What should I say? Watching Arrieta hesitantly for no reason seems like it would be awkward even this way.

“That… … . long time no see. Mr. Oz.”

“Yes, it’s been a while. Arrieta.”

Arrieta returned to the Vatican before the vacation began.

“Well, actually, I wasn’t trying to overhear it, but that… … .”

“Stop the topic.”

It doesn’t look like it will end well either way. There is a high probability that Arrieta will self-destruct.

If that happens, Arrieta will want to die and I will feel extremely awkward.

So, that topic should be left out altogether. In addition, I have to erase the words Lucia Domine said from my head.

“Would you like to go and have a cup of tea?”

“yes… … .”

Arrieta nodded cautiously and reached out her hand.

No, no matter how you say it, it sounds like you’re asking me out on a date, right?

I’ll turn around… … .

* * *

I moved and came out to the outdoor garden with a white table.

It seemed that not only flowers but also herbs were planted in the garden.

Arrieta’s favorite scent of apple mint. It feels refreshing.

“I was surprised. Prince of Oz. I didn’t expect you to come to the Holy See… … .”

“Somehow it happened like this.”

It was Olivia Blue, a Holy Knight affiliated with ＜Shield of Light＞, who was brewing tea in place of Arrieta.

Instead of the upright look she saw in ＜Skientia＞, she had a look closer to a priest.

Her hair, which had always been tied up resolutely, was now loose, and above all, she was wearing only a priestly uniform without wearing a protective structure equivalent to the level of a light commander.

quite unfamiliar

“Rather than that, is it a vacation now? Or is it not armed because it is inside the Vatican? It looks like a fairly light outfit, right?”

“It’s off duty. There are shields of light inside the Vatican besides me. There is no shortage of manpower like in Skientia.”

“Right.”

Olivia answered and put three teacups down on the table.

She also seemed to be thinking of joining because she was off duty now.

“Hmm… … .”

“Ah, that’s cool. Well. tasty. yes. Oh… … No, the tea Olivia makes is always delicious?”

“Saint, please… … .”

Arrieta is clearly uncomfortable, as if the awkwardness hasn’t gone away since earlier. Am I still paying attention to what was hiding at the door?

Why are you overreacting to such an extent when you say you haven’t overheard anything?

“… … I don’t know much about the Holy See, so could you briefly explain it to me?”

Arrieta didn’t answer.

Just in case, I turned my head to look at Olivia, and she was touching her eyes and lowering her head as if she was miserable.

Can not help it.

It seems difficult to ask for help, so I have no choice but to ask again.

“Oh, hmm! Arietta?”

“Ah, you mean that? You were asking me! Mumumu, of course. Ask anything. No, let me explain… … Oops!”

“… … .”

Arrieta, who was embarrassed by my name and shook her hands, let out a short scream at the water overflowing from the teacup.

No, is that something to harbor such a sense of guilt?

A certain brainy guy I know doesn’t feel ashamed of something like this. Rather, I would be angry with the enemy.

On the other hand, Arrieta acts hypersensitive even though I said I didn’t care.

Of course, there is a girl named Marie who overreacts even when she has not done anything, but that is irrelevant now.

One is a bad boy, the other a saint.

Both are too extreme.

“Uh, so… … . no, that’s right In the center of the Vatican, there is the Holy Sea of successive popes, including the first angel, which acts as a sanctuary. Isn’t that great?”

“Ah, yes. That’s a little bit interesting. He is the first angel… … . What was it like?”

“uh? yes? uh, i don’t know that… … . I’m sorry. Mr. Oz.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Arrieta lowered her head again.

why the hell Maybe you don’t know, does that make you feel down?

You may not know that there are hundreds of books in the Bible alone.

It seems that it will take quite a while for Arrieta to return to her usual self.

* * *

About a week has passed since I stayed at the Vatican. Nothing has changed in the meantime. Peace, peace without alienation.

I know that something will happen, but no matter how much I look, I can’t find a precursor.

[Myeongwang] There is no trace of Thanatos. Neither my eyes with [Contemplation] activated, nor the information power of ＜Tenebris＞.

