The trio stepped out of the branch guildmaster’s office, the heavy door clicking shut behind them with a finality that made Kana’s spine tighten.

  Ruvel’s last words wouldn’t leave her.

  Perhaps not you… but something within you is triggering my [Danger Detection] skill.

  Or maybe, in the future, you will be an enemy of mankind. I hope not.

  A chill slid through her. That wasn’t something one simply said. Not from a veteran. Not from a Gold Badge holder. And certainly not from someone whose severed arm hinted he’d survived horrors she couldn’t even imagine.

  Kana clenched her bandaged forearms, frustration simmering hot beneath her ribs. She was weak—far below the guildmaster's level. There was no reason she should trigger anything.

  Is it because of my title? Or the perks?

  The thought gnawed at her like a trapped rat.

  Boris slowed, turning with that too-familiar grin as his eyes flicked to her wrapped arms. “Should we… visit Elle York?”

  Kana raised a brow. “You’re more excited to see her than to see me healed.”

  Boris grunted, cheeks coloring slightly. “It’s both.”

  “The York estate is strict,” Suri warned, glancing around as if expecting a patrol of nobles to materialize. “Even if they let us inside, their enhanted wards are dense. My illusion won’t pass through them.”

  “We can try,” Boris insisted. “If not, we pay two gold and hire someone with [Full Heal]. Easy.”

  Kana said, exhaling. “It might take a while to find someone available. And…” She hesitated, voice lowering. “I can’t visit the orphanage like this. I don't want the children to see me like this.”

  They turned into the central district. Stonework polished by generations of footsteps reflected warm lamplight. Merchants shouted, adventurers laughed, guards watched from armored shadows.

  Yet Kana barely saw any of it.

  Her mind kept circling one question—sharp, unsettling, impossible to ignore.

  What kind of monster could cut off the guildmaster’s arm?

  That man was no ordinary adventurer. His levels, his experience, his composure… Someone like him should be untouchable.

  Yet something—someone—had cut his left arm.

  I must level up more.

  …

  “Are you sure this is where Elle lives?” Boris asked, voice tight with doubt.

  Kana couldn’t blame him.

  The York mansion loomed behind the central cathedral like a silent guardian—holy, pristine, intimidating. Most civilians avoided this area entirely. The estate wasn’t just near the church. It looked as if someone had carved a piece of the cathedral itself and shaped it into a noble’s home.

  White stone walls. High, arched windows. A circular dome that mirrored the cathedral’s own. Even the hallways branching off the side resembled cloister paths meant for priests, not nobles.

  It didn’t feel like a home.

  It felt like a consecrated fortress.

  The man standing before the mansion’s entrance didn’t wear armor, but the white garb marked with a gold cross was unmistakable—church personnel. A guard disguised as holy presence.

  He raised a brow as the trio approached. “What are you doing here? This area is not for the public.”

  His gaze drifted to Kana’s wrapped arms. His tone softened—but only slightly.

  “If you need healing, go back and enter the cathedral. The church charges a small fee.”

  “We’re not here for church healing,” Suri said calmly. “We’re here to visit a friend. Elle York.”

  The man froze.

  “What?” His voice cracked as his eyes widened. “You—are you sure? You don’t look like nobles.”

  The trio glanced down at themselves.

  Mud on their boots. Dust on their clothes. Boris had a tear on his sleeve from the earlier commotion. Kana’s travel coat was still stained from the potion stall incident.

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  They looked… rough.

  Nothing like the polished nobility the York name commanded.

  Suri released a long, weary sigh. “Just tell her we’re here. You’ll understand when she hears our names. We’re from the academy.”

  The guard hesitated, torn between protocol and the sheer absurdity of what he’d been told. But the academy clearly meant something to him—his posture tightened, and caution flickered through his eyes.

  “I—very well. Wait here.” He hurried inside, steps echoing sharply against the marble-like floor.

  As soon as he disappeared into the mansion, Boris let out a shaky breath. “Do you think Elle will be mad we showed up without warning?”

  Kana smirked despite herself. “If she is, I’ll tell her it was your idea.”

  Boris’ face paled. “Don’t. She’ll actually believe that.”

  The moment stretched. The mansion remained utterly still, like a creature holding its breath.

  Suri’s voice dropped to a whisper. “The Yorks… They’re not just nobles. They’re tied to the church’s inner circle. I didn’t expect the security to feel this intense.”

  Kana nodded slowly.

  Something heavy hung in the air here. A pressure she couldn’t name, the kind that hinted at wards, sacred oaths, and secrets not meant for outsiders.

  And the York family was right in the middle of all of it.

  After a few moments, Elle York appeared at the gate—almost gliding rather than walking. She waved enthusiastically, her smile bright enough to make the church whites she wore seem even cleaner.

  Today she looked less like a student and more like someone carved out of holy light. Her silver hair shimmered under the sun, catching the air like threads of starlight, and the warm glow radiating from her made the guard straighten instinctively, as if angelic authority had stepped outside.

  “Good to see you here!” Elle excitedly shouted.

