Chapter 306: Valper Galilei
Watching Irina lost in her self-indulgent admiration, Xenovia thought of that extremely abstract painting.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, and she finally took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with this fanatical fool.
Irina had grown up in the church and, after obtaining the qualification of a Holy Sword Wielder, served the church faithfully. She was as pure as a little white flower, so naive that she was easily swindled out of all her money.
Fortunately, her combat skills were extraordinary, and any scammer with a bit of sense wouldn't dare try anything else. Otherwise, she might have been tricked into some unsavory situations.
Haruto watched with amusement and remarked, "No wonder you went to Hyoudou's place for lunch today—it's because you ran out of money."
Irina might be a bit foolish, but her heart was in the right place. She knew it was wrong to spend all the money, though she would never admit to being swindled.
Faced with Haruto's teasing, she lowered her head to look at her toes... well, her chest was too large to see her toes.
With her head bowed, she whispered sheepishly, "Who knows how long we'll have to stay here? Might as well enjoy a meal while we can..."
Given their physical constitutions, going without food for a few days wouldn't kill them, but it would affect their combat performance. More importantly, going hungry was simply unpleasant.
Starvation is a terrifying thing—something modern people struggle to comprehend.
But just consider ancient times during famines, when people resorted to exchanging children to eat—that alone reveals how horrifying hunger truly is.
"If you don't mind, you can both stay here until this incident is resolved," Haruto said with a laugh. "Of course, three meals a day will be provided."
Since he'd decided to win over these two, he naturally wouldn't let such a perfect opportunity slip by.
Xenovia was a born Holy Sword Wielder, undoubtedly possessing unique bloodline talents.
As for Irina Shido—whether she had been reincarnated as an angel or not—he was equally fascinated by this fervent, simple-minded, buxom beauty of a believer.
Though Xenovia was clever, her straightforward nature made her brutally honest.
"Alright, thank you then," she replied without hesitation.
Seeing her friend agree so readily, Irina Shido opened her mouth slightly before resigning herself to silence.
Truthfully, she wanted to accept too—it was just her pride getting in the way.
Forget eating and sleeping for now; bathing was the real priority.
Unable to bathe last night, the cleanliness-obsessed girl had barely endured it by telling herself it was a trial from God. But the thought of going who-knows-how-long without another bath...
Irina Shido began to feel that compared to bathing, pride wasn't so important after all.
Thanks to the interruption from the chestnut twin-tailed, buxom beauty, the topic of sex was quietly dropped.
Haruto understood these things couldn't be rushed—it was best to let them unfold naturally.
Besides, he wasn't in a hurry. He had some confidence in himself.
If Xenovia truly wanted to try sex, he'd undoubtedly be the first person she'd think of.
As for Irina Shido—she appeared innocent and prone to romanticizing scenarios in self-indulgent fantasies, but was actually a hidden tsundere.
Her twin-tailed hairstyle was the biggest evidence.
Dealing with tsunderes was always troublesome—rapid conquest was nearly impossible.
Fortunately, this was a somewhat foolish tsundere beauty with ample curves, so the difficulty wasn't too high—it just required a bit more time.
"Here are the room keys."
Haruto led the two girls to the previously selected room, took out the keys, and reminded them again, "You can go anywhere here, but it's best to avoid the fourth floor and basement. If you happen to see something not suitable for minors, don't say I didn't warn you."
Irina Shido snorted lightly, her cheeks slightly flushed, muttering, "Got it. Who'd want to watch you doing that sort of thing..."
Xenovia beside her remained silent, reaching out to take the keys, though her thoughtful expression was somewhat concerning.
"Dinner is at seven, on the first floor. Don't forget."
After saying this, Haruto turned and left.
Three minutes later, he found Yuuto Kiba sweating it out in the courtyard.
"Yu... Yuki."
"Hmm, Haruto, any news about the Holy Sword?"
"No. Even if the girls under me are capable, they still need time."
