"You’re awake?"

Lea opened her eyes. As the haze of sleep gradually dissipated, she saw scenes shifting from unfamiliar to familiar in an instant, as though surging up from the depths of her memory.

The flickering candlelight, the colorful stained-glass windows, the serene statue of the goddess, and that figure bathed in soft, gentle light, rendered incomparably tender.

A saintly figure, sitting with a book in hand.

"Saint... Saintess Teacher!"

The lethargy brought on by her prolonged slumber instantly vanished. Lea sprang upright from the bed like a springboard. Perhaps because of her astonishment, her soft pink lips kept opening and closing, but the words that escaped were awkwardly clumsy:

"Why… Why are you here? Am… Am I dreaming?"

Instinctively, she touched her delicate cheeks, steeling herself as she gave them a firm pinch.

Ow.

It hurt.

Not a dream!

"The time for dreaming is long past."

The Saintess lifted her gaze from the book in her hands, looking at her long-unseen disciple, and said with a gentle smile:

"This is the church."

"The church…"

Lea blinked in mild confusion. "So…"

She had successfully made it to the Holy City?

But…

Lea lowered her head and looked at her own hands.

Her clean, small hands seemed to still carry the warmth of blood, along with the sensation of gripping a blade piercing flesh.

And awakening with her were the chaotic, terrifying memories that felt as if they had taken place just a moment ago.

The dark, dense forest.

The vicious pursuers.

The grueling battle.

Death.

Pain.

Screams.

And...

The despair brought by that horrifying Disaster.

Yet amidst these fragments of darkness, there was always a light—a warm, unwavering light that made those horrific memories seem less loathsome.

In fact, they felt like treasures she wished to keep forever.

That light was...

"Moen—right, where's Moen?! Where is he?"

Lea's wide, shimmering eyes suddenly filled with urgency as she scanned her surroundings in confusion.

Upon discovering that the familiar figure wasn't within her field of vision, the warm candlelight around her turned oppressively cold, crashing over her like a tidal wave. It nearly suffocated her.

The faint memory of the last scene remained clear in her mind: Moen throwing himself recklessly at that terrifying Disaster. Could it be…

"Don't worry, he's fine—even livelier than you are."

A soothing voice spoke. The candlelight brightened again, restoring its softness and warmth.

"R-Really?"

Lea let out a long sigh of relief, instinctively patting her ample chest. Then, as soon as she looked up, her eyes met those of the Saintess—a gaze filled with playful mischief.

"Oh my, the first thing you do after waking up isn’t catching up with the teacher you haven’t seen for years, but worrying about a man? Boo-hoo, how heartbreaking I would feel."

The Saintess dramatically wiped nonexistent tears from her face.

"N-No, it’s not that…"

Lea's cheeks flushed crimson in an instant, and she frantically waved her hands.

"It’s just because Moen has helped me so many times, and he was in such a terrifying situation, so I was worried about him, that’s all..."

"Really now? Are you sure you don’t have some ‘special thoughts’ about him?"

The Saintess blinked playfully, teasing further.

"I-I do not! Saintess Teacher, your thoughts are the weird ones, alright?!"

Lea puffed up her cheeks habitually but quickly realized such behavior might be unbecoming in front of her teacher. Hastily, she adjusted her demeanor, clenched her delicate hands into fists, and put on a resolute expression before declaring seriously:

"A-Anyway, my goal is to serve the goddess as a Saintess, so maintaining purity is a must. There’s no way I’d have those kinds of strange thoughts!"

"Purity?"

"Yes, purity!"

"Oh~ I see~"

A mysterious smile tugged at the corners of the Saintess's lips, growing deeper by the moment.

Her gaze lowered slightly as she turned a page in the book, the rustling sound extraordinarily crisp.

Hm?

The book?

The conspicuously loud page-turning sound drew Lea's attention, causing her to look at the book the Saintess had been flipping through.

