Headquarters (3)

Sicarii kept swallowing dryly before finally nodding his head.

The amount in question was no small matter. Since it had been paid on the spot, it would be difficult to dismiss it as a joke.

He did try to stall for time, saying it would take a while to retrieve the armor from storage and offering to show us to our rooms, but…

“I believe we’ll receive it by tomorrow. My family is quite strict about punctuality, you know. Isn’t that right? We’re all comrades fighting together in places where every second counts to save lives. You understand, don’t you?”

“…How could I refuse?”

He had no choice but to surrender before her mention of maintaining connections with the priesthood and her stern emphasis on punctuality as a doctor.

To be honest, I was terrified too.

It sent chills down my spine to see someone wielding that much money as a threat.

Is this the power that nobles possess?

“I’m so glad you responded to our deal so cleanly.”

“Well. Perhaps he was just afraid to say no to a young lady carrying a small domain’s annual revenue in her pocket.”

Her authority.

The prestige of the family she represents.

I’d heard many times before how impressive the Spirin County was, but I’d never truly felt it until now.

I’m fortunate she’s an ally. While I’m amazed she carried around so much money, I also feel relieved knowing she’s emptied her pockets.

…Though it’s all become my debt.

“Speaking of which, this armor is for Claire originally…”

“Lost? Surely you’re not planning to transfer this debt to me after claiming to be my guardian?”

“…No, of course not.”

I shook off a moment of temptation at Claire’s contemptuous gaze.

After all, I was the one who suggested we come get the armor. Even though things didn’t go as planned, I’m the only one who can take responsibility for this.

“Ah! Lost has become a debtor. How on earth will you ever repay this money?”

Línea speaks with exaggerated gestures as if performing in a play.

Her composed face bears a smile that’s somewhat seductive yet mischievous.

Of course, considering the amount involved, it’s not so much mischievous as it is terrifying.

“Maybe you should just marry me and the debt would disappear?”

“You know, that might actually be better.”

“Uh…”

Her mischievous smile instantly freezes. Then her face repeatedly turns pale and then flush.

A truly bewildering reaction.

The only thing I can be certain of is that she’s flustered.

“Why are you covering your eyes with your tail?”

She suddenly raises her tail, clutches it to her chest, and covers her eyes with the tip.

As always, Línea’s reactions are entertaining.

“Unnie, that won’t hide anything. You shouldn’t be covering your own eyes, but Lost’s eyes instead.”

“Ah.”

Línea immediately accepts this feedback and covers my eyes with her tail.

Is this darkness a metaphor for my future?

The softness is making me sleepy.

…These strange thoughts must mean I’ve been tired lately.

“Uh… while I’m flattered by Lost’s feelings, I… this kind of relationship probably won’t last long, and being tied together like this…”

“Línea, it was just a joke, so no need to overreact.”

“…A joke?”

With my vision blocked by her tail, I can’t see clearly, but I can tell Línea’s expression is freezing up again.

It’s probably fortunate my eyes are covered.

“Wait, were you being serious?”

“N-no?! Of course not! I just… I just forgot for a moment. It was a joke. I started it first. My mind just went blank for a second.”

Seems she knows how to make teasing jokes but didn’t expect to be teased back.

Soon, the tail covering my eyes drops away.

I see Línea’s face, now completely flushed. It appears her emotions finally settled on this side after bouncing between options.

She even had tears welling up in one eye as if she’d just realized what she’d done and felt embarrassed.

“…You’re not angry, are you?”

“I’m not angry. Why would I be angry with you, Lost? Have you done something wrong to me?”

“No…”

“Then why would I be angry?”

No, just be angry.

The reason doesn’t matter.

That would make me feel better. Seeing that sulky expression makes my conscience ache.

Even more so because I don’t know why.

“Are you two plotting something again? You couple of scam artists.”

Amid this uncomfortable atmosphere, Cardinal Sicarii appeared with a sigh.

“…”

“Oops… Seems I’ve shown up at a bad time.”

But even Cardinal Sicarii took a step back after seeing Línea’s expression. Still, there was no escaping this awkward atmosphere now.

Línea glanced back and forth between me and Sicarii before finally turning her attention to Titan, who was sitting on the floor maintaining his weapon, and Claire, who was looking at her sympathetically.

Five people in this confined space. Three of them staring at her alone.

“…Go ahead and talk.”

Línea burrowed into a nearby bed, wrapping both blanket and pillow tightly around her head.

“That’s better than just covering your eyes like before, unnie.”

At Claire’s cutting remark, Línea curled into a ball and completely disappeared under the blanket.

