Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Microwave (1)
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"Who the hell stands in the middle of the street! You wanna die!?"
Opening her eyes, she found herself blocking a carriage traveling down a well-paved road.
Caroline snapped to attention at the horse's whinny and quickly stepped aside, scanning her surroundings.
The express carriage that had been racing across the barren Scandal Plateau moments ago was gone, replaced by a bustling street teeming with crowds.
Magic stone lamps stood at regular intervals, engraved with patterns far more intricate and beautiful than those at the academy.
The clean scent wafting from the well-maintained sewer system and the people's attire, along with the coachman's shout in a foreign tongue.
'Uzet, the empire's capital(??).'
She could easily surmise that she had entered a page from the now-vanished Holy Asetaria Empire.
Rummaging through her pockets, she pulled out the booklet distributed by the academy.
From the very beginning, it repeatedly emphasized securing funds necessary for a week's stay as the top priority.
[Uzet West Gate Guard Post 3 Surveillance Booth Toll Collection Box. 7,500 gold as of day 11 (empire currency).]
[Milliten Street outskirts, abandoned ready-to-wear shop 'Malconeviči'. 1,700 gold. Magic stone expired, alarm deactivated. Owner discovered around day 15. Reported to guards, investigation began on day 17.]
[Parament Merchant Company's warehouse. 30kg gold bars and various jewelry stored in safe. Password in runes: 'Shine.']
Caroline meticulously read through the booklet listing the locations and methods for acquiring funds.
Even if she looted every single one, she couldn't take it out anyway.
Just enough gold to last seven days in Uzet would suffice.
"Let's see... nearby collection points..."
Though all were marked safe, she had no desire to bother raiding a merchant company. She headed for the nearest alley.
The stench of fish and rotten fruit hung heavy in the air, with peeling buildings and addicts scattered about, but she paid it no mind.
To her, it all felt familiar.
In the holy kingdom of Monark, praying to the gods was a clear privilege.
Thus, those who joined the Blood Text Brigade were inevitably the lowest scum: beggars, slaves, or criminals.
They took on the dirtiest jobs, shamelessly defiled their reverence for the divine, and chose to become the church's shadow.
Caroline, born in a back alley and baptized as Magdalene upon becoming a saintess, was no exception.
"Hey, miss. What business you got in a place like this?"
"Get lost."
The one difference from back then was the lecherous lust mixed into the gazes of those around her.
Caroline realized her transformed body was emitting a sweet fragrance that drove the local thugs and vagrants mad.
It wasn't mere carnal desire—it was their very souls drawn to the saintess's existence, to the flesh imbued with such breathtaking holy power.
Unlike Eris Frashuhra, the "Pauper Saintess" revered by all, Caroline had no intention of embracing these filthy scum.
Holy Arrow
Pierces nearby foes with white light.
With a flick of her wrist, a burst of white light pierced those drawing near.
The thugs, realizing she was a mage, scattered in panic.
Caroline navigated the alleys with ease and arrived at a shabby plank house.
Opening the door, she found a young child, too weak to even walk, moaning faintly.
The booklet described it as follows:
[Straight alley from the furniture shop with the red ribbon, under the blue roof plank house. Among stolen loot hidden by parents to cure their child's endemic illness: jewelry worth 1,400 gold. Found in kitchen shelf jar. No witnesses if child is dealt with.]
Caroline's hand didn't hesitate as she retrieved the black pouch hidden by the owners from the jar.
Just a fictional character, a worthless street urchin whose death meant nothing.
Above all, obeying the church's orders was paramount.
"Hngh..."
But the child's whimper halted Caroline's steps toward the door.
Reflexively, she checked the door handle.
No revelation came.
It felt as if it were forcing a choice upon her, stirring unpleasant emotions.
Clink!
With an expressionless face, she left behind the silver earrings worth 700 gold in the pouch and grabbed a rough handful of coins.
As she moved to place them on the table, a familiar voice came from the corner of the room.
"Oh, there you are? I made it here, but then I couldn't remember anymore."
Click!
Only then did she confirm the door was locked. With a deep sigh, she glared at the man who had arrived before her.
"That earring's probably a pair, right? Sorry, mind sharing? I'm broke."
Louis approached carefully so as not to wake the child.
Caroline hesitated no longer.
She didn't know the goddess's will.
She'd settle it with brute force.
She couldn't let herself be toyed with any further by some mere canteen owner.
Click! Click click!!
Bang bang bang!!
As she pounded on the door furiously, Louis startled and grabbed her hand.
"Hey...! You'll wake the kid!"
"Shut up...!!"
Holy Ray
Blasts white light from hand, burning ceiling.
A white light erupted from her hand, scorching a large hole in the ceiling.
At the same time, with both her hands seized, Caroline was roughly slammed against the wall.
Like a child standing in punishment, completely disarmed and pinned, her face flushed beet red.
No matter how she struggled, she couldn't shake off Louis's iron grip on her crossed wrists.
"You fucking bastard...!"
"Quiet, I said? Let's step out and talk. Yeah?"
"How the hell step out! Let go right now... Uwup!?"
