Chapter 740: Episode 740

Five days later.

The two factions currently clashing on the Bahila front seemed to be focusing on excavating the sealed documents while firmly defending their occupied territories, rather than launching any offensive strikes.

The tension on the front lines was easing slightly, but Richard—who should have been running wild at a time like this—was holed up in his tent, refusing to come out.

"Hey, Yona! Buddy! You in there?"

A group of hulking necromancers swaggered into his commander’s tent. They were all Yona’s military buddies.

"What are you doing in here? Let’s go out."

"Gotta have some fun tonight, right?"

The rhythmic clang of a hammer echoed through the tent. Richard had his back turned, hammering away continuously. Upon closer inspection, he was crafting something that looked like a horse saddle.

"I’m good."

"We’re heading straight to the party, so get ready... hmm?"

They exchanged baffled looks, as if they had misheard him.

"Did you seriously just say you aren’t going? You?"

"If Yona, the notorious bad boy who’s mastered every vice in the world, isn’t going, then who is?"

Richard waved his arm as if shooing away a fly.

"I’m not interested."

"Looks like the rumors about this bastard suddenly going impotent are true."

"What’s going on, Yona? Did you catch a disease or something? Maybe ’that’ kind of disease?"

As his buddies snickered and approached to mess with him, Richard swiftly spun around in his chair and tripped one of them.

The man let out a sharp yelp as he crashed hard onto the floor. Richard stood up, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Don’t cross the line. Get out, you punks."

"Y-You bastard...!"

They glared at Richard with contorted faces, but upon meeting his vicious gaze, they eventually backed down and left the tent.

"Come by later if you change your mind," one of them—a buddy wearing glasses—called out, poking his head back into the tent with a wave.

Yona spoke coldly.

"Get lost, Kin Moore."

"Harsh."

Once the intruders were gone, Yona sat back down and raised his hammer.

He struck the horse saddle a few more times before lifting his work to eye level. Seemingly unsatisfied, he placed it back on the workbench and resumed hammering.

"Hello, Yona."

Just then, a new figure entered. Richard replied without even looking back.

"You’re here, Watcher."

"Yes. But who were those guys that just left? They were cursing up a storm on their way out."

"Just some punks I don’t know."

Muttering that, he focused on his work before quickly turning his head to look at Simon.

"You’re free in two days, right?"

Simon let out a sly smile.

"To go volunteer at the orphanage? You’ve already asked me six times today."

"Shut up, kid."

Simon burst into laughter.

’He’s my father, but seeing him like this is just too funny.’

"I go easy on you for a bit, and you think you can walk all over me."

Richard clicked his tongue and went back to hammering.

"Who did you take after to get so cheeky while staying here?"

"I probably took after Yona."

"Don’t say such terrible things."

Simon chuckled again.

For the past few weeks, Simon had been having a great time with his father from the past. Since Richard wasn’t going out to party, they had plenty of free time.

"Oh right, you’re going to teach me again today, right?"

"You mean ’Imago’."

’Imago’ was a top-tier restoration skill that allowed one to leave their residual thoughts in a discarded bone armor, enabling it to move as if it were their own body.

He had originally planned to learn it from Richard after returning to the present, but since he didn’t know when he would have to fight the Secret Society, he was taking the opportunity to train now.

In certain aspects, the Richard of the past was definitely better than the Richard of the present. For one, it was an undeniable fact that the current Richard was in his absolute prime.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to inherit techniques not from Richard, the Lord of Leshill, but from Yona of the 7th Legion.

"Alright, come outside."

Setting his hammer down with a heavy thud, Richard slung his jacket over his shoulder and took the lead.

"I’ll teach you properly, and take you down a peg while I’m at it."

Simon beamed and followed him.

"Yes, Yona!"

"Damn it, stop clinging to me! Are you into guys or something?"

"It’s not like that, but we’re close enough, aren’t we?"

"You keep saying scary things, you punk."

---

"Saintess Anna. I will now brief you on today’s schedule."

Meanwhile, in the Holy Federation camp.

Inside the white tent where Anna resided, Israphel—dressed in a crisp officer’s uniform—stood at attention with military discipline and raised a clipboard.

"Following dinner, we have the prayer of thanksgiving, the feast day prayer, the regular evening service, and then a walk followed by dawn prayer."

Lowering the clipboard with a sharp, precise motion, Israphel returned to parade rest and spoke.

"All the priests in the unit are waiting in the prayer room."

"Thank you for the report, Israphel."

Anna smiled gently. On her lap, Lethe was clinging to her like a cicada. Israphel ground her teeth and glared at Lethe.

Just then, an unexpected remark slipped from Anna’s lips.

"As of today, let’s replace all group prayers outside of the regular service with individual prayers."

"Excuse me?"

Israphel’s eyes widened in disbelief.

’What did I just hear?’

"I feel like I’ve caused too many people to suffer and taken up too much of their time for the sake of my own religious life."

Israphel jumped in shock.

"What are you saying! All the priests, myself included, consider it an infinite honor to pray alongside our revered Saintess Anna every single day!"

"I have eyes and ears too, you know."

Anna let out an awkward laugh.

"I realized that I haven’t been mindful of my position and have caused inconvenience to too many people. From now on, I will cut back on unnecessary prayers. Reaffirming our faith is important, but as the war drags on, we also need rest to soothe our exhausted bodies and minds."

Israphel bowed her head deeply.

"Understood. I will go inform the priests gathered in the prayer room."

"Thank you as always, Israphel."

Israphel fell deep into thought as she marched toward the prayer room.

’I knew it. Anna has been acting strange lately.’

The cause was almost certain. She had been acting weird ever since that Lena girl—or whatever her name was—showed up.

