Chapter 629
The inside of the cave became unsettled.
“Saint will be arriving soon!”
“Prepare!”
Agents were running about in haste.
Hearing the news of her arrival, Simon stared blankly at the teleportation magic circle.
‘That person… is really… coming to Roke Island?’
“This is no time to be dumbstruck, Simon.”
Kajan approached and laid a hand on Simon’s shoulder.
“You can never fully trust those called priests. You don’t know what might happen, so stay sharp.”
“Ah, yes.”
In truth, Simon barely heard Kajan’s words.
What should he say when they meet? What expression should he make?
The situation was so sudden that his mind went blank.
“The teleportation circle on the other side has been activated!”
“Permission for transfer!”
Crow Agent Alastair nodded his head.
“Permission granted.”
The teleportation circle, built entirely of mana, began to operate, glowing with blue light. Simon suppressed his nervousness and looked ahead.
Whooooosh!
The light illuminated the cave.
When the dazzling glow, like a rising sun, subsided, Simon lowered the arm shielding his face and looked forward.
‘Ah…’
And then—
He doubted his eyes at the sight before him.
Tens of thousands of rays of light shattered into brilliance, like starlight reminiscent of fireflies, spreading across the world as though the night sky itself had descended.
And at the center of it, a beautiful girl floated slightly above the ground, eyes closed and hands clasped together.
Her hair was not pure white, but a darker ash-gray, and the wondrous starlight encircled her protectively, as though she embodied the peak of mystery itself.
Her legs, suspended in the air, slowly touched the ground, and her arms, clasped in prayer, were gently lowered.
Finally, when her closed eyes opened, what appeared were dazzling golden irises, like molten sunlight.
“……”
The entire hall was overwhelmed.
No one moved. No one dared to speak. Only the occasional sound of swallowing echoed in the cave.
And—
‘She really… came.’
Simon thought it was far too surreal.
-Long ago, they had joked—what if you went to Keyzen, what if I went to Efnelle?
Just playful words. But now, it had actually happened.
Without realizing it, Simon extended his hand forward.
“Le—”
Whuuuuuuush!
A sudden gust of wind surged.
The girl who had stood on the teleportation circle instantly appeared right in front of Simon. Her ash-gray hair, lifted high by the wind, fell back down onto her shoulders a beat later.
“It is an honor to meet you.”
Her lips parted, and a quiet yet chillingly cold voice emerged.
“I am the Guardian of the Blessed Sanctuary.”
Each word. Deliberate, weighty.
“One of the Seven Daughters closest to the Great Goddess.”
Her voice resonated firmly.
“The Saint of Stars.”
And with decisive finality, she extended her hand with an expressionless face.
“I am Lete Chardena.”
A face frozen in coldness. Eyes that showed not the slightest interest in others.
Only when he saw those icy eyes did Simon regain his composure. He realized he had nearly greeted her as though he already knew her.
But they were supposed to be strangers here. This was supposed to be their first meeting.
“It is… an honor to meet you.”
Simon also extended his hand.
“I am Simon Follentia, Student Council President of Keyzen.”
Flick!
But just before their hands touched, Lete frowned as though disgusted and pulled her hand away.
“Tch. Let’s just keep it polite, polite only. Don’t actually touch.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Turning her cold head toward the necromancer agents, she continued.
“And instead of talking to some student council brat, I’d like to speak with the one in charge.”
Though Simon kept a smile, veins bulged on his forehead.
‘She’s still just a student herself!’
Crow Agent Alastair approached.
“I am in charge. Call me Alastair, Saint.”
While Lete and Alastair exchanged words, additional teleportations brought in four Paladins as her escorts.
“More importantly.”
Lete went straight to the point.
“Where is that person?”
“This way.”
Alastair guided her. Before long, they arrived at the sight of the Saint of Harvest, sitting in a chair with a third of her face blown away, exposing gums and teeth.
“How utterly pathetic.”
Lete clicked her tongue.
“Is this the state of one who calls herself my senior? Have some shame. Why not hand over your Saint Essence to another priest when we return?”
Speaking as if the wounded Saint could hear, Lete strode forward and grasped her head resting on her knees.
