Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: 038. Reclusive Mage Leo - (Complete)
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Before coming to this godforsaken world, I had a dog.
I named her Minky. I took in a stray wandering nearby and raised her. Since she was a street pup, she'd devour anything I gave her without discrimination, and I have vivid memories of how adorable that was.
"Would you like some of this too?"
"Yes!"
"Here."
"*Nom nom*."
Yeah. Exactly that vibe.
"It'sh delishush!"
Sophia flashed a beaming smile, her mouth stuffed full of food.
She's so cute.
Sophia Veronica Aquilova had a bottomless appetite. Not just good—she inhaled everything in sight and had the stomach to digest it all.
It had been two hours since we set out on the outing she hadn't finished before.
In that time, the sheer volume of food Sophia had demolished was staggering. Starting with a few pieces of bread, then seven sausages, cod fritters, four boiled potatoes, two chicken skewers, two sugar-glazed apple pies, and a whole jar of peach preserves in honey.
She looked ready to chew through a building at that rate.
She could've filled an entire carriage with just what she'd eaten.
Amazing.
She ate whatever I gave her with gusto, never showing a hint of distaste.
It really felt like watching my pet dog Minky back on Earth.
By the midway point, I was having so much fun that I started buying her all sorts of things myself.
I get how country grandmas feel now.
Grandma used to call me her little stray pup whenever we visited the countryside. Seeing Sophia, I could kind of understand why.
As those silly thoughts crossed my mind, Sophia finished off a fist-sized loaf of bread and turned to me.
"...But... are you sure you're okay?"
"Pardon?"
"No... I mean... I have no money... so I'm just freeloading..."
Sophia mumbled in a voice small enough to crawl into a hole.
She wasn't wrong—she was flat broke.
Most academy cadets were nobleborn with lavish spending habits, but Sophia came from a fallen noble house. Even her tuition was covered by First Princess Ciris.
With no money for food, I'd been footing the bill for her snacks today.
"I'm fine, really. Things have been pretty flush lately anyway."
I had the donations from Elise, and lately, strange rumors had drawn crowds to the chapel, boosting the offerings.
Splurging a few meals on Sophia was no big deal.
I barely spent money on myself anyway.
"...Still, I'm so sorry..."
With crumbs on her lips, her apology rang hollow. Had she finally grown a sense of shame?
"Actually, I'm curious. How do you usually manage meals, Miss Sophia?"
"...Well..."
Sophia fidgeted under my gaze before reluctantly spilling the truth.
"At the faculty cafeteria... I take intact food from what others leave behind..."
"..."
"If there's none... I skip meals... or apply for a ranking match to take someone else's food..."
Not a puppy—a feral tiger cub.
The original protagonist scraping by on scraps.
A fresh shock. No, a filthy one.
I suddenly understood why she'd devoured street food like a possessed woman. To her, today's feast was a rare treat.
"Miss Sophia."
I couldn't just stand by.
The heroine rummaging through leftovers? Hard pass.
I could starve, but growing Sophia needed the good stuff.
"If you're ever hungry, come to my chapel anytime. I'll share a meal."
"P-Pardon? But... you need your meals undisturbed too..."
"It's fine. My mealtimes are boring anyway. Just keep me company, and that's enough."
"...Gasp."
Sophia clapped a hand over her mouth.
I decided it was from emotion.
Not a bad deal for me either.
This is purely an investment.
During the Predator incident in Act 2, she'd outperformed her original role.
Thanks to my request, sure—but with the plot twisted beyond recognition, I'd likely need her help in Act 3 too.
Building a good rapport now was smart.
"So, want more?"
I shrugged at a nearby stall. Sophia hesitated, then nodded vigorously.
I gave a wry smile at my thinning wallet.
Investments come with costs, after all.
*
"He's smooth. Really smooth."
Helena, spying on Sophia and Leo from afar, clicked her tongue in amazement.
Winning her over with food, then casually scheduling their next "date" at his chapel.
"That guy's really a priest?"
She wondered how this Leo had ever been ordained. Priests were supposed to be devout and pure.
He had the cunning of a potbellied noble toying with nuns in a monastery. Or maybe a bard seducing noble ladies with his silver tongue and good looks.
No wonder the girl fell for it.
Against a pro like that, an innocent maiden had no chance—like a fish biting the bait.
"...That girl's the same."
Helena turned to a magic faculty cadet hiding behind a dumpster in the alley, letting out a heavy sigh.
Another victim.
The girl had clumsily tailed them and overheard everything. Her trembling shoulders suggested she didn't hate them—more like betrayed.
"...My only hope, she said..."
Helena's sharp ears caught that mutter, nothing more.
Whatever.
"...I've gathered enough evidence."
She wanted to head back, but returning to Ophelia Hall now meant Elise waiting to grill her, just like last time.
