Chapter 87: The Truth Behind the Flames

Although he was an evil god, the Flame Evil God was surprisingly well-behaved this time. Not only did he save everyone, but he honestly returned control of his body to Nanaya.

‘Could there really be such a trustworthy evil god in this world?’

With doubt lingering, Nanaya returned to the church.

Today’s crisis had been the greatest since their team was formed. Fortunately, Nanaya’s sudden eruption had saved them all; otherwise, they might have truly died there.

Only after Menglinna expressed her regret for poor command and gratitude for Nanaya’s bravery did the group finally end their gathering.

Having carefully observed Menglinna’s movements, Nanaya seized the chance when she was away to take a long bath in the bathroom, then retreated to her own room.

Untying the towel wrapped around her hair, Nanaya collapsed onto the bed. ‘Bathing really does help me relax.’

‘I’m so tired I don’t want to move.’

Though today was a good day to start investigating, her mental exhaustion made Nanaya decide to slack off.

‘Anyway, I’m here as Jijige’s forced labor in name. Surely it’s fine to skip a few missions?’

As Nanaya was rolling around on the bed, loafing, a sudden knock came at the door: “Thump, thump, thump.”

****

Although everyone had narrowly escaped thanks to Nanaya’s sudden outburst, Menglinna was deeply troubled by the flames Nanaya had displayed.

Having fought against the Flame Giant in her past life, she was especially sensitive to anything touching upon the evil gods. Laymen might not understand, but in Menglinna’s eyes, those flames seemed akin to the primal flames of the Flame Evil God.

Menglinna had only seen such flames on fire-seekers and Flame Giants. Obtaining them usually required making a deal with the Flame Evil God. But for Nanaya to possess them—that changed everything.

Given that her system could even exchange for the Flame Giant Whip, if Nanaya insisted her flames came from the system, it would be entirely plausible. Moreover, she was a saint candidate, expected to understand the consequences of using an evil god’s power.

Thinking this over, Menglinna felt uncertain.

Even if she had to ask directly, she needed to determine whether Nanaya had contacted the Flame Evil God.

With this in mind, Menglinna knocked on Nanaya’s door.

A cautious voice came from behind the door: “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Sister Menglinna.” Menglinna found it a bit amusing—weren’t they the only two people in this church?

The door opened a crack, then slowly halfway.

Nanaya, much shorter than her, crossed her arms and said defensively, “What do you want?”

Sensing the resistance in her tone, Menglinna still steeled herself for the sake of world peace.

“About today’s battle, I have some details I’d like to discuss with you,” Menglinna had already prepared an excuse. “Because my negligence put everyone in danger, if you don’t mind, I want to better understand everyone’s abilities to prevent a repeat.”

Logically, the excuse was flawless, and it was perfectly reasonable for Menglinna to make such a request. But Nanaya, standing behind the door, didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she stared at Menglinna expressionlessly, as if assessing her true intentions.

This was troublesome. If Nanaya completely rejected the idea and told her to leave, there was nothing she could do.

Being stared at so intently made Menglinna feel a bit creeped out. Her carefully maintained faint smile almost faltered.

Just as Menglinna was about to give up, Nanaya pulled the door wide open. “Come in and talk. It’s weird standing outside like this.”

Had she succeeded? If Nanaya was willing to talk, did that mean she wasn’t worried about her flames being suspicious?

If so, perhaps Nanaya’s flames weren’t the Flame Evil God’s primal flames after all, and she had just been mistaken earlier.

Merely from the welcoming attitude, Menglinna found herself leaning toward Nanaya.

But she quickly realized her bias was inappropriate and shook her head.

Maybe Nanaya had contacted the Flame Evil God without knowing it herself. She mustn’t let her guard down.

Having reaffirmed her stance, Menglinna finally stepped into Nanaya’s room.

Although their rooms were the same size, the decor reflected their different personalities.

Unlike Menglinna’s cluttered room, half living space and half laboratory, Nanaya’s room was simpler. To the left of the entrance was the weapon and equipment area, with the Crushing Giant Hammer and Armed Belt placed on racks, separated from the rest of the room by a folding screen.

The bed in the center was draped in pink mosquito netting, obscuring the interior. Though it was only a temporary room, Nanaya had already pasted pink, somewhat girlish wallpaper around the walls.

‘Tsk tsk, a saint candidate ignoring the principle of poverty? If your rivals found out, you’d be severely criticized. No wonder you didn’t become the saint in your past life.’

As if sensing Menglinna’s inappropriate thoughts, or perhaps confused by her staring at the wallpaper, Nanaya turned and shot her a glare.

Menglinna immediately averted her gaze, staring obediently at the floor.

‘Forget it. Being a saint isn’t worth this scolding.’

“Please, have a seat.” Nanaya pointed to the sofa, then sat at the desk.

Menglinna sat on the sofa as directed. Nanaya had placed a cushion on the solid wood sofa, making it much more comfortable.

As for Menglinna’s sofa, she used it as storage for medicinal materials.

“You said you want to know about my flames?” Nanaya picked up the Flame Giant Whip from the desk. “I just channeled mana into this whip, and that’s what happened.”

No, that was completely false.

In her past life, Menglinna had handled the Flame Giant Whip. While infusing mana did add fire attribute and summon flame pillars, it never produced flames of that color.

Nanaya was not telling the truth!

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