Just who was she? Popping up out of nowhere as if she had fallen from the sky.

’Lena.’

Israphel clenched her fists tightly as she thought about her.

They seemed to be around the same age. Her posture, way of speaking, and level of holy magic gave the impression that she had been properly educated in a strict temple. She had even memorized the most detailed verses of the scripture when Israphel tested her just in case, and above all, there was her purely pristine and vast divinity.

People were praising her divinity so highly that they compared it to Anna’s, the greatest of their generation.

However.

’Does this make any sense?’

Her identity was completely unclear.

No matter if she had the backing of the Saintess of Miracles, everyone was letting it slide too easily. Divinity wasn’t everything, was it? Anna’s judgment could be wrong just this once, couldn’t it?

Lena was clinging to Anna all day long, whispering strange things to her. Anna was being heavily influenced by her.

"Hey, Israphel."

Lost in her thoughts, Israphel jolted in surprise and turned her head.

Having walked mindlessly, she had already arrived at the prayer room. A senior Efnel priest from a few classes above her was kneeling with a deep scowl, massaging her own thighs, and the other priests were doing the same.

"How long do we have to stay like this? Where’s the Saintess?"

"Ah, well."

Tensing up, Israphel spoke hurriedly.

"The Saintess has decreed that from now on, all prayer times aside from the regular service will be replaced with individual prayer."

"Really?"

Loud cheers erupted from all corners of the room.

"Thank you, Saintess of Miracles!"

"Goddess Deva must have looked down upon our suffering!"

’Are they really that happy?’

The priests reacted as if they had just been liberated from a long imprisonment. Some checked their hair in the mirror before immediately bolting outside.

"It’s so great that Saintess Anna has been taking it easy on us lately," the senior priest said as she stretched her numb legs and stood up. The senior, whose face was usually full of irritation, was now beaming.

’How many years has it been since I saw that old hag smile?’

"Did you slip a word in with the Saintess, Israphel?"

"Ah, well..."

"Hmph, there’s no way a stick-in-the-mud like you would do that. It must be thanks to that new servant, Lena or whatever her name is, right?"

"That Lena girl, she speaks so nicely too."

"Whatever! Let’s go admire the faces of the Southern Paladins who just joined the front lines!"

The seniors left, chattering noisily and laughing among themselves.

Israphel’s tightly clasped hands gripped even harder.

’Lena!’

Just who was she?

Everything had been changing since that woman showed up. Teacher Anna and the other priests all liked her.

It felt like she was replacing her position.

’I swear.’

Recalling Lethe’s face sticking her tongue out mockingly, she felt the blood rush to her head.

’One day, I’ll definitely expose your true colors!’

---

Another two days passed, and the day of the volunteer work finally arrived.

"Hurry up, Watcher!"

"Yes, sir!"

Richard urged Simon to run faster.

Simon smiled warmly. He knew that Richard had been awake since the crack of dawn, but he was pretending not to notice.

"Wait."

Simon noticed the injuries on Richard’s body. He had bandages plastered not just on his face, but all over his body.

"Did you get into a fight with someone?"

"Fight, my ass. Just get on the horse," Richard said as he vaulted onto his spectral steed.

"We need to make breakfast before the kids wake up, don’t we?"

"Yes, yes."

Simon hopped onto the horse with a beaming smile. Richard scowled deeply.

"I told you not to smile so cheekily. Do you really want to die?"

"Sorry, sorry," Simon laughed.

And around the same time.

It was chaotic in the Holy Federation camp as well.

"W-What about this outfit?"

"It’s pretty, Teacher Anna!"

"T-Then what about this one?"

"That one’s pretty too!"

Anna and Lethe were doing final fittings for the outfits they would wear to the volunteer work.

Having changed into her third outfit, Anna was still agonizing over it, seemingly unsatisfied.

"I’m sorry for waking you up so early, Lena."

Anna had never picked out her own clothes before.

She had always worn whatever was handed down from her superiors without complaint, whether it was a gown or a dress, and she had never once been dissatisfied in her entire life.

But today, looking in the mirror, she suddenly disliked her clothes. So, she ended up hurriedly waking Lethe from her deep sleep.

"Oh, it’s no problem at all! How about this one?"

Even though she had just been woken up, Lethe was helping her pick out clothes without a single word of complaint. Wearing a new dress, Anna looked at herself in the mirror.

Now she understood. It wasn’t a matter of whether she liked it or not.

’What kind of clothes does he like?’

It was the first time she had ever thought like that. Just then, Lethe poked her head out.

"Do you want to look good for him?"

Anna’s face turned as red as a tomato. Letting out a strange squeak, she covered her face with both hands.

"I-It’s not like that... Just, um. It’s just a personal whim of mine..."

’So cute!’

Lethe was screaming internally.

She was insanely cute. So, so, so adorable. Suppressing the strong urge to just squeeze her, Lethe clasped her hands together.

"Teacher Anna, the outfit you have on right now suits you perfectly. Richar—I mean, everyone will definitely love it."

"Y-You think so?"

Seeing the past Anna rejoice with wide eyes and a voice as soft as cotton candy, Lethe bit her own collar hard to contain herself and replied.

"Of course!"

Honestly, what did it matter if someone like her wore rags or a sack?

No matter what she wore, it was obvious that idiot playboy Richard would be panting with his tongue hanging out in delight.

Lethe took Anna’s hands.

"Let’s go! Let’s go meet him!"

Anna smiled brightly, like a flower in full bloom.

"Okay!"

While the two of them were getting ready...

A short distance away, Israphel was watching with her head poking out. Burning with jealousy, her fists were trembling.

’Where are they going to play without me again?’

This time for sure, she would expose the true colors of that woman named Lena.

Israphel resolved in her heart.