I won’t be able to investigate the depths of the Vatican, but Lucia Domine will be concerned about that. Still no information

It’s a dull feeling.

In the midst of such an anxious daily life.

“Don’t you think Master is cowardly anyway?”

Eleanor began to tease her as if she were doing something strange again.

Yes, if I had to endure for a week, I would have endured a lot. It held up quite well for her.

“What else?”

But this kid is cowardly when he sees people who stay still.

Shall I show you what real cowardice is?

“Why am I the only one doing volunteer work?”

“I’ve said it many times, but I didn’t get that many penalty points in the first place, so isn’t it natural?”

I told Tia about this separately and ended the negotiations.

If I also do volunteer work, there might be a problem with Eleanor’s protection.

In the first place, my position in ＜Skientia＞ is the lead team, so I have a name.

“Why don’t you rather thank me for following me, even for surveillance purposes?”

“I’m bored alone.”

“No, Noah. That’s not right. Are you listening? It’s just a boring place regardless of whether you’re alone and naked here.”

“… … .”

In the first place, the problem is finding fun in places where church members gather.

I also meet up with Arrieta from time to time to drink tea and talk, but other than that I have nothing to do.

No information comes in, and even if you try to investigate suspicious places, you don’t have permission, so you just waste time with a vague mind.

Tea time with Arrieta, which could be said to be her only pleasure, was not much of a chance because she was busy.

“I don’t like this priestly uniform either.”

Eleanor complained to me while fluttering the sleeves of the priest’s uniform given to her by the church.

“why? Are you okay? Or is it uncomfortable because of low activity?”

“Well, there is that too… … .”

During her service, Eleanor wore a white priestly uniform, just like ordinary priests.

In the first place, the sleeves of priestly clothes were quite wide and long.

Every time you move violently, it will flutter, which will be uncomfortable.

The only jobs Eleanor was given would be simple cleaning the floor or distributing meals, but since the original person is jumping around, she can’t help it.

“Don’t you have too little personality?”

“Well, if you do then you are.”

She likes to stand out. It was only when wearing school uniforms that one could change and wear them according to one’s liking, but that is not the case with priestly uniforms.

Only the cardinals, the pope, and the saintess Arietta can wear unique priestly clothes inside this vast Vatican.

It is said that specialness is limited.

“I think the stress is building up.”

Eleanor sends me a signal with a grim look.

In short, it is a call to play.

“teacher? I think ‘both’ of us are getting stressed out.”

“Okay, stop it.”

I couldn’t stand that moment and urged it.

Can not help it. I have no choice but to play.

In the first place, Eleanor’s claim that ‘stress builds up’ may be more serious than you think.

Her introverted temperament is not simply a matter of character.

If you don’t solve it once in a while, her key might run out of control.

“First, change into comfortable clothes and come. I’m going to change my clothes too.”

“Come to think of it, Master is wearing a robe recently, right? is that it? That… … Incredibly expensive!”

“Yeah, it’s incredibly expensive. But rather than that name, can’t we just call it a magic tool with good performance?”

I wouldn’t want the name [Robe of the Starry Sky], so I’d like you to avoid such a luxurious item.

no, what… … . It’s okay to be rich and luxurious items are also okay.

“Extremely expensive and good performance!”

“Where did the magic tools go?”

Did you think that mixing the two in moderation would make it pass?

“So what? So what? why are you wearing it? Is that for combat?”

“… … You don’t have to worry about it, so do your volunteer work.”

“Something… … . Are you an adolescent who wants to look good?”

“Do you know I am you?”

This kid keeps trying to put himself and me on the same line.

Where did this come from? From where you let them call me Master?

It is a pitiful feeling.

“If you want to play for a long time, quickly change your clothes and come.”

“Yep! teacher.”

Eleanor started jumping up and down like she was excited. Wearing clothes like that and moving like that.

You should be careful not to fall.

“Should I move first… … .”

Unlike Eleanor, who runs volunteer work herself, I had a separate accommodation.

discipline… … . Rather, it was probably to avoid trouble.

“Are you here? The Prince of Oz.”

When I arrived at the lodging where I was staying, the one who appeared was Olivia Blue, a paladin belonging to ＜Shield of Light＞.

