A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Fireball, who had been acting as a Levy accessory from beginning to end, suddenly woke up and shivered.

The fireball, which had been sound asleep, suddenly felt a chill for no reason, as if it were shrouded in malice.

"Fireball." Bray pinched the soft flesh at the neck of the fireball and lifted it up.

"Meow!?" Fireball waved its paws in terror, not understanding what Bray was suddenly saying.

Moreover, that dead fish-eye tone is terrifying.

"Meow meow meow!! Meow meow!" Fireball excitedly cried out to its little owner for help.

However, it was to its despair that its little master had embraced the source of evil and was taking a blissful nap.

How could this be? Does it have no place in its little owner's heart at all?

"Meow!!!!!!!!!!" Even though it's just a pendant, it still has dignity.

Fireball was determined to die rather than comply, and would not do it no matter what Bray said.

“Let’s start practicing something today, fireball,” Bray said in an unusually gentle tone.

"Meow..." Fireball lowered its head, its ears drooping.

"Hey, you dead fish eyes, what did you make Levy do just now?!" Naruko, with her gray hair, roared angrily in the kitchen.

"The flour looks disgusting now. Is this a necessary step in making bread?" Xiaoyou's voice came from the kitchen.

"It's not a necessary step!" Naruko said, turning her head away before sticking her head out again.

"Levy came in and started messing with the bread. Are you crazy?! What are you doing?"

“I’m practicing a new move,” Bray answered honestly.

"What?" Upon hearing Bray's words, Naruko suddenly poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Practice the moves," Bray repeated patiently once more.

"You're practicing swordsmanship at home?!"

"No, it's practicing using summoned beasts."

"Huh?" Naruko exclaimed in surprise.

"Meow meow meow?" Fireball was stunned.

---

"Tap." Bray snapped his fingers, and then the fireball on the table expressionlessly spat out a burst of fire.

The flame was very weak, about the size of a large lighter.

"Oh!" Levy exclaimed, cupping her face in her hands.

"Meow..." Fireball meowed weakly, and its little master's surprised voice did nothing to cheer it up.

It was enslaved, used as a summoned beast by this terrifying dead fish eye.

But it's not a summoned beast at all; it's just a pendant and toy for its little owner.

Fireball was quite self-aware of his own identity.

"Good, come back, Fireball," Bray shouted, then snapped his fingers.

Then the fireball slowly jumped off the table and returned to Levy's head.

"Fireball, charge!" Bray snapped his fingers again.

The fireball rolled its eyes in a human-like manner, then suddenly leaped up.

The next moment it transformed into a ball of flame, shooting off Levy's head and hurtling through the air.

"Whoa!" Levy's eyes sparkled; it was the first time she had ever felt that a fireball was so powerful.

Finally, after the fireball materialized, it picked up a newspaper at the door and returned the way it came in the same way.

However, the newspaper was burned to ashes on the way back.

Newspapers can't withstand the flames on them.

"Meow...cough cough..." Fireball spat out the ash from its mouth and lay down on the ground, pretending to be dead.

It no longer wants to play the summoner game with Dead Fish Eyes; it's too tiring.

The fireball exposed its belly, hoping the other party would just silently let it pass by.

But Bray picked up the fireball from the ground.

“That was a very good performance. Looks like we can use him in battle.” Bray nodded to himself.

"!!?" The fireball was so surprised that it couldn't even utter a "meow".

What a joke! What kind of nonsense is this, asking it to fight? It's not a real summoned beast!

"Great, I've finally mastered a skill other than swordsmanship." Bray clenched his fist; amateur skill acquired. In a small church in the capital, there was a small private room.

In a typical church, this room would be called a "confessional".

However, this church is dedicated to "Gadell the Lamp," so this room is not called a "confessional."

Its purpose is to provide people who come to this church with a private space to talk to the priest.

Compared to public settings, it's clearly easier to speak your mind in a small room.

Of course, this small room isn't dark, and it doesn't use things like candles.

The lamps used here are genuine magic lamps, very bright, and won't lead people to think about gloomy things.

Father Thun sat in the room, smiling at the person in front of him.

The person opposite Father Thun was not a follower of "Gadell the Lamp".

Well, in reality, most of those who come to the church of "Gadell the Lamp" are not believers.

According to the doctrine of the Church of "Gadell the Lamp", a priest will not refuse people who come to him for guidance, nor will he use guidance as a reason to make them believe in "Gadell the Lamp".

