"It really is you, Lea."

In the warm glow of the sacred light, Moen sighed softly.

The world was truly peculiar.

Take the past two days, for example. In this brief span of time, he had faced the most terrifying existence in this world, yet also experienced the most beautiful and unforgettable moments of his life.

He had met the most esteemed ruler of the country, only to be assassinated by someone unknown later that evening.

And then there was this—

The girl before him, destined to become the Saintess of the Life Church, admired by countless believers and with a status surpassing even that of a duke's son—who also happened to be the childhood friend most intimately connected with the story's true destined protagonist.

Yet here she was, performing music at a small restaurant in the Lower City District... to make a living?

And as fate would have it, it was he—the “lowly blond villain”—who stumbled upon her doing so?

Damn it, he could almost feel his instincts kicking in, and it seemed like the sentence, "Lea, you wouldn't want Ariel to know you're doing this behind her back, now would you?" was on the verge of escaping his lips.

---

"I... I'm not Lea!"

The "musician lady" stubbornly retorted with visible defiance:

"Who's Lea? I have no idea who you're talking about! You've got the wrong person!"

"Is that so?"

Moen said no more, merely fixing his steady gaze upon her.

He looked at her.

Despite the fog separating them, Moen could neither clearly see her face nor meet her eyes. Yet somehow, the girl seemed to develop an acute case of social anxiety out of the blue; her delicate body quivered intensely.

She trembled, and then trembled some more, even more than she had when she’d first seen Moen. Her trembling hands, channeling holy light, almost ended up sticking into Moen's nostrils.

"Lea..."

Moen sighed again, gently guiding her hands back to rest on his chest before her movements grew inappropriate.

"There’s no way the world operates on so many coincidences. You might as well start coming to terms with reality."

"Ugh..."

Lea sniffled forcefully, giving up on her resistance and letting out a pitiful whimper:

"Why... Why is this happening? I’ve been so careful! I picked a place so far away from the academy, disguised myself carefully... Why did I still run into someone I know? Why am I getting revealed anyway?"

The mist enveloping her face dispersed, revealing a pure and adorable visage.

Her reddened eyes brimmed with vulnerability, evoking tenderness and pity.

"Perhaps it's because you're too kind. Even knowing you might expose yourself, you still chose to intervene in that moment."

Moen chuckled briefly, then sobered up, fixing his gaze on the girl's eyes as he solemnly said:

"Now that it's proper for us to talk, Lea, let me express my gratitude. Thank you for saving me earlier."

"Saving you? Even without me intervening earlier, you surely would've had a way to handle the situation."

Lea pouted, her watery eyes sweeping over Moen's fairly recovered chest:

"And your injury—there was nothing serious about it. Using holy light on it was a complete waste. Give me back my holy light!"

"This..."

Moen looked undeniably embarrassed, awkwardly scratching his head and stammering:

"I was about to say that earlier, but you acted too quickly. That’s hardly my fault, now is it?"

"Hmph! Ariel was right, you're nothing but trouble!"

Lea shot Moen a fierce glare, even raising her petit fist to punch his chest.

But the girl, with her misty eyes, puffed cheeks, and exasperated demeanor, was anything but intimidating. Instead, she looked irresistibly charming.

And her seemingly angry punch carried no real strength, delivering instead a pleasant sensation to Moen's chest.

"Ugh..."

Watching Moen's expression of undeniable enjoyment, Lea abruptly realized how their interaction might appear to the outsiders—far too intimate. She yanked her hand back as though struck by lightning, her delicate face blossoming red like a ripe peach. She lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with Moen entirely.

Moen was nearly overwhelmed by the cuteness.

"Ahem, well, Lea..."

Quickly suppressing his emotions, Moen adopted a feigned air of seriousness as he gazed at the girl before him and asked:

"Though it may seem nosy of me, as your classmate, I have to ask just in case—

Why are you here at this particular time?"

Though Moen currently looked as though he was aimlessly wandering the city, in reality, Santa Maria College should still be conducting regular classes right now.

Especially given the recent lockdown across Belland, the academy had reopened its first layer of the Grand Seal for added security.

Typically, except for those like Celicia who held special privileges, ordinary students would be unable to freely leave the academy.

Lea couldn’t possibly have been "kicked" out of the academy by Teacher Mela just like how Moen got out of there.

"Ugh..."

Lea peeked hesitantly at Moen, then buried her head even lower:

"I... I can tell you, but you... you have to promise not to report me to the academy. And you can't share what I’m about to tell you with anyone else from the academy."

"Of course."

Moen displayed an upright smile. "You can rest assured—I would never do something as underhanded as using someone's troubles to threaten them."

"Really?"

"As genuine as pearls."

"Swear it to the Goddess."

"I swear to the Great Goddess of Life."

Moen extended four fingers, his stance solemn:

"I will absolutely keep Lea's words confidential. Should I fail, let me die by a woodcutter's axe."

Relieved by his promise, Lea exhaled softly and murmured almost inaudibly:

"I... I came out through a secret passage that Ariel discovered."

"A secret passage?"

Under the Grand Seal, where could such a thing exist?

Though initially stunned, realization quickly dawned on Moen.

The "secret passage" Lea mentioned likely wasn’t an actual hidden tunnel.

Rather, it was likely the concealed pathway Ariel's spiritual teacher had opened, exploiting the flaw in the first layer of the Grand Seal.

After all, the first layer of the Grand Seal was merely a derivative of the Clock of Eternity—a secondary layer that didn’t even count as the perimeter. It was only natural it would have flaws.

For someone in spirit form to identify and exploit those flaws, though, spoke volumes about Ariel’s teacher’s extraordinary ability.

Of course, Ariel was the protagonist, destined to overcome obstacles. If she couldn’t leave the academy, she wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything—or be the protagonist at all.

"As for why I’m here..."

Lea seemed ready to bury her head altogether, stammering intermittently:

"For... For... For money."

"Money?"

Moen blinked in disbelief.

Recalling certain actions of hers earlier, he blurted out, "Are you short of money?"

"Ugh..."

Lea didn’t respond.

But Moen noticed that not only her face but even her neck had turned red.

The answer was obvious. She was playing music here as a way to earn money.

But Moen couldn’t help being bewildered. Why would Lea be in need of money?

Although she was currently undergoing her so-called trials for the mortal, her identity was still that of a noble’s daughter. She should not, under any circumstances, be facing financial issues.

Moreover, in the original story, there was no mention of her being so desperate for money that she needed to earn it herself.

Unless...

A thought suddenly came to Moen. Looking at Lea, he abruptly realized.

"Lea, is your lack of money... because of Ariel?"

"Ugh..."

Lea let out another soft whimper.

She neither confirmed nor denied it.

"So that’s it... It really is because of Ariel."

Moen leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling’s softly glowing stones while twisting his lips into an unusual smile. The more he marveled at the absurdities of the world, the more bizarre it seemed to grow.

—The fabled protagonist destined for greatness, the overlord girl herself, was once again short on money?