Chapter 97. Talent
“…Forgive , Lady Shaferia. I cannot accept your sword.”
Shaferia, who had been holding her sword with both hands, silently sheathed it.
She rose to her feet and spoke.
“In truth, I’m not qualified. I’m well aware of that.”
Though her oath had been rejected, Shaferia looked entirely unbothered.
As if she had expected this outco—her tone was composed, calm.
She knew better than anyone that she wasn’t worthy to serve Yohan.
At her core, Shaferia was not a knight.
She couldn’t wield aura, and she wasn’t born into a noble family.
She lacked any of the qualifications expected of a knight.
To beco a knight of a noble house—especially one under the Council—one had to et strict criteria.
At the very least, one had to prove martial capability.
Of course, Yohan could have ignored those conventions entirely and knighted Shaferia on his own authority.
As the head of a family under the Council, he held the right to appoint knights.
But Shaferia didn’t want to rely on loopholes.
She wanted to earn her place on her own.
Yohan spoke.
“You already possess more than enough qualifications. Don’t belittle yourself.”
Shaferia shook her head.
“In my current state, I have no strength to protect you, Baron. Let alone as a knight—I couldn’t even qualify as a squire. So, I’ve decided to open my dantian.”
She ant she would begin training in Aura.
Yohan looked a little taken aback.
Once she opened her dantian, Shaferia would no longer be able to use divine power.
Even consecration would beco impossible.
She would no longer be able to serve the Great Saint.
―――I will choose you, instead of the Great Saint.
That’s what Yohan heard.
It was… rather shocking.
“…Lady Shaferia, are you saying you’re ready to give up your faith?”
Shaferia answered without hesitation.
“No. Serving you, Baron, is to the sa as serving the Great Saint.”
Yohan was confused.
“How could those two things possibly be connected?”
“As you know, the Great Saint took back my divine power. No matter how much I agonized over it, I couldn’t understand why—until I spent ti with you. Then, I began to see the deeper aning behind it.”
The deeper aning of the Great Saint’s will. Yohan was genuinely curious about what she thought it was.
“And what exactly do you think that was?”
Shaferia answered calmly.
“I believe it was a revelation—to serve you.”
Yohan had the urge to smack himself in the forehead.
‘…Religious types, I swear.’
Shaferia connected every coincidence and incident to divine will.
‘Unbelievable.’
The reason she had lost her divine power had nothing to do with the Great Saint.
It was entirely Yohan’s doing.
He had been irritated by her Judgnt Eyes, and to eliminate them, he had severed her power.
No divine intervention involved.
Yohan said,
“I don’t quite see it. How does the loss of divine power beco a divine revelation?”
Shaferia explained calmly.
“From the mont I lost it, you and I kept crossing paths, Baron. Starting with the knight ‘Rail’ incident, through the southwestern quarantine zone, and now the matter of His Highness Gawain. We keep getting entangled.”
When Apostle Beris appeared, the corpse of a knight nad ‘Rail’ was discovered at the scene. Shaferia had been dispatched to the Baron’s estate as a covert agent.
Nothing suspicious was found, and the investigation concluded.
She thought her connection with Yohan was over.
But no.
By chance, she later encountered a group of slash-and-burn farrs—who, of all people, turned out to be Yohan’s benefactors.
Shaferia had personally escorted them to the barony.
Once there, Yohan just happened to need her help.
Their fates continued to intertwine.
Yohan frowned.
“Sounds like re coincidence, to .”
Shaferia shook her head.
“I can say with confidence—it’s not. Why else would the Great Saint show such a miracle?”
“…A miracle?”
“You survived after using Chanyeongye, Baron. That itself is a miracle.”
It had been nothing but a hallucination conjured by Belzarak.
‘…Maybe I overdid it.’
The illusion had planted far too great a fantasy in Shaferia’s heart.
Yohan swallowed hard.
“Well, perhaps, but still…”
“That was the mont I was convinced. That you are the ssenger of the Great Saint, and that I have a duty to serve you.”
Over the past few hours, Shaferia had witnessed Yohan’s sacrifice, his devotion, and his unwavering sense of duty.
She had no choice but to respect him.
And when all the coincidental events were stacked together, it now felt like a divine ssage.
Yohan wanted to scoff.
But he held back.
It was entirely his own fault that Shaferia was so deeply mistaken.
He did his best to maintain a calm expression.
“Your interpretation has… its own rit, I suppose.”
He decided to just agree.
Arguing wouldn’t help.
Yohan wasn’t foolish enough to try and debate a zealot about the will of God.
He just wanted to end this conversation quickly.
Shaferia’s face brightened slightly.
“I knew you would understand, Baron.”
“Well, sure.”
“Starting today, I’ll begin cultivating aura. So that I may serve you soday.”
She looked ready to open her dantian right this instant.
And honestly, soone like her would likely master aura quickly.
It wouldn’t take long before she reached incredible heights.
According to the setting of Inmalog, that was how it went.
Shaferia was second to none when it ca to martial prowess.
Yohan looked at her, briefly lost in thought.
Shaferia wielding aura—objectively speaking, she would be an extraordinary force.
She might one day reach the realm of Sword Saint.
