“How is it you!”
Almost the moment he stepped through the door, Shilo furrowed his brow, his eyes filled with displeasure at the person before him.
Pushing past Shilo who blocked her view, Lintis poked her little head out to peek inside.
Oh ho, isn’t this an old acquaintance?
At this moment, the two clergy members waiting in the reception room were the knight Marcus and the priest Lucas.
The two sat sprawled on the sofa, their legs practically itching to kick up onto the table. They only restrained themselves slightly after the three entered.
“Tch, it’s you again, you little brat.” Marcus crossed his legs and took a deep drag from the thick roll dangling between his lips, tilting his head slightly.
A thick cloud of smoke shot straight toward Shilo, causing the latter’s gaze to turn icy cold instantly.
But Marcus just shrugged with an unconcerned expression, his arrogant tone undiminished.
“Kid, do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?”
Shilo gave him a deep look, feeling that the Marcus in his memories was vastly different from the reality before him.
Was this his true nature?
Shilo snorted coldly and plopped down opposite Marcus. “Old bastard, if you want to die, go ahead. Am I stopping you?”
“Hey, you little…” Provoked, Marcus threw the thick roll onto the table and rolled up his sleeves, as if ready for a brawl.
Seeing this, Shilo raised his chin defiantly, his contemptuous gaze practically saying, “Come on, don’t chicken out if you’ve got the guts.”
For a moment, the two were locked in a standoff, leaving Wendy, the association staff member, awkwardly standing at the door, unsure how to intervene.
As for the priest Lucas, who was teamed up with Marcus, he seemed completely unaware of the situation, intently focused on the book in his hands, occasionally letting out a rather lecherous chuckle.
“Ahem.”
A girl’s cough broke the deadlock.
Lintis frowned slightly, covering her face with one hand while using the other to wave away the thick smoke around her as she slowly walked in, saying as she went:
“Um… Mr. Marcus, could you please not smoke… I don’t really like the smell…”
She seemed completely oblivious to the tension in the room, simply stating her request matter-of-factly.
Shiro and Marcus exchanged a glance, fell silent for a moment, and then sat back down simultaneously.
As for the thick roll, Marcus snuffed it out directly with his hand—a mere flame wasn’t enough to harm a knight’s body.
Seeing the smoke extinguished, Lintis broke into a smile again, obediently sat down next to Shilo, and casually snapped her fingers to open the window, letting the room air out.
This display caught Marcus and Wendy by surprise, as it was hardly a skill possessed by a priest.
Shilo, however, was already used to it and showed little reaction. In fact, ever since he learned just how strong the Saintess really was, he wouldn’t be surprised by anything Lintis could do.
Of course, that didn’t stop him from using it to his advantage—like shooting a contemptuous glance at the hick.
Marcus rolled his eyes in irritation. ‘It’s not like you did it. What are you so smug about?’
“Alright, alright. Honored clergy, thank you for coming here. Please let me explain the details of this mission.”
Seeing the situation calm down, Wendy immediately stepped before everyone, placing one hand on her chest as she fulfilled her duty as an official.
“I believe you already have some understanding. This time we’re dealing with a runaway spellbook, suspected to be the creation of the same person behind the Golem that appeared in the Black Forest before.”
“This spellbook contains an extremely wide range of magic. From the information brought back by adventurers alone, we’ve identified Elemental Magic, Star and Moon Magic, Necromancy, and Arcane Magic. Although the magic levels are not high, it’s hard to say this is its full power.”
“Therefore, I hope that regardless of any past disagreements, all of you will set aside your differences and cooperate this time, to avoid unnecessary losses. This would be a major blow to the Association, and to Isol City as a whole.”
After finishing her long speech, Wendy took a breath. Seeing everyone nod to her, she gave a slight bow and continued.
“Thank you. Additionally, there’s one piece of special intelligence. Because the spellbook and the Golem appeared so close together in time, we suspect there may be a powerful mage living in seclusion in the Black Forest. Please be cautious of this factor as well.”
“That is all the information we have for now. Please prepare and depart as soon as possible. These two incidents happened so close together that many resources in the city are already running low and need to be replenished quickly.”
“May the Goddess above watch over you and grant you smooth passage on this mission.”
With that, Wendy bowed deeply once more and left the room.
With the mediator gone, the atmosphere in the room once again grew tense, an invisible spark crackling between Shilo and Marcus.
Lintis blinked, feeling a bit strange. Were they always like this?
Why did their relationship seem even worse? How odd…
Just then, Marcus suddenly looked as if he remembered something, turning his gaze to the pondering Lintis.
“Priestess, about Grace, I’d like to have a word with you.”
“Grace?” Lintis looked puzzled.
“The little brat you asked me to look after before. I gave her that name. She couldn’t remember her own anyway.”
“Wow, I never knew you had such culture, Mr. Marcus. Grace is such a lovely name!”
Marcus raised an eyebrow. Had he seemed like an illiterate ape to this Priestess all along?
But he didn’t dwell on it long, continuing, “Let’s go to the next room. You know, there’s an annoying little brat in here.”
“Huh?” Shilo let out an indignant sound.
But Marcus was already leading Lintis out. Just as Shilo was about to follow, Lintis stopped him by raising a finger.
“It’s okay, Mr. Shilo. I’m just going to talk about Grace. I’ll be right back. Wait for me, okay~”
Hearing that, the huffing chibi calmed down a bit, snorted, and sat back down reluctantly.
Seeing his expression, Lintis couldn’t help but sneak a laugh, but was immediately hit by a glare from him.
‘Ara ara~ Mr. Shilo is so shy~’
Temporarily parting ways with Shilo and Lucas, the two entered the adjacent room, which had the same layout.
Lintis was just about to sit down on the sofa when Marcus, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned around and smoothly dropped to one knee, bowing his head low.
“Saintess, please forgive my rudeness earlier.”
“Huh?” Lintis froze, then let out a startled cry. “Eh—!!!”
“Mr. Marcus, how did you…”
She started to speak, then quickly covered her mouth, but it was already too late.
Marcus looked up, a glint of cunning in his eyes, a triumphant smirk on his lips.
Lintis stared at the ceiling. Well, there was only the ceiling. She clenched her little fist and said very seriously:
“Seems like… I’ll have to destroy the evidence…”
“Huh? Hey! Wait!!!”