The fox has dug her burrow, so as a virtuous priest, I have no choice but to pretend not to notice.

“So… Cardinal Sicarii. What brings you here again?”

“Ahem! Preparations for Vitege’s Armor are complete, and I came to inform you.”

“That was quick. To be honest, I expected more delays.”

“I did consider it.”

Cardinal Sicarii stroked his beard thoughtfully, then sighed deeply.

“But since things have gone this far, it’s better to avoid further awkwardness between us.”

“A wise decision.”

“So, ahem! We should continue this conversation elsewhere. It would be inconvenient to bring the armor here anyway.”

“…That would be better.”

Sicarii’s gaze shifted toward the fox burrow on the bed, and he spoke as if uncomfortable.

I couldn’t help but agree.

*     *      *

The place Cardinal Sicarii led us to was a large, empty open space.

A familiar setting. A spacious area with no people around. Perfect for training that shouldn’t be witnessed by others, wouldn’t you say?

“This is… a training ground.”

“For the heresy inquisitors, you mean.”

I received my training here too.

Since heresy inquisitor training doesn’t happen often, it would be convenient to use the space for occasions like this.

Swish swish

As I scraped the dirt floor with my foot, traces became visible here and there.

Bloodstains. They must have simply covered the blood that had soaked into the ground with dirt.

“If you already knew, there was no need for pretense. I just borrowed it temporarily.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a single person while walking around. I wonder if something happened that required sending out all those people.”

“Perhaps the timing was simply unfortunate.”

He doesn’t want to tell me.

Is he saying I’m merely an honorary position? He doesn’t doubt that I’m an apostle, yet he’s suspiciously distrustful in other ways.

“So where’s my armor?”

Claire’s mindset of already considering it hers is frightening.

My hands tremble every time I think about the 1,000 gold coins.

When Línea was adding 1 or 2 gold coins to my tab, it seemed laughable, but with an amount like this, I’m shaking all over. I can’t get the image of Línea mentioning my debt out of my head.

Is this love?

No, it must be trauma.

While I was reconsidering these horrors, Cardinal Sicarii handed Claire a silver-white bracelet.

“Didn’t you say it was armor?”

“That’s correct.”

“Are you sure? I hope you’re not trying to trick someone who knows nothing. We paid 1,000 gold coins for this, after all.”

“…Put it on your arm and twist the outer part. It has a double structure. When the inner and outer parts misalign, it becomes armor.”

Despite Claire’s incredibly rude tone, Cardinal Sicarii couldn’t say a word. He probably never expected to actually receive 1,000 gold coins either.

He must be troubled in many ways too.

Me, instantly becoming 1,000 gold coins in debt, and Cardinal Sicarii, who “traded” a sacred artifact for 1,000 gold coins without the Pope’s permission. What a combination.

It’s enough to make one think: are these really the representatives of the Pantheon Temple?

“Wow. I can feel incredible power.”

“That can’t be right? You haven’t even transformed it yet, how could power be leaking out? Goodness, could it be broken?”

“…”

As Claire bluffed, Cardinal Sicarii turned pale and began examining the bracelet.

“…I was joking.”

“R-right, of course.”

Seeing the Cardinal go ashen in that brief moment makes my wariness subside.

Was the hostility I felt from his initial attitude just my imagination?

Or is this the power of money?

“As I mentioned earlier, place the inner connector against your skin, then turn the outer part halfway around…”

Click!

Claire turns the bracelet before the explanation is even finished.

Cardinal Sicarii looks startled by this sudden action, assuming an awkward stance, but this was predictable.

Child or not, who could resist a transforming armor? Even I would be impatient.

“Wait…! I haven’t even explained the precautions yet!”

I know what Cardinal Sicarii was trying to say. It’s about the qualifications he mentioned initially. Honestly, this isn’t just the Cardinal being difficult; it’s something that naturally needs verification.

The greatest advantage and disadvantage of Vitege’s Armor lies in its weight.

If an ordinary person tried to wear Vitege’s Armor, they would be crushed under its weight.

“For some reason, I feel like I’ve gone back to being unhealthy. I don’t like this…”

“This can’t be…”

But Claire’s strength has already reached a level close to Titan’s due to the holy power in her body.

In some ways, Claire’s physical condition is better than mine, even though I’m an apostle.

Even Vitege’s Armor can’t completely crush her.

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Is this really a good item? It clings uncomfortably to my body.”

Vitege’s Armor appears to be thick plate armor on the outside, but the inside is also filled with metal.

