Chapter 108: The Holy Seals

“Ha, a staff? But I’m not a mage. I don’t know many spells. Why would I make that?”

Though magic and divine arts aren’t really separate—both rely on mana—magic is more about using intellect to maximize power, while divine arts burst forth through faith.

As a candidate for saint, Nanaya naturally had little study of magic. Most followers hardly dabble in it. Dreamlinna, who excelled in both, was the exception.

The Flame Evil God’s words sounded almost enticing: “You can treat it as a gift. Give it to someone you like.”

“I have no reason to give her anything, do I?”

“I didn’t say who it was, did I?”

Damn, he tricked me!

Nanaya fumed inwardly. “Any fool knows who you’re talking about!”

“In that case…”

“Enough!” Nanaya cut off the pointless argument. “Make the holy seals. No objections!”

“Fine…”

Forging, of course, required fire. The room lacked an anvil or hammer, but those were trivial for a god of forging.

By manipulating mana, the materials floated in the air. The Flame Evil God’s right hand engulfed them in flames.

Nanaya expected hammering, but when the fire receded, a purple irregular cylinder remained. Its shape resembled a side profile of some goddess.

And it was done!

The Flame Evil God caught the cylinder. In an instant, it split into two seals, each like a small icon. Together they formed a complete icon; separately, they were complementary halves. The design was ingenious—truly the work of a forging god.

She just wondered how they’d work in practice.

“It’s good, but why forge two?”>>

Though clever, Nanaya worried. Would splitting the seal weaken divine spells?

“There was extra material. So one for you, one for her.”

“Don’t do unnecessary things.” Just thinking about that person irritated Nanaya. “Why won’t you give me back control of my body?”

“Hold on.” The Flame Evil God admired the seals. “I worked hard on this masterpiece. Can’t I appreciate it a bit longer?”

“Reasonable.”

Nanaya thought. “Fine. But don’t do anything else.”

The Flame Evil God nodded and continued admiring.

From afar came the sound of a door opening.

It must be Dreamlinna returning, right?

No need to be nervous. Nanaya said nothing, letting the Flame Evil God admire the work.

If that guy planned to use her body to hit on girls, she’d lose it. But since he was behaving, no need to intervene.

Yet footsteps hurried toward Nanaya’s room.

Closer and closer. Nanaya couldn’t help warning:

Hey, she’s on her way. Give me back control.

No response. His gaze was fixed on the seals, as if truly absorbed.

Hey!

No matter how Nanaya shouted mentally, the Flame Evil God remained unmoved.

Click—

The door opened. Dreamlinna, without a doubt.

She walked in, scanned the room, and only after confirming nothing odd did she look at Nanaya. “Hey, why is the church so hot? Are you doing something…”

She stopped mid-sentence, noticing the pair of seals in Nanaya’s hands.

What’s this?

The Flame Evil God, as if awakening from immersion, looked up with clear eyes. “This is my work. What do you think?”

He extended a hand, offering the seals to Dreamlinna.

Don’t do anything stupid! Give me back control!

Sensing something wrong, Nanaya tried to reclaim her body but was ignored.

Suddenly showing off Nanaya’s handmade work? That seemed like ages ago.

Maybe due to memory, Dreamlinna, without much thought, accepted the two seals.

They were indeed fine.

Holding them, she could see the craftsmanship. She didn’t know how they worked, but aesthetically, they held high artistic value.

Dreamlinna carefully returned them.

“That one is yours.”

The Flame Evil God took back only one, leaving the other in Dreamlinna’s hand.

“My business is done. Yours back.”

With that, he returned control to Nanaya.

“This is too precious. I can’t accept it.”

Dreamlinna, holding the seal, tried to return it. She caught the moment Nanaya regained control.

Nanaya, who had been watching the Flame Evil God, planning her next move, suddenly got her body back. Surprised by the sudden return and worried about the mess, she naturally showed shock: “Huh?”

Seeing Nanaya’s startled expression, Dreamlinna was equally taken aback.

Was rejecting a gift so shocking?

Dreamlinna’s mind raced. Rejection of a gift usually implied three possibilities:

One: the giver doesn’t understand why it’s rejected and gets angry, thinking the receiver looks down on them;

Two: the giver put a lot of effort into the gift and can’t accept rejection;

Three: the gift has a hidden trap, and only acceptance will spring it.

