On the other side, Haru began to pay attention to the class the nun was attending.

The professor was writing on the large board, topics about theology, purification, sacred rituals.

And in the lower corner of the board was a symbol drawn.

Haru froze, because he had already seen that symbol in Vandris’s diary. The symbol from the previous night he had studied.

He stood up without thinking.

"Excuse me, sir... sir... professor?" He didn’t know if that was the right term. "What is that symbol in the lower right corner of the board?"

Everyone turned to him.

"I... I wasn’t in the other classes, I was sick. I was kind of transferred from... from..."

The professor smiled, not a friendly smile, but a professional one. "Stay calm. I’ll explain... after you tell me exactly who you are."

He looked at Haru’s clothes, completely different from the Academy uniform everyone wore.

"Damn it..." Haru murmured.

He was politely expelled. "Please return when you have proper documentation."

And he stood there waiting for them to leave, without yet completely leaving the doorway, thinking about the symbol.

Moments later the bell rang.

A crowd of students in uniform began to emerge from the classrooms, chatting, laughing, running.

Haru scanned the murmurs and the growing crowd for the nun.

"Where... where?"

Until he saw her on the other side, walking quickly, clearly avoiding him.

He followed her.

She turned left in the corridor.

Haru followed, lost sight of her in the crowd, and suddenly spotted black hair in the distance, he sped up.

She veered into the outside garden.

Haru crossed as well, almost bumping into a group of students, quickly apologized, continued, and saw her entering an adjacent building.

He followed, climbed the stairs. Empty corridor. He had lost her completely.

He stood there, his head contorted in frustration. "Damn..."

He looked at the field ahead through the window, students practicing sports, some reading under trees.

The nun appeared before him.

Silent. She wanted to say something but didn’t. She kept averting her gaze, her hands nervously clutching her own clothes.

Finally: "Are you... h-hungry?"

Moments later they were in the field, in the wooded area.

The others were practicing sports in the distance. They sat there with the nun who, apparently, always ate lunch alone there, having brought a basket and a cloth for them to sit on.

She took out a sandwich and gave one to Haru. Another for herself.

Haru observed her.

She was clearly shy, didn’t look directly at him, ate slowly, with a reserved posture.

Then he relaxed and began to speak first: "My name is Haru Mizuki. Well, I wanted to talk to you about... about..."

He stopped. "Actually, I don’t want to talk to her. I want to know what it is about her that bothers the spirits..." he thought.

She broke the silence, "That symbol is called the Anchoring Circle. It’s used for consecration."

"Consecration?" Haru repeated, remembering Gandloaf saying that a consecrated forge was needed.

"Tell me more, if it’s not too much trouble."

She adjusted her posture, switching into shy teacher mode:

"Consecration... is giving something a fixed spiritual purpose."

"But isn’t that enchantment?" Haru asked, remembering the games she used to play; there was only enchantment there.

"No. Enchantment is... is..." she stammered, searching for words, "...giving something a magical functional effect."

She saw Haru’s face still looking like she "didn’t quite understand."

"He’s so... cute..." she thought before returning to reality, her face turning red.

She tried to simplify. "In simple terms... enchanting is a practical function. Consecrating is a spiritual function."

"A direct example:" she continued, gaining confidence as she taught.

"An enchanted sword has fire, cuts better, is faster. It’s better for fighting."

She paused.

"A consecrated sword cuts spirits, purifies corruption, cannot harm innocents depending on the rule. It’s only useful for interacting with the invisible."

Haru concluded aloud: "So... any mage can enchant, as long as they have skill, mana, technique, and knowledge. It’s like... programming an effect. Like ice upon touch."

"Yes!" She smiled, her first genuine smile. "Exactly!"

"And consecration?"

"It’s not just technique. It requires alignment, religion, necromancy, other traditions."

"Necromancy..." Haru repeated mentally, attentively.

"Deep intention. Sometimes authority, religious status, a pact with an entity, divine blessing."

Haru processed, "To enchant is... to install an application. To consecrate is... to change the operating system."

She continued, unaware that he had perfectly understood, "Enchantment can fail, it can end, it can be replaced, easily."

"Consecration is more stable. It changes the nature of the object. It’s harder to remove."

He paused, picking up his sandwich.

"An object can be enchanted multiple times. But consecrated... usually only once, because it already has a defined identity."

The nun stopped speaking when she noticed Haru staring at her with a strange look.

It wasn’t a normal look. It was... too intense.

[Hunter’s Eye: ACTIVATED]

[Processing target weaknesses...]

[Target: Unknown Nun]

[Analyzing...]

- Self-esteem

- Anxiety

- Never experienced real adventures

- Weak to corruption, Weak to the Light

- Unstable

- Hidden dual personality

...

[WARNING: This target is unstable]

[Approach with caution]

---

But he had something else that Hunter’s Eye showed, something Haru had never seen in anyone before.

A discreet floating number:

[Potential: 97%]

[Compatibility: MAXIMUM]

[Note: This is... unusual]

"97%... compatibility? What does that mean?"

"I... I have something..." she began nervously, seeing his gaze.

"It’s okay!" Haru interrupted, standing up quickly and deactivating Hunter’s Eye. "It’s just that I remembered I have to go home."

The nun also stood up, starting to pack the things in her basket.

"Buuuut~" Haru dramatized, "...I live in a wealthy neighborhood. I barely know the city. If someone could accompany me..."

