chapter 1. the man with purple eyes

Prim bit her nails. In her mind, scenes of Duna Valorem creating a barrier kept replaying.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, it had taken her six full days to accomplish it. The woman, who had achieved the same result in two days, bothered her greatly.

“What will happen if she shows her true potential from the beginning.”

Even though she had anticipated this, her discomfort was unavoidable. She gritted her teeth, and her jaw clenched in frustration.

Perhaps she was too absorbed in her own discomfort. She accidentally knocked over the books she had been holding, and they fell to the ground.

Along with writing utensils, scraps of paper are scattered in various directions. With a sigh, as she picked them up one by one, she suddenly noticed someone’s feet right in front of her.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Prim apologized to the man wearing priestly robes and bowed before continuing to gather her things. The priest silently observed her for a moment and then began to help pick up the items.

“Looking at these books, I assume you’re a priest under training?”

His gentle yet deep voice echoed in her ears. Prim nodded her head vaguely and replied.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It seems like your training has been quite difficult lately.”

“I can endure it.”

“Well, that’s fortunate.”

A faint laugh spread out. As Prim picked up the last scrap of paper, she absentmindedly stared at the priest.

Contrary to her expectations, the man was not looking at her. He gently stroked the cover of the book while wearing a faint smile, lost in his own thoughts.

For a brief moment, Prim wavered at the sight of his exceptional appearance. But due to the priest offering her the book he was holding, she had no choice but to accept it.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

With those final words, he left without any lingering presence. Prim looked at the book the priest had given her and became lost in her own thoughts.

That extraordinary appearance should be taken seriously. Especially in this place.

Wait, now that she thought about it, did that person have purple eyes?

“…Purple?”

There was only one person she knew with purple eyes. Prim hastily turned to look in the direction in which the man had disappeared.

“That place… it’s the location of the holy relic…”

There was no doubt. The man she had just encountered couldn’t be a priest.

Obviously, his true identity was…

“Why did that person appear so early?”

She nervously started biting her thumbnail again.

Everything was progressing much faster than expected.