Given Nanaya’s look and her own words, Dreamlinna easily ruled out the first. The second seemed likely—the intricate carving indicated much effort.

But after this morning’s theory that “Nanaya’s body houses a lewd exchange system,” the third possibility had risen from a joke to a real threat.

Perhaps this seal was like the Golden Branch Scepter—beautiful on the outside, but coated with fatal poison. If she accepted it like Guderian, she’d meet the same fate.

To satisfy the system’s perverse tasks, Nanaya might have poisoned the seal. Once accepted, Dreamlinna would collapse, lose control of her body, and be… eaten (not literally). She could already see that pathetic future.

Being overpowered by a smaller junior? Unacceptable! Even if they had to grapple, she should be on top!

Her mind screamed, questioning herself:

‘What’s pathetic? I ask you!’

Her mouth reacted faster than her brain: “Actually, I really can’t accept this gift.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Realizing her actions could be misunderstood, Nanaya panicked.

She hadn’t intended to give the seal, but since the Flame Evil God had offered it through her, she couldn’t take it back. If she accepted Dreamlinna’s refusal, she’d look bad either way.

So, even reluctantly, Nanaya had to make Dreamlinna take it.

“Look, this purple seal suits your style perfectly! Just take it!”

Such a lame excuse. Dreamlinna grew more suspicious.

Though she complained about the robust muscles she’d gained after rebirth, Dreamlinna knew her body well. It was undeniably feminine. The mysterious purple seal would indeed suit her, but the problems were huge.

Reality wasn’t a dress-up game. Equipment should be chosen for performance, not looks. She wasn’t some adventurer selling her body; her loadout was for maximum stats.

Whether from experience or bias, Dreamlinna felt this flashy item was more art than weapon. From the first glance, she’d subconsciously considered it an artwork, not a weapon.

“No, it’s too precious. I really shouldn’t…”

The more Nanaya pushed, the more Dreamlinna resisted.

For the sake of her… hooks, she’d better refuse.

“What are you afraid of? It won’t hurt you. Doubting my craftsmanship?”

Nanaya bluffed, even though she hadn’t forged it herself.

Dreamlinna didn’t know why she should believe Nanaya’s forging skills were good, but she chose not to argue. Instead, she clung to her earlier point: “I’m not questioning the acting bishop’s skill. Quite the opposite. But giving such a precious gift to a subordinate seems excessive. It feels like buying loyalty or demanding something.”

She emphasized her subordinate status, hoping to create distance.

“Enough excuses! Just take it!”

Seeing Dreamlinna’s stubbornness, Nanaya shoved a seal into her hand.

If it were poisoned, she’d already be contaminated. And with Nanaya’s attitude, Dreamlinna figured she had to accept or something worse would happen. She resigned herself to fate.

‘Even after reincarnation, I end up in her hands…’

Seeing the inexplicably relieved look on that scumbag’s face, Nanaya puffed her cheeks. “What’s that expression? Disdain?”

“No, no!” Dreamlinna shook her head quickly. Looking at the seal in her hand, she said, “I’m just a little… confused.”

“Confused?” Nanaya looked down. She still held one seal. The two halves of the icon—each holding one—looked like a token of love.

Realizing that, Nanaya forced a calm expression. “They’re mass-produced, okay? Standard design. All from the same mold.”

As if anyone would believe that. But Dreamlinna lacked the courage to argue further, so she nodded.

“Alright then.”

Dreamlinna pocketed the seal and sat on the sofa. There were no forging tools or signs of smithing, yet Nanaya claimed to have forged the seals. Suspicious.

“So, the heat in the church is your doing?”

Since returning, the temperature had been unusually high.

“I used fire for forging.”

Nanaya didn’t deny it.

“But how? There’s no trace of forging here.”

Dreamlinna stood up, towering over Nanaya.

“These seals were made from the loot from that goblin fight, remember? Those purple orbs.” Nanaya held up the string of leftover beads. “Since they were just seals, I melted them down and reshaped them.”

Dreamlinna sat back down. “That makes sense…”

Nanaya breathed a sigh of relief and changed the subject. “Didn’t you go to the hospital? Did you get treated?”

As Nanaya moved closer, Dreamlinna felt uneasy, instinctively wanting to retreat. “The hospital results are my personal affair. They’ve nothing to do with you, right?”

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