Several necromancer agents reacted sharply.
“What are you—?!”
“Stand down.”
Alastair raised his arm to stop them.
Lete lifted the Saint’s head and aligned it with the torn part of her skull.
“Have you Keyzen people attempted treatment?”
“Of course, we tried everything we could, but since it’s a supernatural power that alters reality itself…”
“And that’s exactly why you’re the problem.”
Then, placing both hands before the Saint’s head, Lete closed her eyes.
Huuuuuuuuuuuush!
A colossal burst of holiness erupted through the cramped cave. Necromancers watching staggered back in shock.
“Damn it!”
“Fall back!”
The entire cave was flooded in white light. A startled Simon was dragged away by another agent just in time.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
As the holiness finally subsided, Lete tilted her head with her hands still clasped.
“Huh. It really doesn’t work.”
“Is she insane?!”
“What trick is this?!”
The necromancer agents, nearly consumed by holiness, reacted furiously, forming curse magic circles.
Clang! Clang!
The Paladins also drew their swords, divine runes glowing across their blades as holy magic spread.
The situation teetered on the edge.
Yet Lete lowered her arms, utterly calm, and sneered coldly.
“Pathetic, cowards.”
Her unfiltered words twisted the faces of the necromancer agents in fury.
“To begin with, the very order to cooperate with necromancers makes no sense. The orders I received were: ‘Recover the Saint of Harvest’ and ‘Annihilate Ever Kire’.”
Loosening the seal of her choker, she unleashed her Saint power. Starlight blossomed around her.
“Frankly, killing everyone here and searching alone might be faster.”
The overwhelming pressure she exuded, standing alone in enemy territory, made even Simon’s throat tighten.
It felt like he was witnessing a side of Lete he had never known.
“That’s enough.”
As the atmosphere overheated, Alastair finally stepped forward.
“This is no time for us to fight each other. We gathered to prevent war. For that purpose, even if there are things we dislike, we must work together.”
He turned to his subordinates.
“Lower your hands.”
Only then did the necromancers hesitate and cancel their magic circles. The Paladins also began sheathing their swords—
“Keep your swords drawn. I’ll never trust these disgusting necromancers, even if I have to beat them to death myself.”
Lete’s frigid rebuke silenced her own escorts. She then strode up to Alastair.
“I’ll decide what to do after hearing the plan.”
* * *
The core of the plan was nighttime.
When night fell, Lete could use her Saint authority ‘Starring’ to sense holiness across the entirety of Roke Island.
But it was still too early for night, and in the meantime, there was no guarantee Ever Kire wouldn’t act.
Therefore—
“Here is my identification.”
During the day, Lete would disguise herself as a noble’s daughter and move through crowded areas.
While Starring was the surest method, even her simpler Saint abilities allowed her to detect holiness nearby.
The necromancer agents would accompany her as bodyguards in the guise of noble escorts. With many high-ranking nobles visiting during the Dark Emperor’s Festival, it wouldn’t stand out.
“Tch.”
Lete emerged in a flowing dress, looking utterly displeased.
She wore white gloves, carried a gold-embellished handbag, and pressed a wide-brimmed hat down on her head.
“Well then, let’s go.”
Lete strode forward irritably. The Paladins bowed their heads.
“Please be careful, Saint!”
“Yes, don’t worry about me.”
Naturally, Paladins could not accompany her outside Roke Island, as they were unable to conceal their holiness.
“Get ready, Simon.”
Kajan, dressed as a coachman in a straw hat and leather vest, approached. Simon quickly asked,
“What about me? What role do I play?”
“You don’t really need to prepare. Just follow along with the other necromancer agents from a distance.”
Thus, there was Lete disguised as a noble’s daughter, four escorts, and one coachman.
The other agents would follow at a set distance.
Simon hurriedly interjected,
“Kajan! I have one request!”
“?”
Clatter, clatter.
The patrol began. The carriage wheels carrying Lete rolled forward, kicking up dust.
“Ugh, don’t come too close. You’ll spread your corpse stench.”
Lete once again showed her unabashed contempt toward the necromancers.
She sprawled out with her feet stretched rudely onto the opposite seat, elbow resting against the window, grumbling like a textbook delinquent passenger.
