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Chapter 159

"..."

"Even if it\'s not okay, I planned to take you anyway! Let\'s go."

I didn\'t feel like it, but judging from Ye-Jin\'s expression, I had no choice but to leave. If I foolishly rejected Joseph\'s request here, it would put Ye-Jin and the other teachers in a difficult position. I bowed slightly to Ye-Jin and left the teacher\'s office with Joseph.

"The weather is fantastic. It\'s a waste to be stuck in the classroom on a day like this. People need to bask in the sunlight to stay healthy."

Joseph started small talk as soon as we left the building.

"Yes, you’re right. But what brings you here?" I replied without much thought and asked right away.

Although it wasn’t intentional, I realized my tone sounded somewhat aggressive. However, Joseph seemed unfazed and smiled slightly, briefly examining my wrist before speaking.

"I came to conduct an additional investigation regarding the previous incident, and I thought it would be nice to see your face as well. But why aren’t you wearing the watch?"

"Are you talking about the one you gave me last time?"

"Yes, wear it and show off to your friends. It\'s expensive enough to be flaunt-worthy."

"What\'s there to be proud of about receiving a bribe to wear it around?"

"Oh, come on... Please refer to it as a present, not a bribe," Joseph said with a smile.

Although I had made a sarcastic remark, it didn\'t affect Joseph. I wasn’t sure if he was accustomed to giving bribes or if he genuinely believed that it wasn’t a bribe but a gift. I decided to ask about something that had been bothering me for a while.

"... But, is this really okay?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I\'m talking about the bribe. I\'m still a student, so even if I get caught, I have nothing to lose. But you have a lot on the line as an inquisitor."

"You\'re right. I have a lot to lose. If I did get involved in bribery, the best-case scenario would be a suspension, and in the worst-case scenario, I would be dismissed completely... Anyway, aren\'t you similar to me?"

Similar? Without giving me time to think, Joseph casually carried on.

"Why do you want to become a clergyman?"

"..."

"In my eyes, it seems like you are trying to become a clergyman because you have a mission you want to fulfill. Although, I’m not quite sure if my guess is correct,” Joseph said, looking at me through his narrowed eyes.

A mission I wanted to accomplish through becoming a clergyman? Yes, I had such a mission. To me, becoming a clergyman was just a checkpoint to fulfill that mission. Joseph clearly saw through me. Rotten or not, he was still an inquisitor. He seemed to have a good eye for people.

I nodded and answered, "Yes, you\'re right."

Joseph smiled in satisfaction.

"I have a lot to lose, and you have a lot that you have yet to achieve. If you\'re suspected of bribery, we\'ll both suffer from different kinds of losses. We both hold the cards to bring each other down."

"..."

"You could snitch on me if you want to. But to do that, you\'ll have to take risks. Do you hate me so much that you would snitch on me despite the risks?"

"No. Not yet, at least."

"Exactly. Not yet. You understood me very well."

Joseph nodded and smiled faintly.

"It’s because there\'s a possibility that you might snitch on me. I have to make sure you don\'t hate me, and vice versa. In other words, bribery has given us a reason to respect each other."

"Respect... Seems more like a formal business type of respect to me."

"In the end, do we not have a business-like relationship? Then the respect that we have for each other should follow suit.”

Was that a valid point? I wasn’t too sure. This time, it felt like he was coaxing me through the conversation. I decided to change the subject to break the flow.

"But how long are we going to keep walking like this? We don’t even have a destination."

"Ah, my apologies. I forgot. Where is the sacred training ground? It’s been a while, and I wanted to visit it."

“We are walking in the opposite direction if you want to go to the sacred training grounds. We have to go back."

"This is a big problem. My knees are starting to hurt."

I turned my feet toward the sacred training ground, and Joseph trailed behind me from a distance of about half a step.

While walking in silence for a while, Joseph took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was dressed even in this scorching heat.

"By the way, did you know that I\'m from F.A.?" he said as he put the handkerchief back in his pocket.

I shook my head.

"I just found out."

"Really? But your reaction seems dull."

"Well, um..."

I wasn\'t shocked when I heard that he was from F.A. because I had suspected that to be the case. Most archbishops and clergymen were usually graduates of F.A. except for the rare cases.

"You are the Holy Name of Charity, right?" Joseph said as he walked steadily.

He was tall, but his build wasn\'t that big, so he gave off a scarecrow-like vibe when he walked.

