A light rain began to fall over the Holy Capital.
Fine raindrops drifted down from the leaden sky, slanting into a thin veil that quietly washed away the usual clamor.
In the residential streets, rainwater meandered along the bluestone paths, occasionally splashing under the feet of passersby.
Time to say goodbye.
A carriage pulled up steadily in front of Finn’s house.
Elena and Finn were busy using magic to load various pieces of luggage into the compartment.
Compared to the carriage Elena had ridden before, this one was small, even a little worn-out.
Unknowingly, nearly a month had passed already…
Exhausting but fulfilling.
That was Elena’s evaluation of these past twenty-plus days.
From transforming into a young girl’s body, to struggling to adapt, to discovering her magical talent, becoming the apprentice of the Great Magician…
One major event after another had come crashing down—things she had never experienced in the two years of her mundane guard duty.
Perhaps it was that faint trace of divinity in the Holy Water that had truly awakened Elena’s talent.
Now she could use most basic and intermediate magic with ease.
But that was also inseparable from Elena’s own hard work and comprehension.
As Kelly put it, “Little Elena has walked the path that most intermediate apprentices take three years to cover in just twenty days.”
“Is this everything we need to bring?”
Finn wiped his sweat and lifted the last box of luggage onto the carriage.
“Just to be safe, I’ll go back to my room and check again.”
Elena gently pushed open the door.
Since she was going on a long trip, the room had already been tidied spotless.
Most daily necessities had been cleared, the table was bare, chairs were lined up, and the bedding was neatly folded on the bed.
“It looks like there’s nothing left to bring—”
Elena’s gaze froze on the bedside table.
A necklace lay there.
It was the sapphire necklace she had wanted to give Lila for her birthday.
Ever since that day… it had been left there untouched.
The girl gently lifted it.
Cold.
That was the first sensation Elena felt.
The silver chain swayed lightly, making a “dingling” sound.
Since she had chosen to abandon the identity of Elian and start over… what did she want to do from now on?
Become a mage like Master Kelly…
Or perhaps retake the Paladin selection and continue as a knight?
She had been so busy learning magic these past two weeks that she hadn’t thought about it.
‘Speaking of which… what are Lila and the others doing now?’
Better not think about it.
After hesitating for a moment, the girl eventually placed the necklace back where it was.
Take it one step at a time.
“Nothing left behind?”
“Nope.”
Finn pulled open the carriage curtain and prepared to board.
“Bam—”
It was the sound of teleportation magic being cast.
A blue hole suddenly appeared before the two, and then a little girl in a deep blue robe tumbled out of the hole.
“Whoaahh!—”
“What a novel way to make an entrance…”
“Not bad… I like it.”
Finn stared at the guy who had landed face-first.
“I thought you weren’t coming—”
“It couldn’t be helped… I almost overslept today…”
Kelly adjusted her large hat.
“But the result’s good—I barely made it using teleportation magic.”
With that, Kelly pulled a gift box from her robe and handed it to Elena.
“This is…?”
“It’s a wand, made of white oak, suitable for releasing light magic. I promised you a gift before; now I’m making up for it.”
A gift…
That word felt a little unfamiliar…
Although she was always generous, everyone seemed to take Elian’s giving for granted.
Aside from birthday gifts from her family, Elena had never really received gifts from anyone…
“Now you’ve more or less learned all the intermediate magic. I don’t know how many days you’ll be gone… but when you come back, I’ll teach you more advanced spells like teleportation magic—”
“Th…thank you, Master!”
The sincere thanks pleased Kelly immensely.
“Hehe… no big deal~ That’s what a master should do, right~”
The little girl blushed with joy at her apprentice’s smile and scratched her head sheepishly.
“Then, Master! Did you prepare a gift for me too—”
The man’s voice chimed in at an awkward time.
“It’s too late to call me Master now!”
Kelly rolled her eyes at Finn, looking at him as if he were a plague.
“…”
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
“Wh…why are you two not talking?”
“Hmm… I thought Miss Kelly might have some parting words for my sister…”
“Wh…how could that be! Who would do something like that! I’m the Great Magician!—Do you think I’m the kind of person who gets all sappy with friends at a farewell?”
“So… does that mean we’re friends of the Great Magician lady?”
“Ugh… n…not at all!”
Kelly weakly replied, summoned a magic circle, and fled.
Huh?
She just ran away?
So Kelly is the tsundere type like in the anime I used to watch…
“Should we get going too?”
Elena nodded and boarded the carriage.
—
In the Knight Commander’s office, the yellow-haired man stood straight at attention.