It clings to Claire’s skin and muscles.

The fact that she can move in such an unnatural state must be because it’s a sacred artifact.

“One thing has changed.”

“…Could it be the defense?”

“That makes two things, including that. Vitege’s Armor is extremely heavy. Despite its weight, if you can bear it, you can move freely.”

“Ah, then… Titan, could I borrow your hammer?”

“Certainly. I was curious about this too.”

Whoosh!

Titan throws his hammer to Claire.

“Eek?”

Clang!

With a sound that cut through the air, the massive hammer strikes Claire.

Claire can only bear the weight of the armor but can’t move freely yet, so this was an expected outcome.

Normally, Claire would have rolled across the ground from the hammer’s weight.

“Oooooh!!”

But Claire remained standing despite being hit by the hammer.

“That felt like being hit by an apple!”

“What kind of comparison is that?”

“I’m not sure? My mother used to throw them a lot. They left bruises then, but I seem fine now.”

What a sad comparison.

“Heave-ho!”

While secretly hiding my tears, Claire lifts Titan’s hammer.

She looked quite strained, probably due to the combined weight of the armor and the hammer.

“I can lift it.”

“What about swinging it?”

“Hmm, give me a moment. I’ll try.”

Whoosh!

Claire swings the hammer with a wide arc.

Though she’s wearing Vitege’s Armor, she still has a small frame.

Seeing her freely wielding a hammer nearly her own size creates quite an intimidating presence.

“I can swing it, but…”

“It’s uncomfortable, right? Since it’s not going to be your weapon anyway, just put it down.”

“Thanks for letting me use it, Titan.”

“I enjoyed the show.”

She can swing it.

Now that the armor makes Claire several times heavier than the hammer, it became possible.

Of course, the most important thing is having the strength to endure it all.

“Now let’s test the defense?”

“Sure! Even getting hit by Titan’s hammer only felt like being hit by an apple, so it would be good to experiment and see how much it can take.”

Claire shouted excitedly.

I wonder if she realizes what I just said. That I’m about to hit her.

*     *      *

It took considerable time after Lost and Sicarii left before Línea could emerge from under the blanket.

Her cheeks were still flushed, but she was no longer teary-eyed as before.

“What have I done…”

Línea muttered as if dejected. She had been the one to joke first.

Perhaps because of the enormous sum of 1,000 gold coins at stake, Lost’s attitude had appeared just as she had hoped.

Building on that, she had jokingly mentioned marriage to Lost, purely in jest.

“Ugh…”

But hearing Lost’s positive response had momentarily wiped her mind blank.

Having lost all context, she could only envision extremely bright or extremely dark futures.

It was a joke. It was meant to be a joke.

She had started it, yet she ended up getting angry.

-…You’re not angry, are you?

-I’m not angry. Why would I be angry with you, Lost? Have you done something wrong to me?

-No…

-Then why would I be angry?

Anyone could see she was angry.

Now calmer, Línea felt depressed about that exchange, which even she couldn’t justify.

Perhaps she had felt jealousy toward Claire.

Because Claire had become stronger, because what only Línea could do had diminished.

She could no longer claim to be essential to Lost’s group. Wounds could be healed with Lost’s holy magic from the beginning.

All she provided was precise diagnosis, and Lost could handle the wounds from hunting on his own without any problems.

Yet she still had meaning.

She was needed to care for Claire, who was sickly.

But what about now?

She had lost her purpose. Of course, she could still assist Lost in combat. But would she be better than Titan or Claire?

‘I just… I just wanted him to pay attention to me’

She had relied on her wealth, her only weapon. This was a mistake.

“I should apologize.”

There was no justification for her anger.

She had gotten angry at Lost one-sidedly, so apologizing was only right.

Línea immediately stood up. It’s better to act as soon as you realize something. Lingering would only build unnecessary guilt in her heart.

She set off to find Lost right away. Finding him wasn’t an issue at all.

Even now, the red thread connecting to her heart was still linked to him.

After walking through the temple interior and going outside, Línea finally found Lost’s group.

She would apologize.

She shouldn’t have blamed Lost when he’d done nothing wrong.

She needed to correct her mistake.

But…

“Good, let’s try this next!”

“Yes! Let’s do it!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Línea stopped in her tracks when she saw Lost in the distance.

He was firing a gun.

‘Huh?’

So who was he shooting at?

Línea stared blankly at the bullets being fired toward the pure white armor before realizing who was wearing it.

“What on earth are you shooting at Claire for?!”

She ended up getting angry again.

This time, it was justified outrage.