Huh?

This book…

Why does it look… so familiar?

Almost as if...

As her gaze settled on the black cover of the book, where the faint silhouette of a curvaceous woman was etched, Lea's expression began to freeze step by step.

The blush that had just receded quickly spread across her entire face.

And perhaps it was just an illusion, but due to the apparent overheating of her brain, a wisp of steam even seemed to drift from the top of her head.

"T-That... Um... Saintess Teacher…"

"Yes?"

"That book…"

"Oh, you mean this?"

The Saintess held up the book so that Lea could see it more clearly, smiling as she said:

"I found it on you just now. I got curious, so I decided to take a look. You don’t mind, do you?"

"......"

The last shred of hope shattered entirely. Lea’s petite body began trembling violently.

Her soul seemed to sway helplessly within an infinite storm. Her eyes alternated between blankness and bewilderment, and finally, as she drowned in an indescribable chaos, a singular phrase floated to the forefront of her mind.

The words she had just spoken.

Purity.

Purity.

Pure...

Totally not pure.

"Waaaahhhhhh!"

Lea instantly cocooned herself tightly in her blankets, as though her embarrassing teenage diary had been discovered by her parents. She wished she could vanish from existence that very moment.

"Saint-Saint-Saint... Saintess Teacher—W-Why?!"

"Oh my, is this something people shouldn’t have seen?"

Feigning sudden realization, the Saintess lightly covered her mouth.

"But honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t expect that after a few years, Lea would become so bold. Tsk, tsk, you really have grown up."

"Waaaah! Sorry! I’m so sorry! Dear Goddess, Lea is no longer pure. Lea cannot serve you anymore! Waaaah…"

From within her blanket fort, the girl let out a despairing wail.

...

Minutes later, Lea finally calmed down. Pouting, she glared at the offending book that had been the source of her embarrassment.

Hmph.

It’s all thanks to that damn someone, urging her to pick out "spoils of war."

If she hadn’t stumbled upon this book, and if curiosity hadn’t gotten the better of her...

Ugh... She wanted to die so badly right now.

"There, there. I was just joking because I haven’t seen you in so long," the Saintess said with a warm smile while gently patting Lea’s head.

"The Goddess wouldn’t be upset over something like this—it's a common youthful curiosity. See, even I read it just now."

"Mm..."

Lea sniffled, wiping away the lingering tears in her eyes, and nodded lightly.

"Now then…"

Sitting upright, the Saintess faced her directly, her demeanor becoming serious.

"Lea Angel, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Saintess Teacher," replied Lea, straightening her posture like a diligent student answering her teacher in class.

"How have these years been for you?"

"They’ve been good."

"Have you grown?"

"...Yes." A moment of reflection.

"Have you become stronger?"

"...Yes." A brief hesitation.

"Made new friends?"

"Yes!" She answered without delay.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes—wait, no, no!"

Lea nearly walked right into the trap. Her flushed face puffed up indignantly.

"Saintess Teacher… Wh-What kind of questions are these?!"

"Oh my, so you don’t have one?"

The Saintess blinked in surprise. "I thought you and that Moen Campbell might’ve had something going on."

"We—We definitely don’t!"

Lea sulked, then earnestly added, "As I said earlier, we’re just ordinary friends."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely!"

"I see then. Perhaps I was mistaken."

"You were!"

Lea declared, pumping her little fists triumphantly.

"Well then... Lea."

"Hm?"

Lea froze slightly. Her keen instincts caught a subtle shift in her teacher’s tone.

"If there’s someone you like, you have to tell me right away."

The Saintess suddenly dropped all traces of playfulness. Leaning closer, she cupped the girl’s face with both hands.

In her crystal-clear eyes, an inexplicable glow radiated, one Lea couldn’t quite grasp or decipher.

"Before you…"

She gazed deeply into Lea’s eyes and whispered,

"Step onto a path… from which there is no return."