This doctrine resulted in a very small number of members in the Church of Gader the Lamp.

Even priests sometimes wonder if there are too few people who share their faith in "Guiding Light, Old Man Gader".

Sometimes I want to fool others too.

"Let's just say a few words, or you can introduce yourself." This time, the person seeking help was a very beautiful young girl.

The girl's face was exquisite, as exquisite as a doll, without any flaws.

Her golden curls cascaded over her shoulders, perfectly complementing her light blue dress.

The girl had her eyes slightly closed and hadn't said a word since she came in; she just sat there.

Admittedly, those long eyelashes made the girl beautiful even with her eyes closed.

But if we don't speak, communication can't begin.

"..." The girl sat quietly, still not saying a word.

The silence had lasted so long that Father Thun began to wonder if the other person was really a puppet.

The priest was a little annoyed that the priest had come to seek answers but remained silent.

“You’re so quiet, miss,” Father Thun said with a smile.

"Is there anything you like? Personally, I enjoy listening to other people talk."

“A very strange hobby, isn’t it?” Father Thun said quietly.

"I love to sing." This time, the stunningly beautiful girl finally spoke.

The girl's voice was beautiful, like the sound of a piano, and it was easy to immerse oneself in it.

Upon hearing the girl's voice, the priest frowned slightly at first, but his frown quickly eased.

“Singing? Miss’s voice is indeed very beautiful.” Father Thun smiled.

"Everyone says my voice is beautiful." The girl's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she continued.

"But..." the girl hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

The priest was not in a hurry; he simply looked at the other person quietly.

"People say my singing has no soul, no emotion," the girl said calmly.

"There are far more people who say my voice is nice than those who say my singing is bad."

"But why do the words of those few people make me so sad and upset?"

Although the girl's expression was indifferent when she said this, it was impossible to tell whether she was sad or happy.

But the girl genuinely felt that the words of those few people completely overshadowed the joy brought to her by everyone's praise.

“That’s perfectly normal.” The priest shook his head and sighed.

"If you are surrounded by people who curse you, but only a few people praise you, those praises will be surprisingly pleasant."

"Yes." The girl imagined the scene, and it was indeed just as the priest had said: amidst the insults, praise would be especially beautiful.

However, neither the former nor the latter situation makes people feel comfortable.

"..." Then the girl fell silent again.

"Even after saying so much, it can't make you stop being sad, right?" The priest said softly, as if he understood the girl's heart.

"Hmm..." The girl raised her eyelids and responded.

That's what she thought, and the priest said it outright.

The priest knew very well that it was wrong to casually reveal what others were thinking.

Even if you know what someone is thinking, if you say it out loud without permission, it will cause them to resist.

However, it is sometimes necessary to speak out about what others have kept hidden.

For example, if you don't say anything when you're with a girl like this, it's impossible to have any conversation.

“Anyone can spout long, rambling pronouncements,” the priest said softly, touching the ring hanging on his chest.

It's a common problem for many people to preach profound truths that they think others don't know.

"What should I do?"

“Everyone says you can get good answers here,” the girl said, gazing at the priest.

Will I also be able to get an answer?

What is the thing you most want to do right now?

"Sing." The girl blurted out.

"Then please just do it like this, keep singing like this."

"But if that's the case, then nothing has changed." The girl gripped her skirt tightly; she really didn't want to hear those voices.

"Keep singing, and try covering your ears, how about being a hypocrite?"

"Huh?" The girl blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at the priest with a puzzled expression.

No matter how hard you try, there will always be people who criticize you.

You can never please everyone, never.

Even if your voice is full of emotion and soul in the future, some people will still say that you are not as good as before.

The girl was speechless.

"Just keep working towards the direction you're currently striving for. If you're trying to fill your singing with emotion and soul, then please continue."

"But didn't you say..." She hesitated, remembering that the priest had just said that even if he tried hard, he wouldn't make those who belittled him disappear.

"This is not contradictory, therefore it is for yourself and for those who truly love your singing, and for your own sake."

"Striving is a fulfilling thing."

The girl was stunned for a long time.

"As long as you've tried your best, that's enough."

“I would never say something like, ‘Don’t pay attention to those who belittle you,’” Father Thun said in a low voice, his eyelids lowered.

"You came here to find your direction, not to have me tell you things you can't do, right?"