Haruto shot her a sidelong glance and said, "I just discussed the Holy Sword Project with Xenovia and the others. I think you should direct your hatred toward the people who carried out the project, not an inanimate object like the Holy Sword."
"But I don't know who was behind it, and I heard that those responsible for the Holy Sword Project back then have already been punished." The Demon Sword in Yuuto Kiba's hand dissolved into particles of light as he smiled bitterly.
"In the Holy Sword Project, all of us children from that batch were just expendable, without even personal freedom."
"Every experiment was agonizing, and people kept dying during the tests."
"But we all persevered through our faith in God. However, when the experiments were confirmed to have failed, the Church's order regarding us survivors was execution."
"It wasn't until that moment that we realized our true standing. It was only with the help of my comrades sacrificing their lives that I managed to escape by sheer luck."
As Yuuto Kiba poured out his inner anguish, Haruto listened quietly without interrupting.
"My body developed issues from the experiments, and with the minister's help, I've managed to avoid detection by the Church.""
"After escaping from there, I often wondered why I survived. Among my companions, there were those stronger than me, those with bigger dreams... Do I really deserve to be alive?"
"This is a question I still haven't figured out, but I know that only by destroying the Holy Swords, by eliminating the source that caused everything, can I somewhat console the spirits of my departed comrades."
"Well, I don't deny that's one approach."
Haruto nodded, then changed tack, "But compared to the Holy Swords, I think the people who executed the project are more deserving of death, especially Valper Galilei, who proposed this experiment and led its implementation."
"Valper Galilei?!" Yuuto Kiba's mind went blank as scenes from the depths of his memory surged forth.
"Yes, this person was the director of the Holy Sword Project, formerly a Bishop of the Church."
While serving as a guide for Xenovia and Irina Shido, Haruto had already inquired thoroughly about the so-called Holy Sword Project.
The Holy Sword Project was highly classified back then, but now it's hardly a secret anymore.
Although the Holy Sword Project failed, Valper Galilei was indeed a genius. Through the failed experiments, he developed a method to extract factors from Holy Sword Wielders.
The so-called Holy Sword Wielder factor is essentially a bloodline gene, albeit more magical in nature, but it can still be extracted.
Many people possess the Holy Sword Wielder factor, though few have a high enough concentration to meet the conditions for wielding a Holy Sword.
In that case, the solution is to extract it—extract a large amount—and then inject it into a single individual.
As long as the person can adapt and survive the intense mutation reaction, they can become a Holy Sword Wielder.
Originally, this was an extremely risky procedure with a high mortality rate, but with Michael's assistance, it became a completely harmless ritual.
Neither those from whom the factor was extracted nor those injected with it would die.
Those chosen for injection were carefully selected by the Church, requiring not only sufficient achievements but also devout faith and absolute loyalty.
Irina Shido became a Holy Sword Wielder in this way.
"Valper Galilei is still alive."
Haruto continued, "Not only is he alive, but he is still researching the Holy Sword. This incident is likely related to him."
"Didn't the Church punish him?" Yuuto Kiba was furious but also puzzled.
"They did, but he defected outright, becoming what's called a Stray Priest."
Haruto found the term for defectors in this world somewhat absurd, but he still explained plainly, "This time, he's probably teamed up with the Fallen Angels, attempting to use Kuoh Town to try and repair the Sword of Kings. Even if we don't help Xenovia and the others, we'll need to step in eventually, or the entire Kuoh Town could be destroyed."
"Did the two Holy Sword users tell you this?"
"No, I guessed."
Most of the latter part was based on Haruto's memories. Fortunately, the members of the Divine Research Club were already accustomed to his seemingly prophetic abilities.
Finding and killing Valper Galilei had unsurprisingly replaced destroying the Sword of Destruction as Yuuto Kiba's primary goal.
But if an opportunity to destroy the Holy Sword arose, she would still not hesitate to do so.
However, compared to before, this was no longer the greatest obsession in her heart.