The Holy Priestess of Summoning took a brief pause as she took another sip of the wine, taking a look outside the window.
"I won't be helping you," she stated, placing the glass down.
Before Gabriel could ask anything, she continued, "But I won't stand against you either. I don't care if the Dark Mages win or if the other Churches win. From what I've seen, both sides are just as bad. It's just that one side is much better at marketing themselves."
"In this world, there are not many things I care about. I don't desire strength. I don't desire wealth. And I surely do not crave any treasures. There is nothing that anyone can offer me."
Avilia was perfectly calm as she spoke. She was the Head Priestess of the Church of Summoning. She already had all the strength she could need. As for treasures and wealth, if she wanted that, she wouldn't have rejected the Holy Grimoire of Summoning initially.
"Then why did you approach me?" Gabriel inquired. "Why do you say that you'll keep me safe?"
"Because you pique my curiosity," Avilia answered. "I don't know what treasure you use to hide your aura, but even I would've failed to sense your true strength if I hadn't taken the help of my beasts."
As she talked, she couldn't help but think back to the time she first saw Gabriel. Initially, she only thought that the young man was an average person. She wasn't planning to interfere either.
It was only after she felt the fear of her Shadow Beast that she realized something was wrong. She couldn't sense Gabriel's aura, but the senses of her Shadow Beast were much sharper.
The Shadow Beast of hers didn't feel this kind of fear even when it was before the other Holy Priests in the past. There was something hidden in Gabriel's aura that could even intimidate the Shadow Beast even though it was in her presence!
That was the first time she realized that something was wrong. It was all thanks to the Shadow Beast that she realized that Gabriel didn't just have the aura of Darkness, but he also had the holy aura of Light!
Other than that, there was also something else... Something that even her Shadow Beast couldn't recognize... Something which was much darker... Something that shouldn't have existed.
The Holy Priestess of Summoning was sure of only one thing at that time. It was that Gabriel was on the same level as the Holy Priests. She didn't know if he was the Holy Priest of Darkness since that was the only one she hadn't met, or the new Holy Priest of Light that hadn't been seen before, or something entirely new. But what she knew was that she was curious about this guy.
"The world has been too boring recently, especially after the Church of Darkness was destroyed. To see someone as strong as you pretending to be the heir to take over a human Empire?" the young lady asked, finally telling her true thoughts. "How can I not be intrigued? I just want to see how far you can go. There is one thing I'm sure of. It's that the world will become more interesting with your presence."
Gabriel didn't react as if he hadn't even heard anything. He just lowered his head and focused on finishing dinner. However, deep down, he was still thinking about her words.
' She's just as the rumors stated. It seems I wasn't wrong. She doesn't want to help me, but she also doesn't want to go against me. In this world, she just wants to be a spectator, enjoying the view from the front seat...'
While eating, he couldn't help but take another glance at the woman who also focused on the dinner.
'But it's also not bad. If there is one Holy Priest who can threaten me the most at this point, it's her. Even if she doesn't help me, as long as she is out of the equation, it would only be beneficial for me. With enough time, I should be able to personally craft my Army of Undead.'
He wasn't sure if the lady wasn't going to go against him in the future, but from his initial assumption, the chances seemed to be low.
Still, it was impossible to understand the human heart fully. One could turn against anyone at any moment. He wanted to have his own Army of Undead in case she ever decided to side with the enemies in the future. He wanted to have some cards hidden safely for the future to protect his life.
"If you want to be a spectator, I have no problem. But I'll just tell you one thing in advance. If you ever backstab me in the future, even your entire army of beasts might not be able to keep you safe."
The young lady only smiled in response. She didn't feel angry. If anything, she felt impressed. If she was in his place, she was sure that she would've said something similar. The man truly didn't have any fear of death. It was only this kind of people that had the potential to change the world forever.
The two finished dinner. Gabriel brought some High-Grade Spirit Stones out of his storage ring and placed them on the table.
****
[Twenty Minutes later]
Gabriel stood before the Duke's mansion, looking back at the girl behind him.
"Aren't you going to go back?" he asked Avilia, who had followed him all the way here.
He expected the girl to go back after the dinner, but instead, she was still accompanying him back. "Aren't you the guest of the Royal Family? I'm sure you already have a place to stay."
"Meh, who cares about the Royal Family? They might not be the Royal Family any longer after all. I just came to this city because I thought the Knight Tournament sounded interesting. Who knew I'd find something even more interesting in this Empire? Also, how can I miss...?"
"Miss what?" Gabriel asked, slightly confused. Was there something that was going to happen? This girl had followed him back. She wouldn't have wasted her time if she didn't find something interesting.
'Did she sense what's in the basement?'
Her words were enough to make him realize that something was wrong. He couldn't help but think about it.
'It doesn't look like that. And even if it was, I doubt she would have cared about it. It's something else. It seems to be about me. Could it be... Ah, so that's how it is….'