  Her eyes drifted to Kana’s wrapped forearms, and her smile softened into something between amusement and concern, “Looks like you went for another exciting adventure.”

  Kana exhaled heavily. “I don’t think this one counts as an exciting adventure.”

  “I know what you’re going to ask me,” Elle said, tilting her head playfully. “But I’m going to ask for a payment.”

  Kana’s mouth twisted. “How much is it?”

  Elle giggled—a silvery, bell-like sound that matched her hair, “Tell me your adventures.”

  “Not sure if it’s worth that much… But alright.”

  “Come in,” Elle said, stepping aside.

  Before they entered, Suri shot the guard a victorious smirk—as if saying I told you. The guard bowed awkwardly, suddenly unsure how to handle people the holy girl herself welcomed.

  Inside the estate, the atmosphere changed instantly.

  Warmth wrapped around Kana’s skin—a gentle, controlled warmth, like stepping into a sacred greenhouse. The fragrance of unknown flowers filled her lungs. Colors burst everywhere: petals of impossible blues, vines of shimmering gold, and trees bearing glowing bulbs instead of fruit.

  Kana slowed, eyes wide. “I didn’t know there’s a place like this.”

  “Most people don’t,” Elle said lightly. “My great-grandfather, my father, and the men before them were more obsessed with cultivating their plants than raising their children.”

  She said it with a smile, but something in the words hinted at loneliness beneath the divine radiance.

  Elle York led them to a small garden clearing—a table shaded beneath an arched trellis woven with star-shaped lilies. It felt like sitting inside a divine painting.

  As they took their seats, Elle gently took Kana’s injured arm, placing it atop the table as if handling delicate glass. She unwrapped the makeshift splints with silent care, revealing the bruised, swollen skin beneath.

  “Didn’t know someone could make you like this.” Then she placed one hand lightly over Kana’s forearm and whispered, “[Full Heal].”

  A warm yellow glow bloomed from Elle’s palm, spreading like liquid sunlight. The light wrapped Kana’s arms completely, sinking into her skin—heat without burning, pressure without pain. Kana felt the bone shift, align, knit. A strange sensation, halfway between relief and a shiver.

  When the glow faded, she flexed her hand cautiously.

  Then fully.

  Then made a tight fist.

  Kana’s eyes widened. “Good as new!”

  “That exhaust me more than I thought,” Elle said, wiping the sweat that beaded along her forehead. Despite her divine air, the exhaustion made her look suddenly human—soft, tired, almost fragile. “Now, tell me your adventures.”

  Kana nodded and began. She described the return to the Saltrain village using the [Teleportation Scroll], carefully telling details about the bandits, and deliberately omitting the twins whose unexplained prowess still haunted her thoughts. Boris and Suri chimed in, painting the broader strokes—dungeon raids, narrow escapes, and their shared goal: to get ready for the annual tournament.

  “Leo was with you?” Elle blinked in honest surprise. “I thought the duke was stricter than my father..”

  Boris puffed up immediately, launching into dramatically embellished retellings of their dungeon conquests: how he supposedly held the line against an army of monsters; how his spear shone with righteous fury when he charged the boss. Suri kept cutting in, brow twitching.

  “You just stood there,” she said flatly. “I did most of the work. [Lightning Bolt] wiped out half the dungeon.”

  “That’s—that’s not true,” Boris protested.

  “It is,” Suri deadpanned.

  Elle burst into laughter. A clear, ringing sound that felt too bright for this world. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes as Kana explained how she’d gotten the spell book.

  “I didn’t know someone would go and try to rob the thieves,” Elle said between laughs. “You really are something, Kana.”

  Kana rubbed the back of her neck, smiling despite herself. “It felt like a good idea at the time.”

  “Your adventures are very exciting.” Elle sighed wistfully, dabbing the corner of her eyes. “I wish I could go on adventures like that.”

  “You can come with us next time,” Boris said boldly. “Maybe after the year ends?”

  A quiet fell over Elle. She looked down at the table, fingers lightly brushing a petal that had fallen from one of the glowing flowers.

  “It doesn’t matter whether I want to or not.” Her voice softened, weighted. “My father and brother wouldn’t let me step foot outside the estate. The northern expedition was probably my last. The principal practically had to drag permission out of them.”

  Kana exchanged a glance with Suri. She could feel it now—the invisible walls built around Elle. Walls made not of stone, but lineage, and duty, and the expectations of a church that watched her too closely.

  They learned more as Elle spoke.

  Her father—a former warrior of the church.

  Her brother—one of the seven Archbishops.

  Elle herself—with her [Saint] class met the requirement as a future candidate for Pope.

  A life of purity, devotion… and confinement.

  Suri suddenly stood, fists clenched at her sides. “I don’t think anyone deserves to be in prison,” she said, voice sharper than usual. “I feel bad for you. Everyone deserves to be free.”

  Elle blinked, startled.

  But Suri’s expression changed—morphing into a sly, dangerous smirk.

  “I’ll tell you something,” she said, leaning in. “My [Doppelganger] skill…”

  A spark of mischief lit her eyes—wicked and brilliant.

  Kana surrendered. There’s no way I can stop her.