“As the Guide of the Saint Child, yet unable to lead the Saint Child onto the right path—tomorrow you can pack your things and go back to the Geffen Diocese. I’ll write to the Cardinal of the Geffen Diocese myself. If he can’t give me a reasonable explanation for nominating Eno as a Saint Child candidate, I’ll personally petition His Holiness the Pope at the Chao Yin Cathedral, and have him take a good look at the entire Geffen Diocese!”
“Uuu…”
Hearing she might be sent back to the Geffen Diocese, Shalina raised her head to try to argue, but as soon as she met Sander’s wide, glaring eyes, the words at her lips were swallowed back down.
Sander let out a heavy snort.
“I want to see what this so-called Immaculate Saint Child is doing!”
As he spoke, he stepped forward.
However, Shalina immediately moved sideways to block his way, standing directly in front of him.
Sander frowned.
“Move aside!”
“T-the Saint Child is resting…”
“I told you to move! Whether she’s the Saint Child or not is for me to decide!”
Seeing that Shalina still showed no sign of giving way, Sander was so furious he laughed.
“Fine, even a mere nun dares to disobey my orders. Like master, like servant. The Geffen Diocese has truly rotted to the core. Where are the paladins? Someone come here! Today, I will strip you of all your positions within the Church!”
Shalina’s face went deathly pale, her body trembling.
If nothing was done now, things would soon be beyond repair.
Watching the two at the end of the corridor, Lulumia’s scalp tingled.
Judging by Sander’s imposing tone, his status in the cathedral could not be low.
He was undoubtedly the kind of chief cleric who supervised the Saint Child’s conduct.
If Sander found out that Eno wasn’t even in the cathedral, he would surely fly into a rage.
Who knew if Eno could still keep her footing in the Church after that?
If Eno lost her Saint Child candidacy, at least she had her strength as protection.
But if Lulumia lost Eno’s shelter, her debtors would probably tear her to pieces.
She gritted her teeth, composed her expression, and in a voice as innocent and lively as a little girl, she boldly stepped forward.
“Eh? Grandpa Sander, are you here to see me?”
Lulumia lifted her head, blinking her pure and charming eyes, carrying a large pile of daily necessities as she came up beside Sander.
Seeing it was Lulumia, Sander’s anger subsided a little.
“I’m looking for your master. Lulumia, where is Eno?”
“Big Sis Eno’s been sick these past few days. I’ve been taking care of her. Shalina asked me to go out and buy these things so the patient and the nuns could be kept apart, to prevent infection.”
“Sick?”
Sander frowned.
If Shalina had said this, he would have assumed it was an excuse.
But with Lulumia, who looked so matter-of-fact and had an armful of towels, basins, and daily supplies, he couldn’t help but be a bit suspicious.
“Shalina, is this true?”
Lulumia quickly shot Shalina a meaningful look.
Shalina was startled, then came to her senses and bowed her head deeply.
“Yes, the Saint Child only just arrived in the royal capital, couldn’t adjust to the water and climate, and caught a cold. That’s why I asked Lulumia to buy these things.”
“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Uh…”
“Big Sis Eno didn’t want Grandpa Sander to worry. Besides, if you and the other Saint Children visited her and got infected, that would be terrible.”
Of course, this was Lulumia’s nonsense.
With Eno as her only lifeline, she would do anything to help her.
She quickly changed the subject, first handing the pile of daily goods to Shalina, then looked expectantly at the bound volume under Sander’s arm.
“Is that the script solution Grandpa Sander came up with?”
“Oh… This is the sacred text I promised to lend you. I brought it for you today. There were many problems the other day that need to be addressed, but I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to solve them,” Sander added after thinking for a moment, “I fear it’s hard for me to do this alone. I plan to consult with other scholars as well. This is no small matter—it must be perfect.”
“You’re lending it to me? Thank you, Grandpa Sander!”
Lulumia bounced happily, hugging the book to her chest.
“Grandpa Sander, you’re the best!”
“Heh heh, I’m not as good as you think.”
Though he said so, Sander was beaming as he patted Lulumia’s head kindly.
Lulumia praised him further.
“If only poor people who can’t afford books could have a sacred text of their own, then more people could bask in Lady Istelle’s grace! Grandpa’s achievements will surely be recorded in the history of the Church!”
“Such a sweet tongue.”
Sander seemed to have forgotten his original purpose for coming here, smiling from ear to ear.
“Achievements are just empty fame. I only want the devout to get what they deserve.”
“Then will Grandpa Sander continue the discussion from last time?”
“No,” Sander looked up at the sky; the moon was already high.
“Let’s call it a day. I’ll come find you again when I have some free time in a few days.”
“Okay~”
After speaking, Lulumia obediently moved to stand by Shalina.
However, seeing the timid and anxious Shalina, the kindness faded from Sander’s face, replaced by a stern tone.
