The Archbishop continued to drone on through the screen about the grand blueprint of “retaking the Third Labyrinth,” but Gray found that he wasn’t really listening.
To him, these things only served to trigger a certain sense of PTSD.
This high-and-ready-to-command attitude, this “please go die a few times for the sake of humanity’s greater good” sense of deja vu—it was exactly like the days when the Dawn Blade was just becoming famous, and they were treated as cheap labor by those blind, commanding noble lords.
Generally speaking, these tasks forcibly assigned by the Association and crowned with the title of “Great” usually meant an S-rank difficulty, zero support, pitiful rewards, and a high probability of being a pitfall that required several team wipes to overcome.
Gray sighed, his gaze sweeping over the few people present.
If they were to form a squad, the four Heroes present were a Warrior, a Shield Guard, a Magic caster, and a Priest.
In theory, it was a passable team.
But theory was only theory.
He knew very well that this team had long since drifted apart in spirit.
Back then, the reason the Dawn Blade could create miracles was largely due to the Captain’s personal charisma, which had forcibly hammered this group of freaks together.
Now that the Captain was gone, they were nothing more than a plate of loose sand.
“Um, sorry to interrupt.”
Eve, sitting in the main seat, scratched her cheek with a troubled expression.
“I might not be able to participate in that labyrinth subjugation. Right now, I am only Mio’s shapeshifted familiar; my body can’t withstand high-intensity Magic output. If I force myself into the dungeon, Mio will break, meow.”
Ingram nodded and explained for her, “The Saint’s true body needs to maintain the energy supply for the Temple’s Alchemy Network. These two months of every year are a critical period. She truly cannot leave the Imperial Capital.”
The Archbishop, however, was unperturbed, having long anticipated this.
“It matters not. I never expected the Saint to personally visit the front lines.”
“However, I hope the Saint can use her eyesight as a former A-rank Priest to scout an excellent Priest for this team—someone who can keep up with the pace of the other legendary members.”
Eve hesitated.
Her eyes subconsciously drifted toward Gray as if she wanted to say something, but seeing Gray’s defensive gaze, she swallowed her words.
“Archbishop, leave this matter to me.”
Lobelia, who had been playing with her staff, suddenly spoke up.
She brushed her long pink hair and gave a confident smile.
“As the team’s core damage dealer, I will be responsible for finding the Priest most suitable for us. Please rest assured, I will never betray the Church’s trust in the Dawn Blade.”
The other three frowned when they heard those four words, but the finely dressed old man nodded with satisfaction.
“As expected of the most powerful contender for the next Cardinal. I leave it to you then, Lobelia.”
The communication cut off, and the screen went black.
“What do you plan to do?”
Gray turned his head and looked coldly at Lobelia.
“There aren’t that many A-rank Priests around here for you to pick from.”
“What? Are you worried that with my charm, I won’t be able to attract enough excellent suitors?”
Lobelia turned around to face Gray directly.
A strange, eerie light flashed in her pink eyes.
[Authority: Lock of Love] activated.
In Gray’s vision, the entire world seemed to instantly be covered by a soft pink filter.
The air also seemed to fill with a sweet, cloying scent of roses.
Lobelia, standing before him, began to look much more pleasing to the eye.
The girl who had always seemed perverse to him now appeared somewhat pitiful and moving, making one unable to resist agreeing to her requests.
Gray closed his eyes and slapped his forehead hard, as if driving away an annoying fly.
“Don’t use your Authority on me, Lobelia.”
He opened his eyes, his clear gaze even carrying a hint of disgust.
“I’ve told you many times. I won’t follow you around like those simps on your team. Save it.”
Lobelia clicked her tongue in annoyance and blinked.
The light in her pupils vanished, and a flash of frustration crossed her eyes.
Damn it.
She still couldn’t understand why her Authority, which worked perfectly on every other man, had such a poor effect on Gray.
Logically, only Heroes who also wielded an Authority could possess resistance to the rules.
Yet, Gray was clearly the only member of the Dawn Blade who hadn’t awakened an Authority.
Why was she unable to perform even the most basic mental suggestion on him?
Was this guy really made of wood?
‘Whatever. Take it one bite at a time. Men are the same.’
Since that annoying little Priest wasn’t present, taking down Gray was only a matter of time.
Lobelia adjusted her mindset, her pink eyes falling on Gray once more.
However, she discovered the man wasn’t looking at her at all.
The young man’s attention had already drifted toward the blue sky outside the window.
His eyes were unfocused and his mind was wandering, clearly thinking about something else—or another woman.
Inside Gray’s mind: ‘What is Katy doing right now? Did she eat breakfast? Does her wound still hurt? I always feel like as soon as I’m not by her side, she’ll run into some bad luck.’
He always felt that the moment he turned around, the people important to him would disappear.
Katy’s two brushes with danger had both happened precisely when she was forced to separate from him.
‘If possible, I really want to keep her tied to my side.’
‘But would that be too heavy? Would Lady Katy think I’m a troublesome man?’
Gray, who actually had very little experience getting along with girls, was in a bit of a predicament.
In his entire life, only two women had left a deep impression on him.
One was his former Captain, and the other was likely Katy.
‘The Captain…’
Gray sighed.
Because the blow from the Broken Sword Incident had been too great, he had specifically sought out the team’s former assassin and used her Authority to erase some of his memories.
So strictly speaking, the only girl he had a deep impression of was that blonde-haired, blue-eyed Angel Priest.
The four women Gray had been close to in his life happened to map out to the four characters of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon.
The Captain was free, powerful, and unpredictable.
Like the wind, she swept up their fallen leaves and flew them into the high sky, only to eventually dissipate without a trace like the wind, leaving behind nothing but endless memories.
Eve was the sunflower in the fields by the road—always noisy and always brilliant.
Although she was annoying at times, as long as she was there, the team would never lack life and vitality.
The elf assassin in the team was the unmelting snow on a high mountain—cold and aloof.
After the Broken Sword Incident, because the pain of losing the Captain was too intense, he had asked her to use a certain Authority to erase some of his memories of the Captain.
As a price, his memories of that elf had also become blurry.
Like melted snow, they couldn’t be grasped.
Katy was the white moon currently hanging high in his pitch-black night sky.
Pure, gentle, and occasionally a little mischievous, but always emitting a light that made one feel at ease.
She had once rescued him from the abyss, and now she was the only light he wanted to protect and touch.
And Lobelia was the phrase itself.
“It’s over. You all heard what the Archbishop said. If you have any objections, speak now. If not, we’re dismissed.”
Ingram’s voice interrupted Gray’s musings.
The remaining few shook their heads.
It was a joke.
This was an order from the head of the Church.
Even Eve, as the Saint, had to weigh whether she dared to refuse him, let alone the other three.
Lobelia brushed her hair and walked to Gray’s side, her breath like orchids.
“Hey, Gray. Want to go for a drink? This is a special invitation from the Captain of the Rose Riverside. Others couldn’t get one even if they begged—”
“No.”
Under Eve’s “watching the drama” gaze, Gray headed for the door without looking back, his pace so fast he looked like a middle schooler who just found out snacks were half-off at the supermarket.
“I have things to do. I’m leaving.”
There was only one thought in his head now: ‘Great, it’s finally over. I can go back to see Katy!’
Watching Gray’s back as he left without a shred of lingering attachment, the smile on Lobelia’s face froze.
The pen she had been playing with in her hand snapped into two pieces with a loud crack.