Chapter 36

With firm steps, Lubella walked through the Grand Temples halls. Her shoulders weresquared, and there was no hesitation in her footsteps. It was hard to find any trace of her past timid self in her movements. Weig followed behind Lubella silently. It was only after Lubella put sufficient distance between herself and Windne thatshelet out a sigh of relief.

Whew~!

Lubella let her shoulders down and loosened her body. Then, she turned around with a spin.

How was I? I tried to act according to Mr. Zichs advice.

It was perfect.

It was so perfect that Weig became worried that Zich might have influenced her too much.

Those two wont be able to bother you anymore.

They werent on the same footing as Lubella in thefirst place; even though they were both Saint Candidates, not all Saint Candidates were equal.

With firm determination, Lubella said, That would be great. But it wont matter to me either way. Iplanto fight back now, especiallyif theycontinueto insult me like they didtoday.

But I still cant believe you actually slapped her. That was Mr. Zichs advice, right?

Yes.

When Lubellaconfided inZichabout Windnes attitude towards her, he told her to try slapping Windne. Zich told her that while it was important to always consider the situation, person, and condition in a conflict, she should slap people whotreated her unfairly.

Seeing the uncertaintyon her facein response tohis advice, Zich told her that it would also be a good idea for her to reconsider multiple times beforeresorting toviolence;butif there was no other way to settle the conflict afterpondering for a long time, Lubella should take this as a sign to use violence and slap her opponents. Lubella clicked her tongue at Zich for repeating her advice back to her in his own creative way. However, since it was from Zich, Lubella engraved his words into her heart.

If I must say, wasnt this your first time using violence? How are you feeling?

Lubella looked down at the hand that had slapped Windne.

I feel a lot of different emotions. I feel guilty about hurting someone,I regrethow I was not able to find a different solution, and I fear that I might become a personwhoeasilyresorts to violence.

It was natural that Lubella felt this way. All her life, violence was kept far away from her, and she felt guiltyforinflicting the slightest amount of violence.

However, despite all these complicated emotions inside her, Lubella said, But it definitely was gratifying.

Weig burst out in laughter.

I think you are ready to go to battle as Karuwimans Saint.

Im not a Saint yet.

Its only a matter of time. But please be careful. In order to protect people and justice, we are forced to use our powers, but we cannot be swallowed by the power. If that happens, you will not only lose your qualifications as Karuwimans Saint, but as a human being.

I will keep that in mind.

Well, its about time for the Popes meeting to end, so lets go report to him.

The two of them headed to meet the Pope.

* * *

After making a lengthy report to the Pope, Lubella separated from Weig. Lubellas footsteps were light as she finally headed towards her room after a long and arduous journey.

Hello, good afternoon.

A handsome, tall man with a well-balanced body stood in front of her. He was not a Karuwimanthe broach on his chest indicated that he was an Honorary Holy Knight.

I see that you are an Honorary Holy Knight. As a Karuwiman, I express my thanks to you.

It was the broach Lubella had offered to Zich before.

No, it is my honor to be able to serve Karuwiman as an outsider.

The man smiled and revealed his identity, I am Glen Zenard. Through Priest Luces recommendation, I was fortunate enough to gain the title of Honorary Holy Knight.

Oh, Priest Luce recommended you.

Uruwon Luce. He was not a High Priest yet, but he was famous for his merit and faith; there were even talks that he would become the next High Priest. As someone who was recommended by Luce, Lubella thought that he must be a trustworthy person.

If you do not mind me asking, are you Lady Aine Lubella, one of the few chosen to be a Saint Candidate?

Yes. Even though I am lacking in many ways, I am fortunate tohave beenchosen as a Saint Candidate.

I see.

Lubella was not sure, but Zenard seemed a bit conflicted while looking at her. However, when she tried to peer closer, there was no such emotion on his face.

I must have been mistaken.

There was no reason for Lubella to continue her conversation with Zenard. She was about to say her farewells to Zenard and go back to her room when he stopped her by saying, Didnt you have to go through a painful experience this time?

