Perry froze in shock.

"You guessed right," Shel said, boredom creeping into his voice. "Councilor Perry, you noticed how much Hilna listens to me. You wanted to lure me to the City of Glory, hoping she’d follow too, didn’t you?"

"Uh… yes…" Caught red-handed, Perry flushed with embarrassment. After a pause, he dropped the pretense:

"Mr. Shel, I see how deeply Hilna relies on you. I won’t deny it—if the Holy See recognizes her talent, my recommendation would earn me their favor. There *are* power-hungry factions within the Church who manipulate promising youths for their own gain. But they’re the minority!

"True leaders like His Holiness the Pope, Sword Saint Monroe, Her Holiness the Abbess—they’re utterly selfless. Trustworthy to the core.

"With Hilna’s age and high-tier magical aptitude, she’d receive extraordinary attention! Under the protection of such figures, her path would be smooth and safe.

"And I meant what I said about you, Mr. Shel. Your combat skills are astonishing. As a foreigner, you’ve earned a nation’s trust at such a young age. Mastery of languages, basic magic—you’re a true polymath. You’d thrive in the City of Glory.

"Even your outburst the other day—beating my comrade when you lost control—it proved how fiercely you protect your students. The Continent’s finest therapists in Glory could cure that emotional volatility!"

He leaned forward, voice urgent. "You’re barely twenty! Will you really waste your life in this remote corner of Ipoli? Let your magic rot helping farmers harvest wheat or entertaining at weddings? Watch opportunities vanish while you grow old, drowning in regret?"

Shel shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested. Ipoli isn’t a backwater to me. Using magic to help its people isn’t beneath me. They’ve been kind. I’m content here. I won’t regret a life without glory."

"...I see." Perry gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I don’t understand you. My greatest dream is climbing the ranks. Becoming Captain of the Holy Knights—making my parents, wife, and daughter proud.

"That’s why I take these grueling missions. Why I left Glory for this desolate Great Darksend. Every hardship earns merit. Every step forward. I can’t fathom refusing such a chance when it’s handed to you."

"Perhaps your family would rather have you home," Shel replied gently. "Chasing promotions isn’t worth missing their lives."

Their words clashed like mismatched gears. Silence swallowed the chapel once more.

Unseen, a third listener pressed against the outer wall—Hilna, who’d followed Shel and hidden using her magic’s affinity with nature. Even Shel hadn’t sensed her.

Through the stone, she absorbed every word from the Holy Knight. Doubts began to gnaw at her.

*Is my talent truly that exceptional? Is Ipoli stifling for Teacher Charles? This Perry values him so highly… Can someone so capable truly be content here, as a village teacher?*

She’d never understood Lofna’s strange insecurities before. Now, she felt it too—a fear of inadequacy, of burdening those she loved, of watching them fade away.

*Why did I refuse the Holy See? Because I feared being alone. Losing familiar faces. Friends. Family. Teacher.*

*But if Teacher Charles came with me… would the unknown still be so terrifying?*

*Oh—and his condition. That rage he showed… It was frightening. Glory has the best healers. Maybe he’d be gentle again. Always.*

*The City of Glory… holiest place on the Continent. How could anyone claim no interest?*

*Grand cathedrals. Gleaming streets. Wonders from distant lands…*

*If I studied at its ancient Magic Academy, could I become someone truly great?*

*Most of all—if we were strangers in a foreign land, with only each other…*

She slipped away on silent feet.

After wandering the snow long enough for her thoughts to settle, she returned to Shel’s cottage. Lofna stood at the door, practicing slashes with her Alchemical Dagger.

The slap from Talia that had knocked her unconscious still burned in her memory. She’d failed to protect her teacher. Humiliation fueled her relentless training. *Never again.*

Watching her sister’s fierce dedication, the blade flashing in the pale light, Hilna’s resolve hardened. Excuses and desires tangled in her mind until a decision crystallized.

When Shel finally returned and opened the door, Hilna stood ready.

"Teacher Charles," she said firmly, "I’ve made up my mind. I want to go to the City of Glory—with you."

"You changed your mind?" Shel’s surprise was cut short.

History pivoted again.

*Ding——*

Before he could ask why, the System’s voice chimed in his mind—the third time in nine years.

"Shel! A pivotal moment! The future Empress’s fate hangs in the balance! You’re the one she trusts most. Stay and guide her? Or let her grow alone? Her love for you won’t waver. She *will* become Empress. But her path… may twist unpredictably. Choose wisely."

Shel stood frozen.

"Teacher?" Hilna frowned at his rigid face. "Aren’t you happy?"

"No, it’s just…" He sank slowly into his chair. "...This decision needs time. I must think."

---

Now, in a Lofanania inn, Shel watched Nameless listen intently to his story. Bitterness coated his tongue as he recalled Hilna’s choice that day.

*Back then, I didn’t see the trap in the System’s words. I thought only of Hilna—the "destined Empress." I never considered the other child who loved me just as fiercely.*

"I couldn’t understand why Hilna suddenly changed her mind. She insisted Glory held limitless possibilities. She refused to waste her talent in Ipoli. She craved greatness, real horizons. She wouldn’t let this chance slip away.

"And she begged me to come. Said she wouldn’t be afraid if I was there.

"Conflicted, I tried to read her fate. But the future was blank. Not a single omen.

"As if the Heavenly Father had veiled our paths, forcing me to choose with reason alone.

"After long deliberation… I agreed.

"I spoke with her parents. Negotiated endlessly with Perry… In the end, Hilna left for the City of Glory. Her story began there."

Nameless nodded slowly. "I recall the histories. Saint Hilna, founding Empress of the Western Ipoli Empire—the only ruler to hold both divine and secular authority. So… with your help, she rose high in the Holy See?"

"Yes. She nearly became Pope."

"Then… what went wrong?"

"Because I left Lofna behind," Shel said quietly. "I made her stay in Ipoli."