"The Pure Blood of the Saintess?"
When Kurose Akira saw the sudden system prompt flash before his eyes, a trace of confusion crept across his brow.
Because he clearly remembered that the last time—when Lucia had gotten drunk—there had already been blood. So why this time…?
[Saintess's Pure Blood: You have touched Lucia's "??". The Golden Holy Dragon has developed hostility toward you. Your affinity with the Light Element increases by 50%, but your resistance to the Holy Element decreases by 50%. (Effect lasts 24 hours.)]
"?"
Reading the message, Akira's brows drew tightly together as puzzlement stirred in his chest.
What exactly was that "??"?
And when the system mentioned the Golden Holy Dragon, an image immediately surfaced in his mind—the massive golden dragon he had once seen illustrated in a picture book. It was the very creature that had brought Lucia back to the Holy Church of Light.
Apparently, it now held hostility toward him.
But that hadn't happened the previous time when Lucia had been drunk. Why now?
Could it be because the Holy Light had blossomed within Lucia's soul this time?
And besides… this was the first time he had done that to Lucia…
Ahem.
Akira coughed lightly and rubbed the tip of his nose.
Looks like he'd have to be a little more careful next time.
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Lucia was washing away the lingering traces of Holy Light.
"That guy… honestly!"
As she cleansed the vibrant Holy Light—rich with life magic—from her body, she couldn't help but mutter complaints about Akira.
As the Pope of the Holy Church, she simply didn't have the luxury to distract herself with matters of emotion right now.
Unless…
"Wait! Did that guy trigger the restriction? This is bad!"
A chill ran through Lucia's heart as a sudden sense of foreboding gripped her.
She immediately closed her eyes and examined the interior of her body, carefully inspecting whether the seal within her had been disturbed.
"...Whew. Good."
After a meticulous inspection, she finally exhaled softly, the tension in her nerves easing a little.
The seal had only trembled slightly. The impact of the Holy Light hadn't broken through its layered protections.
But even so, the discovery left Lucia shaken.
She had never imagined that the ancient seal hidden within her body would react to Akira's Holy Light.
The seal had existed since the day she was born.
Inside it slumbered a fragment of primordial divine power, originating from the deepest core of her soul. The power was so overwhelming that it had remained sealed and dormant all this time.
Even after ascending to the demigod realm, Lucia still couldn't freely wield that power.
Only when facing enemies far beyond her ability to handle would she dare draw upon it.
As for the true nature of that power…
Even Lucia herself didn't know.
It seemed to be a force that did not belong to any known system of power on the Magic Continent.
Just as Lucia was lost in thought, she suddenly noticed something unusual.
A golden-red glow flickered faintly at her fingertips.
"…What is this?"
Her brows knitted together as her beautiful eyes focused intently on the shimmering light.
She was certain of one thing—
It wasn't her blood.
Nor was it Akira's Holy Light.
That realization only deepened her confusion.
"Could it be… something created when the Holy Light struck the seal?"
Lucia murmured softly.
Raising her fingertip, she carefully infused a strand of magic power into the golden-red glow.
The moment her magic touched it—
A vast surge of power burst forth from within the light, as though it contained endless energy.
Lucia's eyes widened instantly, astonishment flashing across her gaze.
"Solar Divine Power?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
The collision between Holy Light and the forbidden seal had actually generated a fragment of Solar Divine Power.
But the most crucial discovery was something else entirely.
She realized…
She could control this thread of Solar Divine Power.
The revelation made her body tremble slightly, disbelief filling her eyes.
Now, just like Kurose Akira, she possessed divine power derived from the sun.
But wait.
Lucia gently rubbed her chin, sinking into deeper thought.
She was certain that Akira carried Solar Divine Power within him.
Yet his solar power was strangely unique.
He couldn't control it, nor could it provide him with any tangible advantage in combat.
And yet—
Akira's Holy Light, which contained Solar Divine Power, had struck the seal inside her soul…
…and somehow generated a new strand of Solar Divine Power inside her body.
Why?
Why could the mysterious power within her soul resonate with Akira's Holy Light?
"Lucia, are you alright?"
Just then, Akira's voice came from outside the door, interrupting her thoughts.
Lucia paused briefly before answering calmly.
"…I'm fine."
After speaking, she stepped out of the bathroom.
Seeing that Lucia had regained her usual composure, the worry in Akira's heart eased slightly.
But Lucia cast him a cold glance and said quietly,
"Your promises are like a fragile candle flame—extinguished in the blink of an eye."
"Ahem."
Akira coughed awkwardly.
"I just received an invitation from the royal family of the Starfall Kingdom," he said. "Tomorrow morning at seven, the final event will be held in the royal capital."
Lucia nodded, indicating she understood.
"I'll come to the guild early," she replied calmly.
But as she spoke, her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the Holy Light surrounding Akira, a trace of curiosity flickering in her eyes.
She still couldn't understand it.
Why did her soul resonate with Akira's Holy Light?
Should she… try it again tonight?
If she could convert the power sealed within that restriction into her own…
Perhaps she could—
What are you even thinking!?
Are you becoming addicted to Holy Light now?
Lucia abruptly shook her head, her heart suddenly racing like a startled deer.
Then she quickly walked toward the teleportation array.
"I'm heading back first."
"Alright," Akira responded softly.
His gaze followed her closely until her figure disappeared completely within the teleportation light.
After Lucia left, Akira turned his attention back to the members of the guild.
Although tomorrow's event supposedly wouldn't involve combat, preparation was still necessary in case something unexpected occurred.
"About tomorrow's event," Akira said seriously, looking at Ivsha and the others.
"Alice and Virola will stay behind at the guild on standby. The rest of you will come with me."
Alice's Blood Soul Cleaver could ignore spatial limitations and launch long-distance attacks. Even if she remained at the guild, she could still provide powerful support.
As for Virola, her current combat strength was still too limited to participate in battle.
"Understood, Guild Master!"
"If anything dangerous happens, everyone must follow my commands."
"Mm-hmm!"
"Yes, Master!"
After finishing his instructions, Akira realized someone was missing.
Elum wasn't anywhere in the guild hall.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"Where's Elum?"
Just as he was about to stand up and search for her, the bedroom door slowly creaked open.
Elum cautiously poked her head out.
Her expression was shy as she asked softly,
"Master… were you looking for me?"
Seeing her appear, the tension in Akira's brow finally relaxed.
Smiling, he replied,
"I just received a message from Idis. She said you should come with me to the royal capital tomorrow. She's already returned."
Elum nodded gently, a hint of happiness in her voice.
"Okay, Master. Then… can I go back to my room and rest a bit more? Your bed… is very comfortable."
Akira laughed lightly.
"Of course you can."
"Thank you, Master!"
Elum smiled gratefully before closing the door again.
"That little one…" Akira muttered to himself before returning to his work.
What he didn't know was that Elum had only just returned to the guild.
She hadn't even had time to wash the Holy Light that had infected her skin.
All she could do was hide her faintly glowing body behind the door.
Earlier, while maintaining the Holy Light, she had completely exhausted her magic power and collapsed unconscious.
After just waking up, she hurriedly used spatial magic to return to the guild without making a sound.
…
Want to unlock up to 60+ early-access chapters and exclusive novels ? Join my Patreon today and dive deeper into the adventure!
patreon.com/denji21