“I’ll let you off this time since you had your reasons. But if you fail to report again, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
“Yes…”
Facing Sander’s departing figure, Shalina bowed deeply.
When the corridor returned to silence and only the soft yellow light bathed the two of them, Shalina turned to Lulumia, her expression complex in the backlight.
Her tightly pressed lips were so pale they looked almost waxen.
It was a long time before she managed to squeeze out a few words.
“Thank you…”
Without giving Lulumia a chance to reply, Shalina turned and hurried away.
Lulumia couldn’t help but raise her brow, savoring the emotional rollercoaster.
Then, her body jolted.
Oh no!
The things she bought had been taken by Shalina.
Please don’t confiscate them!
Clutching the thick sacred text, Lulumia quickly chased after her.
***
When Lulumia finally retrieved her belongings from the absent-minded Shalina, it was already eight o’clock in the evening.
She grabbed a quick bite in the church cafeteria and returned to her room.
She had a lot to do.
Before the typeface was finalized, she needed to decide on locations for the newspaper office and kiosks, something that required field investigation—and help from a real estate agent.
As for designing the typeface, she couldn’t just leave it all to others.
Who knew how long Sander would take to come up with a “perfect” solution? Fonts are ever-evolving; releasing a usable version first was far better than waiting endlessly for so-called “perfection.”
But before any of that, she had to use up all the mana she’d accumulated today.
Silently reciting the incantation for [Water Bullet], Lulumia opened her panel.
She was clearly much improved compared to when she first crossed over, especially in terms of titles.
Take [Defeater of the Pied Piper], for instance: because she had defeated Amy, who specialized in fire magic, she gained the same attribute as [Lige’s Favor], namely “Slightly increases fire magic learning speed.”
But [Immaculate Saint Child’s Magus Doll] and [Death Witch’s Attention] were even more potent buffs.
[Immaculate Saint Child’s Magus Doll] granted “Slightly increases mana limit growth rate” and “Slightly increases water magic learning speed,” while [Death Witch’s Attention] gave “Slightly increases mana limit growth rate” and “Slightly increases fire and dark magic learning speed.”
Although all the boosts were “slight,” stacking several buffs resulted in quite a significant effect.
Over the past few days, Lulumia’s mana had increased to 19/19, and her proficiency with [Water Bullet] and [Firework] had grown substantially.
According to her theory, as long as she befriended enough strong people and obtained more titles, the cumulative bonuses would allow her to gain large amounts of mana and proficiency with each magic she used.
It was very much like a game: even if the increase per action was small, steady accumulation would eventually bring qualitative change.
“If I just think of it as a game, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Lulumia raised her right hand, her gaze locking onto a branch ten meters outside her window.
Her recent magic training had revealed a difference in difficulty between [Water Bullet] and [Firework]. [Firework] merely required chanting the spell, and a flame would appear in her palm or atop her staff. [Water Bullet] also only needed the chant, but without a designated target, the spell would simply “splat” onto the ground the moment it appeared.
Moreover, [Water Bullet]’s flight speed and angle could be adjusted with her thoughts.
The speed had an upper limit, about the same as if she hurled a rock with all her might.
The lower limit could be set so low it almost hovered, saving Lulumia the trouble of asking paladins to fetch her water every morning.
If she could assign speed and direction to [Firework] as well, could it become [Fireball]?
As these thoughts raced through her mind, Lulumia willed the palm-sized [Water Bullet] to shoot out with a “whoosh,” hitting the branch with pinpoint accuracy and making it shake violently.
Immediately, her panel changed.
“Mana Level: 1→2”
“Mana: 19/20”
“Hm?”
Lulumia’s eyes widened.
“I leveled up?”
If hitting 20 mana means leveling up, does 30 mean level 3?
It had been less than ten days since she transmigrated.
If it took around ten days per level, couldn’t she reach level 20 in half a year, level 40 in a year, and even surpass Eno?
According to legend, even the founding emperor of the Kingdom of Oenheim was only level 84.
She could become a hero of that level in two years?
That kind of growth was beyond genius…
“Hehehe…”
Lulumia’s lips curled into a wicked smile.
It wouldn’t be long before she could make Cinderella tremble under her gaze.
“Ah! My laundry! Who splashed water downstairs? Come out here!”
Just as Lulumia was reveling in her own cleverness, a nun’s shriek came from below.
Lulumia’s face changed as she hastily dispelled her magic, grabbed the flower basket by her bed, and sat at her desk to weave a flower crown.
Practicing magic was important, but there was no need to ask for trouble.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west; never underestimate a penniless little girl, yes.
For now, she needed to finish the flower crown.
According to the schedule, Eno would probably return tonight at the latest.
So, with the nun’s thunderous yelling echoing from below, Lulumia nervously wove the flower crown under the lamp’s glow.