Vol 3. Chapter 115: Protect Him

“Lady Saintess... ma’am.”

Amisha murmured. Her tender lips—like cherry blossom petals—moved softly as she spoke in a sweet, obedient little-rabbit voice that made you want to dote on her. Just hearing that tone felt like being brushed by a soft, fluffy kitten.

“Amisha?” Vinny hesitated for a moment. “Are you okay?”

How should he put it... this kid was way too devout. Even in her sleep, all she dreamed about was the Saintess.

Though... which Saintess?

A rumor suddenly came to Vinny’s mind—one of those old tales from long ago. In ancient times, there had supposedly been quite a few clergy in the Church of the Dawn who, because they had extremely high compatibility with the [Saint’s Envoy] or possessed unusually powerful healing, would sometimes “audience” a departed Saintess in their dreams.

Generally speaking, the Church believed that once a Saintess died, her core soul returned to the goddess’s side, while parts of her soul remained in the world, slowly leaking away with time as their energy faded.

Because of that, some believers praised as “favored by the goddess and the Saintess”—those with high compatibility with the [Saint’s Envoy] and strong healing—could occasionally see a departed Saintess in their dreams.

But the Saintess they saw through that kind of dream was almost always the previous Saintess, or the one before that. They practically never saw Saintesses from far older eras. So the Church concluded that the longer it had been since a Saintess’s death, the weaker the energy remaining in the human world, and the weaker her influence.

Still, that sort of thing hadn’t happened in a long time. And now, for historical reasons, there wouldn’t even be clergy in the Church who could audience a Saintess in a dream. So the rumor gradually stopped circulating—people even started doubting whether it had ever been true in the first place, or whether details had gotten warped as the story passed down. After all, it was ancient.

“Lady Saintess... ma’am.”

Amisha kept her eyes shut, still making that cute, soft voice like a little rabbit... yet she refused to let go of Vinny’s hand.

“Amisha, what’s wrong? Wake up. It’s me—Fennia.”

Fennia didn’t know what was going on either. Seeing how Amisha instinctively wouldn’t release Vinny, she frowned and had no choice but to bend down and speak to her.

Then Fennia touched two fingers to her own forehead, drew out a wisp of light with a trailing glow, and pressed it into Amisha’s forehead.

[Mind-Clearing Art]

After that, Fennia also cast [Intermediate Healing Light] on Amisha.

But one look at Fennia’s pale face was enough for Vinny to know—her mana was almost empty.

Fennia was only a high-tier Sorcerer-class. She hadn’t reached Magus. And while high-tier Sorcerer-class and Junior Magus looked like they were only separated by a thin line, the reality was worlds apart—mana density and capacity weren’t even comparable.

Vinny had fought who knew how many battles by now. Three maps in a row. He’d even run into something indescribable. Yet once his injuries recovered, he could keep fighting.

As a Magus, he still had mana left. Meanwhile, Fennia had only fought a short while back at the “harbor” and she was already nearly dry.

Of course, healing magic being more mana-hungry played a part too.

After Fennia did that, Amisha seemed to recover a little. The murmuring gradually quieted. Her pale-golden lashes—soft as swan feathers—trembled slightly, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

“She’s awake,” Vinny said.

Fennia’s tense focus finally eased, and she let out a small breath.

The instant Amisha opened her eyes, her first sight was Vinny.

Vinny saw her eyes too—holy-gold irises, so clean they looked untouched by dust. Just meeting that gaze felt like standing in a flawless universe, like even your heart was being washed and purified.

People said the eyes were the window to the soul. If that was true, then the window to this girl’s soul was genuinely immaculate—as though not a single speck of the world’s ugliness could stain it.

They stared at each other like that. Vinny found himself drawn into those eyes, and for some reason, Amisha just blinked and looked at him without speaking.

That left Fennia beside them completely stunned. Staying silent felt awkward, but speaking felt like she’d be intruding.

“Amisha, what’s wrong? Are you still not feeling well somewhere?”

In the end, Fennia couldn’t help asking.

Vinny also realized he’d been staring at a girl for way too long and immediately looked away.

“Ahem. Since you’re fine, I’ll put you down now, okay?” Vinny said. She was awake. If he kept holding her like this, it would look like he was taking advantage.

“Did you save me?”

Amisha didn’t answer his question directly. And even though Vinny had averted his eyes, she didn’t avert hers—she kept looking at him, unmoving.

She parted her lips. Her voice was soft and sweet, warm and gentle, like an oriole’s song.

No, seriously... who could withstand this??

A girl this pretty and clean looking at you that seriously, speaking in that tone—

“Ah, no. I found you, and then Fennia used magic to treat you and wake you up,” Vinny explained. As he spoke, he flicked his eyes toward Amisha’s hand—she was still clutching his sleeve without thinking.

“This blue-haired classmate who looks so nice... could you tell Amisha your name?”

