## Chapter 1163 – Confrontation

“…An interesting ideology.”

Kardia seemed momentarily taken aback by Claudie’s words. She had said something similar before, but Claudie was engaging so actively, which felt peculiar.

Claudie’s ideology was a bit different from the norm.

“Hehe, Claudie. Don’t say things like that too much. Ah, let’s eat first. This place seems nice.”
“Ah, yes. Let’s.”

Anyway, the food arrived, and we started cutting the meat and filling our stomachs.

It was a better place than I thought.

These days, so-called “high-end cuisine” is all the rage, with tiny, shitty portions made with god-knows-what, but the essence of high-end cuisine is professional-grade meat dishes that actually fill you up.

In the first place, “high-end” doesn’t necessarily mean delicious; it just means it’s hard to get, so it gets a high-end label. Price and taste aren’t always proportional.

Anyway, as the food and drinks started flowing, the real conversation began. You could say it was a more in-depth version of the introductions we made earlier, with talk about our work and professions.

How’s work? Anything difficult?

We talked about things like that, and then about the enemies we had fought, and so on.

“You’ve walked a truly great path. Deeds worthy of being praised as heroic achievements. I thank you once again.”

Kardia expressed her gratitude formally after hearing the combat stories. Maybe it was being acknowledged by a Saintess, but everyone seemed a bit embarrassed.

“Listening to these war stories makes me think I should show you something too.”
“Oh? Is there something you can show us?”

Kardia chuckled at Claudie’s question.

“The best thing a Saintess can show is, of course, divine power. As a memento, I’ll demonstrate the manifestation of divine power…”

As she said that, Kardia raised her hand. Oh, shit! No! If Kardia shows her divine power now, Hilde is screwed!

“Ah! Kardia!”

Wilderness Blood Jade Hand.

With reflexes befitting a superhuman, I precisely drew out the Wilderness Blood Jade Hand and gently grabbed Kardia’s wrist. This was something I didn’t even need to panic about. Grabbing her wrist perfectly blocked her casting.

And then, I gently lowered the hand I was holding.

“Oh? What’s wrong?”

Kardia, finally noticing her wrist being held, looked at me and asked. She seemed slightly flustered. Ah, shit, what should I say? No matter what, I have to prevent her from directly showing her divine power.

Damn it…!

I never expected this kind of ambush!

I should have ingrained in my mind not only the possibility of my identity being exposed but also the situation of her showing her divine power!

I was careless because it was Kardia!

“No, it’s just that your wrist is beautiful.”
“Ha, you’re saying things like that all of a sudden.”

An appropriate but obvious compliment.

Kardia cleared her throat once and lowered her hand. I’m not kidding, I have to prevent her from directly showing her divine power no matter what…!

And naturally!

“Anyway, Kardia uses divine power very well. I haven’t really had a chance to use it since I don’t get hurt much, but are you the best in the Order?”
“If you’re asking if I’m the best, I’d say I’m about the same level as the Pope. I didn’t win this position through gambling.”

Exclamations of admiration erupted at her confident words.

“Oh.”
“Indeed… a Saintess is a Saintess. Amazing as expected.”

Good. I need to naturally guide the conversation like this and erase the thought of directly showing her divine power from her mind.

“So, about that Saintess’s divine power…”

That was the moment.

ㅡClasp.

I had no choice but to grab Kardia’s wrist once again.

“…!”

In that instant, Risha, who was in my field of vision, flinched slightly with a smile still on her face. She was smiling, but I could tell she was panicking inside… It seemed like Risha hadn’t anticipated this situation either! What a pushover!

Just as Kardia was about to say something to me again.

“Ah, Kardia-nim!”

Hilde shouted.

“What is it?”

Kardia withdrew her hand at Hilde’s words.

“So!”

Hilde was pretending to be nonchalant, but I could tell. Her pupils were subtly trembling, so she must have been startled by what just happened.

“Wh-what do you usually do! What kind of work do you do!”
“Yes! I’m curious about that too. I’m curious about the daily life of a Saintess. It feels like such a distant profession.”

Liztina added the right interjections to Hilde’s ad-lib! It seemed like Liztina had also realized the thing about divine power!

My sister is the best!

“Daily life, huh. I spend most of my day doing paperwork. The time I spend praying and solidifying the teachings… honestly, it’s not that much. In the end, the work of a high-ranking official is administrative work like that.”
“Ah! I guess that’s true too! I had this image of a Saintess spending all day cultivating her faith. I was wrong. Hehe.”
“Hmph, that’s closer to the life of a Holy Knight.”

But seeing a succubus and a Saintess talking like that only made me feel uneasy.

Before Kardia could say anything, I gave Karin a look. A look that meant, please say something.

“…”

Karin, looking at my eyes, took a sip of her drink and opened her mouth.

“Ah, but I’m curious about something. How can you increase that divine power? I kind of understand how it’s similar to mana, but I don’t really know the exact principle.”

