Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Damn It, Give Back My Blonde
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"You're here."
In one of Justitia's cathedrals. It wasn't a place students frequented much, but it had been built for the occasional visiting priest dispatched for missions or teaching duties.
A man sat there with his eyes closed and hands clasped in prayer. His words were spot-on, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
"Ugh, seriously. Don't just talk to me out of nowhere."
"Hiding your presence doesn't erase the divine power radiating from you."
"Shut up."
The woman who'd tried sneaking up on him pouted helplessly and plopped down beside him.
She shuffled over and sat with a thud that echoed. What kind of posture was that?
Legs crossed, one hand slung over the backrest. The classic thug slouch.
"Don't sit like that."
"My call."
"Do you realize you're wearing a skirt?"
"I know. Then don't open your eyes."
"Do you even understand your position? Position shapes a person. You should embody─"
"Yeah, yeah~"
The woman tuned out the man's tedious lecture with half an ear.
She brushed the dust off her clothes instead. And what a sight it was. A black nun's habit.
The kind where dust or dirt barely shows.
Yet hers was a total wreck, even visible from afar.
"Aren't Justitia students supposed to be loaded? They're all broke-ass losers. Total trash."
"You did it again?"
"Yup. It's my one and only hobby."
She grinned at his sigh. He'd been about to ask what was so fun when he opened his eyes in shock and fell silent.
"You fought someone?"
"Yeah. I was shaking some dude down, and he came at me."
"And you lost?"
"Nah. He ran before I could beat him, so that's my win."
What the hell was that logic? The man racked his baffled brain trying to process it.
"Black hair. All high-and-mighty justice freak─super annoying. But his face? Chef's kiss."
The woman licked her lips. Hardly nun-like behavior.
"Oh. Black hair. There's another one."
Saw him briefly. Passed by just as she was putting on her best act, the jerk.
"He reeked of devil."
"You let a demon go after sensing that?!"
"Oh."
Right. That's why she'd come here in the first place.
A demon had shown up in Justitia!
"I remember his face, so it'll be fine."
"I wouldn't know."
"Oh."
Should've caught him.
"Hmm. This place is too pricey."
"What about here? Four people for this price."
"Idiot. We can sneak Lachesis and Levatein out. Look for two-person rooms."
"What about Lily?"
"Stick her in the Inventory."
「Correct.」
"Oh, right."
Raphael grumbled as she fiddled with her phone again. I did the same with mine.
The reason was ridiculously simple. Booking lodging with our pathetically empty wallet.
We couldn't just sleep outside forever. A night or two was one thing, but not indefinitely.
Just look beside me right now─
[Ueng...]
Levatein was curled up asleep in my arms. One hand on my phone, the other patting her back.
How could I let such a tiny, adorable creature sleep outdoors? Absolutely not.
"Hard maneuvering with one hand."
"Give her to me. I'll hold her."
"No."
"Then don't."
She's been getting casual lately. Used to be all polite speech. I eyed Raphael's pout as she kept scrolling, then resumed my own search.
Levatein was smack in the middle anyway. Sleeping between us as we lay head-to-head?
Taking her would mean hogging her all to herself. I tugged Levatein closer to me.
"Saw something insane yesterday."
"What? Another weird comic?"
"That's you."
"I don't say weird stuff."
Can't argue there. I nearly dropped my phone but caught it and continued.
"We gotta bail to the sea. Some weirdo showed up."
"What kinda weirdo?"
Tough to explain briefly. That nun from yesterday defied simple description.
If I had to sum her up.
"A money-extorting hustler."
"What? Like a gangster?"
Close enough. No need to say I didn't wanna get involved now that we're here.
We're already tangled up anyway. Still hate running into her.
If I must, sure. After Kim Tae-hyun reforms her first.
Need his help anyway.
"Don't worry about it. Just know we're heading to the sea ASAP."
"Got it."
So we're leaving it to Kim Tae-hyun this time. He reforms her, I reap the benefits.
Is this screwing him over?
Counterargument: it's all true.
[So where we going nya.]
"Yeah. Should we just sneak back to Island 6?"
I glanced at Raphael as I said it. Expected her to whine about Maldives or something─
"Sounds good."
She said it casually, still scrolling without even looking my way.
What'd she eat wrong? I froze, forgetting to pat Levatein's back, and stared blankly.
She's serious. Only then did she look up, tilting her head at my silence.
"What?"
"Thought you'd throw a fit about Maldives."
