Kanzaki had never expected this. Someone like her, with almost no experience in relationships, was actually being… desired for her body? And the one doing the desiring was none other than Su Mo—the person who had saved Index. She already held him in high regard for his strength and noble character. But now, being told this so directly left her utterly stunned.
Was this... a confession?
Despite her slightly revealing outfit, Kanzaki had always lived a chaste life. Her status as a natural saint meant that very few men could even speak to her on equal footing. She had zero experience with love. So, when Su Mo suddenly dropped such a bomb on her, she froze. Then her face turned beet red.
"W-wait! Lord Su Mo, this kind of thing requires an emotional foundation first!" she stammered. "Even though my appearance might suggest otherwise, I'm still... pure."
"Even if you say that, isn't this moving a bit too fast?!"
"At the very least... shouldn't we start by being friends?!" Completely flustered and lacking the experience to deal with the situation, Kanzaki panicked.
Meanwhile, Stiyl, after giving it some thought nodded thoughtfully. "I understand now. Su Mo, you'd only truly trust us if Kanzaki becomes your woman, right?" With that thought, and for the sake of protecting Index, Stiyl turned to Kanzaki. "I think it's an acceptable condition. You don't seem to dislike him anyway. If it's for Index, giving it a try isn't so bad, is it?" Hearing those words, Kanzaki Kaori looked at him in utter shock, as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Are you even human!?
But Stiyl's stance was clear—Index's well-being was the top priority. As for Kanzaki, she'd never even dated anyone before, so why not just treat this as a first-time experience? Such callous, cold-hearted reasoning almost made Kanzaki want to cough up blood. But before she could even respond, Index stood up and slammed the table.
"No way!"
"This kind of impure relationship would never be permitted by the Lord!" she shouted, passionately quoting some made-up divine commandment.
The silver-haired nun stared at Kanzaki with barely concealed hostility, as if the two of them were natural enemies. Just moments ago, their relationship had been ambiguous at best, but now? They were practically in a shouting match. Seeing the situation spiral into chaos, Su Mo finally clapped his hand on the table and sighed.
"What are you all imagining?" he asked helplessly. "What I meant was—I simply want to study Kanzaki's body."
"I'm curious about the structure of her stigmata." As someone who possessed the legendary mark capable of elevating physical abilities to supersonic levels, Kanzaki's stigmata were indeed of interest. The Saint's Mark not only granted immense strength to magicians, but also boosted luck, magical aptitude, and raw magical power. It was this all-round enhancement that made Saints akin to nuclear warheads on the magic side.
Of course, Su Mo's current physical prowess far exceeded Kanzaki's. But that didn't mean he wasn't interested in analyzing this unique gift. If he could somehow replicate the stigmata's effects and bestow them upon others, it could lead to the creation of Saint-level beings at will. While an individual Saint wasn't necessarily stronger than a divine beast, the ability to create one was game-changing.
And that was just considering regular Saints like Kanzaki. There were others—like the Child of God or Virgin Mary types—whose stigmata contained even more powerful magical structures. For certain ritual spells or formations, their significance was immeasurable.
Hearing this explanation, Kanzaki finally let out a breath of relief. "If it's just research into my stigmata, then I don't mind." Even the Anglican Church was eager to understand the mystery of Saints, though they'd studied the phenomenon for over a thousand years with little to show for it. These innate gifts were, after all, regarded as blessings from fate itself.
She didn't quite understand why someone from the science side would take such an interest in a magical concept like stigmata—but if this was all it took to earn Su Mo's trust, then she had no objections.
"Great!" Su Mo nodded. "Then I'll let you assist—but everything that happens from here on must remain absolutely confidential." With that verbal agreement in place, Su Mo allowed the two to participate. Kanzaki looked a little surprised. "You're trusting us already, just based on a verbal promise?" She had mentally prepared herself for a long, arduous trial to prove her worth to him. Yet, Su Mo was already allowing them to help. She hadn't expected this. "Relax. Once a contract is sealed, it cannot be broken," Su Mo replied, a mysterious smile tugging at his lips.
The power of a contract could either be made known to the signee—or not. Of course, it was almost impossible to hide from someone of equal power. But for small fries like Kanzaki or Stiyl, even if the contract was already binding, they wouldn't realize it until they were forced to uphold or violate it.
