“My, how fierce.”
Mu Ran turned around slowly. Though the corners of his mouth were tight with tension behind his mask, his eyes maintained the casual, arrogant gaze of his persona.
He raised both hands in a gesture of goodwill. “I didn’t even do anything.”
Although the lady behind the youth appeared merely startled, Joan’s rebuke remained cold. “Do you think I didn’t hear you?!”
“Only a heretic would speak of the Divine with such flippancy!”
Mu Ran tried to salvage the situation. “Um… can I just say I was joking?”
Lolia clung to Ronald’s thigh, hiding behind him with only the sprout-like tuft of hair on her head visible. “Hmph! You looked like you were going to eat her just now! Scary!”
The older man didn't speak, merely placing a steadying hand on the gnome girl's head to comfort her.
“Hey! I suggest you step away from the young lady behind you, otherwise, we might have to resort to some unfriendly measures.”
Seeing that his teammates had made their stances clear, Erwin, the captain, stepped forward. He opened his left hand, and sharp, slender bolts of silver lightning danced across his palm.
It looked harmless, but it was lethal.
He said with a smile, “You seem quite capable! However, we have two priests on our side—infinite sustain. I suggest you give up on any fantasies of escape and put your hands up.”
Mu Ran thought it over calmly.
He sensed their power and realized he truly couldn't win in a fight. *...As expected, I’ve run into the protagonist’s party again, haven't I?*
*Speaking of which... I feel like I’ve seen this lightning mage somewhere before. Did I encounter the protagonist’s party earlier? Forget it, no time to think about that now!*
He turned around and reached out toward the bewildered young woman.
*Fine, I’ll just leave a mark on the experimental subject and then bolt—?*
*Riiiip—!*
A flash of white light erupted before his eyes. In her fright, the girl seemed to have torn something open, vanishing instantly from the spot.
Mu Ran was startled and lunged to grab her, but his hand caught only empty air.
*Whoosh—!*
Before he could even process what happened, the sharp sound of something cutting through the air came from behind him.
Relying on physical instinct, he dodged the projectile by a hair's breadth. Mu Ran turned back to find that everyone opposite him had shifted from a state of high alert directly into a combat stance.
Mu Ran’s pupils shook. *Hey, hey, you guys haven't misunderstood, have you?*
“What did you do?!”
Mu Ran: “I can explain!”
“Where did you take her?!”
Mu Ran: “It wasn't me, I didn't do it!”
“To strike so brazenly in public... how utterly reckless!”
Mu Ran: “I didn't do anything at all, waah! QAQ!”
***
“Really, she disappeared on her own. I did nothing. I only reached out then to try and stop her from leaving.”
In his panic, he had nearly dropped his persona. Having regained his composure, Mu Ran quickly adjusted his tone.
Because the innocent girl had vanished the moment he turned his back, he was now the prime suspect. Under the threatening glow of several mages' palms, he was forced to stay put and reason with them.
Although the protagonist’s party was generally stronger in terms of combat power, neither side wanted to start an all-out fight, so they managed to maintain a somewhat peaceful, if strained, discussion.
Joan spoke first, her eyes frosty, though she made an effort to maintain the pious tone expected of a member of the clergy. “The Gods are watching you. I hope Your Excellency will not tell such meaningless lies.”
Mu Ran looked down at the small deer that was so angry it was gnawing on his trouser leg, his expression helpless. “I really didn't... By the way, whose kid is this? Don't go biting things randomly, it's dangerous.”
The gray wolf had returned to its normal size. It hovered its open mouth hesitantly near the deer’s neck, searching for a long time for a patch of soft scruff to grab onto. Finding none, it looked toward Mu Ran for help, only to meet its young master’s tense gaze.
*—Don't you dare bite! Or else we’ll end up in a fight! Just lie down!*
Joan was incensed by the youth’s relaxed, casual tone.
“Please be serious!”
Influenced by its master’s mood, the deer let go, pawed its front hooves, and prepared to charge.
—Only to have its head muffled by the silent Ronald’s hand and dragged back to the rear of the group.
“Ahem, let me ask.” Looking at the shifty-eyed Carlos and the trembling, cowardly Lolia, Erwin helplessly took over the conversation. “Alright, stop playing dumb. What method did you use to make that girl disappear? Where did she go?”
Seeing Mu Ran about to protest, he narrowed his eyes. “Don't tell me she used a teleportation scroll herself.”
Mu Ran recalled the sound and the girl’s movements. “Actually, yes. She tore a scroll herself and left.”
Erwin: “...You’re not even going to try to make up a believable excuse?”
Mu Ran: “Hmm? I’m being serious.”
Locking eyes with those crimson orbs for a moment, Erwin felt a bizarre sense that the other party was actually telling the truth, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Joan, having finally calmed her emotions, could no longer endure it. She spoke up to explain, “Scrolls are only possessed by the clergy of the Church. Ordinary people have no way of even obtaining them, let alone using one in such a short amount of time.”
Mu Ran: *Huh?*
“Is it possible she traded with the Church to get it...?”
Joan took a deep breath. “First you defile the sanctity of the prophecies, and now you wish to slander the purity of the Church?!”
***
Who would have thought that just going out for a bit would result in being unable to return? *OTZ.*
After a brief discussion via the mental link, it was decided that the System would go find the girl to complete the experiment and avoid any issues. Once things settled down, the System would come to the protagonist’s party to pick up Mu Ran.
As for how to retrieve him then... they would see.
*...?*
Suddenly sensing something was wrong, Mu Ran exited the communication and closed his eyes, catching a small hand that was tentatively reaching for his face.
Lolia: “!”
*Aaah, I got caught by this guy!!*
Her soft, energetic voice spoke with a hint of feigned ferocity. “Let go!”