"Oh! I know someone... Father Elias..."

Haru interrupted, "Buuuut~ it could be a nun I met recently..."

"Why is he talking like that...?" she thought, confused.

"Finally, you can come with me. Show me the city. Of course, if you want and have time."

Pause.

She looked at him, then at the ground, then at him again.

"I... I have time."

Moments later, Haru was outside the Cathedral waiting.

Footsteps behind him.

"Shall we go?" Her voice.

He turned and froze.

She had changed her clothes, still a nun’s habit, but a going-out version, less formal, lighter fabric, a defined waist showing curves that the normal habit completely hid, her black hair loose and falling over her shoulders instead of being tied up.

Beautiful in a way that accentuated her body in every aspect.

"Hehehe..." Haru thought with a mischievous inner smile, "...I’m going to clap a nun... hahahahaha..."

He offered his arm.

"Let’s go."

She hesitated, her face turning red, but she took his arm lightly and they began to walk through the streets of the Imperial Capital. The sun was setting, the city lighting up with magical lanterns, and Haru, with his fourth waifu on his arm, grinning like an idiot.

[TOUCH OF GODDESS: ACTIVATION...]

...Walking

"What’s your name?" Haru asked.

"Lilithine..." She answered softly. "Sister Lilithine."

"Lilithine." he repeated without the title. "Beautiful and Peculiar."

She blushed.

"So..." Haru stopped suddenly, "...have you ever been mischievous?"

"M-mischievous?" She blinked, confused.

"Like... slamming doors and running."

"WHAT!?" Her eyes widened. "That’s... is..."

"Fun." Haru smiled. "Come on."

He pulled her towards the Upscale Quarter before she could refuse.

They stopped in front of the enormous mansion with golden gates.

"I can’t," Lilithine began.

Haru had already knocked on the door three times.

"RUN!"

He grabbed her hand and ran off.

"WAIT!" She almost tripped. "SORRY!" she shouted back at the opening door.

Haru pulled her around the corner. "Don’t apologize, RUN!"

Butler came out confused, looking around.

They were hidden behind a parked carriage, Lilithine breathing heavily, hand on her chest.

"That... that was..." he tried to find words.

"Fun?" Haru offered.

She looked at him. Then he smiled, a small smile, but genuine. "...A little."

Second mansion. Third. Fourth.

Each time Lilithine apologized less and ran faster.

By Thursday she was already laughing, a low but genuine sound.

"I can’t believe I’m doing this!" she said between laughs, hiding with Haru behind the fountain.

"This isn’t a sin," Haru said seriously. "It’s living."

She looked at him differently. "You... are strange."

"Thank you."

"Now..." Haru stood up, "...I want to show you something."

He took her to Null Horizon.

They entered the guild; noise, adventurers drinking, missions being discussed.

Celia tensed up again with so many people.

"Relax," Haru said. "I’ll teach you how to make friends."

"Why is he doing this?" she thought.

They approached a table where three adventurers were playing cards.

"Hi!" Haru said casually. "Can I sit down?"

They looked at him, then at the nun, shrugged. "Sure."

Haru sat down and pulled out a chair for Lilithine. "My name is Haru. This is Lilithine. She’s a great teacher, she knows everything about consecration and theology."

"Really?" One of the adventurers, a warrior with a scar, looked interested. "I was trying to consecrate my sword but it’s not working."

Lilithine blinked in surprise. "Ah... you need... alignment first. Without deep intention, the ritual fails..."

She began to teach, her shyness disappearing as she spoke about what she knew.

Haru smiled, observing.

"She just needs space to shine..."

Half an hour later, Lilithine was chatting naturally with the group, explaining rituals, laughing at a joke the archer told.

Haru discreetly got up and went to the counter.

"How much do I still owe?" he asked the attendant.

She checked. "The fine? 60 silver remaining."

"Can I pay later?"

"Technically you’re already in debt..."

Haru sighed. "A little more won’t kill you." They left the guild when it was already late.

"Thank you..." Lilithine said. "I never... people at the Cathedral don’t talk to me much."

"Why?"

"I have... something wrong." She looked away. "People..."

"Nah! Sometimes it’s not about you... your biggest enemy is yourself, only yourself." Haru remembered what Hunter’s Eye showed, dual nature, instability. "Everyone has something wrong." He said, taking her by surprise. "You just... need to find someone who will accept it."

They stopped at a street vendor selling magical ice cream, frozen with ice crystals.

"Want some?" Lilithine offered.

"I... have never eaten..."

"Never!?" She bought two.

They sat on a park bench eating.

"About today..." Haru began, "...what did you think?"

"It was... different." She licked the ice cream shyly. "Well, different."

"We can do it again." She looked at him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Being..."

Haru thought. "Because you seem to need it."

Comfortable silence.

"I like teaching." She said suddenly. "It’s when I feel... like myself."

"Then teach more." Haru smiled. "There are people who need to learn."

It was already night when they approached the Cathedral.

"Thank you for the... date?" Lilithine said, uncertain of the term.

"It was fun."

She smiled genuinely. "It was."

Haru looked at the high wall of the Cathedral. "Shortcut?"

"NO!" She realized too late. "You can’t jump the wall! That attracts the security..."

Haru had already channeled mana into her legs and jumped with it on her back, landing on top of the wall.

"So fast!!!" she thought without realizing it as she climbed onto the back

"INVADER!" Guards shouted from the towers.