Chapter 124. The More One Seeks Seriousness, the Less One Can Be Serious

Due to the ongoing issues with her training, Noah did not appear before Clotilde for the next two days.

But that does not mean he was oblivious to the nun’s actions.

For these two days, as she herself claimed, the nun had yet to trigger the main quest, wandering about ‘grinding monsters’ instead.

According to the original tale, while she hadn’t immediately reported her defeat to the lustful demon to the church, she at least visited the church to advance the main storyline.

However, the current nun, feeling too shy to approach the church, had caused the main plot to stall.

In the original narrative, it was the church that provided her with information about the demon; without going there, she could hardly uncover any leads.

Thus, Noah’s plan was to compel this nun, who was avoiding the church, to confront it.

There’s nothing wrong with following the main storyline; if he were to directly inform the nun of the demon’s whereabouts without involving the church, the only villain to fall would be that lustful demon.

The internal antagonistic forces within the church would remain unscathed; even if the goddess permits her followers’ transgressions, Noah could never condone it.

Moreover, while he harbored no deep-seated grudge against Allen, he found the yellow-haired clergy within the church, who intended to lead the nun to her downfall, quite bothersome.

Of course, aside from keeping an eye on the nun’s movements, Noah had not forgotten about the princess.

However, things had been rather calm on the princess’s side since Allen’s demise; the now assertive and cunning princess was actively hunting down the hidden demon kin and oppressing the corrupt noble youths of the capital.

With the leader Allen gone, the remaining demons posed no real threat.

The nobles might stir up some trouble; seeing the smaller houses being purged, the mid to large nobles would inevitably band together in opposition.

And among her discordant siblings, three had yet to learn their lesson, while the eldest princess, Delia, still seemed intent on causing chaos, which would surely lead to more trouble in due time.

Yet, even with so many enemies, including those yellow-haired suitors drawn to her beauty, Noah did not see these as significant issues for the current princess.

Compared to the remnants of the demon kin, the noble alliance, and the royal siblings, these foes were but trifles.

—

Noah felt that, indeed, it was the bitter master Clyde who could most effectively make the princess ‘fail.’

Fortunately, these past two days had been relatively calm; Clyde hadn’t done anything particularly noteworthy, so Noah had chosen to let it be for the time being.

He had merely appeared before the princess occasionally, provoking her annoyance as usual before vanishing once more.

Then, on the afternoon of the third day, after two days of preparation and observation, Noah decided it was time to make his move on the nun once again.

“Hey, can’t deny it, this outfit doesn’t look so strange on me after all.”

Before setting off, Noah had taken the time to inspect his attire in the dilapidated temple.

The unexpected sense of incongruity wasn’t too strong, so he couldn’t help but strike a few poses in front of the mirror.

After repeatedly confirming that his outfit met the standards, Noah temporarily changed back into his regular clothes.

Rather than making a direct entrance, it was indeed better to wait until he was at the church to don this outfit.

“Hmm, I can hardly wait for the nun’s expression of disbelief that she can’t help but believe.”

Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, Noah’s face broke into a wicked grin filled with anticipation.

Meanwhile, unaware of the impending events, Clotilde was actively exterminating monsters in the wilderness between two cities.

“Vanish! You wicked creature! Holy Judgment!”

With her magic restored somewhat, the damage of her magical bullets had also increased.

After easily defeating the ugly goblin that had attempted to ambush her, Clotilde slowly lowered her magic gun, directing her gaze toward the distant city that was faintly visible.

It was one of the largest cities in the kingdom, known as the ‘Water City’ due to its numerous water-related facilities and the great river that divided it into two parts.

But for Clotilde, who was not a tourist, this was of little importance.

What mattered was that a city as large as Water City naturally had many churches; in addition to the common small and medium-sized chapels, there was even a grand cathedral where the regional bishop conducted his affairs.

If she were to go to that city, she would have to be more cautious than ever. If her colleagues discovered that she had been defeated by a lust demon and was cursed with a lewd mark, it would be no laughing matter.

There was no option to avoid it.

In a city as vast as Water City, gathering information would undoubtedly be more convenient.

Thus, Clotilde planned to head to Water City, while also clearing out monsters to restore her magic.

The monsters in this area had already been swept clean by her; the goblin she had just shot was merely a stray that had slipped through the cracks.

She despised monsters; if they were unseen, that was one thing, but if they were visible, they had to be exterminated.

This notion had only intensified after her defeat by that lust demon.

It couldn’t be said that when she killed the goblin, she didn’t vent her frustration toward that lust demon on the goblin itself.

After confirming once more that there were no suspicious monsters in her line of sight, especially along the sides of the road, Clotilde stowed her weapon and walked toward the gates of Water City.

As there was still some distance to cover, Clotilde couldn’t help but ponder her thoughts as she walked.

And with her thoughts came a growing darkness to her serene and gentle face, occasionally revealing a flash of anger.

Though it didn’t match the loathing she had felt toward the goblin moments ago, it was clear that she was wearing the expression one shows when confronted with something detestable.

—

Indeed, aside from the loathsome monsters, she had recently come to despise certain humans as well.

That self-centered fool—next time they met, she absolutely could not let him lead her around by the nose!

The image of Noah’s handsome yet infuriating face flashed in her mind, and the expression of the nun was filled with a mix of shame and anger.

She was usually perfect, yet in front of Noah, she could never maintain her composure.

This fact gnawed at her.

Especially that morning when Noah had clearly intended to spend the day with her, only to suddenly leave before they even reached the Adventurers’ Guild.

She had thought Noah would surely reappear, so all day long, the nun had been on edge, bracing herself for Noah to jump out and startle her.

She was on high alert for any place he might show up, and the most infuriating part was that Noah never appeared at all.

This made her feel rather foolish, and she harbored quite a bit of resentment.

Even in front of nobles, she could maintain her perfect nun facade, yet she always embarrassed herself in front of Noah, which was simply unacceptable.

Thus, she resolved that next time they met, no matter what Noah said, she would maintain her perfect nun demeanor—she absolutely could not allow him to look down on her again!

With this thought, the nun’s expression filled with determination, as if she were standing before the statue of the goddess in the grand cathedral, brimming with faith.

But little did the nun know, this water city was the true source of her suffering; there were many more situations where she would struggle to hold it together.

—