Chapter 123. That was close, almost raised my favorability

As she left the café, feeling quite satisfied, Clotilde’s resentment towards Noah had mostly dissipated.

Of course, this was excluding the resentment tied to the lustful markings.

The anger stemming from the markings was something she could never fully shake off.

The reason she acted as if she didn’t care was that Clotilde had no desire to dwell on the events surrounding the activation of the markings.

Just thinking about those unbearable memories made her feel utterly humiliated.

Not only did she harbor strong disdain for Noah, but she also felt a deep loathing for her past self during that time.

Thus, she chose to ignore the events of the markings’ activation entirely; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to maintain her composure.

One could say that as long as Noah didn’t bring up what happened during the markings, she wouldn’t explode.

“So, nun, what are you planning to do next?”

At that moment, Noah, stepping out of the café, asked Clotilde about her next move in a teasing tone.

Having just enjoyed something delicious, Clotilde didn’t find Noah bothersome. She turned to him and replied earnestly:

“Nothing particularly special, just the usual—searching for that damned lustful sorceress while figuring out how to quickly regain my lost magic.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

In response, Noah smiled and nodded, indicating he understood.

But that was where it ended; he had no intention of continuing the conversation.

This left Clotilde somewhat disappointed.

She had thought Noah was asking about her plans, perhaps wanting to take her somewhere.

So it was just a simple inquiry, was it?

“…Anyway, I plan to visit the Adventurers’ Guild first, to see if there are any issues only I can handle. Will you be joining me, Mr. Noah?”

Out of politeness, Clotilde asked casually.

“Why not? My observation of you, Miss Nun, is not yet complete, after all.”

To her surprise, Noah immediately nodded and followed.

It wasn’t a big deal, really; it was just Noah’s attitude that irked Clotilde.

Why couldn’t they just get along? He had to bring up such matters, didn’t he?

Forget it; getting angry with him was pointless. If she continued to tangle with him, she wouldn’t get anything done that day.

With that thought, Clotilde decided to temporarily tolerate some of Noah’s quirks, refraining from any emotionally charged remarks.

After agreeing to let Noah accompany her, the two made their way toward the Adventurers’ Guild within the city.

At first, there was no conversation between them.

To prevent Noah from suddenly vanishing from her sight again, Clotilde didn’t let him walk behind her this time; instead, they walked side by side, maintaining a distance.

However, after a long silence, the atmosphere felt inexplicably awkward.

Ultimately, it was Clotilde who broke the silence, taking the initiative to speak:

“…Mr. Noah, since you call yourself a human observer, you must be quite the wanderer. Don’t your family worry about you?”

It was a perfectly ordinary question, one a nun might ask.

Clotilde thought it was a fitting way to start a conversation.

“They don’t worry, for I have no family in this world.”

Noah’s casual remark left Clotilde feeling utterly unsettled.

Her face turned a shade more awkward than it had been during the silence.

“Uh, that’s truly a sad thing. I’m somewhat similar, actually. I grew up in an orphanage funded by the church, then went to a convent when I was older. I’ve only started acting independently in recent years. In a way, we’re a bit alike.”

To ease Noah’s discomfort, the nun shared a bit of her past, hoping to lighten the mood.

Seeing the nun’s awkward expression nearly made Noah laugh.

It wasn’t a topic that should be avoided; Noah simply had no family in this world.

But since he couldn’t explain it anyway, he had no intention of doing so. Instead, he spoke in a tone that suggested he had come to terms with his past:

“Hmm, perhaps. But Miss Nun, you don’t need to worry about me. Though I have no family, there are still a couple of people I care about.”

“Is it? Isn’t that a rather lovely thing~”

Upon hearing Noah’s words, the nun let out a quiet sigh of relief in her heart, her voice unconsciously lightening.

How wonderful, at least the atmosphere hasn’t turned more awkward.

“Indeed, it is so. But what about you, Miss Nun? Do you have someone you care about?”

Noah, who had been gazing ahead, immediately focused intently on the side of the nun’s face after posing the question, eager to see her reaction.

Someone she cares about?

Surely there must be someone.

Caught off guard by Noah’s unexpected question, the nun’s initial reaction was one of surprise, followed by a contemplative expression.

The first figure that sprang to her mind was, of course, the goddess of her faith. Though she had only seen a statue, to her, that was a magnificent being she deeply revered and cared for.

The second was the that had stripped her of her power and cursed her with a lewd mark; it was impossible for her not to care about that, right?

Right now, she wanted nothing more than to give that lewd demon a thorough beating, ideally ensuring that it would never be able to shiver in fear again.

As for other objects of her concern?

Ah… could it be that he wants to hear her say it’s him?

Heh, if that’s the case, then she simply wouldn’t answer him!

Thinking she had seen through Noah’s intentions, a hint of smugness appeared on the nun’s face.

With the thought of ‘let’s see how much I can tease Noah this time,’ she feigned nonchalance and said, “Well, there are indeed some, like the children from the village we visited yesterday. With those perverse adults, who can’t serve as role models and are led astray by the demons in their hearts, I truly care about whether those children can grow up well.”

As her words fell, the nun secretly glanced sideways, imagining she could see Noah’s dissatisfied expression, saying, “How disappointing, it’s not me after all.”

Then the nun was left dumbfounded.

Because Noah had vanished again.

He had been so close just moments ago, yet in the time it took her to ponder, he had disappeared!?

Excited, the nun quickly turned around, trying to spot Noah once more.

Fortunately, this time Noah hadn’t gone missing; he had merely stopped in his tracks.

“The objects of concern are, first, faith; second, revenge; and then, duty… OK, today’s observation record is complete. So, farewell, Miss Nun. I suddenly remembered I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you company.”

No, Noah hadn’t just stopped; he had flipped open a notebook, pretending to record observational data, and then simply abandoned Clotilde, the subject of his observation, turning to walk off in another direction.

It was easy to imagine that the nun must be furious at this moment.

After all, Noah had just acted as if he wanted to spend the entire day with her, only to suddenly leave now.

But there was nothing to be done, for Noah felt that continuing would only increase her fondness for him.

To avoid becoming the object of the nun’s affections, Noah decided to immediately do something annoying to thwart her bold thoughts.

That nun must have thought that after enjoying something delicious, her fondness for him had increased too much, leading her to believe Noah was hinting that he wanted to hear his name.

—

Honestly, this nun truly is a paragon of kindness.

She has so quickly forgotten that Noah is no saint himself.

It seems Noah must hasten his efforts to lead her into darkness.

Yes, it’s about time to start undermining her faith.

After all, shattering her beliefs is no simple task.

For now, let him assume the guise of a priest; the look on the nun’s face will surely be amusing.

Let’s just hope her divine goddess doesn’t mind this wicked god masquerading as a false priest!

……

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P.S. Apologies, dear readers, for the delay this time.

Three updates today, and more to come tomorrow.

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