I Was Just an Ugly Girl, But in Another World They Call Me an Angel - 23 - The Appearance of Celevis

Since that day, Asphalt and I had continued to interact as we always had.

Yet, somewhere deep down—though I couldn’t quite put it into words—I felt that a certain “bond” had formed between us.

Days passed peacefully, and having fully recovered my health, I was preparing to resume my purification activities in earnest.

One day—I found myself poring over ancient texts about the “Saint” in the royal library.

“The Mindset of a Saint”

“How to Contract with the Old Gods”

“What is the Purification of the Soul?”

…Each one was filled with dense, sleep-inducing prose.

“Ugh… I fell asleep again…”

Rubbing my eyes while slumped over the desk, I began to tidy up the scattered papers.

—It was then.

“Excuse me. Is the ‘Saint’ present here?”

The atmosphere shifted dramatically.

I instinctively looked up, and there stood a man before me.

He had pale silver hair and a slender, elegant build.

Dressed in a black robe, his expression was as immovable as a Noh mask.

Yet, his eyes held a strange color. —A deep shade of purple.

“Um, excuse me… who are you?”

I asked, bewildered, and the man bowed politely.

“I apologize for the delay. I am Celevis Valuel, the ‘Secretary of Shadow Flame.'”

His somewhat otherworldly tone made me blink in surprise.

“My master has entrusted me with a ‘poem’ for you.

—I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on it.”

“…A poem?”

He presented me with a handwritten sheet of paper.

“My master says this is ‘a heartfelt offering to the Saint.'”

“Uh, um…”

I hesitantly took the paper and cautiously began to read.

“Upon the droplet that fell on your lashes, my world quietly perished—”

(…W-What is this!?)

“Um… it’s very passionate, isn’t it…?”

Choosing my words carefully, I spoke, and Celevis nodded ever so slightly.

“Yes. My master claimed to have received a ‘divine revelation.’

At exactly four o’clock this morning, he said he had ‘received enlightenment’—”

(Enlightenment…? This poem!?)

“I apologize. My master is quite… delicate and emotionally rich.”

While Celevis bowed his head quietly, there was a distant look in his eyes.

“…However, Lord Verzel poem is, as always… intense.”

“…Verzel…?”

The moment I heard that name, an alarm rang in my mind.

(Could it be that this poem was written by—’that’ Verzel!?)

“Well then, I shall take my leave. I will return later to hear your thoughts. …I would appreciate it if you did not run away.”

With an expressionless face, Celevis vanished without a trace.

It felt as if the very air around him had been whisked away, leaving behind a strange sensation.

“…Huh? Huh? Wait, who!? What!? How did you get in here!?”

In a daze, I collapsed onto the library desk, still clutching the poem.

Thank you for reading this far!

This time, we introduced the new character, “Secretary of Shadow Flame,” Celevis.

His master—Verzel—has also begun to reveal himself, even if just a little.

Something is slowly creeping into the peaceful daily life of Saint Kanako.