Better to slip in late after the lady slept.
"...Might as well poke around more."
Helena headed lightly toward the western chapel.
Leo arrived around the same time, after parting with Sophia.
"What brings you here?"
Leo asked, spotting Helena pacing the chapel.
He doesn't recognize me. Good.
Unlike their village encounter, she wore casual clothes and had disguised her face with transformation magic.
Time to play the fragile voice.
"...I... I've sinned."
"Ah, confession. This way."
Leo pulled open the confessional door without suspicion.
This time, she'd expose the thug's true face.
At least, that's what Helena thought.
"So, sister, what sin weighs on you?"
"I... um..."
Helena trailed off. She'd claimed sin but hadn't prepped what kind.
Leo misinterpreted her silence, speaking warmly.
"Don't worry. Our words here are secret between us. No one else will know."
"..."
"So relax and tell me slowly."
Needlessly kind.
The lady must've fallen for this facade.
Helena baited the hook.
"Father... I want to ruin a man."
"..."
A brief silence. Sensing his fluster, Helena smirked and continued.
"He's a playboy. He's deceiving someone dear to me. She's too naive... doesn't see what a scum he is, giving him her money and heart."
I'm talking about you, thug.
Come on—agree, get curious, show your colors.
"He even meets other women! I have proof! Shouldn't scum like that be punished? If I expose it and ruin his name... would the Lord forgive me?"
Helena held her breath, awaiting his response.
She expected sleazy agreement or vulgar curiosity.
But from the partition came a deep sigh.
"...Sister. Revenge solves nothing."
Here comes the hypocrisy.
As Helena scoffed inwardly—
"More importantly... if you expose that proof, will only he suffer?"
"...Pardon?"
An unexpected retort.
"That precious person of yours. She'd become the naive fool duped by a playboy, a laughingstock across the academy. Regardless of intent, it'd crush her heart."
"...Ah?"
"The playboy eats some scorn and vanishes. But she'd live in shame every time she faces you. Do you... want to wound your dear one like that?"
Helena was speechless.
He wasn't wrong.
Her plan to save the lady could backfire, tarnishing her honor worst of all.
Especially as a saintess candidate—the fallout would be huge.
Even privately, Ophelia Hall's maids were info pros. Elise's every move reached the cathedral.
Why hadn't she thought that far?
Too fixated on Leo's dirt?
As she reeled, Leo continued.
"What you should do is find the root—why your dear one fell for that bad man."
"..."
"I don't know her well, but... could be many reasons. Like... loneliness?"
Loneliness.
It hit Helena like a hammer.
Elise had grown sheltered in the cathedral's golden cage. But isolated too.
Come to think of it... last month's evaluation...
Elise humiliated before everyone, not returning till late. Skipping classes for over a week after.
Helena realized anew how suffocating Elise's world was.
And how she could've warped long ago without issue.
She'd stayed the perfect saintess candidate only because she was kind and pure.
"If you truly care for her, don't hunt proof to destroy him... be the steadfast friend to soothe her heart. That's your best option, no?"
"...Y-Yes."
Helena left the confessional in a dreamlike haze.
She forgot to muffle her steps returning to Ophelia Hall.
"Where have you been?"
Elise eyed her sternly.
"Milady."
Helena stared blankly at Elise.
The short holy garb baring her thighs. Flashy earrings. And that unstable, provocative, seductive expression she'd never worn before.
The priest's word—loneliness—echoed in her mind.
Was the lady not warped, but reclaiming her true self?
Had Helena misjudged all along?
She asked.
"Milady... are you happy now?"
Elise tilted her head.
"Happy?"
"Yes."
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Like... compared to the start of the year."
Elise smiled radiantly.
A genuine smile.
Helena had only seen it recently.
"Very. Compared to then, it's like being reborn."
"...I see."
Helena thought maybe the changes weren't so bad after all...
"...Um, Helena."
How much time passed?
Elise spoke irritably.
"Why are you smiling?"
"...Pardon?"
Helena whipped around to the full-length mirror.
Her lips twitched in a grin.
"Your cheeks are a bit flushed too."
True enough. Helena wore an oddly bashful look, unbeknownst to herself.
Why...
"Are you unwell? If it's the wasabi incident, I'll apologize."
"N-No... it's not..."
Helena flustered backpedaled. Elise tilted her head, approached, and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"No fever... If you're ill, I'll tell the head maid to—"
"Milady."
"Yes?"
Helena swallowed.
"You like that priest, don't you?"
"..."
Elise froze at the bombshell. Her expression screamed How'd you know? Pink lips quivering, golden eyes wandering—priceless.
Helena pounced in the pause.
"I'll help you."
If she couldn't stop it, she'd enjoy the ride.