The small snake on her wrist appeared to bite Mu Ran’s finger viciously, but in reality, its dull teeth didn't even scratch the skin.
Mu Ran opened his eyes helplessly. “I was wondering why you kept staring at me. So you wanted to sneakily take off my mask.”
He reached out with his other hand and rubbed the scales on the little snake’s head, waving his hand at the stunned girl and her pet. “Unless I am willing, no one else can take it off. Stop trying.”
Lolia pulled her hand back unwillingly, deciding to use the reverse psychology she had learned from her older cousin.
“Hmph! You don't dare take off the mask—are you an ugly monster?!”
*! Wait, that might have been too mean. What if he really is... and I hurt his feelings!*
“Uh, er, it’s not your fault if you’re not good-looking!”
Her voice grew smaller and more nervous. “Your—your eyes are very pretty. Do you have a scar on your face? If you do, you don't have to take it off...”
Lolia looked up anxiously, only to see a pair of ruby eyes filled with mischievous laughter. She instantly bristled. “D-Don't laugh!”
***
“Completely won over, aren't you, little Lolia?”
Watching Lolia, who was gradually letting down her guard and showing signs of affinity, and the youth, who remained relaxed and at ease, Erwin felt very concerned.
He didn't know what would happen by bringing this person along.
Withdrawing his gaze, he saw Joan sitting on the grass, surrounded by a circle of books and diagrams.
Erwin: “?”
“The first time I’ve met someone with absolutely no faith...” Joan murmured to herself, anxiously flipping through books for an answer. The Church’s teachings flashed through her mind, and she paused as a thought struck her, her eyes lighting up. “Could this be the trial of this pilgrimage?”
She pressed the heavy Sacred Record to her chest, her gaze calm and elegant. “Yes, I understand. To convert a lost soul is also the will of the Gods. I will do everything in my power.”
Every member of the Church’s clergy was required to go on a pilgrimage away from the Church to better understand the people and deliver the divine will.
Joan had looked forward to this pilgrimage for a long time. Even though her mentor had reservations about the members of her party, she had unhesitatingly been the first to begin her journey.
“Joan, I think you should wait a bit longer and join a more prestigious team,” her mentor had said, shaking his head. “With your talent and elemental affinity, Lord Soroia has been looking forward to working with you.”
She had replied then, “The twists and turns of the journey are also valuable gains, Master. I will take responsibility for my choice.”
What she hadn't said then was that Lord Soroia had always given her a strange impression, and the occasional close physical contact made her uncomfortable... Ah, no, she shouldn't harbor such prejudice against a fellow believer. She truly lacked sufficient cultivation!
Her mentor had shaken his head meaningfully. “Very well... You truly are the most devout of believers.”
Joan was elated by such praise.
How could she not believe in the Gods?
Those pure white prophecies, those hymns of mercy, those promises to save the world... She wanted so much to finish this pilgrimage quickly, return to the Church, learn the language of the Gods, and personally decipher those golden symbols carved into the stone walls at the highest point of the Royal Capital.
Joan patted her cheeks, which were flushed with excitement, warning herself not to be so impatient and flighty.
There was still a commoner whose whereabouts were unknown; she shouldn't be thinking of herself right now!
Casting aside her distractions, Joan carefully put away the books and turned instead to study materials regarding spatial magic.
***
Late at night.
Awakened by movement in the tent, Mu Ran opened his eyes in the darkness.
In the dim light, someone seemed to be getting up.
Mu Ran conjured a tiny elemental light on his finger and saw Erwin’s sleep-deprived face.
Running a hand through his messy blonde hair, Erwin yawned and skillfully pulled Carlos out from under the blankets. He pried away the hands Carlos had clamped around his own neck, patiently loosening those tensed fingers bit by bit.
Under his soothing touch, Carlos, who had been breathing with difficulty, gradually calmed down.
Mu Ran: *Wow!*
Erwin, about to lie back down, looked up and discovered the only light source in the tent and those sparkling red eyes.
*Ah, I almost forgot there was someone else here.*
His hazy brain cleared slightly. Realizing that his series of actions had been witnessed, he felt inexplicably embarrassed.
“Ahem, stop looking. Lights out and go to sleep.”
His words were whispered.
He was prepared to be teased, but to his surprise, the other party merely paused for a moment and then obediently extinguished the small light on his fingertip.
*Hmm? Quite considerate, actually?*
After confirming that the restraints on the other man were still intact—ensuring he could neither escape nor lash out—Erwin was too lazy to think further and sank into sleep.
What he didn't notice was that those crimson eyes remained open in the darkness.
Under that brief, hazy light, Mu Ran had finally figured out where he had seen Erwin’s face before.
The cold-faced youth by the waterfall a few days ago had the exact same face as Erwin.
Mu Ran realized: *So, the protagonist is one of the twins.*
***
“Hmm? What brother? I’m an orphan.”
The next day, faced with Mu Ran’s question, Erwin gave such an answer.
“They say if I hadn't been left at the church door by some kind soul, I probably would have frozen to death that winter.”
He sighed gloomily. “If it weren't to repay that kindness, I’d have just found a place to open a shop and retire. Leading a team is so exhausting.”
Mu Ran was silent for a moment, then requested, “Can I see your spirit manifestation?”
A person’s face might be hidden through certain means, but a spirit manifestation cannot be changed.
With a wave of Erwin’s hand, a pure white bird descended from the sky. Its two small claws perched on Erwin’s shoulder, and it tilted its head at Mu Ran.
Avian spirit manifestations weren't very common; this had to be it.
*Oh~ So the other twin has been stalking the protagonist’s party from the shadows?*
Mu Ran watched the happy, oblivious interaction between the man and his pet, lost in thought.
Perhaps he would get to witness the meeting of the twins after all.
***
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