Chapter 77: A Teacher’s Precaution

“Miss Lovelenica, you’re right. In such a situation, lacking defensive Holy Artifacts would indeed be quite troublesome. However, we’re only participating in the annual Monster Hunt Exercise.”

“We are more than capable of handling those Impure-level monsters. Why does your tone suggest that we are destined to face such a predicament?”

Seeing Attestor step forward, Imeline felt a surge of relief. Thor’s words had brought clarity to her own thoughts.

“Exactly. We participate in the Monster Hunt Exercise every year. Even when our strength was far less than it is now, you never suggested we acquire Holy Artifacts, Lovelenica.”

“Why, then, this particular insistence now? It’s as if you’re certain we’ll encounter danger.”

‘As expected of Thor, so perceptive!’ Imeline mused inwardly.

She then quickly echoed Attestor’s sentiment.

“Precisely! Thor is right. You’ve never mentioned us buying these before.”

“Why insist now, for our very last Monster Hunt Exercise? What does this imply? Are you predicting danger for us?”

“Thor, Imeline, please don’t rush. Let Teacher explain slowly.”

“She must have her reasons, right?”

Lovelenica remained calm under Thor and Imeline’s interrogation. However, Lucia was visibly anxious.

She urged the two not to be so hasty, while simultaneously awaiting Lovelenica’s explanation for her actions.

“Ah, I didn’t expect you to be quite so sharp-witted.”

Lovelenica sighed with a hint of resignation. She had, in truth, anticipated that her sudden request for them to acquire Holy Artifacts might seem abrupt.

However, she had already prepared a suitable explanation. If no one questioned it, all the better; but if anyone sensed something amiss, she would simply use her pre-arranged reasoning.

“You’re not wrong to think that. I am indeed concerned about potential danger during this exercise.”

“As prodigies within your respective organizations, you must have heard the high-ranking officials discuss the events of the past month, correct?”

Attestor and Imeline exchanged a glance. They were, of course, aware of the incidents Lovelenica referred to.

The two most unusual occurrences recently had been the incidents in Savini Village and Cariso City. They had also received information from the Mage Association and the Knight Order, learning that these Bloodkin were “incomplete Bloodkin,” created through unique methods.

“We know, but what does that have to do with you asking us to acquire Holy Artifacts?”

Attestor’s skepticism remained evident.

“It has everything to do with it, of course. In such a short span, these incomplete Bloodkin have appeared in both a city and a village near the Royal City.”

“Do you truly believe their appearances are mere coincidences?”

At Lovelenica’s rhetorical question, a jolt of alarm ran through all three of them.

‘Indeed, if two such incomplete Bloodkin can appear consecutively near the Royal City, and it’s not a mere coincidence, then the hidden forces at play must be immensely powerful.’

‘In that case, further appearances of these incomplete Bloodkin would not be surprising in the slightest.’

‘I see…’

At this point, Attestor fully grasped Lovelenica’s meaning. Her tone grew considerably more serious.

“What you’re saying truly makes sense. During such a critical period, it is only proper to be fully prepared.”

“My apologies for my earlier impertinence.”

Though Attestor and Imeline had initially harbored doubts about Lovelenica, her words were undeniably logical and grounded, describing a situation that could very well come to pass.

They were not lacking in Seals of Purification; their hesitation had merely stemmed from uncertainty regarding Lovelenica’s advice. Attestor offered a soft apology, expressing regret for her earlier offense.

“It’s quite alright. Your doubts are perfectly natural.”

Lovelenica dismissed Attestor and Imeline’s earlier skepticism with a wave of her hand. She then continued.

“In any case, acquiring them doesn’t mean you have to use them immediately. You can always keep them for later, simply as a form of insurance.”

****

With their discussion concluded, Lovelenica finally led the three of them into the Church Sanctuary.

The Church Sanctuary was divided into three distinct levels. The first floor housed Holy Rings, each imbued with various defensive measures and amplifying effects.

The second floor offered rings and scrolls inscribed with unique magic, while the third floor displayed a wide array of specialized weapons and equipment.

