༺ Prophecy ༻
“Arghh…”
“Fr, Frey. Are you okay?”
“M…Master?”
“Wake up, Frey! Wake up!”
I had been spacing out after being rescued from Isolet’s room with both Lulu and Irina wrapped around me.
“…Please get a hold of yourself, Master.”
I kept thinking of that incident with a blank expression. Then a sudden wave of clarity washed over me.
“It’s, it’s nothing. Really.”
“Ri, Right.”
Lulu, with her shining Magic Eyes, was trying to talk to me. And Irina, who was beside her, nodded vigorously and tightly held my hand.
“……..”
But even with their support, I couldn’t find my voice.
Was it because what happened with Isolet had been too shocking for me?
Or was it because of the strange feeling I somehow felt in the middle of that action?
Normally, I could swiftly regain my emotional composure, but this time, it was different. I couldn’t seem to stabilize my feelings.
There must have been a reason why she decided to attack me that way.
“Do, do something…! Aren’t you a magician?!”
“Wa, wait.
“Calm down, you guys.”
While thinking so, I ordered Lulu and Irina, who were fussing in front of me, to calm down. I took a deep breath and got up from my seat.
“Let’s go.”
“Y-Your face turned red, Frey.”
“…I said let’s go.”
Being attacked by someone you didn’t expect, especially if that someone was Isolet, was indeed too big of a shock.
No, what was I thinking? Isolet was only giving me a lesson. There was no way she actually wanted to pounce me.
What occurred earlier was merely an extension of Isolet’s lesson about ‘not falling into’ lust when imposed on others. So, I needed to stop dwelling on it.
“It’s dangerous… turns out it is not only amongst the four of us who need to restrain ourselves… there is danger lurking everywhere…”
I was walking with such thought in mind when Irina, who was behind me, started muttering in a grave voice.
“We can’t entrust Frey to that dangerous old virgin… I need to snap her awake…”
I heard some very dangerous words. If Isolet were to hear herself being called an ‘old virgin’, no one would know who would end up alive or dead that day.
Well, Isolet was still in her 20s…despite often being mistaken for a student at the academy, she was undeniably sensitive to such remarks for some reason.
“…….”
I recalled being locked in a headlock for who knows how many hours after jokingly using those words with her in the past. I shook my head upon remembering that when suddenly someone appeared in front of me.
“Eu, euhh…”
Lulu, who somehow appeared in front of me, seemedd to nervously want to say something. What could it be this time?
“M-Master. I have something to ask…”
“Yes?”
“By any chance, do you enjoy getting pounced on?”
I was taken aback by those words. Lulu continued urgently.
“I, I can also be a big dog ! That.. I could pounce and lick you… or act unrestrained like a hound dog…”
“…I said calm down.”
“Y, Yes..”
I took a deep breath and softly caressed her. With an exhausted expression I made my way to the mansion’s living room.
“…….”
There, a Paladin sitting modestly on the sofa entered my view.
“Um.”
Initially, I thought I was hallucinating, but upon closer inspection, I am certain it was real. She has the same face as the Gods who appeared during my Third Ordeal.
Of course, there were some differences. This face lacked maturity and appeared somewhat childish. But somehow, it exuded an air of mystery rather than foolishness.
Nonetheless, she looked like the same person.
“Hmmm…”
This made me amazed so I stared fixedly at her. She was also stealing glances at me before her expression turned cold.
‘…With that look she also looked more like a demon?’
The Sun God and the Demon God I had seen in my Third Ordeal shared the same face. Perhaps they also referred to each other as ‘older sister’ and ‘younger sister’…
Then, which one of them did this girl resemble?
Was it the Sun God with the foolish look, similar to Ferloche? Or was it the Demon God with the evil and wicked look?
Or perhaps it was some other third being?
“…What could it be?”
As I pondered this, I realized I had been continuously staring at the girl, which was quite embarrassing, considering her wariness towards me.
“A, Ah… So…”
I scratched my head while thinking about it and then I asked her with an awkward smile.
“Would you like to join me for a meal?”
Shortly after that, we made our way to the mansion’s dining room.
.
.
.
.
.
“…Huft.”
I was in the midst of my meal when the notification of Isolet’s increased affection popped up in the air. I pushed the system window aside with a blank look and fell into a thought.