"Anywhere's fine. As long as it's with you, Lachesis, and Levatein."
What's with her? I set my phone down urgently and pressed my hand to her forehead.
"What're you doing?!"
Then to mine.
"No fever."
"Obviously."
This is weird. Super weird. I probed Raphael to test her.
"Even if I said sewer dive?"
"There'd be a reason. Like a monster to take down."
"Not leaving Justitia at all?! That's breaking a promise!"
"Don't care. But you gotta play with me lots. How long you gonna keep asking?! This is creeping me out!!"
I shut my mouth. Raphael doppelganger? Doppelgangers are opposites, right?
Did real Raphael get stashed by one somewhere?
"Give back our damn blonde."
"What the hell?!"
[Check the shed first nya.]
Hold on, damn blonde. I'm coming to save you.
I bolted for the shed.
In the end, I searched everywhere. Nothing. Just Raphael glaring like I'd offended her.
Barely calmed her with dinner as hostage. Now we're at the table with awakened Levatein, plotting.
"Three weeks at sea. One at Shin Ga-yeon's. Got it?"
"Do we have to go to Shin Ga-yeon's?"
"Skip it, I might die. Don't wanna die."
"Me neither. Try dying again. I'll kill you first."
She says it so scary. I nodded to glaring Raphael and looked down at Levatein.
She's been beaming since hearing about the sea.
"That excited?"
[Going to play. Yay.]
Right? Me too.
"Me too. Exciting, right? Levatein?"
[Yeah!!]
So cute drumming the table with a grin. I smiled back unconsciously.
Then a voice from the side.
[So where nya.]
"Maldives."
[How?!]
You underestimated our empty vault. Already dark-evolved it, but originally, dark evolution builds bonds, right?
"Ways exist."
I have plans. Plenty to turn our empty vault into a bank account.
Lots, actually. Just too lazy till now. No choice with things like this.
"Levatein."
[Yeah.]
"Trust Daddy."
She nods. No doubts whatsoever.
Good. Time to hustle after ages?
"Seong-hoon."
"Yeah."
"You know nothing good ever comes when you try hard, right?"
"..."
"Let's just go somewhere cheap and modest. Maldives on our budget? Please."
Raphael continued casually. I had nothing to say, so I listened.
"You'll haggle, fail, make a scene, and lose money anyway. I see the future. Name one time you took charge and it worked? All disasters."
Couldn't think of any. But you shouldn't say that. Half your fault.
Other half... mine.
I mulled her words. Haggling, failing, rampaging─visions flashed, ending with me chased out.
"Raphael."
"Yes."
"Does the angel of charity do foresight too?"
"Heh. No one knows you better than me."
"What, are you my mom?"
"I'm Levatein's mom."
And I'm Levatein's dad.
I smacked my lips and decided on cheap spots. About to reopen the lodging app─
A message pinged.
Sender─
"Yang Min-ji?"
Why her? We never swapped numbers. Curious, I opened it.
[Hi! How I got your number? Secret.]
Annoying from the start.
[Got intel for you. Church folks said vacation, but came early, so service!!]
I read on smoothly. Then chills ran down my spine.
[Remember sports day, everyone passing out? Devil did it. So they suspect a demon inside Justitia.]
[Church peeps came today for surprise demon hunt tomorrow!]
[Reply if you saw.]
Didn't even see the reply part.
I shot up and yanked out a ton of [Holy Water Touched by Raphael's Hand] from [Inventory].
I dashed to the kitchen. Lily, mid-cooking, tilted her head quizzically.
"Raphael!!"
"Yes?"
"Get over here!! Big trouble!!"
Angel and demon both cocked their heads as I started splashing holy water everywhere in the house.
Sprinkled some on my head too, and at Lily.
「It huuuuurts!!!」
That black-habited nun from yesterday. That woman.
"Said she sniffs out demons better than dogs."
Holy water shower today.
"Lily!! You're in [Inventory] for the day!!"
「What?! What the hell?!」
No need to know. I shoved Lily into [Inventory].
Treating the maid like a pest? Tough times. Extermination. Extermination!!
"Raphael. Scrub hard!!"
"Can't I just purify it?"
"That works?!"
"Of course."
Then purify and holy water both. If Lily gets caught, we're screwed. Total disaster. Don't wanna be pegged as demon.
For the first time ever, I felt grateful to Yang Min-ji as I doused myself in holy water.
"It's coooold!!!!"
"Boil the holy water then?"
No, that's not it.