Although it was known as the Church Sanctuary, it had actually been jointly funded and constructed by the three major organizations: the Alliance, the Knight Order, and the Mage Association, using a common currency.

They now stood on the first floor. The interior of the Church Sanctuary had a uniform decor, with vibrant stained-glass windows casting bright hues across the space.

Within glass display cases, various Holy Rings floated, each shimmering with an ethereal glow.

“Oh, right. Lucia, didn’t you lose two-fifths of your points last time because you came to visit me?”

“I bear some responsibility for that. Allow me to gift you all a few rings.”

“Eh? Teacher? Wouldn’t that be too much of an expense for you?”

“It’s fine. You didn’t hesitate to disregard everything when you came to find me back then, did you?”

Attestor and Imeline couldn’t help but exchange glances. They were deeply puzzled by Lovelenica’s offer to fund their acquisition of Holy Artifacts.

It almost felt as though Lovelenica was attempting to curry favor with them.

“Well? Do either of you two need anything?”

“No, thank you. We’ll simply purchase our own.”

Imeline rejected Lovelenica’s offer without a moment’s hesitation. Ultimately, only Lucia accepted the Holy Artifacts Lovelenica redeemed.

After all, Lucia was Lovelenica’s student, and it was perfectly natural for a teacher to buy a couple of items for their pupil.

“Here, put these on.”

“Eh? Teacher?”

Having redeemed the rings, Lovelenica approached Lucia, gently taking her soft, delicate hand.

She then slipped the two rings onto Lucia’s middle and ring fingers respectively.

Lucia, whose hand had been taken, froze for a moment. She simply allowed Lovelenica to place the redeemed rings on her fingers.

“Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Witnessing Lovelenica’s rather overstepping action, Imeline immediately interjected with a sharp tone. She even stepped forward, intending to swat away Lovelenica’s hand holding Lucia’s.

However, Lovelenica had already withdrawn her hand a step ahead of her.

“What do you mean, ‘what am I doing’? I’m just putting on a ring.”

“Heh, are your relations truly that intimate? To the point where you’re holding her hand to help her put on a ring?”

“Eh? Lucia’s teacher, I suppose that counts as intimate. Uh… I am Lucia’s teacher, after all, so that should be considered intimate, right?”

“Tch… Don’t let me catch you engaging in such an offensive act again!”

In truth, Lovelenica’s swiftness in adorning Lucia with the rings stemmed from her desire to prevent Attestor and Imeline from seeing that one was an Aversion Ring.

Lovelenica had redeemed two rings for Lucia: a Tier 3 Barrier Ring and a Tier 4 Aversion Ring.

The Barrier Ring was straightforward. As its name suggested, it created a protective barrier around the wearer.

A Tier 2 ring could generate a Tier 3 barrier, which would activate automatically. It could be used a total of five times, though a maximum of two uses per day was allowed.

While forcing a third use was possible, it would inevitably damage the ring.

The Aversion Ring, conversely, was capable of deflecting ranged attacks to a certain extent. This particular ability was crucial in combating the Bloodkin.

Since that Bloodkin fought with firearms, and its Magic Bullets were considered ranged attacks, even if those bullets could be partially controlled in their trajectory, they would still be affected by the Aversion Ring.

If Attestor and Imeline had seen that Lucia had received an Aversion Ring, they would undoubtedly have pressed for its significance.

Lovelenica would have found that difficult to explain. She couldn’t very well admit to fearing ranged attacks, could she?

After all, most Bloodkin didn’t possess an abundance of ranged combat abilities.

After this brief interlude, Attestor and Imeline each redeemed a Barrier Ring. While they conceded that Lovelenica’s earlier predictions held merit, they remained supremely confident in their own abilities.

Consequently, they chose not to acquire any further Holy Artifacts.

Truth be told, Lovelenica genuinely wished to personally fund and arm Lucia to the teeth.

Her hope was that, upon encountering the Bloodkin, Lucia could decisively subdue it, thereby uncovering clues about Lovelenica’s own primordial power.

Alas, such an overt display of intent would be too obvious. If she were to act on it, the two would undoubtedly sense that something was amiss with her.