There's a saying about getting beaten so hard the dust flies on a rainy day.
And Sophie had truly been beaten like that before.
It had probably been a sunny day. A day when her makeup went on perfectly, she liked the clothes she was wearing, and she was happy with the hair shop she'd booked.
A day when everything was that good.
But on such a day, that bastard had suddenly barged in.
"Kyaak! You can't come in like this! This is a sacred men-free zone...!"
"Move, if you don't want to die."
"Kyaak!"
Bam!
Sophie was startled by the door being smashed to pieces. And she couldn't help but be even more horrified to see the skinhead man who had broken through it.
"My goodness, bursting in here of all places...!"
But Lee Geon kicked the door.
Bam!
Her efforts to close it were useless.
"I told you to get your ass to the hospital, now."
Lee Geon, apparently extremely pissed off about something, strode towards Sophie.
Sophie immediately picked up a hot teacup.
"You rude bastard, get out ri...!"
She had no time to finish saying 'right now'. Lee Geon snatched a handful of Sophie's hair in an instant.
"Kyaak!"
Crash!
And Lee Geon, grabbing Sophie, spoke.
"Have you lost your mind? You ordered the people who saved you to be actually killed? And patients in hospital beds at that?"
Sophie was dumbfounded.
She'd wondered what he was barging in about, and it was over those troublemaking man and woman soldiers who'd annoyed her!
"If it's about that, they got what they deserved! I'm busy as hell and they were... No, let go of this first! You're ruining my expensive hair!"
"Those people might lose their legs. From the wounds they got saving you. And you blabbed with your own mouth that you'd treat them yourself, so what?"
As if exploding, Lee Geon yanked Sophie's hair.
"Kyaak!"
Sophie clutched her hair, feeling like it was being ripped out, and screamed.
"I said let go! I have to go to my booked hair appointment right now! How did you grab it... you orc bastard!"
At that hysterical scream, Lee Geon pulled off his mask.
At the same time, Sophie's shriek echoed.
Hideously mangled skin, difficult even to look at.
Sophie was foaming at the mouth over his face, crushed like an orc monster, for just a moment before Lee Geon's face was right in front of her eyes.
"Follow me while I'm asking nicely."
It was a threat that he'd crush her face like this too.
In the end, the resisting Sophie got beaten so hard that day, the dust would fly on a rainy day.
Getting dragged by the hair to the hospital was a bonus.
Crying didn't make him take pity.
And currently.
The Saintess, recalling one of Lee Geon's numerous anecdotes, was trembling.
She couldn't help it.
'What is this? Why, of all times, am I remembering that incident now...!'
But right now, that wasn't important.
It was fine that she'd run from that unidentified man and escaped to an upscale lounge on the outskirts.
'But my magic power is being taken...!'
She didn't know how, but the power of her own constellation, her sacred star, was flowing into someone.
It was as if a snake that ate lamb was thirsty and joyfully gulping down jar after jar of water.
[The sacred star, , is seizing the power of the Holy Grail's Master]
-Deity State 40% (Charging)
[Through the efforts of the Piggy Bank, the power of the Holy Grail Constellation's Master is being seized]
[Deity State 45%]
[As the Deity State rises, all those belonging to the Snake Lord Constellation grow stronger]
[When Deity State reaches 70%, a skill will become usable]
Sophie might not be able to hear it, but Lee Geon was steadily siphoning Sophie's power.
As if trying to fill his own power first before even meeting face to face, he relentlessly gnawed away at it.
That wasn't all.
[Insignia Authorization: Lady Sophie Mardi, 16:24 Gelato $38]
When had her insignia even disappeared? She didn't know who it was, but someone was using her insignia.
This was because the insignia, akin to the identification card for all holy knights, had not only rental skills but also a card function linked to it.
Thus, it was a common currency at the Unified Trade Center, whose main customers were the holy knights.
And the other party, seeming to realize that, was joyfully spending with her insignia.