For Yohan, it would be like having a Sword Saint as a subordinate.
There was no good reason to reject her.
‘…No downside, I guess.’
It was clearly a windfall.
‘So why does it feel so uncomfortable?’
He couldn’t figure it out.
After much thought, Yohan finally spoke.
“Very well. Let’s discuss this again after you’ve opened your dantian.”
Shaferia smiled brightly.
“I’ll make sure to live up to your expectations, Baron.”
Yohan found her gaze a bit burdenso, but didn’t show it.
“Then, shall we return to the matter at hand?”
Shaferia looked over at Gawain.
“We’ve kept His Highness waiting. What can I do to help?”
To stop Gawain’s corruption, Shaferia’s presence was necessary.
Yohan had originally planned to link her soul with Cursed Spear Turabak.
She would beco the one to turn into a demon, instead of Gawain.
She would be the sacrifice.
But now, things are a little different.
Shaferia was showing him imnse loyalty.
Turning her into a demon might not be the best path.
There could be more to gain by keeping her human.
After a brief mont of thought, Yohan spoke.
“I’ll need your help in the Abyss. There’s nothing we can do here right now. Could you return to the castle at this ti tomorrow? We’ll talk in detail then.”
Yohan needed about a day to decide.
Whether to keep her human or to let her fall. That choice would greatly influence future developnts.
It wasn’t sothing he could rush.
Shaferia said,
“Understood. I’ll return tomorrow, then.”
The two of them left the Forbidden Archive.
***
Yohan sat in his office chair, tapping on the armrest.
He’d spent a long ti thinking, but still couldn’t decide how to handle Shaferia.
If he kept her human, Gawain would be a problem.
He still couldn’t think of a way to halt Gawain’s corruption.
‘…Should I find another of the Saint’s favored ones?’
The Saint’s Chosen shared parts of their souls with one another.
Using one of them, the ownership of Turabak could be transferred.
‘Too much trouble.’
He had too much to do already, and no ti to go searching for one of the Chosen.
Yohan let out a long sigh.
At that mont, a familiar voice reached him.
“How long did you two talk there?”
Ilea stepped into the office.
She wore a faint smile.
Yohan replied.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Shaferia. You were in the Forbidden Archive with her for quite a while, weren’t you?”
Her tone was strangely cold.
Yohan answered with a blank expression.
“She said she wants to serve . As her lord.”
Ilea clapped.
“Oh my, how convenient. She’ll be obedient, so the Abyss mission will go smoother.”
“I thought so too. But… Now I’m a little greedy.”
Ilea’s smile faded slightly.
“Greedy how?”
“I want to use Shaferia in a different way. With her talent, she could be a great asset in the days to co.”
“She’s just an ordinary human. You made her that way.”
“She’s started training in aura.”
“…For you?”
“Well, I guess? Honestly, I’m not sure. Let’s just say it’s out of faith or sothing.”
Ilea was quiet for a mont.
Then she said,
“I’m against it.”
“Why?”
“She was an agent of the Order.”
“She isn’t anymore.”
“I know. I still don’t like her.”
Yohan frowned.
“…Not a very helpful opinion.”
“I’m just being honest about my feelings. Objectively, there’s no reason to oppose it—especially now that she’s learning aura.”
Yohan nodded.
“I feel the sa.”
“On another note, I’m curious about sothing.”
“What is it?”
“Shaferia… she’s pretty, right?”
Yohan’s face twitched slightly.
“Does that even matter right now?”
“To , it matters quite a bit.”
Yohan clicked his tongue.
“Get out. I don’t have ti for jokes.”
He waved his hand, and Ilea spun around.
As she left the office, she said,
“Either way, I’m still against it.”
Yohan sighed and sank back into thought.
He really needed to make a decision by tonight.
***
Night passed, and the sun rose again.
Throughout that long ti, Yohan hadn’t moved an inch from his office.
He still hadn’t made a decision.
Even now, with Shaferia standing before him, he was hesitating.
Shaferia looked at him with concern.
“Baron, are you all right? You have dark circles under your eyes.”
Yohan forced a smile.
“Didn’t sleep much.”
“If you’re tired, I can return tomorrow instead.”
Yohan nearly nodded, but stopped himself.
Dragging it out wouldn’t help. He needed to make a decision.
He made up his mind.
“No. Let’s head down to the Forbidden Archive.”
Shaferia smiled brightly.
“Before that, I have sothing to show you.”
There was a subtle confidence in her expression.
“What is it?”
Shaferia suddenly took a stance.
“See for yourself.”
At that mont, a powerful vibration echoed through the room.
It was the sound of sothing activating.
‘No way…’
Yohan’s thoughts cut off.
A transparent wave rippled out from the tip of Shaferia’s sword and swept through the office.
A tingling sensation hit Yohan’s skin.
He leapt to his feet.
“Aura!”
Shaferia nodded with a smile.
“I opened my dantian. Last night.”
She had achieved aura in just one night? It was hard to believe.
Yohan stood frozen.
Beside him, Hakain dropped his pipe with a clatter.
Staring in shock at Yohan, he asked,
“…Where in the world did you pick up this one?”
Yohan hadn’t picked her up.
This treasure had rolled right into his lap all on its own.
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