13 – Episode 2. How to Regain the Favor of the Evil Spirit Girl (3)
* @ *
“Damn lunatic.”
Rena, returning to Spawn in a carriage, spoke.
The Abel she saw today was extremely strange. It was enough to make her involuntarily mutter, “He must be crazy.”
Using honorifics she never used before, and uttering words she would never say normally. It was as if he had become a different person.
‘Boldly acting this way until now, and now…’
Her fist, resting on her thigh, trembled.
Recalling Abel’s words and actions towards her, irritation surged again.
But on the other hand, the fluttering feeling she had for his demeanor today was also true. His characteristic boldness remained, but within it, there was a subtle kindness.
She didn’t dislike his attitude, and there were times when she almost smiled. But what was still unforgivable remained so.
‘Even so, there’s no reason for him to treat me well out of the blue… Does he have some hidden agenda?’
Though she was suspicious of Abel, she had been avoiding attention for a while, so the information was too scarce.
“I need to find out. What happened between us without meeting.”
With that decision, Rena began to think of a plan to see if Abel had truly changed.
Soon after, she suddenly screamed.
“Ah~! Why do I have to think like this! What does that jerk think he is…! Ah, seriously! Why is that guy so handsome…”
Hearing the commotion inside the carriage, the driver smirked and drove towards Spawn.
—
“Good grief.”
I wrapped my head with a bandage, tightly gripping the ink pen. Writing a love letter, adorned with all sorts of clichés, was torture.
I don’t know how many hours I’ve been wrestling with the letter. On the table, ten crumpled sheets of paper lay.
“Darn it. Even Carrie is no help…”
A few hours ago, I couldn’t bring myself to write a letter, so I asked Carrie for her opinion on how to write it.
She said, “I think it’s best to write it delicately and passionately, so that just by reading the words, one can feel that I am loved.”
Truly an utterly useless response. Is this even comprehensible to anyone?
“Abel, what are you doing? You didn’t answer when I knocked.”
Clara opened the door and cautiously peeked in. When our eyes met, she quietly entered the room. She was carrying a tray in her hands.
“Oh… Clara.”
“I brought something to drink.”
She placed the tray on the desk. On it, there was a teapot and a teacup. Clara carefully poured tea into the cup to avoid spilling. The scent of black tea filled the air.
“Thank you. But as I mentioned before—”
“I’ve also mentioned before, I’m doing this because I want to. And I’m just returning the favor for the times you brought me tea.”
“I see…”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll enjoy it.”
The warm black tea seemed to melt away the chill in my body, perfectly suited for winter. Somehow, it felt like it was clearing my head too.
“By the way, since the sponsor lady visited yesterday, you’ve been sitting at the desk. Are you trying to write a letter?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. I just don’t know how to write it.”
Even in my school days, I never once wrote a love letter to someone I liked.
No, even if it’s not a love letter, I never had the chance to write a letter, so it feels unfamiliar to me.
“Clara, can I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“What kind of expression does a girl like?”
She, who stood somewhat shyly next to me, tilts her head and blinks her eyes. It seems she didn’t expect to be asked about herself.
After contemplating for a moment, she smiled and said,
“Well, since you mentioned being an ‘evil fan,’ wouldn’t it be nice whether the expression is delicate or rough, just to receive a letter?”
That statement was based on the premise that our relationship was good.
My relationship with Lina is almost on the verge of breaking up. It could be described as one of the worst situations imaginable.
If I send something half-hearted, there’s a possibility it might backfire by making fun of me.
“What about you? Would you like it if I wrote you a letter?”
“Oh… that…! Well, um… It’s not like I have any specific thoughts on that! It’s just a hypothetical situation!”
Looking at Clara, who hastily claps her hands while rambling, I give her a strange look. Her blushing face seems like a reaction one might have after receiving a confession.
“Is that so?”
“Well! Yes. So, feel free to write confidently.”
Confidently…
Even in the quest, there’s no specific instruction on what content to write.
Does this mean it’s okay for me to write anything? Or is it telling me to think for myself?
In any case, I’m struggling by choosing only awkward things for the quest.
“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”
“Good luck.”
As Clara cutely sends me a fist-clenched, smiling gaze, I look at the letter paper. Whatever it is, as long as sincerity is visible, it should be fine.
“By the way… your hair color.”
“Huh? Oh… this?”
In response to my question, Clara tugs at her long, flowing white hair.
“Has it always been white since you were born?”
“Oh, no. It was originally yellow, but the color gradually faded as I gained power.”
“Is that so?”
So that means she was able to avoid the gaze of the demon worshippers because she awakened as a saint.
Whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate, I’m not sure.
“I see.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Oh, and you know that people from the Beatra sect are coming tomorrow, right?”
“Oh, yes. I know.”
“They will probably take you to the sect.”
Honestly, Clara is the most perplexing presence at the moment. Unlike the original story, she has become a saint, rendering the information I know useless.
But considering that there are no quests related to Clara, whether she stays here or goes to the sect doesn’t seem to be a problem.
“…Honestly, I still don’t know if I’m really a saint.”
“Better than being a witch, right?”
“That’s obvious!!”
Clara retorts with a loud voice.
“Oh! Uh, I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Belatedly understanding her own identity, she lowers her head. Anyway, once she is recognized as a true saint later on, the treatment will be different.
Especially if she defeats demons or monsters, her reputation will spread widely throughout the empire.
“Anyway, let’s hear the story tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
But before that, she has to write a letter.
* * *
“Houston Gong, it’s been a while.”
