“Ah, no. It’s not that I’m upset. I just feel bad because I keep missing your morning calls!”
“So… can I keep doing it?”
“Yeah. Mm… it’s okay.”
“…Thank you.”
“For what?”
What was she thanking him for? Iris’s eyes flickered like a candle in the wind.
Johannes was the one putting in the effort to make morning calls, so what had she done to deserve thanks? Could it be that she really—?
Just as the pang of embarrassment was about to hit her again, Johannes stammered awkwardly.
“I-it’s a routine. Because of the morning calls, I… wake up. Thanks to that, I’ve been getting up early lately.”
“Oh, I see now. That makes sense. Well then, you can do it every day! If I end up waking up early too because of you, that’s a good thing!”
Blushing, Iris gave Johannes a sharp smack on the back. She hadn’t quite controlled her strength, and Johannes staggered.
Just one sentence from Johannes had immediately cured her embarrassment.
‘Of course. Did you really expect I’d be making morning calls because I liked it? Get a grip!’
After that, they exchanged awkward small talk as they walked down the quiet mountain path.
Warm noon sunlight poured down over the heads of the two, each lost in their own thoughts.
After the walk ended, Johannes hurried off somewhere, claiming he had urgent business.
Watching his retreating figure absentmindedly, a previously unnoticed fact suddenly struck Iris.
‘Did he not use <Mind Reading>? I was running through all kinds of thoughts in my head, so why was he so calm?’
It was possible he was a master of keeping his expression neutral, but it didn’t feel that way.
Since reaching Level 30, his Skill of the Back had improved significantly.
Now he could immediately call up a state window he’d seen before, without needing deep contact.
Iris pulled up Johannes’s state window and checked the detailed description of <Mind Reading>. She hadn’t looked closely before due to her earlier nervousness.
Mind Reading LV.20
A skill that allows reading another’s thoughts. By looking into the target’s eyes and concentrating, one can learn the thoughts inside their mind. The weaker the target, the more thoughts can be discerned—values, ulterior motives, and the like.
‘What? You have to make eye contact to read thoughts? Uh… wait. Have Johannes and I ever made eye contact?’
No matter how much she retraced her memories, it seemed they never had.
He always kept his head bowed low to avoid her gaze. Just now, he desperately turned his head aside as well.
No wonder it felt strange. If he’d read her mind, he wouldn’t have reacted that way.
Other memories surfaced too—from the driver to the priest they’d just been talking to.
Johannes always made eye contact with others when speaking.
‘Why? Did he not want to read my thoughts? Why? Just by meeting eyes, he could know everything inside…’
What about during school days? Trying to recall, her mind went blank. Until recently, Iris hadn’t cared about Johannes and naturally hadn’t observed his behavior.
Just out of a bout of embarrassment, and now stuck in it again, there was no hope. After pondering, she came to her own conclusion.
‘Reading everyone’s thoughts must be exhausting, so maybe he only reads those he has to for work? Magic power gets consumed, and knowing things that aren’t necessary is tiring.’
If that was why he didn’t read her mind, Johannes was a pretty foolish villain.
Not even realizing that a hero was lurking right in front of him trying to get to her, and refusing to use a powerful skill just because he was tired?
‘Just tired… is that really the only reason? Hoo, I don’t know. Either way, if Johannes doesn’t read my thoughts, that’s good. I just have to be careful not to make eye contact. Although he’ll probably avoid my eyes anyway.’
If only she’d known, she could have avoided the near-disaster of trying to meet his gaze.
Putting thoughts of Johannes aside for now, Iris went to attend the Youth Group Service.
Outwardly, it looked like one of the four major religions, but in truth, the Enraka Church was a wicked cult.
She imagined what kind of people might be in its youth group as she climbed the stairs with sharp eyes.
Entering the worship hall upstairs, Lucael greeted her.
Iris flinched and stepped back, then squared her gaze again.
