Of course, if Theresa-sunbae were here, I’d feel reassured.
Even if she’d grown much weaker, her combat abilities were still outstanding.
Fighting as a pair rather than alone would make things much easier.
However, I couldn’t bear to put her, whose health wasn’t good, in danger.
A gentle smile lingered on Teresa’s lips as she gazed at Iris.
Just by looking at Iris’s expression, she could tell what was troubling her.
She’d told Iris before that her health wasn’t all that great, so she must be worrying that Teresa would get into danger by trying to help her.
There must surely be a powerful being guarding the Relic.
Whether it was a stray spirit or a villain, it was bound to be something formidable.
Maybe the Eagle Woman of her younger days could handle it, but now, the old and weary Eagle Woman would find it difficult to face them.
She might get seriously injured, or even meet her end there.
But seeing Iris always struggle so hard tugged at her heart.
As a senior Hero, she wanted to help, even if just a little.
She might be weaker than she once was, but her abilities were still useful.
Teresa took Iris’s hand in hers and smiled kindly.
“Iris, you understand, right? If things get dangerous, make sure to call me.”
“…Yes. I understand.”
With a somber face, Iris nodded.
Teresa gently patted Iris’s small hand, then took out a little object from her drawer and handed it to her.
It was a small, black, rectangular plastic device with a button.
“Take this for now. There’s a chance you might end up somewhere without Hero Phone signal.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a Tracker that lets us know each other’s location.
If you press the button once, the other person’s location pops up, and if you press it twice, you can make a call.”
Teresa was holding an identical Tracker in her own hand.
Iris fiddled with her Tracker and asked,
“Oh, so just like you can find out where I am, I can also see where you are, right, sunbae?”
“Exactly. It’s something that lets us both know each other’s whereabouts.”
Just as Teresa said, when she pressed the button, a hologram of the building’s interior appeared in the air.
Two red dots flickered at the center.
They indicated Iris and Teresa’s locations.
Iris thought she could accept this device.
She didn’t want to draw Teresa into danger, but just knowing each other’s locations wouldn’t reveal if she was actually in trouble or not.
She just had to avoid pressing the call button to summon her.
In fact, it might come in handy if Teresa, whose health was declining, got in trouble herself—she could call for help before she collapsed.
She tucked the Tracker into her pocket and patted it.
“I like it. I just have to press a button to know where you are, sunbae.”
“Yes. It’s good for both of us. Be sure to come for purification ritual every day.”
“Okay!”
Iris smiled brightly.
At that moment, she didn’t know—a day would soon come when the Tracker would be put to use.
Time flew, and soon the weekend arrived.
During that time, Iris replied indifferently whenever Johannes messaged her, all the while avoiding their next meeting.
Since she was about to break into the Enraka Church, which was practically Johannes’s base, she felt uncomfortable chatting with him as if nothing were happening.
Johannes didn’t show any obvious signs of disappointment, but for some reason, she could sense it in his messages.
One day, he even called her, but she didn’t pick up, and only messaged him much later.
Even then, Johannes didn’t say anything special, but after that, their exchanges were limited to messages alone.
Today, there was a high chance she’d run into Johannes at the church.
To avoid an awkward encounter, it was probably best to tell him in advance that she’d be visiting.
When she messaged him, a reply soon came back, suggesting they meet at the church.
Hesitating, she sent a vague message: “Depending on the situation?”
Since the Relic could be anywhere in the church, she’d have to look for it during the middle of the service and then slip out quickly—being ambiguous was the safest option.
Whether she found the Relic or not, she just couldn’t act as if nothing was wrong in front of Johannes, a key figure in Enrakakyo.
After a while, his reply came: “If you’re busy, it can’t be helped….”
The ellipsis dripped with regret.
She could picture him staring glumly at his phone.
She felt a pang in her chest, knowing she’d hurt Johannes’s feelings unintentionally.
“Since I’ve kept dodging him after that day, does he think I’m rejecting him? Oh well. I have to collect all the Relics first anyway.”