Nice.

She unleashed a very good question.

Karin smiled slightly as she looked at me.
Moreover, Hilde and Risha looked relieved.

“Ah, divine power, you mean.”

Fortunately, the reaction was good.

“Indeed. Divine power is similar to mana, but it’s a completely different energy source. The uses and direction are all different. Mages create a mana circuit in their hearts, and warriors accumulate mana throughout their bodies, right? If I had to classify it, divine power is similar to the latter.”

Good.

It transitioned very naturally.

If I continue the conversation like this, I can completely erase the thought of showing her divine power from her mind.

“You live while holding onto the divine power imbued in your body with faith and mental strength. Unlike mana, which stays in your body once you accumulate it, divine power can suddenly disappear at any moment. That’s why the teachings are important.”
“Hoo… Does that mean your divine power decreases if you violate the teachings?”

Karin asked with a rather interested tone. Yeah. As expected of Karin. Since we’re both Kars, there must be something we have in common. I’ve been convinced of that from the start.

“No. It’s not like it decreases if you violate the teachings a little… No, that’s not it either. To be honest, it’s unknown. The standard isn’t absolute.”

A standard that isn’t absolute.

“Because what we serve is God. Can we define God from a human perspective? So there is no absolute standard. Everything is ambiguous.”

It was a clear explanation that only a Saintess could give.

“Nevertheless, the religion of the modern era has developed and developed further. We have directly found and established the teachings in the sea of ambiguity. Well, to answer your question, it can generally be said that following the teachings is good for divine power.”
“Hmm… It’s kind of difficult.”

Karin seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before saying that.

“Are you interested in theology? I’ll give you an introductory book.”
“No. It’s okay. I don’t need that much.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame. I was hoping you’d join the Brass Celestial Choir.”
“Hehehe, Kardia. Do you want to recruit her as a follower?”
“It’s always a good thing to have more followers.”

That’s true.

“Um… but Kardia Unnie. What exactly are the effects of divine power?”

Winia’s question.

“Divine power is the power of God. It’s not inferior to mana. It strengthens the body, and has great effects on health, lifespan, and beauty.”
“Strengthening the body, huh.”

Divine power also strengthens the body in a similar way to mana.

“Ah, but you don’t look like a professional warrior.”
“Of course, I’m not a professional warrior.”

Kardia nodded at Liztina’s words.

“My body is stronger than that of an average person, but the only thing I’ve learned about combat is the basic combat training I received during my time as a nun. I’m just working out to maintain my figure.”

Figure, huh.

“Nuns receive basic combat training?”
“It’s a natural thing. There may be times when nuns have to fight. Of course, not many nuns go into professional combat fields.”
“Not many, huh… Come to think of it, almost all the Holy Knights were men, right?”

As expected of Liztina, she skillfully continued the conversation.

In that way, we ate and talked. It wasn’t a very long time, but we asked a lot of questions, so we must have learned a lot about each other.

“Ah… it’s already this late.”

Still, time passed quickly.

Kardia had made time today, but she couldn’t clear her entire day. It was almost time to wrap things up, and we got up from our seats.

“Today was a very enjoyable day. I’ve been wanting to see you all for a long time, and seeing you all like this makes me feel much better. I’ll express my gratitude one last time.”
“Hehe, it’s nothing. No need for thanks. And I’ve been wanting to see you too.”

We got up from our seats and exchanged farewell greetings.

“Do you have to go to work now?”
“I’m very busy, you see.”
“Good luck, Kardia.”

I stroked the back of Kardia’s neck.

“More than that, your outfit was very nice today.”
“Your compliment is late, Paladin.”
“Anyway, we’re going back now… It’s not that far from here. Wait here for a moment. I’ll see Kardia off.”
“There’s no need to…”
“It’s right in front of us.”

They sat back down, and I went outside with Kardia. Let’s quickly see her off and go back together.

“Hoo. It’s really unimaginable, Paladin. You’re just living surrounded by beauties, aren’t you?”
“You heard. That’s the hero Kim Kat. Maybe it’s only natural.”
“Your self-assertion is excessive. Still, I appreciate you coming to see me off like this.”
“We all came to see you, so I can’t just send you off alone.”

How could I just send her off like that?

“Anyway, it was a refreshing day. Yes. In the end, confirming each other’s faces is the most important thing. But… does Claudie want more women?”
“You’re sharp. Did you notice?”
“Control yourself.”
“I’ll do that even if you don’t tell me to.”

Kardia looked at my face for a moment, but didn’t say anything in particular.

“Ah. But.”
“Hmm?”
“I couldn’t show you my divine power.”

Oops.

“I’m very sorry about that. Tell them that I’ll definitely show them next time we meet. Somehow, I couldn’t show them.”
“Uh… I will.”

Was she worried about that?
That was dangerous.

Before long, we arrived at Kardia’s house. Now she will change her clothes inside and go back to the Great Temple. I said goodbye to Kardia and ran back to the restaurant.