[Insignia Authorization: Lady Sophie Mardi, 16:25 Gelato $88]
[Insignia Authorization: Lady Sophie Mardi, 16:26 Gelato $478]
[Insignia Authorization: Lady Sophie Mardi, 16:28 Gelato $1089]
[Insignia Authorization: Lady Sophie Mardi, 16:30 Gelato $13880]
How much could you possibly spend on ice cream anyway!
Sophie's hands trembled looking at the texts flying onto her phone.
But even so, she was too scared to go retrieve her insignia.
Why?
'It must have been dropped at that appraisal office.'
And what if the person holding her insignia was that man she saw at the office?
That wasn't all. Even this method of extortion was familiar—too familiar.
Yes, for example, something like...
[Found your card lying around, so I used it well. The limit's been reached, so I'll return it now. Don't thank me too much. It's repayment for saving your life last time.]
Lee Geon.
But soon Sophie shook her head.
'No, it can't be.'
She had seen Lee Geon's shadow in the man at the appraisal office, but that person was very young and handsome.
'Plus, it's a magical power I've never felt before.'
But it was at that very moment.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
"!"
Sophie flinched, startled by the thick male voice sounding from beside her.
And the one sitting next to her was Stephen Marker. The Leo Saint.
The Leo Saint looked at Sophie as if dumbfounded.
"I don't know why you're trembling and sticking by my side, but either stay quiet or get lost to the bathroom."
Sophie gritted her teeth at his words.
He was a man utterly without manners, no matter when you looked at him.
Of course, Sophie also had no intention of staying next to a guy like this.
Their meeting was just a coincidence, running into each other in front of the teleport zone, after all.
But.
'I have to bear it.'
Right now, sticking by this man's side was the best move. Not least because this man was among the strongest in the world.
'At the very least, similar to Lee Geon, or possibly even stronger than Lee Geon.'
She didn't know who the man she'd seen at the pawnbroker's was, but for Sophie, who had sensed Lee Geon's shadow, this was currently the safest place.
However, seeing Sophie's hands trembling faintly, the Leo Saint let out a laugh.
It meant they weren't on the same level.
'For a Saint, what's scared her now?'
He didn't know who she had met and come from, but it wasn't important.
"Today, don't even think about eyeing the sacred relic."
"!"
The Leo Saint said his piece and stood up. He even headed for the door.
"......!"
Startled by the sight, Sophie shouted.
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be back before the auction starts."
At that, the appalled Sophie scanned her surroundings. Seeing her look fearful of being left alone, the Leo Saint sneered.
"Why does your face look like you just saw Lee Geon?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Why so surprised? You got scared because the Devil's Tower was destroyed the other day, right?"
"Th-that...!"
"Don't know why you were so scared, but this is the VIP lounge anyway, so no one can just enter."
The Leo Saint left, saying only what he wanted until the very end.
And so Sophie was left alone. She was scared, but it would be fine.
As Stephen had said, this was the VIP lounge where not just anyone could enter.
And if he was coming back before the auction started, she only had to wait about 10 minutes.
What could possibly happen in that short time?
But.
'!'
Sophie, who had been feeling relieved, urgently turned her head.
* * *
"Excuse me? Enter the VIP lounge? This kid?"
Around that time, Hugo's mouth was gaping open.
Directly after hearing the bold declaration of intent to steal his insignia, he had rushed over to the Sacred Relic Trade Center.
Of course, tracking Lee Geon was no trouble at all. Because was the constellation of tracking. So it was fine that he had grabbed Lee Geon's clothes and chased him, but.
Of all places, his friend had entered the teleport zone of the Unified Trade Center!
He didn't know how he had gotten into a place you could only enter by throwing money around, but it didn't matter.
'I have to find him.'
In the end, Hugo, having bribed(?) his fans among the staff, urgently entered the VIP lounge.
But the lounge he had just barely entered lacked Lee Geon. As expected, he must have gone another way.
Rather, if there was a problem...
"What are you doing here?"
