Chapter 100: A Feigned Weakness and a Tarnished Score

As the three anxiously waited, a silver figure finally appeared at the edge of the night sky.

“Teacher!”

The moment Lucia caught sight of Lovelenica, she immediately cried out in joyful surprise, dashing across the rooftops towards her.

Resting below, Imeline and Attestor heard Lucia’s shout and looked in the direction she was running. Seeing Lovelenica safe and sound, both of them unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

However, as Lucia drew closer to Lovelenica, her expression grew increasingly tense.

“Teacher!!!”

Lovelenica stood on the street, her nun’s habit almost completely torn to shreds. Her veil and the remaining scraps of fabric were stained crimson with blood. She appeared exceptionally frail, stumbling unsteadily towards Lucia.

Seeing Lovelenica in such a state, Lucia’s heart clenched once more. She accelerated her pace, leaping from the rooftop directly towards the weakened Lovelenica.

Finally, Lucia reached Lovelenica’s side, quickly supporting the seemingly fragile nun.

“Teacher! Are you alright?!”

“Cough, cough…”

Lovelenica coughed twice. The moment Lucia caught her, her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Fortunately, Lucia’s support prevented her from falling completely.

Of course, all of this was merely an act orchestrated by Lovelenica.

After parting ways with Olivia, Lovelenica had first smeared her own blood onto her nun’s habit and torn several gashes in it. Only then did she revert to her human form and don the tattered garments.

Furthermore, after resuming her human form, Lovelenica had deliberately depleted almost all of her magic before returning to Lucia and the others.

‘I’m fine… I merely exhausted my magic and sustained some minor injuries.’

The moment these words left her lips, Lucia, to Lovelenica’s astonishment, swiftly tore the already shredded nun’s habit completely off her. She immediately began to inspect Lovelenica’s body for wounds.

“Hey! Lu— Lucia!”

Lovelenica was so startled she almost dropped her act. In a fit of panic, she nearly pushed Lucia away, but she managed to restrain herself. Otherwise, Lucia would have realized that she still possessed strength.

Now, the nun’s habit, already reduced to rags, offered no concealment whatsoever. Lovelenica hastily crossed her arms to cover her chest. It was fortunate Lucia hadn’t moved lower, or Lovelenica wouldn’t have been able to protect anything.

“I, I already used a Holy Healing Scroll on myself! There are no wounds on me! I’m just out of magic! Don’t, don’t look around so much!”

Lovelenica’s tone was somewhat anxious; she hadn’t even managed to control her voice, losing some of her feigned weakness.

In truth, Lucia wasn’t just searching for wounds on Lovelenica’s pristine skin; she was also gently caressing her, afraid of missing even the slightest scratch.

Only upon hearing Lovelenica’s urgent words did Lucia hastily stop her hands. Fortunately, Lucia didn’t notice the shift in Lovelenica’s tone.

Snapping back to reality, Lucia finally realized she had completely torn Lovelenica’s nun’s habit. At this moment, Lovelenica was even crouched on the ground, arms tightly crossed in front of her, face flushed with embarrassment. She cast a delicate, yet reproachful, glare at Lucia, looking utterly humiliated, as if a defeated warrior shamed by an enemy.

“Eh?! Te-Teacher! I didn’t mean to! I’m, I’m so sorry!!!”

Realizing what she had done, Lucia quickly apologized to Lovelenica. She truly hadn’t meant it; she was just worried her teacher was injured and feared Lovelenica might not even have enough magic left to use a Holy Healing Scroll, which was why she wanted to check her wounds quickly.

Besides, Lovelenica’s nun’s habit was already torn to rags; wearing it or not made little difference. In fact, it would only hinder Lucia from examining any wounds.

However, since Lovelenica had already treated herself with a Holy Healing Scroll, Lucia’s actions now seemed rather presumptuous.

“It’s fine…”

Lovelenica quickly composed herself, forcefully suppressing her embarrassment. She then retrieved a dark brown cloak from her Holy Ring and draped it over her shoulders.

“I’m not that fragile… Let’s head back.”

“Mm…”

****

After the brief interlude, the atmosphere between the two became somewhat subtle. Nevertheless, Lucia continued to support Lovelenica, and they slowly made their way to Imeline and Attestor.

Observing Lovelenica’s weakened state, both Imeline and Attestor could tell she had endured a fierce battle. They only wondered about its outcome.

“…Miss Lovelenica, where is that Bloodkin?”

Attestor slowly inquired.

To be honest, besides Attestor, Lucia and Imeline were equally concerned about Olivia’s whereabouts.

Lovelenica shook her head, her expression dim.

“My apologies, that one had a type of explosive arcane technology I hadn’t accounted for. She managed to escape.”

“…It’s alright, Teacher. As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters.”

Lucia had expected to feel more disheartened upon hearing this news, but now she felt neither disappointment nor anger. Instead, a wave of relief washed over her.

Lovelenica had fought until her magic was completely drained. It was fortunate the Bloodkin hadn’t pursued her, or she might not have been able to return safely.

“…Is that so? What a pity.”

Imeline and Attestor couldn’t help but show a hint of disappointment upon learning of Olivia’s escape. However, there was nothing to be done. They had first been attacked by black-clad figures before encountering Olivia, and their stamina and magic were already significantly depleted.

Moreover, Olivia was clearly a monstrous-level Vampire. For Lovelenica and the three injured third-rank professionals to repel Olivia without incurring any casualties was already their utmost effort. They wouldn’t blame Lovelenica for failing to eliminate her.

In summary, it was enough that everyone was safe and sound.

“Sigh…”

Imeline sighed, unceremoniously plopping down onto the ground. She had been utterly exhausted for a long time, originally resting while seated. Only upon seeing Lovelenica return had she temporarily stood.

Now, knowing Lovelenica was also safe, they could finally relax and rest.

“Just who exactly are these black-clad figures and that Vampire? Why are they all targeting Lucia? Nevermind, we’ll just have to wait for the Church to investigate later. On another note, I suppose our Monster Hunt Exercise is ruined, isn’t it? Since Lovelenica intervened, our assessment is over. Lucia and I are fine, but Attestor… will your family have any objections?”

Imeline, slumped on the ground, looked at Attestor. According to the rules, once a guardian intervened, their assessment was considered terminated. Despite the interference from the black-clad figures and the Vampire, Lovelenica had ultimately acted, which would undeniably mark the end of their assessment.

Furthermore, with only two hours remaining until the Monster Hunt Exercise concluded, even if Lovelenica had covered for them, pretending she hadn’t rescued Lucia’s team, Imeline and Attestor were in no condition to eliminate many more Specters in the remaining time.

Adding to that, they still had to allocate two-fifths of their score to Julie. It seemed their final Monster Hunt Exercise was destined to fall short of the top spot.

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