She didn’t need to fear a villain with a Bewitching Skill—after all, she had the invincible Headshot Skill.
She might have let her guard down earlier and gotten hit, but not twice.
“Sister Iris, we’ve been waiting for you.”
“Ha ha, yes. I came because I wanted to learn more about the Enraka Church.”
Iris bowed with a fake smile. Lucael watched her quietly, his eyes widening in a gentle curve. If he weren’t a priest, his smile would have been the kind that swept away many women. For a moment, Iris was caught staring at his face, then snapped back to reality.
Since she’d made time to attend the Youth Group Service, she intended to accomplish her goal.
At the very least, she planned to check Lucael’s state window. If the opportunity arose, she even hoped to tempt him, though that wouldn’t be easy overnight.
“Please, follow me.”
“Y-yes…”
Lucael led her to a table. Seeing that her Headshot Skill didn’t trigger despite his words, she guessed he wasn’t constantly using his Bewitching Skill.
Probably the magic power cost was too high, and having just used it during the hymn earlier, he must have thought it sufficient.
‘Or maybe it’s a skill that only activates while singing.’
Once seated, Lucael stood beside her and tilted his head. They were close enough that if either moved slightly, their bodies might touch.
“Attending the Youth Group Service on your first visit? You’re more proactive than you look. A very good choice.”
“Yes, I intend to learn sincerely.”
Iris answered with a polite but fake tone, then glanced around. She was alone, and at the next table groups of earnest young men gathered in threes and fives.
Is this it? The surprisingly small turnout made her face register surprise.
‘This is too… am I in some sort of elite small group from day one? Well, since Lucael’s my target, it’s good, but it’s a bit overwhelming.’
If she missed future Youth Group Services, it’d be obvious right away. She had planned to slip in quietly, achieve her goal, and slip out unnoticed, but now it seemed difficult.
What if they called her persistently if she didn’t show? In her previous life, Iris had attended a cult meeting once, then endured endless calls.
While dodging them, she’d even run into fanatic followers in the street and had to flee.
The Enraka Church was probably worse, not less.
While worrying about troubles yet to come, the sound of a chair scraping caught her attention.
Looking up, Lucael sat down—not across from her, but right beside her.
When their eyes met, Lucael smiled brightly. Knowing he was a villain, the smile seemed all the more sly.
“I will be your attendant, Sister Iris.”
“Oh, I see.”
Iris smiled awkwardly. The elite small group was confirmed, so she decided to focus on her purpose. One-on-one care from Lucael was as good a situation as she could ask for.
But contrary to her expectations of something wicked, Lucael opened a Bible before her and gently began teaching its contents.
Glancing at the other tables, everyone was diligently studying the scriptures.
No dramatic scenes of lighting candles in circles to draw magic circles, summoning demons, or awakening forbidden dark magic occurred.
Moreover, Lucael’s voice was very soothing, and Iris almost forgot her mission as she nodded off.
Shaking her head back and forth, she was jolted awake by a hand on her shoulder.
“Sister?”
“…Oh! Sorry, I dozed off…”
Quickly wiping the dampness from her mouth, Iris tried to clear her hazy eyes.
Lucael chuckled softly and withdrew his hand from her shoulder.
At that moment, Iris suddenly grabbed Lucael’s hand. An idea to view his state window came to her naturally.
Surprised, Lucael glanced around and whispered in a low voice.
“Sister, why are you doing this…?”
“Lucael, could you… pray with me? Lately, I’ve… well, been having trouble finding a job. So I came to believe in God, following my grandmother.”
Iris held tightly to the large hand trying to pull away, tears welling at her eyes.
Muttering to herself that she’d use the Skill of the Back soon, Lucael wore a troubled expression and withdrew his hand.
As a priest, being seen touching a female believer like this by others could cause misunderstandings. Despite being a villain, he was very strict about that side of things.
He was truly a villain specialized in cult affairs.
“But… just for a moment, may I hold this hand…?”