"!"
It was that a voice he hated to hear happened to reach him.
And it was a person Hugo himself intensely disliked.
As expected.
"It's been a while."
Though a different form from Catholicism, it was a white nun's habit said to only be permitted to the Pope.
Aquarius.
The Saintess of the Holy Grail Constellation was there.
And that beauty with a girlish impression burst into laughter, "Kya-ha-ha", upon seeing Hugo.
"Even the once-handsome Terrïus, who represented the Twelve Saints, can't beat time. Who knew the decline of a holy knight could be this stark?"
In truth, he didn't even look old, but it was a clear mockery.
"I came because I felt the energy of the Celestial Palace constellation here, and my goodness, to see you've turned into such an old man."
Sophie clicked her tongue as if pitying him and sat down next to Hugo.
"You should have just listened to me back then. Why bother with loyalty to a dead man? You ended up getting your wife killed, clinging to some cheap loyalty for nothing."
At those words, Hugo, stung, glared at the Saintess. The Saintess laughed at the power of the Scorching Lord constellation flaring up in an instant.
"Ah, right. She's not dead yet, is she? I'm sorry. I don't remember old things well."
"......"
"But it's no different from being dead."
Hugo's hand, veins bulging, went up to Sophie's shoulder. He wanted to twist the Saintess's neck right then and there, but he stopped.
Ten years ago. After being defeated in a fight with them due to a certain incident, he had signed an agreement not to touch them anymore.
In the end, the hand that had barely swallowed its rage slowly lowered.
And as if she had expected him to, the Saintess smiled.
"Anyway, my business isn't that."
Sophie had not deliberately come here to chat about old stories.
"I have a question. Honestly, it's a question all eleven others wouldn't know, but you might."
"Huh."
As if she wasn't worth dealing with, Hugo stood up coldly, and Sophie shouted sharply.
"Wait!"
And the words she shouted were enough to stop even the renowned Hugo in his tracks.
"Did Lee Geon, by any chance, have a son?"
"!"
The face Hugo turned around with at that moment was worth seeing. And he doubted his own ears.
What did she just say?
But Sophie was sincere.
There was no way Lee Geon was alive. But that feeling she had felt at the appraisal office. And the trauma of Lee Geon suddenly surfacing.
Receiving his gaze, Sophie anxiously tapped, tap-tap-tap, the armrest of the chair with her fingernails.
"I-I asked if Lee Geon had a child by any chance...! Answer me quickly!"
"......"
There was no way such a thing existed.
And perhaps misreading the expression. The wide-eyed Sophie abruptly burst into laughter, "Kya-ha-ha".
It meant she herself thought it was a ridiculous question.
"Indeed, look at me. I'm sorry. Since it was a slip of the tongue, please forget the question I just asked."
"What?"
"Thinking about it, a child from that face? It's questionable whether any woman would have liked him, but even if he had a child, it would be an awfully ugly monster, taking after its father."
"......!"
"Isn't that right? If it were me, resenting my father, I'd have snapped my own neck ages ago? In the first place, not having children with that face is the way to go for society and the environment."
Hugo's face contorted.
This was his limit.
Hugo clenched his fist. He could endure insults to himself, but not insults to his friend.
But Sophie, as if indifferent, couldn't stop her "Kya-ha-ha" laughter.
"In any case, knowing it has nothing to do with that bald orc is all that matters."
Sophie, who until just a moment ago had been fearing something, only now leaned back as if relieved.
"Haha, I can finally relax n... ow."
But it was then.
Just as the enraged Hugo was about to grab Sophie by the collar.
"Hey."
"!"
At the instantly familiar voice, Sophie froze.
And.
Bam!
Someone had kicked the backrest of Sophie's chair.
"......!"
It was directly behind her.
Hugo, seeing the other party, was astonished.
Sophie, having no idea who it could be, heard the man in the seat right behind her jeer.
"Listening to you run your mouth, you sure talk a lot?"
(To be continued in the next episode)