The Golem’s steady footsteps wavered for the first time after Lintis’s strike, and it actually took a step back.
This was an unnatural reaction for a magical creation, but when filth was involved, nothing was too strange. Of course, more than that, Shilo was currently stunned by the Saint’s strength.
Although various signs had indicated that she wasn’t weak, he hadn’t expected her to be this powerful.
Shilo fell silent. Seeing the way the Saint took it for granted, he had no idea how to respond. Was this level of power supposed to be a given?
After a long silence, Shilo spoke. “…I don’t.”
“Huh?” Lintis tilted her head, then her eyes slowly widened as she let out a small gasp. “Isn’t this the most basic Holy Art? Wait, Mr. Shilo, have you only been using basic slashes this whole time? I thought you were just pretending!”
Shilo silently turned his face away.
Seeing this, Lintis leaned in. Her large eyes blinked as they met Shilo’s gaze, and seeing the slight embarrassment in the depths of his eyes, her mouth slowly hung open. “No way, it’s true!”
“…Tch, could you please stop being so annoying? I already said I don’t know them, so what do you want?” Shilo reached out, attempting to cover the eyes of the Saint who was looking at him like a rare animal, while sounding a bit flustered.
Unfortunately, just as he reached out, the Saint took a step back. She held up a single finger in front of her face and gave a playful smile.
“Hehe, Mr. Shilo, you tried to touch me again, didn’t you?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I really couldn’t tell. Even though I said all that, you still want to touch me.”
“As I thought, have you already been captivated by my cute appearance and noble character? Or are you just a pervert, Mr. Shilo?”
“Well, well, while I understand your desires, please try to restrain yourself~”
Shilo rolled his eyes, wanting to ignore her entirely.
Just as Lintis was about to say something else, a noise came from behind her again. Turning around, she saw the Golem she had stripped of one arm actually trying to escape!
“Hmph, trying to run?”
Lintis had zero patience for this Golem that had interrupted her conversation. She raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
In the next second, mana gathered from the air into stars, hovering by her side and rotating slowly. A halo of interwoven silver and blue spread out, carrying fine star fragments that looked gentle and dreamlike.
Under Lintis’s command, two of these dreamlike creations flew toward the Golem at high speed. Just as they were about to strike, the two stars suddenly veered and collided with each other mid-air.
The stars, as fragile as crystal, instantly burst apart into a mist of soft, bright light. Fine stardust scattered across the sky like a fall of luminous snow.
The scene was incredibly beautiful and spectacular.
However, as the one who took the hit head-on, the Golem remained paralyzed in place once the mist cleared. The crystals and clay that made up its body were riddled with cracks, and its magical circuits were completely shattered. Only the dark red energy remained, sluggishly attempting to repair the frame.
Seeing the Golem he had struggled to cut with his full strength be defeated so easily by the Saint left Shilo feeling a bit complicated. Furthermore…
“My Lady, are you also a Trick Mage?”
“Trick Mage” was the shorthand for mages who used Star and Moon magic. They were given this name because their battles were usually based on unpredictable, brilliant, and dreamlike changes, making them very difficult to deal with.
Upon hearing this, Lintis turned around, proudly puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and lifted her head. “Hehe, Mr. Shilo, didn’t I tell you?”
“I’m actually very strong~ Oh, right, I don’t like the title ‘Trick Mage.’ It sounds too gloomy. If you want to call me a mage, please call me a Moon Mage~”
“By the way, it’s not just magic. I’ve dabbled in Holy Arts, sword skills, alchemy, and pharmacology. It seems you still don’t quite understand what my existence signifies.”
“Allow me to formally reintroduce myself. Standing before you now is the most outstanding graduate in the history of Erysia University, the winner of the Best Saint award at the Holy Church Headquarters for three consecutive years, and the winner of the Most Popular Saint in the Holy Capital for several years running—there isn’t enough room for everyone here…”
After saying it all in one breath, Lintis took a deep inhale. Looking at the stunned Mr. Shilo, she felt amazing!
“How about that! Am I awesome or what?”
Shilo’s lips twitched. He hadn’t expected such words to come from the mouth of a Saint. He initially wanted to ignore her as usual, but after thinking about it, he gave her a thumbs up.
“Awesome…”
Lintis giggled and scurried over to Shilo’s side, playfully patting his back as if she were embarrassed. That force nearly sent Shilo face-first into the dirt.
‘Monster girl…’
Of course, he didn’t dare say those words to the Saint’s face. He hadn’t dared to before, and he certainly didn’t dare to now.
Glancing at the Golem that had been blasted into a mess behind them, he suddenly remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small star the Saint had given him earlier.
He looked at the star in his hand, then at the Golem’s pathetic state, and finally at the Saint. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“My Lady, have you already sentenced me to death in your heart?”
“Huh?” Lintis blinked, not understanding what he meant.
In the next second, she saw Shilo move to throw the star away. She quickly stepped forward and clamped her hand over his palm.
“Mr. Shilo, what are you doing? Throwing away a gift I gave you right in front of my face? That’s too much! I’m going to cry!” Lintis glared at Shilo, her eyes welling up with tears as her voice filled with grievance.
Shilo was silent for a moment before finally sighing and putting the star back. It was mainly because he couldn’t pry the Saint’s hand open…
“My Lady, didn’t you want to blow me up?”
Lintis: “???”
It finally clicked that Mr. Shilo thought the gift she gave him was a bomb…
She was momentarily speechless. ‘Seriously? If I wanted to take you out, would I really need to be so indirect?’
Giving Shilo a cross look, Lintis said huffily, “It’s nothing like that! That’s a reward I specifically made for you. If you collect seven stars, you can get one permit coupon from me!”
“The kind where you can do anything!” Lintis hurriedly added. “Oh, wait, no pervy stuff!”
“Besides, you’re so tough, Mr. Shilo. Are you really scared of a tiny piece of Star and Moon magic?”
Although he was curious about the reward the Saint mentioned, Shilo had also realized something. While Star and Moon magic and “Trick Mages” sounded intimidating, they were actually mostly ornamental.
Even if their varieties were diverse and unpredictable, they severely lacked lethality. They were considered the lowest tier of firepower among mage branches. A single spell like that would indeed have difficulty causing any substantial damage to him, but…
Recalling the strike the Golem had taken, Shilo was still a bit apprehensive.
Seeing his expression, Lintis guessed what he was thinking. “That kind of thing won’t happen. The star I gave you has been specially processed; its stability is extremely high.”
“As for those stars just now, I modified them to function as ‘Killing Magic.’ Their structural stability is much worse, which is why I have to make two stars collide. Only by detonating them that way can I barely release power comparable to Arcane or Elemental Mages of the same level.”
“So if there’s only one, you can rest easy, Mr. Shilo!”
“……Will it explode later then?”
“I said it wouldn’t! Mr. Shilo, are you an idiot?”