And meanwhile—
‘…Well, I ended up tagging along after all.’
In the end, Simon had taken on the coachman’s role. Wearing a leather vest, straw hat pulled low, and even a fake beard.
“Up ahead! Are you not driving this carriage properly?”
Her irritated shout came from inside.
“The ride is awful! Shaking all over the place!”
“S-sorry!”
Sweat trickled down Simon’s forehead as he tugged at the reins.
‘Just you wait!’
Thus, he drove her around to places crowded with people—beaches, ruins, markets, near the campus, even stadiums.
Her ability to sense holiness was real. To test it, Alastair had a Farahan-side assistant pass nearby, and Lete had immediately detected them.
‘Tch.’
Meanwhile, Simon felt increasingly unsettled.
Sometimes Lete got off the carriage and walked, creating chances for them to be alone. But no matter how much Simon tried signaling her with glances or gestures when no one was watching, she gave no response.
Instead—
“A necromancer is nothing but an annoyance.”
She only glared at him with scorn. Her treatment was so consistently cold that the one getting hurt was Simon.
Regardless of whether people were around or not, she treated him the same: with unyielding disdain.
“It’s hot. Go buy me a drink.”
She even bossed Simon around. As the faithful coachman, he hurried off to buy her something, but after just one sip she crumpled her brow and set the cup down.
“This tastes awful.”
Crash!
The cup shattered against the carriage floor, spilling its contents.
Expression sour, she gestured with her chin.
“Not going to clean it?”
Simon, nearly fuming, grabbed the mop in the back and scrubbed the floor, sneaking glances at her face.
‘Why the hell is she doing this to me!’
She crossed her legs and, without even looking his way, muttered,
“What, you have a problem with it?”
“No, ma’am!”
He couldn’t understand why she seemed determined to torment him.
After all that trouble cleaning, Simon returned to his seat.
“Student Council President, the Saint has requested you be replaced as coachman.”
—only to be dismissed.
Kajan took over the reins again, while Simon had no choice but to observe from afar.
They wandered restlessly until night fell. Still, no significant gains. The group returned to their base camp in the cave.
The only hope now lay in midnight, when Lete would use her authority, Starring. While she did so, necromancer agents would guard the surroundings.
“Well done, Simon.”
Kajan spoke.
“See you tomorrow, Student Council President. Once we have results from Starring, we’ll inform you.”
Alastair also nodded.
“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”
After exchanging farewells, Simon headed out of the cave.
There, he saw Lete sitting alone on a rock, face cold as ever, reading scripture.
Their eyes briefly met as he passed by.
“……”
But she showed no reaction.
A gaze as indifferent as if she were looking at an object.
Feeling like he had become invisible, Simon trudged away.
He stopped by the student council office to finish up the day’s work, then returned to his dormitory.
Snoooore—
Toto was fast asleep after evening training. Simon collapsed onto his own bed still in uniform.
“……”
His thoughts churned. Staring up at the ceiling, he wondered,
‘Is that really Lete?’
At first, he thought her harshness was just an act to avoid revealing their past connection.
But even when they were alone, she not only ignored him—she behaved as if she didn’t know him at all.
She looked at necromancers as if they were disgusting… and she looked at Simon with that same gaze.
Recalling those cold golden eyes, Simon shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
‘…Forget it. Sleep.’
He rolled onto his side.
What had he even expected? Just seeing her face should have been enough. They both had roles: she, as a Saint; he, as Student Council President.
If it meant catching Ever Kire, that alone was success.
‘Yes. Ever Kire… must be caught.’
His eyes began to close—
Clatter.
Whoooosh—
The dormitory window burst open, letting in a gentle night breeze. Simon jolted awake.
“What a pitiful sight.”
At the sudden voice, he turned his head.
Bathed in moonlight, the ash-gray-haired girl sat on the window ledge, one leg stretched out, looking like a painting.
“Le—”
Simon’s eyes widened.
“Lete? How did you—?!”
This time, she smiled softly.
Unlike the coldness before, her expression was warm, like spring blossoms in bloom.
“I thought you might be like this, so I came to see you.”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters