Early summer sunlight shattered across the fountain in the courtyard.
Valentin stood before it. The rippling reflections on the water and the scattered fragments of light spilled over his shoulders, spreading around him like a halo and creating a strangely sacred atmosphere.
Valentin de Arcane. A poisonous mushroom of a man whose exterior and interior could not have been more different.
Elysia already knew the true nature hidden beneath that dazzling shell.
Unlike the other nuns from her cohort, who were quietly murmuring among themselves, Elysia immediately looked away the moment she confirmed his presence.
So he'd been waiting for quite a while.
He was probably trying to hint at their past connection somehow, but she had absolutely no reason to play along. That connection belonged to Elysia Gray, and as someone who knew the horrific ending awaiting her, she wanted nothing to do with a connection that was more like a noose around her neck.
Anyway, this was a public place, and they were meeting on official business. It should be enough to speak to him strictly about work.
"It's still five minutes before our scheduled time. The Mother Superior told me two in the afternoon, so there must have been some misunderstanding."
When Elysia drew a clear line between them by pretending not to notice and checking her pocket watch, Valentin merely smiled without a word.
[System]
Quest Generated: Become the guide of Strategy Target 'Valentin de Arcane'
Details: Perform your duties as his guide and secure the target's route of movement.
※ Caution: Take care not to be deceived by the Strategy Target's 'dazzling shell.'
Let's get this over with quickly.
Elysia exhaled as though steeling herself, then spoke.
"Let's go, High Priest. I'll show you around in order, starting with the places closest to us."
"The other sisters came with you as well. May I ask your names?"
Lightly ignoring what she had just said, Valentin turned his gaze toward the other nuns.
"I'm Nora Bennett. I'll be assisting with directions."
"I'm Katie Miller. I'll be assisting with the records."
"Ah, I see."
He nodded with a brief murmur of acknowledgment.
"I'm certainly grateful that you've been so considerate as to arrange all this for me… but Goddess Arne once said, 'Time is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.' I'm sure all of you sisters are busy with your duties at the convent. I'm worried I may have caused you unnecessary trouble."
It certainly was unnecessary trouble. Why was a man who normally used other people as tools without the slightest hesitation suddenly acting like this?
Had being ordained as a priest somehow made him turn over a new leaf? She couldn't shake the feeling that something was suspicious.
"I didn't ask for a tour elaborate enough to require assistants. And rather than relying on written records, I'd prefer to remember everything myself. So, for today, may I trouble just one of you and ask the others in turn another time?"
At his courteous and gentle question, Katie and Nora nodded. Judging by the flush on their cheeks, they'd clearly already fallen for him completely.
Everyone was being fooled by that perfect shell of his. It was even more infuriating because, on the surface, he really did look like an impeccably gentlemanly man.
'So it's fine if you inconvenience me, is that it?'
Elysia pouted ever so slightly, just enough that no one would notice.
"Shall we go, Sister Elysia?"
After receiving the other two nuns' permission, Valentin bent slightly to meet the eyes of Elysia, who had been looking elsewhere.
[System]
Quest: 'My Kind Guide'
Begin accompanying and guiding Strategy Target 'Valentin de Arcane' alone.
[!] If you refuse, a random additional Mission will be activated immediately due to the Character Trait (Patron).
So just as he'd used money to specifically designate 'Elysia Gray' as his guide today, this meant he intended to wield the power that money gave him.
And a random Mission would be added if she refused. Better the devil she knew. Something completely unpredictable was far more frightening.
[System]
Would you like to accept the Quest?
[ Yes / No ]
Avoiding it would probably only make things worse. She didn't have another choice in this situation anyway.
***
Throughout their circuit of the convent, Valentin didn't say much.
It was the same when they inspected the vegetable garden and medicinal herb garden, and when they looked through the communal dining hall. He didn't ask any particular questions either. Even after they came out of the archive, he simply continued walking silently behind Elysia.
'This is nothing. Did I scare myself for no reason?'
She hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.
Compared to the previous Mission, when she'd been forced into a three-way confrontation with Tristan… the atmosphere couldn't have been more different.
'This bastard… isn't plotting something, is he?'
What kind of twisted psychology was this? Everything was so peaceful that she was actually starting to feel uneasy.
'Stop thinking about pointless things.'
Elysia tried to shake off the anxiety that kept creeping up on her.
'What could he possibly do in a convent in broad daylight like this? It's not like he's going to kill me, right?'
It was burdensome having every eye drawn to them even when they were merely walking, but at the same time, all those people felt like reassuring witnesses.
Let's finish this quickly and go rest in my room.
With that thought in mind, she eventually arrived at the final location.
"This is the chapel. Morning and evening services are held here, along with regular ceremonies and prayer meetings. Outside worshippers also attend on weekends. Right now, it's not a liturgical hour, and everyone is working…. It's always empty around this time of day."
"I see. I'll remember that."
"Yes. Then, this way."
Elysia guided him farther inside the chapel. Behind the altar was a small prayer room.
"This is the prayer room. It's a space intended for private prayer and meditation. When there are no communal services, anyone may stay here quietly."
"It's cozy. I like it."
Click.
At the sound of the door closing, Elysia's shoulders subtly stiffened.
Valentin, who had followed her inside, had closed it.
"Since we're here, I thought I'd pray for a bit."
"Pardon?"
"I happened to miss morning prayer. It'll only take a moment."
Why does his speech suddenly sound… so casual? Am I imagining it?
"Let's pray."
…Maybe I was.
Elysia sensed something slightly off, but tried not to pay it any mind.
Valentin clasped a rosary between both hands, closed his eyes, and began praying toward the sacred image. Elysia also brought her hands together to pray, but for some reason, her gaze kept drifting toward Valentin.
The slanting afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window in long shafts. Bathed in that glow as he devoted himself to prayer, Valentin de Arcane's profile radiated an air more sacred than any holy image resting upon the altar.
Even when he'd suddenly appeared dressed in priestly robes, all she'd been able to think was, What kind of priest is someone like him?
And yet, seeing him pray, he looked surprisingly devout. Enough to make her feel embarrassed for having suspected that he must have some ulterior motive.
"You're exactly the same as before."
Without changing his posture, Valentin spoke casually.
"That habit of secretly staring at people."
At the quiet sound of his voice, her heart seemed to drop a beat too late.
[System]
The balance tilts to one side.
I feel like I've seen that line before.
The System was spouting something incomprehensible again.
[System]
Strategy Target 'Valentin de Arcane' has begun showing significant interest in you.
[Valentin de Arcane Affection: +7]
His Affection suddenly became visible.
All she'd done was look at him. His Affection went up by seven just from that? How did that make any sense?
It seemed best to shut him down immediately.
"That makes me uncomfortable. I told you last time, didn't I? This is a convent, and I'm a nun, so please use formal speech…."
"I did. At least in front of other people."
He tilted his head slightly.
"There's no one here. It's just the two of us. Why should I?"
His shameless attitude left Elysia, rather than him, at a loss for words.
She'd known things had been going far too smoothly.
Valentin de Arcane was finally showing his true colors.
"Doctor Buckler said there was nothing particularly wrong with you. Hearing you snap at me like this, I guess he was right."
In an instant, everything that had felt strange clicked into place like pieces of a puzzle.
A skilled doctor from the capital making the long journey to the convent for a house call, with the examination fee already paid in advance.
And….
The enormous donation to the convent that had been used to sway Sister Veronica.
All of it.
It was all Valentin de Arcane's doing.
Using the people around him as tools, moving them like pieces on a chessboard until his target was trapped—that was one of his favorite methods.
The problem was that his target only realized they had been targeted after it was already too late.
"I wondered where you'd gone. Turns out you were hiding here."
He added with a languid smile,
"Making things troublesome for me."
Anxiety tightened around her ankles like a sacrifice caught in a spiderweb. The compulsion to end this noose-like encounter immediately began consuming her.
"…T-the tour of the convent is over. I'll be going back for today."
"Elysia Gray. I think you're misunderstanding something."
Just then, as though it had been waiting for those exact words, the System chimed.
[System]
The Quest cannot be terminated at your discretion.
Then that meant….
Elysia's gaze wavered in alarm, but Valentin paid no attention.
"This started because I called for you. So it only ends when I say it's over."
She remembered something someone had once said.
The devil always wears the face of an angel.