“Looks like today is a working day.”

“No, according to the latest information, there may be an attack, so all the knights who are resting have been ordered fully armed.”

“… … .”

that info. Perhaps this is the information I gave you. That upright-looking knight in front of me is a man who lost his days off because of me.

I feel guilty.

“By the way, even if it’s the same paladin, did you need to come?”

“Well what… … .”

＜Shield of Light＞ is nothing more than an escort unit directly under Arietta.

Unless the work is too busy to use her hands, there is no reason for her to be in charge of this kind of work.

“Because it’s a scene you don’t want the saintess to know about.”

“It’s useless consideration.”

Leaving behind Olivia’s plain words, I open the door of the dorm.

It’s a normal look now.

“Are these raids frequent?”

“Well… … .”

As she said, I was attacked by an assassin. It was also something I was determined to do since I came out of ＜Skientia＞.

I didn’t bother asking ＜Tenebris＞ for my protection. They’ll be busy gathering information, too.

I personally killed the assassins who attacked me in the middle of the night.

The reason Olivia, a paladin, came here in the first place was to take care of the aftermath.

“Is this your first time killing someone?”

Olivia looked at my hand little by little and asked insinuatingly.

It’s subtle, but it’s trembling.

Until now, I had somehow managed to keep my composure, but it was difficult in this room because the things that happened last night came to my mind.

“No way.”

But it’s different. It’s not like I’ve never killed anyone.

He hesitated in the fight with Gerard.

The assassins he met while out were killed with Lucia’s help.

In the fight against the forces of [Myungwang], the opponent was originally a dead person.

The end of the battle with Prudence Roa was concluded by Professor Aira.

“I’ve killed a lot of people.”

But I killed people.

My doctor was there.

I was the trigger, I gave the instructions, I made the judgment, and it was the situation I created.

“It’s just the first time I’ve killed myself with my own hands.”

I’ve just been lucky so far.

I was placed in an environment where I could kill people at any time.

Isn’t that funny in the first place?

So far, I have done a lot of killing itself. This time, the subject was only a human. Yes, there is only such a difference… … .

Just by looking at the room, it seems like you can see the scene at that time.

Even in the warm wind blowing through the window, I seem to feel the heat of the blood that splashed on my hand at that time.

Yeah, I didn’t know it would turn out to be such a shameful and unpleasant result.

“… … If you had asked for protection, I would have given you an escort, even if you were busy.”

This is an attractive proposition. But that’s why it’s also unacceptable.

“No, I have to get used to it. Because that’s what it should be.”

“that’s… … .”

forced to kill

I am already living in this world. As long as he wears the title [Successor of the King of Sorcery], there will be no end to attackers.

Just because I deviate from this title. That’s right, even if you give up your qualifications or report it and become the [King of Darkness], nothing will change.

As long as I live, the assassins will never stop attacking me.

If I hesitate, I will die. If it was unavoidable, it was necessary to get used to it beforehand.

Giving instructions to Lucia to shoot, and entrusting Professor Aira with the end of Prudence Roa.

Yeah, all of that was just a step.

To kill someone with my own hands without reluctance.

[Erosion degree 24%]

The stage where I will get used to this world.

I’m already half Oz, but I’m essentially different from him.

Oz probably didn’t have to kill anyone. That’s because he must have had overwhelming power and skills.

But I can’t afford that much.

The reason Oz became a laughing stock in the first place was because he was careless.

Because he couldn’t be tough.

Just because you have power, because you are stronger than others. It’s because when I had to kill the opponent, I just skipped over it.

The weakness behind the name arrogance. I have no intention of repeating that foolish act.

“How am I going to live in this harsh world if I don’t make sure I deal with those who oppose me?”

“that’s… … .”

It is different from before.

With Oz’s state of consciousness, he can’t get through this front.

Oz was defeated in Chapter 5. It’s the result of carelessness, but it’s a sure result.

So I have to take a different approach than Oz.

From the fighting style to the mindset.

yes… … .

“It would be better to root out the hostiles.”

I have to sink to a deeper place from now on, even for my own sake.

[Erosion degree 17%]