Oscar relaxed the strength in his shoulders, and his eyes, which had been full of hostility, became calm again.

"I don't understand what you're talking about~! Xiao Mi is just a super beautiful girl who believes in being cheerful and lively~"

She winked and struck a perfect pose, which only made Oscar mad.

Although this girl loved to play pranks, like a little devil who enjoyed playing tricks on others, and was very annoying, she was also very honest, which made her really hard to understand. And this girl seemed to have taken a fancy to him... Oscar felt a headache and rubbed his temples.

"So what? What do you want to talk to me about? I guess you want me to help you make a divine weapon, right?"

"You're completely wrong. It's Aou's choice whether to do it or not, right? Huh? Is Aou the kind of person who gets excited by orders from beautiful girls? I'm sorry, but I'm a little... "

“—Razer.”

“Ahhhhhh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”

Seeing Meredith thrashing about, mistaking him for a pervert, Oscar mercilessly activated the orphanage's mechanisms. Lightning, like a snake crawling across the ground, traveled along the buried steel cables and accurately struck Meredith.

Meredith fell down.

Oscar pushed his glasses up and complained:

"Who's the pervert?"

“You actually attacked first and then complained… Even Mi-chan didn’t expect that…”

Smoke was coming out of Meredith's body. She was trembling like a newborn fawn and barely stood up.

"Really? If you don't tell jokes, you can't even talk anymore?"

"That's the charm that Xiao Mi can't give up. Oh, you have to accept it."

Oscar refused without a word. Meredith pretended to be sad and straightened her appearance. Just like in the dining room, she looked at him with a look that made Oscar's heart beat faster.

"I have only one goal—Aoh, I want you."

"What are you... talking about? What does that mean?"

To say such a thing, and the fact that this guy is a beautiful girl, is even more infuriating—Oscar asked her while complaining in his heart as if trying to hide his emotions.

Meredith looked at the half moon hanging high in the sky.

"Have you ever felt...that the world is twisted?"

"——!"

Oscar couldn't answer that question.

because……

"Aoh, you are an extraordinary alchemist. If you enter the world, you will surely be honored. Not only that, you may even be remembered in history. Yet you insist on hiding your strength—what are you afraid of?"

Needless to say, once it comes to light, those in power will be vying for an Oscar.

There may be honor, wealth and fame.

But you will definitely lose your freedom.

And what he feared even more was—

"You're afraid of the Kingdom of Elbad, or rather the Church of Holy Light behind it, right?"

"Since you've noticed my power, you can understand."

Oscar couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Yes, Oscar was afraid of having his freedom taken away by those in power, but he was even more afraid of the Church of Holy Light.

The Church of Holy Light—respecting the Creator God Esid as the sole deity and excluding all other races—is the largest religion of humanity. All humans living in the Northern Continent, regardless of nationality, believe in the Church of Holy Light.

The Church treats those who have awakened to the magic of the Age of Gods, or those who have awakened to special powers related to the magic of the Age of Gods—unique magic—as "God's Familiars" and protects and manages them.

And he was taken away by force. If Oscar's power is discovered, he will not be spared.

After all, the power of the Holy Light Church is equal to that of a nation, as exemplified by the [Erbad Divine Kingdom], headed by the Pope. Even Oscar, a wielder of Age of Gods magic, couldn't single-handedly escape the pursuit of an entire nation. Furthermore, if he escaped, his family's fate was uncertain.

Meredith seemed to understand everything. She gave Oscar a wry smile and continued:

"It's incredibly difficult to escape the Church's presence. There are churches in every country and town. Yes, regardless of country, they're everywhere."

Meredith paused here and said with a tone of contempt:

"You're understandably scared. It's so strange. They're a religion, but they're a country. And yet, whether they want to establish a church in another country or interfere in its rule, every country accepts it quite naturally."

"Hey, hey, stop talking nonsense—"

Oscar looked around and warned her.

If you want to commit suicide, the easiest way is to criticize the church. Once people hear it, you will be unable to defend yourself and will have no future.

However, Meredith did not stop.

"Even between nations at war, the Kingdom of God intervenes and the war ends. Even in states of peace, the Kingdom of God speaks and war breaks out. They prioritize heresy over the law and human ethics. They regard God's teachings as absolute. Before God's teachings, bonds, emotions, thoughts, and compassion are insignificant."

"Miledi...you..."

At some point, Meredith's beautiful blue eyes, which had been gazing at the crescent moon, now fixed their gaze on Oscar. Her clear, deep eyes, like a spring in the forest, were chilling. Oscar felt as if he were being swallowed by her gaze and couldn't help swallowing.

Seeing Oscar's reaction, Mireddy smiled.

"Oh, you should have noticed the distortion in the world. You're more afraid of aligning with the twisted church than those in power. That's why you hide yourself, to prevent the church from extending its evil hands to your loved ones because of you."

If someone criticizes the church, they are generally accused of being a heretic. Even if they don't criticize, they will still be considered a heretic. Therefore, unless the person is a family member or a close friend, in this case, for the sake of faith and to protect yourself, you must definitely criticize them.

However, Oscar did not deny what Meredith said, and even though he was shaken in his heart, he did not stop.

This further illustrates Oscar's inner thoughts.

After confirming that Oscar was not someone brainwashed by faith as she had thought, Meredith smiled even more happily and said:

“I belong to an organization.”