‘I’m going crazy…’
The image of Isolet pushing me down and sticking her neck in front of me kept replaying in my mind.
I hadn’t expected it to leave such a lasting impression on me. Was it the contrast with her usual demeanor that made it so impactful?
“…Nom, nom.”
Lost in thought, I heard a strange sound coming from in front of me. I looked up and saw a rather peculiar scene.
“You… what are you doing?”
“I’m eating salmon?
“No, I know that…”
The paladin in front of me was eating the salmon steak directly with her hand. What the hell was she doing?
“That… you don’t use a knife and fork?”
“Isn’t this right?”
I pointed to the neatly arranged knife and the fork. She stared at them blankly before she carefully took the knife and the fork.
“Kraauk.”
Then she gnawed on them.
“Ugh.”
Of course she would frown because of it. While frowning, she covered her mouth with her hand.
“You… you don’t know how to use a knife and fork?”
I asked cautiously. She continued to frown deeply, wondering if she had hurt her teeth, then she responded in a low voice.
“I never really received any education.”
“…What?”
“Because I ventured out early, I could only receive combat training so…ugh.”
Then, she abruptly fell silent.
“You know nothing.”
Saying this, she began to carefully lick the fork.
“………”
I stared at her with a blank expression before quietly opening the system window.
[Stats]
Name: ???
Strength: 6.5
Holy Power: 8.1
Intelligence: 8.8
Mental Strength: 9
Passive Status: ???
Disposition: Vessel
Goodness Stat: 85
“Um…”
The contents of the information window were thought provoking. Her name and passive status were filled with question marks and her disposition was also…
First and foremost, I needed to pay close attention to her intelligence stat. With a stat of 8.8, she would be considered a genius even at Sunrise Academy.
“…Pweh.”
However, her current appearance, carefully licking the fork and ultimately unable to tolerate the taste of iron, seemed rather foolish.
The answer that can solve this contradictory truth is that she didn’t lack ‘intelligence’, but instead, she lacked ‘knowledge’.
Her head wasn’t full of flower gardens like Ferloche, but it could be said there was nothing inside her head.
Of course an ordinary person knew it was something that couldn’t be eaten. But if my guess was right… she probably didn’t know it to such an extent.
“You, what is your name?”
“…I don’t know my name.”
A cold reply then quickly came after I asked for her name.
“Then your hobby…”
“I said I don’t know.”
At first I thought she was just spouting nonsense, but the constant cold refusal started to sound arrogant.
“The person you respected? What do you like from Isolet that made you want her to be your teacher? Will you enroll in the academy soon? What relationship did you have with the Church…”
“You will be in trouble if you keep asking like this.”
So I kept on tirelessly questioning her.
“…When is your birthday?”
“My answer is the same…”
She still answered with the same words and the same cold voice.
“……..”
Then soon after she finished her words, she started to show a confused look.
“..I have no clue.”
Then the answer quickly came.
“When is my birthday? I don’t remember it at all.”
Hearing that answer, I looked into her eyes and quietly fell into a thought.
‘Just like what I thought… could it be related to the Church’s experiment…?’
Of course, with the information I obtained so far, it would be foolish to rashly make an assumption.
So, before Daytime Serena found out the Church’s secret and the detailed information about this girl, I shouldn’t make her raise her guard for me.
-Squeak….!
I got up from my seat with such thought in mind. I was about to leave the mansion after I asked her to take care of Isolet.
“Uhuk.”
But then, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the girl have her lips thickly covered with the salmon sauce.
“What’s wrong?”
She asked me with a tilted head.
The sight of the girl with a mysterious look resembling a goddess, her face confused and lips covered in sauce, was a sight for sore eyes.
“What was that on your lips?”
I let out a suppressed laugh then reached for a napkin to wipe her face.
“They didn’t teach you manners in the Church?”
With a sly look, I started to wipe her lips.
Her favorability of me had already hit rock bottom, so if I did this to her, she would hate me even more.
Now that it was already like this, I was going to set a firm first impression.
“What, what are you doing…!”
“Stay still.”
Of course she shook off my hand like expected. She gripped my hand and her expression started to turn bewildered.
‘Just like I thought, my strength is still far greater compared to a girl her age.’
She received combat training so her swordsmanship can be considered pretty good. But, her strength wasn’t all that strong, just like what I expected.
