Flanda was fascinated by the strange "magical construct" she'd heard about. After locking her notebook and the broken key safely inside a chest, she headed straight for Steve's house.
Anrika and the carriage driver—another Oathsworn Knight named Bardos—exchanged helpless looks and followed after her.
Halls just scratched his head.
The Saintess didn't seem like she was looking for trouble, but just in case, he decided to warn the village chief first.
No one noticed the ground behind the carriage cracking open. Within seconds, a perfect one-meter square hole formed.
Steve's head popped out. He glanced around, recognizing the area immediately.
He'd twisted and turned through the cave network for ages, and rather than take the long way back, he'd decided to dig straight up.
Luck was on his side—he wasn't far from home.
After patching the ground behind him, he stepped toward the nearby carriage. This one was much larger than the last, and even the horse pulling it was armored.
Curious, Steve freed his hands, crouched behind the horse, and tugged at what looked like its reins a few times—but nothing came loose.
A little disappointed, he hopped onto the carriage.
Inside, it was downright luxurious. The sunlight curtains were woven from gold-threaded silk, the seats were padded with real leather, and there were even decorative pillows stacked neatly by the windows.
In one corner sat a small compartment filled with food and drinks.
Steve grabbed the provisions and checked them—everything was edible, and some even had buffs. That was new.
He stashed the goods in his inventory, planning to have a proper feast once he unlocked a new mod.
Then he noticed a locked chest under the seat. Touching it brought up an unlocking interface right before his eyes.
He didn't have any lockpicks... but after thinking a moment, he simply pulled out his axe.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
The chest broke apart in seconds, scattering its contents across the floor before being sucked straight into Steve's inventory.
Yup. That familiar sound, that familiar feel—looked like the mod creator still hadn't patched the chest break-check.
There was quite a bit inside: a quill, an ink bottle, some mana potions, a handful of gold coins, two relics, and a book that had fallen onto the floor.
The potion was labeled [Recovery Potion], which acted just like an extended Regeneration potion.
The gold coins, meanwhile, were one of this world's currencies. Steve had seen copper and silver coins in villagers' houses before but never bothered to take them—they just cluttered his inventory.
These were pure gold, and he realized they could be smelted into gold nuggets. Naturally, he kept them.
The two relics were [Dragon's Secret Treasure Key – Upper Half] and [Dragon's Secret Treasure Key – Lower Half]. The crafting guide showed they could be merged through special means.
That sounded promising. Straight into the bag they went.
Finally, he picked up the book. It was thick—dozens of pages long.
[Holy Calendar 818, October 10th — Weather: Clear, Mood: Happy!]
[I'm an adult now! And I got appointed as Saintess! From now on, I can do whatever I want in the whole kingdom! Amazing!]
Steve's eyes glazed over after a few lines. He had zero interest in plot or lore. Collecting loot was one thing—but reading diaries? Hard pass.
Still, a collectible was a collectible. He put the [Locked Chest] back where he'd found it.
Even if he carried it home, he'd have to unlock it again anyway.
Satisfied, he bounced out of the carriage and back into his house to sort his inventory.
"Hey!" a voice called behind him.
"You there! You're that weird magical construct, right? You sure look weird.
"What's that armor? Is it enchanted?
"I'm talking to you—can you even hear me?
"Unbelievable! I am the Saintess of the Holy Cross Church—Saintess Flanda! How dare you ignore me?!"
Steve suddenly felt himself sliding backward. He turned just in time to see Halls trying to push him aside.
"Ahem, she's just a kid," Halls whispered quickly. "Don't take her too seriously—humor her a little."
Steve followed his gesture and noticed a new Villager standing outside. She was smaller than the others, and two armored Villagers—clearly her guards—stood close behind her.
He walked over, curious.
"What's with your face?" Flanda blurted out, staring up at him. "Why is it so... cute?"
The blocky eyes and square mouth made her think of a child's doodle—simple and goofy in a way that was almost adorable.
Then her smile froze.
A strange force crawled up her spine, locking her in place. She could only move her head and arms—the rest of her body refused to budge.
"W-What are you doing?!" she shouted, struggling uselessly.
"Hey, hey," Halls said quickly. "He's not trying to hurt you. Just wait a second—it'll stop soon."
He frowned, praying Steve actually heard him.
But Flanda clearly didn't believe a word of it. "Anrika! Help me!" she screamed.
"Oh, no..." Halls yelped, diving into a corner and hiding behind a stack of floating chests.
...Wait, how were those even floating? There was a huge gap under them—were they nailed to the wall?
Meanwhile, Steve was browsing her Trading Interface.
[Flanda – Holy Cross Church Saintess – Novice]
[Emerald ×32 (crossed out) 48 → Brilliant Holy Crystal ×1]
[Brilliant Holy Crystal ×1 → Ore ×5]
Huh?
Her profession name's got a glow effect?
And the price went up?
Custom ore selection?!
Steve's eyes lit up. But before he could click, he spotted movement and immediately closed the interface.
One of the armored guards had drawn his sword. A wave of sword energy shot toward him.
Instinctively, Steve slammed the door shut.
The Holy energy slammed into it with a sharp bang—then dissipated completely.
A few wooden splinters fell away, but when Anrika looked closely, the door was perfectly fine.
For a split second, he doubted himself.
Have I really gone that rusty? Did I lose strength already?
Flanda, finally freed, rushed to the door. She pushed—nothing. She pulled—still nothing. Panicking, she darted behind Anrika, clutching his armor like a terrified child.
"You're the worst!" she shouted from behind him. "I'll have you torn to pieces!"
Steve equipped his shield again, crouching near the doorway, confused as hell.
Why were these Villagers suddenly hostile? They hadn't shown any aggression before.
Was it... a reputation issue?
Flanda pouted, jabbing a finger toward him. "Teach him a lesson!"
Anrika's eyes gleamed. Finally, a chance to redeem himself.
He took a deep breath and moved Flanda behind Bardos, then yanked off his cloak.
Sunlight reflected off his full set of sacred armor, each rune glowing faintly with Holy Light.
He raised his longsword, Holy energy surging through his body. Among the techniques he knew, he chose one that wasn't overly destructive—but looked impressive enough.
A radiant flame burst from the blade, spreading inch by inch until it formed a broad, shining greatsword of pure light.
He planted his stance. Holy Light surged, flaring several meters beyond the sword's tip. His shoulders dropped, and the blade's size doubled again.
With a roar, the glowing sword carved a perfect, blinding arc through the air—aimed straight at Steve's door.
Sacred Slash!
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Note: Please give the fic some powerstones so I'll be motivated to update daily!