“What are you talking about, Your Grace the Archbishop! You’re a member of the clergy!”
“…Your Grace, she and I are just comrades-in-arms.”
Sephilia nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice, her eyes signaling that she understood completely—it wasn’t a big deal to like younger ones, right?
It was just that society wouldn’t accept it.
“Please rest assured—she isn’t human, so she won’t grow like one. Her shelf life is very long!”
Abel gave up struggling entirely.
The more he explained, the worse it got! And right then, Sutis was clinging to his arm, looking all coquettish.
Just as he let out a long sigh, unsure what to say, a rush of hurried footsteps approached.
Under the cover of night, Julius was running from not far away, his golden hair shifting between light and shadow in the torchlight.
“Brother?”
The next moment, Abel felt a warm embrace.
“Abel, your brother’s strength isn’t enough—I couldn’t fight alongside you. I was worried sick earlier. It’s good that you’re okay…”
“The rescue and evacuation efforts are mostly done. Are you hurt anywhere?”
He heard Julius’s concerned voice, sincere and without a trace of falseness, which couldn’t help but warm Abel’s heart.
Compared to those women, his brother Julius was the one who truly cared about him!
But suddenly, Abel felt something off. Being held by his brother, he noticed the other’s body felt somewhat soft?
And there was even a faint, pleasant scent wafting over, sweet like flowers.
This was too strange!
Julius was a man—how could he give off this kind of smell?
“…Brother, I’m fine, but isn’t the perfume you’re using a bit too strong?”
Julius released him, lifted his sleeve to sniff it himself, and looked puzzled.
“I don’t have a habit of using perfume. Abel, are you mistaken?”
Mistaken?
Abel didn’t feel right about leaning in for another sniff.
If someone saw that in public, on top of the ‘lolicon’ rumors, he might end up with gay ones too!
As he pondered, Abel saw Julius turn his gaze to Sephilia and perform a very proper believer’s salute.
“Thank you for your favor, Archbishop Sephilia. However, my unworthy little brother is accustomed to the life of a free adventurer. If he joined the church, I’m afraid he’d cause you no small amount of trouble.”
Sephilia looked at Julius with a warm attitude, as if gazing at family.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble at all, Lord Marquis. Our church isn’t like the kingdom, with its rigid hierarchies—so there aren’t as many complicated rituals!”
“Compared to being a rootless wandering knight with no future, becoming a blade for our Lord would be a far better path! For the sake of your brother’s future, I think the church is an excellent choice!”
Sephilia’s words made Julius fall into thought. From a brother’s standpoint, he naturally hoped his sibling would rise high and have a bright future, but as a brother, he cared even more about Abel’s own opinion!
So, he cleared his throat and replied very politely. “I’ll have my little brother give your suggestion serious consideration. We must return to the marquis territory tomorrow—our parents’ memorial day is in a few days.”
“Oh? In a few days?”
Sephilia raised an eyebrow, seeming to realize something.
If she remembered correctly, in a few days it would be the memorial for the victims of the ‘Enkart City Collapse’ twelve years ago.
Could it be that the previous marquis and his wife were among the victims of that day?
Sephilia’s gaze toward Abel immediately grew complicated. Was this fate at work? Or mere coincidence?
Julius nodded.
“…Yes. So, we’ll leave the follow-up cleanup in the royal capital to you, Your Grace the Archbishop, and to His Majesty the King! It’s getting late—we’ll take our leave now!”
Sephilia nodded.
Only then did Abel breathe a sigh of relief. He had been a bit afraid his brother might agree to some weird request from the church!
But he finally understood—he had no pursuit of power or status; he just wanted to live his own life.
“Oh, right—since Sir Abel has already formed a ‘knight contract’ with Lady Sutis, let her accompany you!” Sephilia said with a smile.
“If any accidents happen on the road, she can handle them.”
Abel didn’t refuse. “Does Your Grace mean that ‘Divine Pollution’ incidents have been occurring more frequently lately?”
Sephilia’s expression shifted slightly, but she still nodded. “At this point, I won’t hide it anymore. These phenomena have increased recently. Before, they only happened every few years, and the church could cover them up—but now, I’m afraid…”
The day when the truth would be revealed to the world wasn’t far off.
“Before that, I have something to discuss with Lady Sutis. Please wait a moment, you two!”
After shooing the two men far away, Sephilia leaned close to Sutis’s ear and whispered softly. As she spoke, Sutis’s face turned bright red.
Her voice trembled a bit. “Re-really? Do I have to do that? Wouldn’t it be a little too shameless!?”
Sephilia shook her head with a sigh, pressing her index finger to Sutis’s lips, and spoke earnestly. “Lady Sutis, you don’t want Sir Abel to be snatched away by that pink-haired bad auntie, do you?”
Those words had an effect, making Sutis think deeply before nodding solemnly.
“I-I understand! I might not do it well, but I’ll try my best!”
Hearing this, Sephilia finally showed a genuine smile.
Since the other party was a lolicon, they had to use a loli for a targeted attack!
“Oh, right—and remember to observe Marquis Julius carefully. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…”
“He’s a kingdom noble—isn’t it normal to have seen him?” Sutis was a bit puzzled.
“No, not in that sense. I feel like I might have met him when I was little, and more than once. He might even be connected to the missing First Annihilation Angel!”
“Sister Euphelia?” Sutis nodded, fired up. “I understand!”
“Currently, only three angels have successfully awakened, including you—each one is an extremely vital combat asset. Especially now that the Second Salvation Angel has fallen in battle…”
Sutis nodded. “If we can find the whereabouts of the missing Sister Euphelia…”
“But, Sephilia—Sister has been missing for twelve years. If she were still alive, there’s no reason she wouldn’t return to the church, right?”
Sutis’s words made sense; theoretically, it was unlikely. The church had already classified her disappearance as ‘killed in action.’ But Sephilia always felt things weren’t that simple—after all, at the site of the ‘Enkart City Collapse’ twelve years ago, Euphelia’s body hadn’t been found.
The church didn’t even know who Euphelia’s contract knight had been back then…
Euphelia’s awakening in Enkart City, and her earth-shattering battle with an unknown god, had caught the church completely off guard.
With so few survivors, there was no way to know who she had formed a contract with that day!
If her hunch was right, this marquis might be a survivor of Enkart’s destruction!
There were no such things as too many coincidences in the world—the marquis’s parents’ memorial day was the exact same as the day Enkart was destroyed!!
But if Julius was a survivor of that day, then he might know Euphelia’s whereabouts…
But why would he keep silent about it?
What benefit did hiding it bring to the marquis?
***
During Sephilia and Sutis’s private talk, the bored Abel was sitting with Julius amid the arena ruins, gazing at the starry sky.
They chatted about various things from the past.
Abel recalled the past after his transmigration and couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “Brother, do you still remember our promise from when we were kids?”
But upon hearing this, Julius showed a blank expression.