That day, she’d acted as if she might accept his feelings, prying about his secret crush and spending a passionate time together.
But ever since, she’d been avoiding him, so now she felt like a bad woman who’d toyed with a man’s sincere heart.
It wasn’t that she disliked Johannes.
He was handsome, well-built, had a slightly odd but not overly strange personality, and was even financially well-off.
It was nice knowing he’d looked only at her for so long.
It was just that he was a central figure in Enrakakyo—that fact weighed heavily on her mind.
Was there a reason he became a villain in the comic’s story for nothing?
He might act kind to her, like he’d give her his liver and gallbladder, but he must have done bad things to someone else.
Whether he did it out of his own will or at his father’s command, she hadn’t asked, so she couldn’t know.
Either way, it was obvious he wasn’t just a villain, but a core villain.
If she gave her heart carelessly, she might end up shedding bloody tears.
“Sigh, whatever. I’ll stop thinking about it.”
Before she knew it, Iris had arrived at the church.
She forced herself to brush aside thoughts of Johannes and stepped inside.
Since she’d come during the middle of the service, the area outside the Worship Hall was quiet.
After a look around, she took out a mask and cap from her bag and put them on.
She might look suspicious, but there was no helping it.
“Ahh, what a sinful woman I am.”
If she was stopped while looking for the Relic, she’d show her Believer’s Card to prove she was a member.
She’d already prepared the excuse that she’d gotten lost while looking for the bathroom, just in case they asked why she’d come this far in.
Still, why bother with the hat and mask?
It was all because of the Lucael Priest.
There was nothing good about running into him.
Maybe he’d get flustered and leave first, but Iris, too, wanted to avoid the Lucael Priest if she could—the very man whose abilities and even body she’d taken, among other things.
Who knew, maybe he’d notice, like Laika, that she’d taken his powers and try something nasty.
Her honey-colored eyes swept over the Worship Hall building.
It would be best if the Lucael Priest was inside there.
That way, she wouldn’t bump into him outside.
“Wait, is Abellus in the Worship Hall, too? He wouldn’t step out in the middle of service, would he? Well, I’ll just play dumb if I run into him. He doesn’t know I have Wondrous Perception. No, by now, he must have realized his abilities have vanished.”
Just picturing Abellus’s face twisted in shock as he realized he’d lost his powers brought her wicked joy.
What if she ate a frozen tangerine right in front of him using the Cryofication skill?
His once-composed face turning crimson with rage would be a sight to see.
She even imagined him smashing things in a fit of anger, and a grin crept onto Iris’s lips.
But then she absentmindedly fiddled with her necklace, her expression darkening again.
“In the end, I got the short end of the stick. Just thinking of the Curse on this necklace is suffocating.”
What good was it to steal his powers, when she hadn’t gotten his core skill and had ended up with a Cursed Necklace?
If she couldn’t find the Relic today, she’d have to consider ways to steal the real necklace from Abellus.
“Like that’s possible. If I mess up, I might really end up as one of his test subjects.”
She let out a sigh and carefully climbed the stairs.
As she circled around the Worship Hall and turned onto the street lined with buildings, goosebumps prickled her arm.
The same sensation as when she’d seen the necklace and Ring seemed to rise from deep inside.
“One of these buildings has the Relic. I can feel it.”
It wouldn’t be easy to get her hands on it right away.
The security would be tight.
Still, at the very least, she wanted to find out which building it was in.
Even better if she could get inside.
If she laid eyes on the Relic, Perception would surely activate, just like when she saw the necklace.
Keeping wary, she walked down the narrow alley.
She felt colder and colder, as if a chill was seeping in.
Just as she unconsciously hunched her shoulders against the cold, footsteps echoed in her ears.
Using Stealth, Iris slipped between the buildings, then carefully peeked at the source of the footsteps—her eyes widened.
She quietly pushed up her slipping glasses and held her breath.
“That’s Abellus? Where’s he going?”