It was actually perfect for trap-based enforcement. Though of course, it only worked on the weak—so Su Mo didn't bother using it too often.
"Oh..." Kanzaki nodded, half understanding. She wasn't sure how or why, but Su Mo was willing to trust her—and better yet, she didn't have to sell her body. That was a relief. Both she and Stiyl promised to keep everything secret. Without wasting time, Su Mo got ready to destroy the collar spell on Index. Stiyl was sent outside to set up a barrier that would ward off intruders. Kanzaki stood nearby, following Su Mo's instructions. Index lay obediently on the sofa, looking up at him with unease.
"Su Mo... I won't lose my memories again, right?" Compared to risking her life, what terrified her more was the thought of forgetting Su Mo.
"Of course not. Trust me," Su Mo said with absolute confidence, which seemed to put her at ease.
"Close your eyes and get some rest. Just treat it like a dream," he said softly.
"When you wake up, I'll take you out for something delicious." It was a clever promise. The gluttonous nun perked up the moment food was mentioned.
"Mm! Deal! I want a feast!" And with that, she lay back on the sofa like a soldier going off to war—fighting not for glory, but for food. Only Index...
Su Mo leaned in and asked her to open her mouth. Near her tonsils, a pitch-black magical circle was clearly visible—that was the collar spell. Located so close to the brain, the magic array was both delicate and dangerous. Even the best curse breakers wouldn't dare tamper with it lightly. But Su Mo's method was anything but conventional. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his pupils glowed with rainbow-colored light.
Under the gaze of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the spell embedded in Index's throat revealed its death lines and black weak points. Su Mo reached into his sleeve and pulled out a chopstick. He calmly inserted it into Index's throat. With a gentle motion, he tapped the spell's black "death point."
Pop!
It sounded like a bubble bursting. The collar spell shattered instantly. And then—
BOOM!
Magic surged out of Index's entire body. Her figure lifted off the sofa, floating in midair. Her eyes opened, but they no longer contained warmth or humanity. Instead, they glowed red, filled with mechanical, lifeless light—like a warning siren had just been activated.
"──Warning. Section 3, Subsection 2. The collar restraining Index has been compromised. First to third barrier confirmed destroyed."
"Regeneration attempt... failed."
"Unable to self-repair. According to current parameters, priority is now assigned to the protection of the 'Library' containing 103,000 grimoires and repelling intruders." A cold, emotionless voice came from Index's mouth—flat and mechanical like a robot.
This was the John's Pen mode.
In this state, Index could freely access the knowledge stored within all 103,000 grimoires in her mind, deploying countless defensive and offensive spells tailored to her opponent. And right now, the person deemed most dangerous—was Su Mo, who had destroyed the collar.
"──Analyzing data from the Library's 103,000 grimoires. Reverse-calculating the formula that broke the containment spell."
"Search complete. Detected technique: [Balor's Mystic Eye of Death]."
"Initiating counter-measures. Deploying Light Bullet Spell [Tathlum] and Annihilation Ritual [Five-Star Barrage]."
According to Celtic myth, the one who killed the silver-armed god Nuada was Death Eyes Balor. And the one who in turn defeated Balor was the sun god Lugh—using a sphere of light and a five-star barrage. Because Index had identified Su Mo's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception as being linked to Balor, her internal grimoire network quickly located spells designed specifically to counteract it. That was the terrifying capability of the 103,000 grimoires—most spell types had some corresponding countermeasure within the library.
However, it wasn't without flaws.
"You're too slow."
Before she could finish preparing her next spell, Su Mo had already closed the distance. With one swift flick of his chopstick, he shattered the two defensive magic circles in front of Index. Then, changing his Authority mid-motion, he began chanting a Divine Word:
"Drunken in the wine of wild gods, forsaking home and wandering forests—worship our gods!" It was the Divine Words of Dionysus. Instantly, magical energy in the area surged chaotically, becoming wildly unstable. Whether it was magic or constructed spells, none could be activated under its influence. Even the formidable John's Pen system couldn't resist the might of divine authority. With magical control disrupted, the entire system short-circuited like a power outage. Index's body collapsed limply back onto the sofa.