The women in his memories were completely different from the ones standing before his eyes now.
After seeing Hilbel in person, Green’s realization of this fact deepened.
When was the first time he had met Hilbel in the Holy Kingdom? At that point, he had already fulfilled his engagement to Dolores and had traveled through several countries. He had met Lily and the Prophet, and he had already been victimized by them.
At that time, both Green and Dolores were nearly 30 years old, and Hilbel was roughly the same age.
The 30-some-year-old Hilbel looked no different in appearance or figure than she did now. She hadn’t grown taller or aged much; the same was true for Dolores. Because of this, Green was able to recognize her without any effort.
If one judged solely by first impressions, Hilbel appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary nun who had nothing to offer but her beauty. Her reactions were also like those of an ordinary girl.
Green did not overlook the way she cried. Was it because of the tragedies surrounding them? In his past life, Hilbel had also been present during the disaster in the royal capital; Green had known that much. It was just that they had happened to miss each other back then. Their next meeting—which was their first in his previous life—did not occur until over 10 years later.
According to Hilbel’s own account during the time they spent together, she told him she had been a devout believer since childhood, which was why she became a Saintess. But meeting her now, Green felt she was no different from any other girl.
She bore tear stains, but given the hellish scene of the royal capital, the fact that a normal girl like her hadn’t been paralyzed by fear meant her mental fortitude was actually quite good. Her every word and action weren’t that rigid; she currently showed none of the Saintess persona he remembered—the one who excessively chased ideals and fit the image of self-sacrifice perfectly. On the surface, she didn’t even look particularly devout.
If her name weren’t Hilbel, and if Green didn’t remember her face, it would be difficult to associate her with the title of Saintess.
He had no intention of making a move against Hilbel for the time being. His reasoning was exactly what Dolores suspected.
With a shift in his thoughts, Green began to recall the obvious abnormalities surrounding Arbekko.
‘Is Arbekko really attending university?’ he wondered.
He didn’t mean anything bad by it; it was just that she was too mysterious. It felt as if her status as a university student was merely a disguise. The information and insights she occasionally revealed were like those of a wise sage well-versed in ancient secrets. The things she mentioned weren’t things an average person would know.
Dragons, miracles, the Sword in the Stone, and so on…
Green found it hard to imagine her sitting in a lecture hall at the College of Arts, especially taking the kind of foundational courses required for her year. It felt jarring to think of someone who spoke of dragons, miracles, and other secrets—all while providing accurate clues and revelations—turning around to attend classes with other underage children.
As Green pondered this, he led the way for Dolores and the others. They were already very close to the university grounds.
Walking along the street, they saw many monsters and corpses, but no living people.
After walking for a while, Green spotted a Knight Skeleton he had encountered once before. It stood by the roadside holding a long spear, blue Soul Fire flickering within its cranium.
To anyone else, it would be seen as a monster at first glance. It had the form of a monster, armor so decayed its details were lost, and leaping ghost fire.
Hilbel’s hair almost stood on end. She clenched her hands, ready to use her newly acquired power to dispel the evil at any moment.
Dolores patted her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, he isn’t an enemy. Although they are undead, they retain their self-awareness. Their King even helped us stop the dragon’s movements and attacks.”
Hilbel lowered her hands hesitantly. Green stepped forward to ask about the situation.
The Knight Skeleton nodded and told Green what he had encountered since arriving here. Rescue operations had already been carried out nearby. By the time he arrived, only wandering monsters and those too far gone to be saved remained. He had cleared the monsters from these two streets and was now preparing to move to the next area.
Talking monsters weren’t rare, but Hilbel had never seen one with such a rich sense of consciousness.
Suddenly, intermittent sounds seemed to be drawing closer to them. Turning around, they saw that the battle between the King of Suklan and the dragon had circled back, and they were now locked in a fierce struggle near Mercury Street.
The King seemed to possess an ability that prevented the dragon from soaring too high. The dragon’s struggle with him was kept below 100 meters in the sky, with arcs of sword energy slashing against the dragon’s massive, hardened body.
“It seems the battle on His Majesty’s side is also drawing to a close… I wish you luck, living ones,” the Knight Skeleton said, bowing to them.
Suddenly, his gaze lingered on Hilbel for a moment. He seemed to recognize her status as a Saintess, or perhaps he simply sensed the aura of “divine power.” The source of the surrounding Void Tree and the spreading Golden Vines seemed to be standing right in front of him.
Miracles did not favor the newly born Suklan; only the gods had once dropped their grace upon them.
As Green and the others prepared to leave, the Knight Skeleton called out to them, offering a warning.
“Beneath the soil of Suklan, there lie more than just the remains of our Kingdom of Suklan. There are many more things from the past buried deep underground. They will not possess reason or honor as we do.”
Addressing Dolores specifically, the Knight Skeleton continued, “Royal of the living, I need you to remind the King of this country to seal the underground once this is over. Miracles will cause the undead beneath the earth to awaken. This is irreversible.”
“Also,” the Knight Skeleton paused, adding for Hilbel’s benefit, “if you have the chance to meet the gods, please express our gratitude to Them.”
After speaking, the Knight Skeleton waved his hand, signaling them to leave. He stood there, watching them depart. Gilded patterns shaped like a Gryphon were carved into his battered armor.
“Arbekko, you’re alive!”
Inside the university, a girl with a brown ponytail looked at Arbekko with an expression of surprise.
“You always disappear without a word. There are monsters and wounded everywhere; I thought something had happened to you…”
This was Arbekko’s classmate, a very friendly girl. Arbekko explained that she was fine and then asked about the situation within the university.
The university was one of the safest places in the entire royal capital. This was because the professors and teachers of the higher academies were mostly practitioners, many of whom were nearly Transcendent. The Knight and Mage Academy, in particular, had several formidable instructors and teaching assistants.
Dolores had come here with some selfish motives. There was a significant amount of high-end combat power at the university. If she could secure their help, the disaster relief work would be much easier. Furthermore, she intended to accumulate some prestige. Aside from Hilbel, she was also considering building connections with some non-romanceable characters.
For example, the Chancellor of Ulgrich University.
Arbekko’s classmate told her that the academy’s situation was relatively good. Teachers and students were maintaining order while still having enough strength to rescue citizens from the surrounding streets.
They then learned that a Seal Node located at the medical academy had been attacked by the dragon. Additionally, due to the high number of casualties, medical supplies were running short. Those who mastered healing magic were a minority, and because there were no churches within the royal capital, there were no clergy stationed there.
The only person who might be able to help was Hilbel, who hadn’t returned home because of the accident.
“I plan to stay here and help,” Hilbel said, looking at Arbekko. The latter nodded in agreement.
Dolores then prepared to go speak with the Chancellor about a few matters, planning to return in about 10 minutes.
Suddenly, only Arbekko and Green were left.
“So, Mr. Green, is there anything you want to ask me?” Arbekko asked, tilting her head toward the hesitant-looking Green.
He clearly had something to say to her. He had only just now found the opportunity.