“Mm?”
Suddenly.
Tia, sensing something strange, stopped her prayer and raised her head sharply.
It seemed like she had just heard her mother make a hiccupping sound beside her.
“Mom?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing….”
Yulia averted her gaze and replied awkwardly.
For some reason, the cold sweat on her forehead felt highly suspicious.
Something had clearly happened just now, but her mother was making a great effort to pretend nothing was wrong.
Tia was about to press Yulia for answers with that conviction, but…
“Did you pray well, Tia?”
“The sight of you praying with your eyes closed looked completely angelic!”
“Ugh, so cute.”
“Mm. Sisters, Tia can’t breathe….”
As soon as the service ended, she was surrounded and stopped by the rushing maidens.
After being petted and rubbed on the cheeks for a while and receiving affection, Tia soon forgot what she had been suspicious about.
While Tia was in a daze, Yulia let out a sigh of relief inwardly and swept a hand over her chest.
‘What on earth is that person doing…?’
Then, she stole a glance behind her.
There stood a priestess, half-hidden in the dark corridor, with her arms folded behind her back.
Just a moment ago, she had been holding my wrist beside me; how did she get all the way over there?
That person really seemed to be uncomfortably creepy upon closer inspection.
Yulia clicked her tongue at that thought.
And now, she was to receive magic lessons from that man.
It felt utterly overwhelming.
“Ugh! The service is over! Should we go back now?”
“Take Tia back first. I have someone I need to meet for a moment.”
“Who are you meeting?”
“I have to consult with the priestess for a bit…”
There was no reason to hide it.
It was a matter of saying proudly that she had decided to learn magic from one of the priestesses here.
But for some reason, Yulia found herself mumbling in a way she wasn’t entirely aware of.
However, in front of Tia, who was remarkably good at detecting lies, she couldn’t fully fabricate a falsehood.
“Mm…”
As Tia squinted suspiciously, Yulia swallowed hard.
What was making her feel so tense?
A maid, observing the two for a moment, hugged Tia and said:
“Aha! Then we’ll go ahead, okay? Tia! Let’s go!”
“Ugh! Tia wants to stay with Mom!”
“Aw, if you fuss, it won’t work. Come on everyone, let’s go.”
“Huh? Why? Can’t we see who Yulia is meeting?”
“Tsk. These kids really lack sensitivity…”
She quickly turned Tia and the maidens around to face the other way.
‘Yulia is also meeting a man. It’s clear, yet they followed along without a clue… Ugh, I feel sorry for them.’
Yulia’s reasons for mumbling and stuttering like this were clearly evident.
She was probably in a relationship with someone it wasn’t appropriate to reveal to her daughter and friends.
For example, a priest.
It was painfully obvious.
She left the chapel with Tia and her friends, sending a sly wink at Yulia.
Yulia was left dazed, not understanding what had just happened.
“We will start the next service. Please take your seats.”
“Huh?”
At that moment, the area became noisy as a crowd surged into the chapel.
As Yulia hurriedly tried to escape from the long bench, she became trapped inside.
Before she could even think of a way out, the surroundings suddenly quieted, creating a solemn atmosphere.
‘What kind of church has back-to-back services…?’
She seemed to have missed her chance to escape, and just as Yulia was bracing for the next break, a large hand seized her wrist again.
“Ah?!”
A small gasp escaped her lips.
Yulia was pulled out from the crowd by that strong grip.
When she regained her senses, she realized she had somehow burrowed into a large priest’s robes.
Slowly lifting her head, she noticed a man with a bright red face.
It was Alexander.
Realizing he had rescued her from her previous predicament, Yulia gazed up at his face and said,
“Thank you.”
“Ahem, um…”
Alexander’s face flushed, and he hurriedly released her wrist and turned away.
Then, he slipped into the dark corridor without making a sound.
Just moments ago, she had thought of him as creepy, but seeing him act so awkwardly made her feel he was somewhat cute.
Yulia left the lively chapel behind and followed after Alexander.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed.
“Hehe. It feels like we’re doing something rebellious.”
As the sounds of worship faded, Yulia caught up to Alexander’s side and started talking.
Only then did he slow his pace, facing her.
‘Gah…’
She thought she had calmed down.
However, as soon as he saw Yulia’s face, it seemed that the earlier sensations resurfaced, causing Alexander to turn his head sharply again.
That feeling which landed heavily on his chest and felt fluffy still kept reviving no matter how much he tried to forget it.
There had never been a day in his life as a priest filled with such inner turmoil.
“There are definitely boys and girls who disappear quietly, holding hands in the middle of the service, right?”
“There are… many…”
“What are they doing when they disappear?”
“Well, I’m not sure since I haven’t chased after them.”
“Really? You don’t have a rough idea?”
“……”
There was no way he could claim ignorance.
It was obvious what boys and girls, both blushing and sweating, were doing when they returned.
Yet, Alexander kept his mouth shut.
He only wished for some lewd words to come forth from a priest.
Could it be that this woman was always so playful?
As soon as he stole a glance at her teasing smile, Alexander’s face turned beet red once more.
It was difficult to withstand this woman, who acted like a little devil despite her demeanor not being at all devilish.
Yet, she seemed entirely unaware of her own destructive power, which was the biggest problem.