A person from the clergy, dressed in black, extends a hand to Houston. Judging by the black attire, he seems to be a cardinal, directly under the Pope.
“Welcome. Cardinal Priest.”
Houston shakes hands.
“I apologize for getting straight to the point, but I felt a strong divine power even before coming here. Is it indeed the power of the saint?”
“Probably not. Usually, the saint’s divine power is not felt like an ordinary person’s.”
Houston’s words are accurate.
If Clara had to reveal her power even in ordinary times, the demon worshippers would have noticed first.
“Then what is this vast divine power? It feels like having a holy sword right in front of me.”
“It would be much better to see it with your own eyes than for me to explain directly.”
Houston says this while glancing at me.
His brief gaze on me seems to be asking how I would explain. Perhaps it’s a hint not to be vague and evasive like that time.
“Um….”
The followers of the Beatra sect, led by Priest Hughston, guide people into the courtyard. Even in broad daylight, the magical purification water shone like the moon, causing the onlookers to tremble and their lips to quiver.
“Hugh, Hughston Gong…! W-what is that?!” Priestess asked, pointing at the trembling magical purification water with her quivering hand. Hughston, with a hint of knowing what to expect, sighed softly and impassively replied, “It’s magical purification water.”
“Magical purification water?”
“Exactly as the name suggests.”
Hughston had nothing more to say on the matter.
Due to my concealment of information, even Hughston was unaware of the details regarding the magical purification water. He only knew that it was a tree that purified magic.
“Are you saying it can remove magic like the Holy Sword removes sanctity?”
“That’s right.”
“Why… is such an item here?”
“Our son obtained it.”
When Hughston looked at me beside him, the people from the sect turned their attention to me, as if demanding an explanation.
“…It seems there was a reason Abel Gong was with me instead of Master Geonil, unlike usual.”
Surely by now, Geonil would be venting his frustration somewhere, far away.
He might even be feeling the anxiety of his diminishing influence.
Which is quite a delusion.
“So, Abel Gong, can you tell us how you obtained it?”
“I cannot disclose the acquisition process. However, you only need to know that I have no intention of using it maliciously. Not that it could be used for malicious purposes in the first place.”
Would he let a stranger, someone he had never seen before, know something he hadn’t even told Houston when it came to the relics with divine power?
There wasn’t a law stating that items with sacred power had to be sent to the church.
“Able, do you have someone behind you?”
“Yes?”
“Are you under the protection of the elves?”
Protection of the elves.
I wish I had something like that. Not the pointless favor of female characters, but something that could actually be helpful.
Even if I weren’t there, the main characters would manage the stories themselves, but it would be good to have a means to defend and prepare for when demons or monsters attack the author.
“…That’s impossible. The exchange with the elves has been severed for quite some time.”
Yes. The exchange with the elves has been severed for a long time.
The elves demanded resources from the Empire in exchange for the fragments of the World Tree, but due to the difficulty in providing resources because of the conquest war, the relationship has been cut off.
“…Able, do you know that the power to unfold the sanctuary is only found in the fragments of the World Tree?”
“I know.”
“Then you must also know that the fragments of the World Tree can only be obtained from the elves.”
“Well… yes.”
“The fragments of the World Tree symbolize the exchange between humans and elves. Giving this to an individual rather than a nation means nothing other than being under the protection of the elves.”
“…”
“The elves are a secretive race, so it’s natural for them to hide things, but can you be certain? Lady Beatra would hope so.”
As I remained silent, he urged me to respond. I had no way to explain the quest, and there was no one to believe me.
From the very beginning, I have no way of knowing if the existence that possessed me is a newcomer in this world.
“The elves have no connection to this.”
“…Is that so. Well, the elves are a secretive race. Keeping secrets will surely raise trust.”
He finished his meal as if disappointed.
No, really, there is no connection. Why don’t you believe it?
“But that is not an item that can be left to personal reasons. I will call someone later, so would you consider donating that tree to the pulpit?”
Surely, it’s better for items related to sacred power to be with the pulpit. Since Clara became a saint, if the sacred sword and magic purification water synergize in the pulpit with the sacred power, it would be perfect.
But his attitude of trying to handle the item I obtained as he pleased was really annoying.
That was the moment.
[A quest has arrived.]
[Will you read it? Y/N]
Of course, I will read it.
“The saint and the tree are mine. I won’t give them away.”
Category: Sub (Clara)
Deadline: –
“Preist Frees is planning to expand the pulpit’s influence using Clara and the magic purification water. As the pulpit’s influence grows, the rights that can be asserted become stronger, allowing for more daring demands for money from the royal family or nobles.
Of course, considering the pulpit’s background with the royal family, there is no problem with the expansion itself, but there is a high possibility of using Clara for their own benefit.
Especially since she lacks social skills and is pure, she will easily fall for the words spoken to her. Just like a few days ago, she fell for your words.
In that case, it would be better to keep Clara by your side and build a deep relationship. Clara will surely become an indispensable talent for the coming disaster soon.
Moreover, the effect of the magic purification water is a permanent increase in sacred power, so there is no better way to raise Clara.”
Reward: Clara’s growth enhancement and dedication.
Failure: Clara’s growth weakened.
The title is truly abelstastic.
Moreover, it seems subtly teasing.
Anyway, if they are thinking of using Clara for their own benefit, I have no intention of sending her away.
Especially considering that I now have a means to protect myself from the imminent disaster that will soon come, giving this away would be a foolish act.
With determination, I smiled and said,
“If you don’t like it?”
“Yes…?”