Yes?

Its because you seem very troubled.

What?I do?

Lubella touched her face. She was not good at controlling her expressions, and there wasnt anything she was particularly worried about.

Am I still anxious about what happenedtothe Holy Knights who tried to protect me?

But that situation had already been dealt with. She was going to lead the memorial service for them and pray for their passing. Moreover, she was going to honor their sacrifice by remembering them in her heart forever. That was the resolution Lubellacame up with.

If possible, would you be able to tell me about your concerns? I might be able to be of some help.

His face was pure and completely devoid of all self-interest, but she shook her head.

No, its fine. Im thankful for your offer, but I have no concerns.

Is that so?

As if he was sorry, Zenard withdrew his body back.

Lady Lubella, I apologize. I must have been wrong. But my desire to help you is sincere, so if you have any concerns later, please come and find me.

You are a very kind and thoughtful person. I can see why Priest Luce recommended you. I will keep your words in mind.

After giving a small bow to Zenard, Lubella kept on moving towards her room. Even as she was walking away, Zenard did not erase the smile from his face. However, as soon as Lubellacompletely disappeared from his sight, his expression immediately turned stiff.

There's been a change.

As if his kind and gentle demeanor had all been an act, his face looked very twisted and cold. After lookingin the directionLubella disappearedoff to fora long time, Zenard turned back and vanished into the darkness.

* * *

As the largest mining city, Suol produced more than 50% of the iron consumed by the Kingdom. The miners added vitality to the city as they moved towards the mining area at the crack of dawn. With a single lantern and a pickaxe, the miners had to dig in a dirty and dark cave. It was a dangerous situation for the miners, but because of the harsh conditions, there were many excellent and fierce veteran miners.

Most people in Suol did work related to mining, but not everyone was a miner.One job unrelated to mining wasbeing aMonster Exterminator. It was not an exaggeration to say that in this world, every place was threatened by monsters in one way or another. There were differences in severity between different areas, but even the capital city of the Kingdom had to deal with monsters.

However, it was also crucial for the Kingdom to have a stable supply of iron. For this reason, the Kingdom made it their top priority to carry out large-scale monster sweeps around Suol at least twice a year.Therefore, Suol was safer than most villages and towns from monsters.

However, this was allin relative terms; even Suol was not completely safe from monster attacks. As long as monsters existed in this world, no city or village was completely safe.

To make up for this gap in protection, the Kingdom set up a complementary system, which was tofindmonster exterminators. It was a straightforward system that gave a set amount of money to those who caught monsters. Despite its simplicity, it was a somewhat effective solution. It was nowhere near the effectiveness of the Kingdoms large-scale monster sweeps, but it helped curb the number of monsters till the next monster sweeping season. Moreover, this system was much cheaper than mobilizingan entire army. It was also a good way for skilled fighters to make money.

Thus, many different types of people became monster exterminators. Some people were retired mercenary soldiers, some were adventurers seeking to raise money for their journeys, and some were farmers looking for ways to pay their debts. As long as they could fight monsters, there were no limitations to becoming amonsterexterminator.

While leaning against a tree and sitting on a thick tree root, Zich said, So its really the best possible job for us.

But Hans, the only one who could hear him,did not have theleisure to even reply.

Kweckkkkk!

Theorc screamed and swung his rustyaxaround. The awful smell coming from theorcassaultedHansnose. However, Hans did not lose his focus on theorcs movements. If Hans got hit even once by theorcsax, which was moving around with no sense of direction or logic but by pure brute force, he would be fatally injured.

Orghhhh!

Theorc jumped towards Hans. While holding a half-rotten handle, theorc swung hisaxwith all his strength to split Hans into two.

Hup!

Hanshad been quietly observing theorcbefore hejumped into action. He moved his feet widely and raised his sword.

No matter how much strength and mana training Ive been doing, Im still just a beginner. I wont be able to b