Chapter 34

When Theresa entered the conference room, she immediately noticed the awkward silence between Renee and Vera. They were both staring straight ahead, perfectly still.

“What are you two doing?” she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

They both turned to her at the same time. Vera gave a slight bow, while Renee flinched. Theresa laughed at their contrasting reactions and took a seat across from them.

“My apologies,” she said. “I’ve been away for so long, there was a lot to discuss.”

“Oh, no!” Renee said loudly, then her shoulders slumped as she realized her mistake. ‘Oops,’ she thought.

Theresa almost laughed again. She looked at the two of them. Vera was staring at the blushing, timid Renee with a worried expression.

In Theresa’s eyes, a swirling pink light enveloped Renee.

‘A crush,’ she thought.

Theresa's power let her see emotions as colors, and clumsy, unrefined emotions like first love shone the brightest. This girl’s feelings were so new she couldn't hide them. Theresa felt a strange joy.

“Saint,” she said to Renee. “I hear Trevor is teaching you divine art. Is that right?”

“Oh, yes!”

“I’ll take over for the next month. I’m a better teacher than Trevor, anyway.”

Renee tilted her head, concerned. “Will it be alright? I don’t want to upset Trevor…” she asked, thinking of how friendly he always was.

Theresa smiled. “Don’t worry. He’s the kind of man who will be happy to have more free time.”

Vera nodded slightly to himself. Theresa’s judgment was spot on. Anyone who knew Trevor knew he was obsessed with his research and loved a chance to get away. But Renee, thanks to Vera’s subtle guidance, had never seen his true, crazed side.

Theresa looked from Vera to a still-perplexed Renee. “I’ve known Trevor since he was a little kid, so I know him well,” she added with a laugh. “And when it comes to teaching, I'm the best. I even taught Vargo.”

Vera’s eyes widened. A person who taught the Holy Emperor himself. He finally understood why Vargo treated Theresa with such respect. A flicker of ambition flared up in his own heart.

“Could I ask you to teach me as well?” he asked.

“Excuse me?” Theresa turned to him.

“I’ve hit a wall studying on my own,” he explained. It was true. There were some things that couldn't be learned from books alone; they needed to be taught.

He waited for her answer, but her reply was sharp.

“I can’t.”

“May I ask why?” he pressed.

“I’m only here to teach the Saint. You’ll have to find something else to do in the meantime.”

Her words made no sense to him, but they hit Renee even harder.

‘I’ll have to be away from Vera.’ The thought alone made her feel anxious and restless. She couldn't understand why, but her panic was growing.

Seeing her face, Theresa added, “It would interfere with my power.” She meant her ability to connect with Renee's divinity.

Vera wanted to argue, but he knew it was pointless. He didn't understand her "Power of Love," so he had no grounds to argue. “I see,” he said, defeated.

“You’ve been doing well on your own, so don't get so worked up,” Theresa said.

“I apologize.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” Theresa laughed softly.

“We can start training the day after tomorrow?” she asked Renee.

“Oh, yes!” Renee replied, still reeling from the sudden turn of events. She nodded, trying to make sense of what was happening.

---

Two days later, in a field in front of the cabin, Vera wiped sweat from his face.

On the ground were the groaning forms of the twins and Rohan.

He had called them all for his usual ‘training,’ which they had agreed to help with. He needed something to do while Renee was busy.

“Get up. The duel isn’t over yet.”

Rohan lay on the ground, trembling. ‘This isn’t a duel!’ he thought. This was Vera just letting off steam. He swore Vera had a smirk on his face while swinging his wooden sword, even whistling as he beat the twins.

“Even with all three of us, his strength is too much!” Rohan muttered, but no one was there to hear the complaints of the beaten.

He looked over at Trevor, who was hiding behind a tree in the distance. “Kid, why isn’t Trevor in this ‘duel’?”

“He doesn’t need to be.”

“Why!” Rohan managed to sit up, yelling.

