Chapter 41: Ch 41: Can’t take the Saintess away

’Fuck, this really hurts. Why did I have to run out of runes at the last second? I had to take a huge risk because of this.’

Kael’s whole body hurt because he had been stabbed. But he was not in any danger of dying because of his internal magic.

Every magician had an internal supply of magic that only acted when their life was in danger. And Kael had especially strong magic that saved his life again and again.

So, as long as he did not incur injuries that stopped his innate magic (like the ones he sustained before he died), he would be able to survive almost anything.

[You saved target Seraphina Vale’s life.]

[Affection +10]

[Trust +20]

[You have reached a milestone by crossing 50 trust with your target. You can now influence their actions with your words.]

’This reward is useless. I am pretty sure I could do that already.’

Kael realized he was getting angry and moving around because of it. But moving hurt like a bitch, so he tried his best to calm down.

The fight around him must be coming to an end because people had stopped shouting. This meant that now was the time for him to open his eyes.

’I should reassure them that I am not dead. I also need to instruct someone to bring me a potion and-’

A bright light filled the area. It was so intense that he could even sense it with his eyes closed.

The pain in his body started to lessen until he could not feel it anymore. And that made him open his eyes, only to be blinded by a bright glowing figure in front of him.

’What the hell is this? Heaven? No, I don’t think I died. I can still sense mana around me.’

Kael groaned as the glowing figure holding him helped him back onto his feet.

Nothing in him hurt anymore, but he still felt like he was not in a stable state.

"Seraphina, what happened? Is Kael alive? What about you?"

Iris asked as she rushed toward them to check up on them. But even she hesitated to approach Seraphina.

The girl in question looked at her hands and then at the glow before taking a deep breath. Kael waited for the glow to die down, but nothing happened.

"Seraphina?"

Leon asked in a hesitant voice. He was the only one who still had his guard up and showed no signs of lowering it anytime soon.

"I...how do I get rid of this glow? I cannot control my powers. W-What should I do now?"

Seraphina finally started to panic. She also seemed to be coming to terms with what was happening to her.

Kael felt sorry for the girl, but there was hardly anything he or anyone else could do for Seraphina. Her holy powers were too strong, and she would have to learn to control them herself.

"Seraphina, recall the training we did. Relax yourself and concentrate on your powers. I am sure you can control them just fine."

Kael told Seraphina, and she nodded before taking a deep breath. Her glow slowly started to calm down before finally fading completely.

It was a good thing that his advice worked, but that also allowed all kinds of pests to head toward them.

The one leading the charge was the same priest who had followed the kids around and wanted to send Seraphina to her death.

"Ahem...we saw everything that happened. That huge amount of holy power can only be the result of a saintess’s awakening. Little miss, please allow us to escort you back to the temple. The Cardinal would want to meet you."

The priest immediately kneeled in front of Seraphina, his eyes closed in a submissive manner. It was clear that he was trying to curry favor with the new saintess.

But it was all useless. He had already shown his true colors in front of the saintess, and Seraphina hid behind Kael’s back to get out of his line of sight.

Both Leon and Iris decided to take up positions in front of Kael and show defiance toward the temple.

The priest looked surprised by such an aggressive reaction and immediately tried to smooth the situation over.

"Miss Saintess, there is no need to be so startled. The temple will never hurt you. We all exist for your sake."

The priest tried to plead with Seraphina, but she showed defiance.

"I am not coming with you. I don’t trust any of you. Kael, I want to stay with you. Can I?"

Now that Seraphina had made that request, there was no way for anyone below Cardinal rank to interfere.

And since Cardinal Flux was not here, it was the perfect time to take her and Leon away.

"Hmm, since the temple appointed you as our overseer, I see no point in sending you back. Let’s go home now."

Kael told Seraphina, and he started to use his magic when he was suddenly interrupted by holy power.

He would have broken away from ordinary holy power, but this one felt a little heavy. Kael had to take it easy since he was still recovering from the anti-magic lock, so he decided not to pick a fight.

Iris, on the other hand, noticed it as well and decided to rage in his stead.

"What’s this? Do you want to capture us? Then I see no point in letting you leave with your lives intact."

She threatened, and the priests flinched. She attacked before anyone had a chance to move, and all the priests could do was duck to try and avoid her.

Iris’s movements were stopped in an instant before she could reach the priests, and a barrier formed around them to protect them.

Kael noticed the moment the source of all this energy walked toward them. It was none other than the Cardinal who had caused this mess.

"Miss, may I ask you to please keep your weapon in check? I am afraid that it could end up hurting someone."

Cardinal Flux reminded her before forcing her back using his powers.

Iris gritted her teeth as she tried to resist, but the holy grounds were the temple’s territory.

She might be a sword master, but their current location amplified holy powers. Especially after the saintess had used her own powers and created a sanctuary around this place.

"Grand Master Kael, what an honor it is to meet you and the hero again. But I am afraid there is another topic we must discuss. We permitted you to take the hero as your student, but I am afraid we cannot do the same for the saintess. So please hand her over."

The Cardinal did not waste a moment telling Kael what he wanted.