“No, I don’t understand. Only God knows.”
“Hmph. That’s boring.”
“Let’s stop the chatter and get started. We’ll wrap up after about one hour of lessons today.”
“Only one hour? Isn’t that a bit short, teacher?”
“……”
Alexander had to thoroughly ignore Yulia, who raised her hand to ask a question like a model student.
It was extremely difficult to forgive himself for feeling a strange sense of sadism from her voice calling him teacher.
This girl naturally tempted him without the slightest awareness of it.
Alexander realized he needed to maintain a desperate distance from Yulia.
“Please come in.”
“Is this the priestess, oh no, teacher’s room?”
“Yes, that’s correct. And please feel free to call me however you like.”
“Hehe. I find it more comfortable to call you teacher.”
“……”
Was this truly not a temptress?
As soon as Yulia entered the room, Alexander had to taste the limits of his patience again.
Yulia immediately rushed inside and plopped down on the bed, flashing a seductive smile.
Even though the other party was a priest, entering a man’s room and acting so relaxed was hard to believe.
It was truly difficult to think of her as a woman with a child.
“How long do you plan to keep staring at me like that?”
“I’m sorry. Then let’s slowly begin the lesson.”
Alexander collected himself and stiffened his expression to start his teaching.
It was his first time teaching someone magic, but he knew exactly where to begin.
The basics of all basics.
Feeling and distinguishing the magical energy and divine power inside one’s body was the starting point.
Those who neglected this foundation could easily confuse magical energy and divine power, leading to serious troubles later on.
“First, sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.”
“You’re not trying to do something strange, are you…?”
“Whatever it is, just close your eyes.”
“Okay.”
“……”
This woman, really.
Did she even know what mindset he was in while approaching this lesson?
Would she realize he was straining to maintain this serious expression?
His frustration started to flare up.
Indeed, Yulia, acting without hesitation and letting her guard down, was dangerous.
Today, Alexander gained that confidence.
“Breathe steadily in and out. While doing so, start to feel the flow of magical energy within your body.”
“The flow of magical energy? I don’t really understand.”
“Can you feel your heartbeat? Then focus on the beat. The flow that wriggles and moves along with that beat…”
“Um. I’m not sure.”
“Then let’s start with divine power.”
The beginning was rocky.
Especially since divine power was only difficult for beginners to sense, and even fewer people had a meaningful amount of divine power.
There was a grim feeling that they might just end up sitting in meditation for the entire hour, feeling for magical energy.
“How do I feel divine power?”
“First, I need to confirm something. Have you ever experienced anything mysterious that others do not?”
“……”
There had been a lot of such experiences.
She had been attacked by dragons, had the ability to heal without scars even when covered in blood, and had a child who was a hybrid of a dragon and a human.
Since Yulia fell here, she had faced all sorts of mysterious events unlike anyone else, but she couldn’t simply tell Alexander that.
However, there was one thing she could confide in him.
“I had one today. A woman suddenly whispered something in my ear, but it seems like no one else could hear it…”
“Was that during the service just now?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“……”
Alexander let out a small sigh.
During the service, Yulia was sweating and moaning repeatedly, which had raised his suspicions.
Moreover, he felt that a dark aura was vaguely surrounding her.
It was the energy of evil that only those with special talents could see.
Having seen that, Alexander approached Yulia in a trance and seized her wrist.
By the time Yulia looked up at him in confusion, the dark energy that had been encroaching around her had completely vanished.
‘She is clearly possessed by an evil spirit.’
At that time, it had been uncertain, but after hearing Yulia’s testimony, he could say definitively now.
An evil spirit had definitely clung to her.
This was a characteristic of those with strong divine power.
The stronger the person with divine power, the more they became corrupted, and thus it was natural for evil spirits to take an interest in them.
“That’s an evil spirit.”
“Ah, an evil spirit?! Like a ghost?”
“It’s similar. But don’t worry. It can’t physically harm you. You can just ignore it.”
“How can I ignore it…? It’s terrifying…”
“Can you still hear it now?”
“Yes. It’s making a huge ruckus.”
– The priest is a liar.
– Especially this guy is the most disgusting type.
– Don’t believe him. Don’t believe him. Don’t believe him. Don’t believe him.
The incessant whispering voices in her head made Yulia feel a slight headache.
Yulia’s hands were trembling.
Alexander found that somewhat surprising.
Perhaps it was because he had only seen her spirited and strong appearance.
Seeing someone tremble in fear from an evil spirit that couldn’t physically influence her seemed a bit pitiable.
“Ugh…”
When he regained his composure, he realized he was holding Yulia’s hand tightly.
Earlier, he had grasped her wrist without thinking, but this time it was different.
Holding her beautiful white hand and wrapping his fingers around it caused her trembling to gradually subside.
At first, she flinched and trembled slightly, feeling a sense of rejection, but then she began to feel a growing sense of stability from his warm touch.
Her breathing normalized, and her blood flow restored.
At that moment, Alexander felt something unusual flowing through Yulia’s hand.
“What…?!”
Divine power.
A massive amount of divine power that could pierce through a person’s body and manifest externally.
Stunned by the sheer volume that was hard to believe a person could possess, Alexander stood there speechless.
No dragon or thousand-year-old divine beast would have this level of divine power.