* * *

We came outside with them like that.

“Haa… I was scared shitless.”
“Me too. I almost screamed when I realized it.”

Risha and Liztina seemed very surprised.
They said they were uneasy even while talking earlier.

“Really, I was so anxious. I feel like it was really careless of me not to think about this.”

Risha said, stroking her chest.

“Hehehe, me too. Wow. I really didn’t think about that.”
“Are you laughing? You real darkie. Of course, I didn’t think about it either, but you should have thought about that. Hilde almost got screwed.”
“That’s right. Sorry, Hilde.”

I stroked Hilde’s head and said.

“I really thought I was going to be burned by divine power…! But I survived thanks to my quick reflexes!”
“I was scared to death too.”

Hilde clung to my arm and screamed.

“Hehehe, but it was good to see you. Should we be more careful next time? I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t think about it either.”

It seemed like Claudie hadn’t thought about it either.

“You should. But she really seemed sorry that she couldn’t show her divine power.”
“Big trouble!!!”

It’s poison to Hilde, really.

“But well. She was definitely a strong woman. Not in a combative way, but in a different way.”
“That’s right.”

Karin and Liztina seemed to have felt similar impressions.

“She is a strong woman.”

I like strong women.

“Hmm… but I didn’t talk much. Would they think it’s strange?”

She said that while we were talking.

“No. Well. I wouldn’t think it’s strange. It could happen.”
“I hope so.”

It seems like Ari’s sociability isn’t very good. Actually, it’s not necessary. As long as she can talk to people other than us, it’s fine.

Anyway, we went back home.

* * *

While we were living at home, it was already full-fledged winter.

In the meantime, I occasionally visited the prison and focused on personal training. The extraction of the sap was not yet complete. Similarly, figuring out how to use the crystal was also a distant prospect.

Anyway, I’m currently spending time just waiting for the complete extraction of the sap, and Risha says it’s almost done. Then it’ll be soon.

The elixir made by squeezing the heart of Coltrahen was incredibly effective.

I am clearly tasting the rise in power, and Winia was also happy, saying that her mana had increased significantly. Hilde says she’s going to be the strongest succubus now, but she’s not yet at the point where she can invade my dreams.

Karin and Liztina were happy, saying that their output had increased.

In this situation, if I eat the sap of the World Tree, I could kill all those archdemons, those bastards, without lying.

“It’s going very smoothly, Paladin-nim.”
“Excellent. Keep up the good work, Warden Jabong.”

Looking at the ledger, the prison operation was going reasonably well.

The prisoners I sent last time had also arrived safely and were doing harsh labor, so a great sense of satisfaction filled my heart and made me very pleased. I am now a man full of justice and morality.

The warden seemed to be very satisfied with the supply of prisoners.

Whatever the case, it’s a way to increase income.

Well, I also made sure to collect the accumulated money. As expected of running a factory from scratch, a considerable amount of money had accumulated.

Sitting still and making money like this is happiness itself.

“Happiness, huh.”

The murderous robbers and bandits who committed terrible atrocities are now becoming my happiness by performing rehabilitation labor in this prison. It felt so beautiful and mysterious, and it was so touching.

Just.

Somehow.

“Ah.”

The snowy winter felt warm.

“Warden Jabong.”

A warm winter.

Even the most evil people would not hesitate to wish for it.

Should I show some mercy today?

“How do you solve the heating problem for the prisoners in winter?”
“Heating, you say? We provide basic gloves and shoes because they can’t work if they get frostbite, but we don’t really do any heating.”

Yeah. There’s no way they’d provide heating in a prison.

“Then we should provide heating.”
“Yes? He-heating, you say?”
“That’s right.”

Prisoners should also spend the winter warmly.

“There are 20 prisoners living in each prison room now, right?”
“That’s right.”
“For the winter only, increase that number to 30.”
“30, you say?”

The current capacity of the prison room is 20 people.

We’re increasing that to 30 people.

“It’ll be a bit cramped, but if 30 people are huddled together, they can spend the winter very warmly. Still, we should provide some heating in winter, right? If we improve the welfare of the prisoners like this, it will surely encourage their work ethic.”

I saw with my own eyes that the room was incredibly cramped. Even with only 20 people, there’s no room to step, but if you cram 30 people in there, the heating will be guaranteed.

It will be a warm winter.

It’ll be a bit stuffy, but it’s better than freezing to death.

“It’s troublesome if the prisoners freeze to death… Hehehe.”

I’m also a man who knows a thing or two about welfare.
It’s okay to show this much mercy.

“Hmm… I understand. I don’t know very well, but you mean I should fill the room with 30 people. But depending on the circumstances, I may not be able to fill it with 30 people and it may be around 28 or 26… Is it okay to implement that part according to my discretion?”
“Do so.”

With those words, I took the report and the money and left the prison.

The prisoners who are spending a warm winter for the first time in their lives will praise my name. That was fusion Confucianism.