I Was Just an Ugly Girl, But in Another World They Call Me an Angel - 19 - The Saintess is Being Targeted by a Mysterious 'Shadow'!?

Deep within the forest, in a silence thick with dense fog.

In a place where no human presence should exist, a pitch-black void yawned open.

From it emerged a man with crimson eyes—Verzel.

“…Hmm. As I thought, the ‘Light’ is indeed growing.”

He swept his fingertips through the air, as if tracing the lingering echoes of purification.

With that simple gesture, the surrounding miasma seemed to flinch and dissipate.

Then, the space behind him shimmered and a man appeared.

Straight-backed, clad in black adorned with silver embroidery, he exuded an air of intellect.

His eyes were a deep purple, calm to the core, and his mouth bore a slight frown.

“—You have returned, Lord Verzel.”

“Ah, Selavis. I just went to check on things. I’ve left you with a rather dull task.”

“No. Compared to your movements, the eradication of miasma is mere child’s play. …More importantly, have you made contact with ‘her’?”

“Yes. She collapsed, but she was unharmed. Her ‘Light’ is nearing a level where even sacred tools are no longer necessary.”

“—As I suspected, contact is dangerous, isn’t it?”

“It might be. However, she… did not ‘fear’ me. Do you understand how rare that is…?”

Selavis fell silent, his gaze slightly lowered.

“…I will report on that matter another day.”

“Right. Your analyses are always precise. I look forward to it.”

“It is an undeserved honor, Lord Verzel.”

The exchange between the two flowed as naturally as a breath taken over many years.

Yet, a slight shadow lingered on Selavis’s brow.

(…I am focusing too much on ‘her.’ Uncharacteristically for him.)

Swallowing those words, Selavis merely bowed his head quietly.

“Shall we return to the base soon?”

“No… just a little longer, let me bask in this afterglow. Her ‘Light’ is truly comforting.”

“…Understood.”

Though his tone was polite and unchanged, it somehow sounded a bit sulky.

Unaware of this, Verzel smiled faintly.

“…Well then, perhaps next time we meet, I can get a little closer. Hehe, I’m looking forward to it, Kanako.”