gray.
After all, every time he looked down to talk to Katy, he had to struggle to keep his gaze on her face rather than letting it slide down to her absolute territory or anywhere else.
Katy had originally intended to use this classic date trope to earn a huge amount of favorability from Gray, but after walking just a few steps, the smell of grilled food from a street stall made her mouth water.
The original date plan turned into a “walk and eat” session for the two of them.
Of course, Gray, the A-rank Hero, was the one paying.
He had just received a bounty for “recommending a Saint” from the Church.
Katy felt like she would be missing out if she didn’t fleece this wealthy guy.
By evening, Gray found an elegant, high-end restaurant, hoping to salvage his image as a clumsy man in Katy’s eyes.
However, just as the appetizers were finished, Katy made an excuse to leave the table, leaving him alone as he looked awkwardly at the exquisite cutlery in front of him.
He racked his brain to remember the noble etiquette that Lobelia and that Saint had once forced upon him:
Fork in the left hand, knife in the right, or was it the other way around?
Was the napkin tucked into the collar or spread across the lap?
Damn it, why was cutting a steak harder than slaying a Tempest-class magic monster?
Could he just use his own dagger instead of this tiny knife provided by the restaurant?
Just as he was pondering how much force to use without slicing through both the plate and the table, a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Sorry for the wait!”
Gray looked up blankly.
The lights in the restaurant seemed to dim slightly as Katy stood before him with a beaming smile, holding a delicate cake with a lit candle.
“Happy Birthday, Mr. Gray.”
The young man’s mouth dropped open in shock, and the fork and knife fell onto the plate with a clatter.
“…Eh?”
Gray instinctively glanced at the calendar on the wall.
Today was indeed his birthday.
But in his memory, besides the former Captain of the Dawn Blade and the Old Matron who watched him grow up in the orphanage, almost no one else remembered this day.
Furthermore, he was certain he had never mentioned it to Katy.
“How did… Miss Katy know?”
“Dummy.”
Katy gently placed the cake on the table.
The candlelight reflected off her gentle profile, making her sky-blue eyes look as if they were filled with starlight.
“When we were registering to form the Black Crow Squad, I saw it on the forms.”
“At that time, I thought that if we successfully completed our first mission, I would definitely celebrate Mr. Gray’s birthday.”
She pressed her hands together and winked playfully at Gray.
“I asked the chef to make this specially.
It’s a cake with lots and lots of honey and jam.
I heard a certain someone likes these kinds of sweets the most?”
Gray felt as if a lump of cotton was stuck in his throat, and even his eyes felt hot.
Being remembered, being valued, being treated with such tenderness…
He suddenly realized that this feeling was even more heart-fluttering than successfully conquering a Labyrinth or receiving a medal from the nobility.
“…Thank you.”
A thousand words were ultimately condensed into these two somewhat clumsy words.
“Blow out the candle, Mr. Gray!”
Katy urged, tapping his shoulder with her fingertip.
“Don’t forget to make a wish!”
And so, Gray closed his eyes, clasping his hands together at his forehead.
Amidst the flickering candlelight, he made the most extravagant and purest wish he had made in 22 years:
‘I hope the Black Crow Squad…
I hope Katy and I can continue to walk together happily like this.’
Whoosh— The candle was extinguished, followed by the girl’s crisp applause and cheers.
This was the first and most wonderful birthday Gray had experienced since the Dawn Blade was disbanded.