Louis's fingers plunged straight down her throat, bringing tears to Caroline's eyes.
She tried to bite, but his skilled maneuver bent his fingers inside her small mouth, locking her jaw shut.
It was utterly humiliating, but she still had one last hope.
As she circulated mana to shatter the arms holding her, her entire body went limp, legs buckling.
"Hic, guh...!?"
Facing a situation she'd never encountered before, even her usually cool head froze.
Only then did Caroline realize she had been thoroughly subdued—utterly crushed—by this man.
Drool spilled from her forcibly pried-open mouth, soaking her ample breasts.
Her slender arms trembled just from having been lifted briefly.
"Hak, haak, pfha... Wha-what the hell are you..."
"Told you. Canteen owner."
"No way... There's no way..."
"Believe it or not, up to you. Calmer now?"
Humiliating as it was, she had no choice but to nod.
With that, his fingers withdrew amid a gush of saliva, trailing a sticky silver thread.
Simultaneously, the vise on her arms released, finally granting her freedom.
Her wrists throbbed, marked red.
"Unlock this and let's get out quick. How?"
"I don't know..."
"What? You locked it."
"It's a revelation. From the goddess."
"I must've misheard...?"
His face screamed utter nonsense.
Caroline wasn't incapable of understanding Louis's reaction.
But what could she do?
She couldn't even guess what she wanted.
"So, what’s the goddess saying now?"
"How should I know..."
"Sigh. Who else would? Hurry up and pray or whatever. Owners come back, we're screwed."
As a desperate measure, Caroline recalled the moment the smoking room door had opened last time.
"Put your hand out."
"Hand?"
"Yeah, the earring."
"Here."
She pulled a single blue butterfly earring from her pouch and handed it over.
Both stared at the door, but it showed no sign of opening.
"Useless."
"Sigh... Guess we'll break it and go."
"You'll get divine punishment."
"Then what!? None of this if you hadn't hidden here...!"
"Hwaaang—!"
Perhaps from the loud voice, the feverish child burst into tears.
Caroline, who had planned to just grab the money and leave, regretted her needless mercy.
Had her changed constitution warped even her mind—
But she couldn't stop her heart from growing restless with every cry.
"Hurry and do something."
"Wh-what am I supposed to do!?"
"You're a saintess. Hold and soothe it, nurse it, whatever. Or can't you just cure the illness?"
"What? You pervert bastard...!"
The commotion from the shattered roof and the child's wails would soon spread through the entire slum.
Spitting curses, Caroline scooped up the child and healed its illness with her partially recovered holy power.
"All good?"
But the moment Louis approached and placed his hand on the child's head, the firmly locked door swung open once more.
"Why?"
"......"
"Oh? Door's open? Hey, let's go quick. Real trouble incoming."
In the broken mirror on the wall, she caught sight of him—and herself.
It was the moment Caroline's question for Hera shifted from 'what' to 'why'.
"Caroline? Uh... Saintess?"
"......"
She rummaged through her pouch and unfolded the map.
A bit removed from the slums, marked was the Temple of Light where the empire's saintess resided.
We left the slums and pawned the earring for empire gold at a nearby shop before parting ways immediately.
Caroline seemed lost in deep thought.
I wasn't exactly leisurely either, as I needed to head to the meeting spot Erzebet had set beforehand.
No more conversation to hold her back anyway.
"This the place?"
Hotel Meriats.
One of the three key spots in Uzet Liv had mentioned—cathedral, library, and venue all nearby. The city's most luxurious accommodation.
Stepping through the entrance, a opulent lobby and chandelier greeted me.
The concierge approached first, inquiring about a reservation.
"Escort for Lady Erzebet Brunhart. Has she not arrived yet?"
"No, she went up just moments ago. Shall I guide you to room 14?"
"No need. I'll find her. Any empty rooms?"
"One left in the west wing. 70 gold per night."
I'd heard they demand ID if unfamiliar with the empire's archaic tongue, but it was no issue for me.
Secured a key first, then headed to Erzebet's room. She was already dressed in a lavish gown, seemingly preparing to head out.
"You came quickly, Louis. I was worried you might oversleep."
"Where to?"
"We're in Uzet—time for business. Lunch on day 6: Marquis Elvin's birthday party. He's hugely famous in the empire. Especially the 'Ironclad Soldiers' that made him the 'Iron Marshal'—alongside the 'Iron Hounds,' still shrouded in secrecy as the pinnacle of magic engineering."
She was fired up, explaining the training's goal: befriend Marquis Elvin and extract the secret to crafting those living steel infantrymen.
"Get dressed quickly."
"Me too?"
"You think I'd have you guard the hotel? You'll have free time evenings after duties. Don't worry."
A gloved hand in white silk extended lightly.
Yet this was the empire's capital, not her palace or the academy.
Seeming a touch uneasy, Erzebet said to me,
"Louis, Piy isn't here."
"Yes."
"So... I need you by my side."
"Understood."
I lightly knelt on one knee, took her hand, and kissed it.
The bird was mine to give her from the start anyway.
"I'll protect you."
If Erzebet succeeded in swiping the Ironclad tech, I could use it to bolster the canteen even further.