I nodded.

"Does the Holy Name of Charity still have access to the sacred training grounds? You know, for free sparring."

"Yes, I still have access to it."

Among the benefits of the Holy Name of Charity was a clause that stated, “Free sparring available on the sacred training grounds.” From what he was saying, it seemed that Joseph also enjoyed the same benefits when he attended Florence Academy.

"Really? Are you making good use of it?"

"No."

"Why? Wouldn’t it be nice for you to use all the opportunities at hand?"

"There is no reason to spar and no one to spar with."

Joseph nodded without responding to my words. Before I knew it, we had arrived in front of the sacred training ground. His eyes swept up and down the building, and he let out a small sigh. His eyes, which had always seemed so dry and lifeless, seemed to come alive. He had the gaze of someone reminiscing about the past.

“A lot has changed. Well, thinking of it, this place was very outdated back in the day. It feels completely different to come back after such a long time."

"Yes, well then, I’ll take my leave now."

I bowed and bid Joseph farewell while he was muttering to himself. Now that I had finished my job as his guide, I planned to return to my classroom. Based on my experience so far, Joseph had a keen sense of observation. Nothing good would come about if I stayed next to him.

"No, come in with me."

Joseph wouldn’t let me leave.

I swallowed my annoyance. "I believe I have provided enough guidance."

"I just wanted to spar with you... Am I taking up too much of your time?"

"Yes," I said firmly.

Joseph clicked his tongue in disappointment and then bore at me with his sharp eyes as if trying to see through me. He smiled.

"Well, if that\'s the case, there\'s nothing I can do. I understand that you would be scared."

"...Scared?"

"You’re nothing but a lowly vice-priest, correct? You’d obviously get beaten to a pulp if we fight, so the correct decision to make in your perspective would be to refuse."

"..."

Considering Joseph\'s personality, he wouldn\'t say something like that for no reason. He was probably trying to provoke me. He wanted to scratch my pride and create a situation where I had no choice but to duel with him. I wouldn’t be able to win against him in a duel, and it would be impossible to stand on my own against him without using spells and the power of the Loa.

Plus, there was no reason for me to duel with him.

"Yes, so I will refuse."

"It\'s only natural for the weak to run away from a fight they can\'t win. From now on, be honest and say you\'re scared if you\'re scared."

"..."

"These days, younglings don’t have the guts. Back in my day–"

"Well, let\'s go then. But don’t you use your rank as leverage against me after you get beaten."

"Of course. I\'m not that petty of a person."

Joseph then entered the sacred training ground. His steps seemed to spring with an innocent excitement that didn’t suit him. He looked up at the high ceiling of the sacred training ground and glanced around the expansive interior. Judging from his expression, it seemed like he was in awe.

Joseph erased the smile on his face after his observation and said with a serious tone, "It seems like it’ll be difficult to duel on equal terms. A slight handicap needs to be in place."

"It’s okay. Let\'s do it without a handicap."

Joseph hesitated and said, "No, it’s not okay for me. Dueling against a student without a handicap would make me a laughingstock to my friends."

"Okay, I won’t use divine power. But you’re free to use it. Would that be enough for a handicap?"

"Um, well..."

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

The amount of divine power I had couldn\'t even match the average F.A. student. Joseph not using divine power would not be a handicap but a simple leveling of the playing field.

Joseph narrowed his eyes as he looked at me, contemplating.

"Why? Let me know if you don’t think it’s enough. I\'ll just add more."

"It\'s not that... I\'m not good at using divine power."

"Hmm?" Joseph\'s eyes narrowed even further.

He squinted his eyes so much to the point that it seemed he was glaring at me.

"Then how did you fight against Satanists? If you weren’t able to utilize blessings, healing, miracle replication, and everything else with ease, then there\'s no way you could have survived against the Satanists."

"Ah, that–"

"You couldn\'t have just relied on your fighting skills because there are black magic spells that limit physical abilities and render fighting skills useless. That\'s why divine power is essential to fight against black magic... So, how exactly did you fight?"

Joseph talked incredibly fast. He seemed to talk faster during interrogations and questioning. In other words, he was interrogating me right now. I quickly racked my brain to come up with something to say. However, because I was nervous, words didn’t come quickly.

"...I usually can\'t use it, but strangely, I could use divine power well when I was fighting with the Satanist."

I only managed to come up with a feeble excuse.

Joseph\'s expression twisted strangely.