When I saw her in the Third Ordeal, instead of using her strength, she used her Holy Power. I expected as much in the defensive battle she did at that time. Thankfully, I guessed right.
“Hu, Hurts.”
“I said stay still.”
Just like that, she reluctantly broke her grip off. I came in front of her and carefully wiped her lips with a napkin.
“Eu…”
At first she keenly resisted but then she stopped little by little and started to look into my eyes.
“Wh, what is th…is?”
Then she asked with a shaking voice.
“Look, something covered your lips.”
I slightly showed her the napkin stained with salmon sauce.
“But you… looked kind of pretty like this?”
I openly smiled and approached her more. Then I started to stroke her hair.
“Eu, eugh…”
She suddenly started groaning.
“Eu…”
All of a sudden she faltered and started to break in cold sweat.
“Wh, what? What’s wrong?“
“Look, look… ahead. How can this happen? I’m not even praying… why all of a sudden…?”
I bewilderedly held her, puzzled by the sudden abnormality that happened.
“You…”
She kept on faltering while spouting gibberish. She suddenly looked at me with a blank look and whispered quietly.
“…I think it will be better if you escape now.”
“What?”
After she said that, she lost consciousness with her eyes closed.
“……!?”
I was wiping the salmon sauce off of her face when I suddenly encountered this unexpected incident. With a confused look, I placed her in the chair and checked her heartbeat.
“…Everything seems normal.”
After I made sure it wasn’t a problem related to her health, I quietly got up from my seat and headed to the mansion’s porch while muttering.
“Anyway… let’s go. Both of them are waiting for me in the carriage.”
While feeling rather uncomfortable, the moment I stepped onto the porch…
–Creaak…!
“Hiiik!”
Then someone suddenly gripped my hand.
“Wh, What?”
“…Frey.”
I was startled by the unknown wet touch. Then, I turned back and what greeted me was…
“Where… where are you going?”
Isolet, drenched in sweat.
“I’m going home? Ah, before that thank you for the food.”
“……..”
“And, your new student is also really delicious. She was tired right now and collapsed in the dinner hall. Quickly check her…”
At first I spoke normally but then my expression turned shameless.
“Crackle…”
“…Ok, okay.”
Somehow Isolet looked at me with a frightful look on her face.
“Why, why did you do that…”
I remembered the thing that happened before and unconsciously stepped back with a nervous look on my face.
“As I thought, it can’t work.”
–Kwang!!
“Heugh!”
Then, Isolet who was looking at me, pushed me against the wall right next to the front door and said…
“I will only give you this one suggestion. In the future, find me in my house once every week.”
“What?”
“I’m saying… just like the old times.
“Wh, why?”
I didn’t know why, but in this fearful situation, her reply gave off a creepy vibe. My body shivered as if feeling cold. Then, Isolet continued her words.
“To get rid of that arrogant behavior of yours we will undergo train, training.”
“Training? What kind of training… uhuk…”
“No need for questions. You only need to follow. If you obediently follow me, that arrogant personality will also disappear.
Somehow I felt a tingling sensation and tried to get away. But Isolet grabbed my hand once more and leaned her head close to my face.
“Of course it is only a suggestion for now… but if you keep being like this…”
She gripped my neck with her other hand and she finished her words with a puff of her breath hitting my face.
“…There is another way other than a suggestion, do you want that?”
Then, there was a moment of silence.
-Kuuugh…!
I don’t know why she suddenly exerted my force into the wet hand that was grabbing my neck. Then, I suddenly feel cold all over my body.
“… I will, I will come find you.”
If I said anything else in this situation, it seemed like it would turn into something dangerous. So I answered in a voice resembling an ant.
“……..”
Isolet kept on looking at me with a subtle look.
“Wh, what…? Where are you going?”
“…Th, then see you next week.”
After she heard the footsteps of the Paladin that had regained her consciousness, she came to her senses and pulled away from me.
“……..”
At the fact that I got pushed into the wall by Isolet and being suppressed like before, I could only put up a blank look.
“…Not going?”
I was spacing out just the same when I heard Isolet’s words with a look of guilt on her face. I quickly thought of going out of the mansion.
‘What kind of situation was that? And that girl… she can’t have foreseen this right?”
I didn’t know for sure, but in the future, when I found her in this house, I would have to find out what her real intention is.
You can rate/review this series here.
