Even after Red returned home, the gloom on his face refused to lift.
Tos’ words, though harsh and cruel, had sounded an alarm in his heart.
Although he and Litt weren’t exactly the closest of companions, if… if something truly happened to Litt…
Just the thought of it was enough to make Red’s breathing a little uneven.
He truly couldn’t risk it.
Maybe he’d been hesitant before, but now, as soon as Litt returned, he had to try—see if he could invite her to help out at the shop, even if just for a week.
A week’s time should be enough for him to uncover the hidden hand within the White Church.
But, speaking of handling these matters, there was actually someone far more professional than himself.
Letia.
This Battle Priest who’d come from the Holy Tribunal—no one was more skilled at dealing with things like this than her.
Which brought Red’s thoughts back to one thing—just what was she doing inside the White Church at that time?
The more he thought about it, the less he understood.
After a moment, he took out the Communicator Crystal and dialed Letia’s number.
“Bzzz… Bzzz… Bzzz…”
The long wait tone echoed through the silent living room, testing Red’s patience.
Just as his finger was about to press the hang-up key, the call finally connected.
“Hello–? *”
A lazy, dragging voice sounded, as if its owner had just escaped from the realm of dreams, thick with sleepiness.
Red glanced instinctively at the wall clock.
Five o’clock in the afternoon—getting up at this hour?
Really her style.
“Miaotia? It’s me, Red.”
“Oh– Red, huh…”
A huge yawn came from the other end, followed by the rustling of fabric, as though she was rolling around with her blanket.
“So early… disturbing my beauty sleep… what’s the big deal? Wait!”
Suddenly, her voice rose abruptly, all trace of drowsiness gone, brimming with startling energy—Red could even imagine her springing up from bed in an instant.
“Don’t tell me… you’ve changed your mind?!”
“Changed my mind? About what?”
Red was utterly bewildered, unable to keep up with her leapfrogging train of thought.
“My, my, how embarrassing~”
As Red was puzzled, Letia’s voice turned coy, deliberately adopting a girlish shyness.
“It’s, you know… that thing… the Big Lotto! If it works out, I’ll take seventy percent and you get thirty.”
Red expressionlessly pulled the Communicator Crystal away from his ear and stared at it for three seconds.
He suddenly wondered if he’d called the wrong person.
But even so, he forcibly stifled his urge to retort, doing his best to speak calmly.
“No, I just wanted to ask if you could meet up. There’s something I’d like to discuss.”
If they talked over the Communicator Crystal, eight or nine times out of ten Letia would just brush him off with a laugh, so Red planned to question her face to face.
If possible, a bit of cooperation wouldn’t hurt either.
“Hmm… a date? That’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”
Hearing that feigned shyness and girlish tone, a vein bulged on Red’s forehead.
“You, who goes on about the Big Lotto every day, embarrassed over this? Don’t make me laugh, alright. Tomorrow afternoon, Riverside Tavern. My treat. See you, bye.”
With that, Red hung up and slowly let out a breath.
As long as he didn’t get drawn into Letia’s rhythm, dealing with her should be easy enough… probably.
“Speaking of which, I wonder how Litt’s doing… should I go check in on her?”
Perhaps it was his earlier suspicions, but thinking of how Litt was still at the White Church and hadn’t returned made Red feel a bit uneasy.
“If I’d known, I’d have waited outside the White Church Monastery for Litt…”
But saying that, Red knew well that unless he forced his way in, simply waiting would be pointless.
As time passed, he grew more anxious.
Just as he was considering whether or not to head over to the White Church Monastery, the sound of the door opening echoed from the entryway, followed by light, lively footsteps.
Even though he had an idea who it was, Red stood to welcome her.
When he opened the living room door, sure enough, Litt stood before him.
Only this time, there were two crossed bandages stuck on her forehead, giving her an oddly cute look.
“Litt, are you alright?”
Red’s concern was clear as day.
With him so close, Litt’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink.
The girl shyly averted her gaze, not daring to meet Red’s eyes.
“I’m… I’m fine…”
But even so, after summoning her courage, the girl’s face bloomed with a truly happy smile.
“Bishop Otto said that it was you, Red, who saved us at the critical moment—you’ve saved me once again.”
Seeing Litt’s grateful expression, Red couldn’t help but scratch his head a little sheepishly.
But recalling Tos’ warning, and the potential dangers lurking within the White Church, Red took a deep breath and said,
“Litt… I have a favor to ask.”
“Red, go ahead.”
Litt answered immediately, her voice crisp.
Not only was there no trace of reluctance on her face, but a faint, almost imperceptible expectation could be seen in her bright eyes.
She didn’t say it outright, but the feeling was clear, as if she were silently saying:
“No matter what it is, I’ll agree.”
Litt’s reaction gave Red a bit more confidence.
He calmed the surge in his heart and slowly spoke.
“In a few days, my shop will be opening, so… I wanted to ask if you could come help out.”
When she heard this, Litt was briefly stunned for a few seconds.
It was as if she was shocked by Red’s sudden insight.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected Red to invite her so out of the blue.
What’s more, she herself had brought up the topic before—though Red hadn’t clearly refused at the time, avoiding the question was itself a kind of rejection.
After a short silence, Litt gave Red a bright, warm smile as gentle as a spring breeze.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance!”
***
The next afternoon.
Inside the Riverside Tavern.
After a long wait, Red finally saw the person he’d been looking for.
A girl dressed in black priest robes.
After entering the tavern, she looked around for a while before finally spotting Red.
“Yo! Red, long time no see, I’ve been waiting for you forever.”
Looking at this girl who could tell such a blatant lie with wide eyes, Red couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
Still, he didn’t get angry.
Once Letia had settled into her seat, he finally asked slowly,
“You were at the White Church’s Open Day too, weren’t you?”
In fact she was the central figure.