Amisha asked again in that sweet, lilting voice, her deer-like eyes shimmering with delicate light.

“Lo—looks nice??”

Vinny froze. His hollow chest instantly filled with something bright and warm.

If the Virtue system could detect his emotional ups and downs, there would definitely be a huge fluctuation right now.

It felt about the same as when he was around Aesphyra—except the direction was completely reversed. When he talked with Aesphyra, he got so pissed he’d explode with Virtue. But now, this girl named Amisha was giving him that same emotional spike with just one opening line—and unlike Aesphyra, this was one hundred percent positive.

Who could refuse a beautiful big-breasted girl with an earnest face calling him good-looking??

“Ahem. Ahem.”

Vinny worked hard to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting. His expression barely changed, but inside he was basically blooming.

This was already the second beautiful girl to compliment his looks. The first had been Luna.

Well... sure, he didn’t exactly like dealing with people tied to the Church. But honestly, he had to admit it—there were still some little sisters in the Church of the Dawn who had taste and could read people. They knew how to appreciate the face of Camella’s infamous young punk.

“It’s nothing, really. This young master is just... pretty hard to beat looks-wise in Carillian Academy, that’s all.”

Vinny gave a token bit of humility.

Honestly, Vinny’s initial fondness for Amisha was already extremely high—partly because he liked people who were this pure and clean.

Yeah, yeah. Being around a sweet girl who actually knew how to speak... it was comfortable. Not like a certain white nut, who did nothing but run her mouth and tease, and even when she complimented you, it was basically sarcasm.

“You’re Amisha Merif, right? Then I’ll call you Classmate Merif. My name is Vinny,” Vinny said. When he had a high opinion of someone, he was very respectful—when you first met, it was best to address them by surname.

“Just call me Amisha.”

Amisha kept looking at him, as though she wanted to dye that pure starry sky with color. “I mean your full name, classmate.”

“My full name...”

Vinny felt awkward. Whenever he met someone who didn’t know him, he tried his best to avoid saying his surname. Because once he did, people immediately knew who he was—and then they’d connect him to all those Church rumors, and their impression of him would crash.

Most of the time, Vinny didn’t care what people thought. But if it was someone he already liked a lot... he couldn’t help being cautious.

“...Vinny Facilis.”

“Facilis?”

Amisha’s eyes widened with delight. “You’re the one from the rumors—the goddess’s bloodline??”

“Ah... yeah.”

Vinny was surprised. Not only did she show no disgust—she even looked a little pleased, a little reverent.

“Um, Fennia, could you come take Amisha for a moment? She still looks a bit unwell,” Vinny made an excuse, steering the topic toward Fennia.

“Okay. Amisha, stop holding onto Vinny. He’s tired. I’ll hold you instead.”

Fennia also felt it was inappropriate for Vinny to keep carrying Amisha, so she reached out.

Amisha looked at Vinny again. Seeing that his gaze wasn’t on her and he didn’t seem to intend to keep holding her, she finally loosened her grip and let Fennia pull her into her arms.

“Thank you, little Fennia. Sorry to trouble you again.”

Amisha lay in Fennia’s embrace like a doll.

“It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?” Fennia asked.

“No. I fell asleep because I was exhausted.” Amisha answered. “Before I passed out, I treated my own injuries and found a tree hollow. I wasn’t badly hurt. Thank you for worrying, little Fennia.”

As expected of a God-Attendant. That healing efficiency was ridiculous.

Freed at last, Vinny looked away and couldn’t help thinking that.

“But little Fennia... you look like you took quite a few injuries.”

Amisha spotted Fennia’s problem at a glance.

“I already treated myself,” Fennia said.

“Not completely.”

Amisha examined her carefully. “You were saving mana—for emergencies, right?”

Fennia didn’t answer.

At that moment, Vinny turned his gaze back to Fennia.

She’d left herself partly untreated... was it so that in a crisis, she could heal him?

Based on Vinny’s rough understanding of Fennia’s personality... it was very possible.

“I’ll treat little Fennia.”

As Amisha spoke, she raised her hand. A warm golden healing light like sunlight flared up, shining across Fennia’s skin, soothing and covering her.

When the glow faded, Fennia looked completely different from her earlier, slightly listless state. The recovery was obvious.

So this was [Immaculate Light].

Vinny watched from the side, rubbing his chin as he thought.

“Little Fennia... did you meet in this world?” Amisha asked.

“Yes.” Fennia nodded. “Thank you, Amisha. I feel much better. But... how much mana do you have left?”

Amisha shook her head. “There’s a very strange kind of monster here. I don’t know if you’ve seen them. I fought them earlier and spent a lot of mana. Now... I don’t have much left.”

“Vinny... please allow me to treat you as well,” Amisha said.

“...Please?”

That form of address made both Vinny and Fennia stare.