"organize?"

"Yes, we hope to build an orderly society based on laws and human ethics, where people can speak out when they see something abnormal, and discuss what is right. From diverse opinions, new values ​​can emerge. We hope to create a world where people can live under the rule of free will."

"Do you want to start a new religion?"

Oscar tried desperately to stop his facial expression from twitching. He couldn't help but praise himself for being able to laugh it off.

But that's no wonder.

Because the organization that Miledi was talking about had a philosophy that was undoubtedly against today's society. They were a group of heretics who did not agree with the absolute rules set by the Church of Holy Light.

This kind of thing is not a joke.

Meredi actually wanted to invite me to join an organization that was against all of humanity. What a joke.

"You think we're a bunch of crazy people... or terrorists, right? Ahahaha~ That's not wrong~"

"Can you please go back?"

Meredith laughed, and Oscar answered seriously.

"My answer to your invitation is NO. I will pretend I didn't hear anything, so I hope you won't get close to me and my family again."

Oscar's tone was calm, yet extremely serious.

Meredith stared at Oscar for a long moment—

“…I see.”

After saying this, she turned and left quietly.

Looking at her small figure, Oscar couldn't help but think:

——She actually has to rely on such a thin body to fight against the world. What exactly made her choose to embark on this destructive path?

Oscar convinced himself that she was just not in her right mind.

Pretending not to notice that his heart had been shaken by her words.

"Oh, by the way. Could you please tell me that tonight's dinner was delicious?"

"...I will definitely convey it."

Meredith turned around and smiled happily, then disappeared into the dark night where the moonlight could not reach.

It seems like everything is an illusion.

Oscar swallowed the words that were about to come out.

He told himself that they would never meet again, and that was fine.

the next day.

"Hello everyone at Atelier Orcus! I'm the world's idol☆Mi! Where's my Ao!!"

Xiao Mi appeared in front of Oscar normally.

Seeing the beautiful girl with blonde ponytail appear in the workshop's purchasing area, the rough craftsmen were all stunned.

While they were frozen in place, Meredith, as if forgetting the word "humility" in her mother's womb, strode into the workshop.

"Oh my~ As expected of one of the three major workshops in the capital of Beruka, a technological powerhouse. They're all top-notch craftsmen~"

Meredy said admiringly, looking around.

The girl whom Oscar thought he would never see again suddenly appeared as if nothing had happened. Oscar, who was in the innermost area, was speechless and hid himself immediately.

Luckily, there was a large item to be delivered today, and there was a large box prepared to hide in.

(Why is she here!?)

Oscar was wavering and kept pushing his glasses up.

The craftsmen looked at each other, wondering who she was.

She looked at everyone with a cheerful smile. Although her clothes resembled travel clothes, anyone could tell they were high-end. Her expression and demeanor gave the impression of a noble young lady...

Normally, if an ordinary person walked into the workshop with such openness, they would be kicked out. However, Milady's words and actions were so upright that no one dared to take action against him.

If she is the daughter of a noble family, you cannot be rude to her.

Just as the craftsmen were communicating with their eyes and wanted to call the leader over, a short and fat man who was particularly sensitive to power and connections stepped forward.

He was obviously a noble, but he approached like a businessman, rubbing his hands together. It was obvious at a glance that his smile was meant to please Meredith.

"Miss, may I help you? If you don't mind, I'd like to serve you. Ah, I'm late in introducing myself. I'm Pingu from Viscount Valles' family."

"...Hello! I'm Meredith."

For a moment, Miredi looked at Pinggu as if observing him, but quickly smiled.

However, anyone who knew Mireidi would have noticed that her smile at this moment was completely different from before; it was a perfect fake smile.

"Ms. Meredith, this name suits you beautifully...Excuse me, but to what family are you from...?"

"Is it important?"

Meredith smiled sweetly, yet with a dignity that was only suitable for a high-ranking noble.

As a member of the nobility, Pinggu seemed to sense the majesty and quickly changed his words.

Furthermore, even though she was told the title of Viscount's family, Milady didn't take it seriously, so Pinggu arbitrarily assumed that she was the eldest daughter of a high-ranking noble family.

"No, no, no, that's not the case. My rudeness is wrong. Now, what can I do for you? Pingu of the Viscount Valles family will go through fire and water for you, no matter what!"

Pinggu desperately promoted the family name and his own name. Tolpa and Lor, who were a step behind, also walked over quickly, wanting to take the opportunity to get to know Miredi.

But before they arrive, Meredith drops a bomb.

"Ao-Is Oscar here? I'm here to see him."

"What? Looking for Oscar?"

Pingu opened his eyes wide in surprise, Tolpa and Lor stopped, and even the craftsmen stopped their work.

Oscar is——

What is that woman talking about?! Is she trying to put a fatal blow to my already weak position?!

A young lady who looked like an aristocrat specifically asked for a low-ranking alchemist nicknamed "loser", and her tone was full of affection, even calling Oscar by his nickname.

The craftsmen looked towards Oscar.

"Well, excuse me, what do you want to talk to Oscar about? You may not know, but his skills are a bit problematic... If you want to commission a job, we have other excellent craftsmen."

"Hmm~? I'm just here to see how Ou works, nothing special. That's where Ou works, right? Mr. Wapin, thank you~"

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