“You’re saying… you want to take leave?”
Rafe didn’t look up, his eyes still fixed on the official documents.
“Yes—Lila and I got engaged a long time ago… We’re planning to go to Novalis this month for our honeymoon—I haven’t taken any leave this year… According to regulations, approving a leave request shouldn’t be difficult—”
“It’s not difficult.”
Rafe finally lifted his eyes to look at Voss.
“But regarding the rumors about you before… I, the commander, just finished cleaning up your mess—you haven’t been peaceful for a few days, and now you have the nerve to ask me to approve your leave?”
“Lord Rafe—”
“Should I interpret this as… the termination of our cooperation?”
A very arrogant response.
Seeing Rafe’s stern tone, Voss decided not to pretend anymore.
“Don’t forget the agreement between us. The Saintess has the right to choose two treasures from the Church’s treasury… as a reward for her election…”
The yellow-haired man’s faint voice sent chills down one’s spine.
“You promised us… If we participate in the Saintess Selection, you, our Knight Commander, would give us full support… After it’s done… you can choose any one of the countless treasures in the Church treasury.”
Seeing a hint of malice in Voss’s eyes, Rafe’s heart tightened.
Without the treasure he wanted… he wouldn’t be able to…
He… he truly had no choice…
He had to obtain that treasure…
Like a drowning man, he shed all his strength.
“Al…Alright… But you’d better not cause any more trouble—”
“You can rest assured.”
Before Rafe could finish his words, Voss walked out of the office arrogantly, not even closing the door behind him.
—
Voss was indeed going to Novalis… but it had nothing to do with an early honeymoon or that toy Lila.
Recently, the Church’s investigation team’s activities in Novalis had suddenly stopped.
That might be a good sign for him… but Voss still felt a bit uneasy.
Who knew what that old Pope was thinking…
Just in case, Voss decided to go and see for himself.
At the very least, he couldn’t let them find out that the Demon King was up to something.
Stepping out of the Knight Order, the blue-haired woman had already been waiting at the entrance for quite a while.
“Darling!”
“Lila? Why are you here?”
Voss immediately changed his expression, pretending to be surprised.
“I was waiting for you to get off work… Also, there’s still no word on brother’s whereabouts… I thought I’d come and ask today…”
Lila lowered her head shyly, looking completely like a girl in love.
The corner of Voss’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, but he quickly returned to normal.
Brother again… Elian again… that man…
Always thinking about that persistent spirit of a man…
But he could take advantage of this.
“I have some good news—Some members of the Knight Order spotted your brother in Novalis.”
Voss lied without changing his expression.
“Re…really? Novalis… Ironpivot City?”
The blue-haired girl could hardly hide the surprise in her voice.
“Yes—I’m planning to go there in a few days.”
“But… it’s just a piece of news… do you really need to go in person?”
Of course not.
Was a man whose fate was unknown really that important?
Although he sneered inwardly, Lila still had use for him now, so he had to keep up the act…
“After all, it’s news about your brother… even if it’s far away, it has meaning.”
Voss gazed at Lila affectionately.
“But…”
“You’re the future Saintess of Eseriel… It wouldn’t hurt to go to Novalis during this time to investigate and get familiar, right? We’ve been engaged for a long time… Let’s consider this… an early honeymoon trip, what do you say?”
Voss leaned close to the girl and whispered softly in her ear.
“Call your sister and mother too? You’ve all been unsettled lately. Think of it as… a trip to change the mood?”
His hand, unnoticed, reached her thigh.
“Al…alright—I agree. I’ll go back today and tell Mom and Nora…”
Her lower body trembled slightly.
How could the girl withstand such an attack?
She soon succumbed to Voss’s sweet talk, as usual.
She tilted her head slightly, as most lovers do, and drew close to Voss’s warm embrace.
‘Novalis…’
The Demon King had made it very clear…
The deployment and operations in Novalis must not fail…
Previously, the Pope had openly sent teams to investigate, and Voss wasn’t afraid.
The local officials in Novalis had long been infiltrated… and bought off…
Besides, Eseriel had enjoyed nearly a hundred years of peace.
The Church’s rule over the continent was as stable as Mount Tai…
Now suddenly saying that the Demon Race was making a large-scale comeback—who would be willing to admit it?
Who would believe it?
The Church’s advance team couldn’t… and didn’t dare to uncover anything…
But now the investigation had stopped, and there was no news on the surface.
‘That old fox of a Pope… there’s absolutely no way he’s just giving up like this…’
‘Let’s see… what he’s really up to…’