“Amisha, why are you calling him that?” Fennia asked, confused.

“Vinny is a member of the House of Facilis—a descendant of every Saintess before him, isn’t he?” Amisha said. “If something unexpected hadn’t happened, Vinny should have been the Saintess who guided the Church.”

“Uh—Amisha, don’t call me that. We’re classmates. Where did ‘please’ come from?”

This was the first time anyone had addressed him like that. Vinny was extremely uncomfortable—and it completely threw him off.

And how did this suddenly escalate into “Saintess” and “guiding the Church”??

“Is that your request?” Amisha asked.

“...Just pretend it is,” Vinny said, his expression strange.

“And also—Amisha—Saintess, what Saintess? I’m a grown man. How could I be any Saintess? And don’t just say that kind of thing. Guiding the Church—what you’re saying is way too exaggerated. I’m some nobody with no virtue, no ability, no status, and a terrible reputation. How would I dare tie myself to the Church of the Dawn??”

“No status?” Amisha said softly. “But you are a descendant of the House of Facilis, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t I the fraud everyone calls a villain?” Vinny spread his hands. “Amisha, you should say less of that in the future. I’m afraid it’ll ruin your career.”

“You have no connection to the word ‘villain.’”

Amisha’s soft voice carried firm certainty.

Those clear holy-gold eyes felt like a two-way mirror—letting others see her own purity and clarity, while also seeing straight through what lived inside someone else’s gaze.

“The moment I opened my eyes and saw you, I saw compassion and kindness that pitied the world. That is the most basic, and most precious, quality of a Dawn Saintess.”

Amisha sounded like a devout believer—serious, sincere to the core.

“Amisha... who can tell what someone’s character is just by looking once?” Vinny opened his mouth, then said.

To be honest, his feelings were complicated. This was the first time anyone had ever looked at him, learned his name, and then told him he was... kind.

Kindness.

Vinny looked away.

He was Camella’s infamous young punk. In other people’s eyes, the word “kind” had nothing to do with him.

“And I told you—I’m a grown man. I don’t even have any traits of the House of Facilis. And besides, the Dawn Saintess is already a thing of the past. There isn’t any Dawn Saintess anymore. Isn’t that what the Church says??”

“Vinny... you don’t want me to call you that, and you don’t want me to keep bringing this up, do you?”

Seeing Vinny’s resistance—toward the Church of the Dawn and toward the position of “Dawn Saintess”—Amisha nodded meekly and stopped.

“But... you truly have the cleanest eyes of anyone I’ve ever seen.”

“That was my first impression.”

“......”

Vinny said nothing. He only turned his gaze away, expression tangled.

Fennia’s eyes were complicated too. As Amisha’s childhood friend, she knew her best friend had more than just [Immaculate Light].

She also had a powerful talent: [Immaculate Eyes].

By looking into someone’s eyes, Amisha could roughly read what kind of person they were.

Of course, it was only an outline. People were complex. And the more complex someone was, the blurrier [Immaculate Eyes] became—like those powerful figures with countless thoughts. For those people, all Amisha could see was that their personality ingredients were truly complicated, and it was hard to pick out any “base color.”

In the church where Amisha lived, there was no one who had ever earned praise like that from her.

In the end, you couldn’t trust rumors and hearsay. Seeing was believing.

Over this period of time, Fennia’s opinion of Vinny had changed drastically. First, the image of a spoiled playboy had been completely shattered. It had nothing to do with luck—his temperament and talent were both outstanding.

But even outstanding temperament and talent weren’t enough.

Fennia wanted to believe Vinny’s identity. But at the end of the day, Vinny couldn’t prove it. The fact that he had no traits of House of Facilis wasn’t something you could argue away. Aside from the surname Facilis, he really looked like he had nothing to do with it.

If it weren’t like that, people wouldn’t have been able to make such a big deal out of it—and the rumors wouldn’t have spread so wildly.

Fennia knew that. She believed Amisha should know it too.

This wasn’t about whether they believed. It was about whether everyone believed.

If Vinny truly wanted to guide the Church, he would have to prove his identity—prove to everyone that he was orthodox, that he was a true awakened descendant of Facilis bloodline.

But if even she—Fennia—couldn’t be fully convinced, then convincing others would be even more impossible.

Honestly, more than anything, Fennia hoped Vinny could prove himself to her and Amisha—even if it was only a tiny similar trait. Just a thread of proof would give them a sliver of hope.

“Little Fennia.”

Amisha suddenly leaned closer, whispering softly by Fennia’s ear.

“Hm? What is it?”

From their lifelong understanding, Fennia realized Amisha had something to say privately and lowered her voice too.

“No matter what happens... you must protect Vinny, okay?”

“?”

Fennia hesitated, but still nodded. “Of course. I’ll protect the other classmates.”

At that, Amisha half-closed her eyes and settled back into Fennia’s arms, as though she was still exhausted.