First things first—I checked the objective.
Then I turned my gaze to the drooling, heavily breathing bear monster in front of me.
No killing.
With that in mind, I waved at Lirielle, who had already drawn her sword, to stay back.
She's probably more dangerous than the monster itself—powerful enough to end its life in a few effortless minutes.
But…
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The main goal here isn't "kill the monster." It's "reduce casualties."
Medium-rank monsters don't just have brute strength—they often come with a few nasty tricks up their sleeves. Acid blood. Death corruption. Poisonous claws. One misstep, and even a victory could be a pyrrhic one. People die not just from the monster, but from the aftermath.
Better to let the regular knights handle the actual killing. Right now, my job is to stall and survive, not commit mass murder, no matter how satisfying it might be.
And besides… this thing literally popped out of nowhere.
[ !Urgent Mission! ]
[ 0 current casualties—well done! ]
[ Since no one has died, try not to kill the monster either, shall we? ]
[ Successfully hand over the monster to the Knights of the Academy! ]
[ Successful completion increases main quest reward: Exclusive Equipment Materials! ]
"…Huh."
It's basically telling me: even a monster with homicidal intent is still a "living being" in the eyes of the quest system. Treat it like a person. Somehow.
And yet—the reward is undeniably tempting.
The materials for exclusive equipment don't just matter; they define the upper limit of the weapon's potential. The difference between "good" and "god-tier" is all in these rare components.
Well then.
Time to hold on.
I smiled at the monster as it raised its massive front paw, claws glinting.
One unlucky hit from that? Definitely a broken bone. Or several.
But like in the mock dungeon before, reading a monster's attack patterns was no different than flipping through a book. As a veteran gamer who had grinded countless hours, this was second nature.
So no actual fighting—just holding up the strong shield.
I can do that with my eyes closed.
From here on, it was all repetition. Not a battle. A waiting game.
---
The Caldwell Duke Family—undoubtedly one of the most prestigious bloodlines in the empire since its inception. The title of Duke alone carried weight enough to make people flinch.
But prestige has its price. Long histories and high status come with just as many enemies. Even if Marquis Kendride weren't around, there would always be those wishing for the Duke Family's downfall.
And the priest in front of us? One of those snakes.
"Did you not hear what I said? I didn't bring a Holy Relic," he insisted, voice dripping with condescension.
Suppressing the urge to slap the living shit out of this high-nosed, middle-aged fool, Lirielle remained composed.
"…I am truly sorry for what happened to Marquis Riverback. The Caldwell Family will take the appropriate actions—"
"You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?"
Sparks practically flew from her eyes at that mocking reply.
He was basically saying there was no room for negotiation.
The faculty members who advocated bringing living monsters in for research all belonged to the Caldwell opposition faction. In other words, the greater the damage and casualties in an accident like this, the bigger the political liability for the Caldwell Family.
And this priest? Under the command of Marquis Riverback, a member of the anti-Caldwell faction.
This fucking trash…!
Knowing the context, he was casually discussing sacrificing lives for political gain. And he was acting as a priest while doing it.
Anger welled up inside Lirielle.
She bit her lip, clutching her chest. Her heart thundered like a war drum.
An insidious aura began rising—an unmistakable sign of the madness that runs in her family.
…Back off.
She forced herself to cool down, regaining calm. She had repeated this cycle countless times throughout her life: anger, madness, control.
Maintain discipline. Act properly. Always be perfect. Never get carried away by insidious feelings.
A principle she had learned from that damned man. And yet, it helped suppress the creeping evil energy whenever it threatened to spill out.
Her voice, though cold and measured, still carried the faint edge of glacial anger.
"Don't bring your political interests here! This is an emergency! People's lives are at stake!"
"Ha, this is why the Caldwell—"
"Then give it to me."
Her eyes widened. Someone had interrupted the priest mid-sarcasm.
Adrian Merrick.
Again.
Her heart skipped, thumped, and thundered like a war drum. Not anger this time. Something… else. Something she had never felt before.
Blood rushed to her face, her chest felt lighter—as though she were floating. She didn't know the proper words for it, only that it was dangerous. Something to be wary of.
Didn't I tell you to back off?
Never falter. Never surrender.
This feeling—rising faster every time she saw him—had to be restrained. Emotions must never outweigh control.
…Back off. I will not lose.
She locked everything away, suppressing the warmth in her chest, the dizziness at her own racing pulse. Watching Adrian sprint toward the monster, rosario in hand, only strengthened the chaos in her heart.
Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. Her own surprise was the clearest proof that this man's existence was growing on her far too quickly.
It's dangerous if I get dragged in…
"Angel's Blessing…! How could a student—that madman—do that?!"
Her head snapped toward the priest's muttered words.
Blessing?
Even a formal priest has to go through a long, exhausting prayer just to invoke a blessing. And yet here was a freshman using one like it was nothing.
…No.
Actually, it wasn't particularly strange that that guy could pull something like this off. He had already proven, countless times, that dozens of hidden talents lurked beneath that seemingly indifferent facade.
---
While Lirielle was lost in thought, a frightened exclamation cut through the chaos beside her.
"…He's fine after using a blessing? How…!?"
The priest's voice trembled, and Lirielle's eyes widened in unison.
Invoking a blessing without a Holy Relic would normally crush the user—body and mind alike. Yet somehow, he was standing there, unharmed.
Wow. He actually knows that…
She turned toward the newcomer who had just appeared, nonchalant despite the chaos. Elize. The same one who had knocked the priest out with a precise strike to the back of his head.
"…Don't look at me like that. I just took out the trash," Elize said, casually plopping down.
"…Where were you?"
"I fainted until a while ago. Just woke up," she replied, completely unfazed by the mess around her.
That caught Lirielle's attention.
"That… that's a method combat priests often use," she whispered to herself, mind racing. "It's something you always carry in your body and only unleash in an emergency. A technique that takes at least ten years of practice. How… how does he know that?"
If Adrian Merrick had heard this, he would probably have been speechless. He didn't bother with decades of grueling study or complex rituals. He just… used the blessing stored in an item, efficient as ever.
But the thought sparked something in Lirielle's mind.
Ten years of studying divinity.
–There is something I want to learn in the Theology Faculty.
Learning blessings for years, delving into the sacred arts upon entering the academy…
Of all the ways to lift the Tristan Family's curse, this path was the most direct.
–There's something I've been meaning to protect.
Something… someone?
There is someone I've been trying to protect.
–I am trying to protect you. No need to overthink.
And who is that "you," again?
—…—
—…!!!!—