“Sisi, little Shilo is quite an interesting person, isn’t he?”
As she spoke, Sery handed Lintis the sixth outfit to try on.
Lintis took the clothes and thought for a moment. The reason she had managed to get on such good terms with this older sister in such a short time was partly due to their previous transaction, and partly because this woman was simply too familiar. Lintis could barely handle it.
Sery had taken it upon herself to start measuring her, used an unexpected nickname, and somehow they had already become “sisters.” Lintis was truly at her wit’s end.
‘Still, she doesn’t seem like a bad person.’
‘Enjoying the kindness of others is also a necessary refinement for a Saintess, hehe~’
As for Shilo?
“Well… Mr. Shilo is indeed quite interesting.”
She recalled Shilo’s behavior over the past two days and his recent, albeit reluctant, attempt to bail her out. One could only say that Mr. Shilo was the type to have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She then thought of his embarrassed and flustered little expressions.
‘Hehe… He really is a high-purity virgin…’
As she thought, a smile unconsciously tugged at the corners of her lips.
Seeing this, Sery’s eyebrows arched, and a glint flashed in her eyes. Her tone shifted. “That’s good. That fellow is as dull as a rock and loves to act tough, but he’s a pitiable soul. He was abandoned by his parents as a child and lived on the streets. If Master Thor hadn’t adopted him, he’d probably still be a little hoodlum living off petty theft today.”
“Huh?”
Lintis, who had just changed into another new outfit and was inwardly marveling at her own beauty, felt a massive question mark pop up in her mind.
‘Is he not a hoodlum now?’
‘He doesn’t just steal; he even bullies a beautiful girl like me!’
Calling him a hoodlum was an understatement! He was a total brat, through and through.
Of course, she could only mutter these thoughts internally. On the surface, she said something else entirely.
“Now, now, Sister Sery, I don’t think Mr. Shilo is that far gone. Besides, who is Master Thor?”
Seeing Lintis’s curiosity, Sery had no intention of hiding the truth.
“Master Thor was also a knight. I heard he came from a big city but left because his ideals didn’t align with those guys at the Church… Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to belittle the Church.”
Halfway through her sentence, Sery suddenly realized that the girl in front of her was also a priest belonging to the Church. Usually, she could complain about such things to others and the Church wouldn’t care, but saying it directly to her face was a bit disrespectful.
Seeing Sery looking at her nervously, Lintis was confused for a moment but quickly caught on.
“It’s fine, it’s fine, Sister Sery. I also have many issues with the Church in Isol City.”
Hearing this, Sery breathed a sigh of relief.
“Phew… You gave me a scare. But it makes sense. Since you’ve teamed up with little Shilo, at least your ideals are aligned.”
“Huh?”
Lintis tilted her head. Why did those words sound so strange?
As her brain began to process the implications, Sery handed her a small biscuit. Feeling the slight sweetness and fruity flavor spread through her mouth, Lintis gave up on thinking.
“So, as I was saying, Master Thor frequently argued with the Church because of their differing philosophies. He eventually branched out on his own and established an adventurer team dedicated to helping those in need and protecting the city.”
“Little Shilo was one of the people Master Thor helped. Later, he was even adopted and raised like a son.”
“Initially, the team did quite well and gained quite a reputation in the city. Unfortunately, Master Thor later fell ill from exhaustion and passed away. At that time, as Thor’s only adopted son, Shilo joined the Church to become a knight the very day after the funeral. That single action caused the adventurer team to disband immediately.”
“Because of that, they resented little Shilo, believing he had betrayed Master Thor. However, I know the truth. Shilo is actually a very kind person. That adventurer team only managed to survive the Church’s targeting because of Master Thor’s immense strength.”
“Once Master Thor died, it was only a matter of time before they were purged. Shilo joining the Church was what settled the matter. Since the Church felt they had regained their ‘face,’ they didn’t bother to settle scores with a few powerless adventurers.”
“But they don’t know what Shilo did. Every time I tell him to go and explain things properly, he just puts on a sour face and refuses. The Church has also isolated him because of his personality and background, which has resulted in him being disliked by both sides.”
“The Church is even worse. Whenever there’s dirty or exhausting work, they throw it all on him. And yet, Shilo accepts every bit of it.”
“Many people in Isol City were helped by Master Thor. As for me, I’ve been helped more than once by both father and son. For many reasons, I don’t want to see the day where little Shilo passes away like Master Thor did.”
After speaking a long string of words, Sery took a sip of water to compose herself. She waited for the girl in front of her to digest the information before continuing with a smile.
“But now that we have you, Sisi, I feel much more at ease. By the way, how is your strength as a priest?”
“If it’s just average, remember not to go out on missions with Shilo. Just stay home and take care of the internal affairs. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, little Sisi! You have to protect yourself well!”
Sister Sery’s emotions didn’t seem fake, but Lintis felt incredibly awkward.
‘Uh…’
‘It seems I’ve been mistaken for Mr. Shilo’s partner?’
Lintis met those sincere eyes. The words of explanation were at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
“Um… Well, I’m probably quite strong? Maybe above average among priests?”
After saying that, she covered her face.
‘Why did I just go along with it…’
Sery’s eyes immediately lit up. She quickly packed the outfits and even stuffed in several sets of underwear based on Lintis’s measurements. Finally, she handed them over with a serious expression.
“That’s wonderful! Then I’m counting on you to look after little Shilo! If you ever want something to eat or wear, just come find me!”
Taking the bags of expensive clothing, Lintis’s face flushed slightly as she nodded with difficulty.
It turns out that if you don’t refuse something right at the beginning, you fall into a strange cycle. Lintis had learned a lesson.
After packing the clothes, Lintis changed back into her priest’s robes and walked out with Sery. Shilo was nowhere to be seen. After searching for a bit, the two found him at the entrance.
At that moment, Shilo was sitting by the door, legs crossed like a hooligan and wearing a scowl, facing off against a large dog with greyish-white fur.
He wasn’t hiding the dangerous aura around him. The big dog, seemingly sensing the threat, barked anxiously.
Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Shilo actually raised his voice and started barking back at the dog.
The expressions of the surrounding residents froze simultaneously. Lintis blinked, finding it quite amusing.
Sery’s smile stiffened. She couldn’t believe the scene before her, looking at Shilo as if he were a pile of trash.
“Huh?”
She grabbed Shilo by the ear and dragged him toward the shop, ignoring his miserable yelps and curses.