Vera thought for a moment before answering. “He’s a nuisance… no, it would be useless for him to participate.” He had almost said the truth.

Rohan glared at Trevor. While it seemed unfair, Vera was right. Trevor had no fighting ability and, worse, no fear of being hit. There was nothing to gain from fighting someone who felt no pain and only had madness in his eyes.

Vera glanced at Trevor, who was smiling behind the tree. When Trevor saw Vera looking, he immediately ducked away.

“Alright, enough rest. Let’s go again. Twins, get up.”

The twins, Krek and Karek, flinched. They had been pretending to be dead, but Vera wouldn’t let them off the hook. They grumbled.

“You’re only nice to the Saint, Vera. This is discrimination.”

“Rohan said it best. Vera is head over heels for her.”

“Hey!” Rohan shouted, breaking into a cold sweat. He looked at Vera.

Vera’s eyes, usually so expressionless, now held a deep, foreboding glint. A slight smirk appeared on his face.

“Did Rohan say that?” he asked the twins.

They both nodded. “He said that whenever the Saint is around, Vera’s eyes are glued to her.”

“Right. Rohan said she’s going to ruin Vera.”

“No! No! I never said that!” Rohan tried to protest, but it was useless.

Stomp.

Vera’s footsteps were the only sound Rohan heard. The wooden sword rose high, filling his vision. Rohan closed his eyes and prayed that he would at least stay conscious today so he could go out for a drink later.

Thud!

A loud thud echoed through the field.

---

Meanwhile, Vera's training session was underway. Renee was sitting across from Theresa in the accommodation.

“Well, shall we start?” Renee asked awkwardly.

“Alright. First, show me how much you’ve learned.”

“Oh, yes!” Renee said, holding her hands in front of her to demonstrate her elementary art. It was her first time performing in front of anyone other than Vera, and she was nervous.

A bonfire formed above her hands.

‘Did it turn out well?’ she worried.

Usually, Vera would give her feedback, which eased her anxiety. But with him gone, her nerves were getting the best of her. She started to think she’d failed.

As she recalled Vera’s usual praise, her mind went back to the incident two days ago, and her cheeks burned bright red.

Her concentration wavered. Crrrisp! The bonfire fizzled out. Renee’s body shook.

Theresa watched her, then shook her head slightly. ‘This is serious,’ she thought. She had never been so completely overwhelmed by a crush at that age.

“I’m sorry,” Renee said. “I lost my concentration.”

“Don’t be sorry. It would be strange if you were perfect after only a month of learning.”

“But…”

“You’re doing well, Saint. I’ll tell you something. I was on a mission at an academy. Do you know which one?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Tellon Academy in the northeast.”

“Oh! I know that place!” Renee’s face lit up. Even in her rural village, she had heard of the most famous academy on the continent.

“That’s amazing! I heard the professors there are outstanding.”

“I wasn’t an Apostle there, just a simple priest. The students with divine powers were everywhere. But the reason I’m telling you this is that you’re learning much faster than any of them. They couldn’t reach your level even after a full semester.”

Renee’s cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. “I don’t think it’s that amazing…”

“Be confident. You are very talented.”

“Yes.” Renee gave a shy smile.

Theresa smiled back and reached for Renee’s hand. Renee's hands trembled, but when she realized it was Theresa, she relaxed.

“My teaching will be through my power,” Theresa said.

“Your power?”

“The Power of Love. The power to connect with one another.”

A month was a short time, so Theresa planned to use her power to teach as efficiently as possible.

“I’ll connect our divine energy. When I use my art, you’ll feel the movements. You can remember that feeling and try to follow it. Do you understand?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Don’t worry if you fail. I’ll be here to fix any mistakes.”

Theresa’s reassuring tone calmed Renee’s nerves.

“Let’s begin.”

Swoosh, swoosh.

Renee felt a warm, tingling sensation as Theresa’s divine energy connected with hers. Then, Theresa began to use her divine art.