Silence filled the room, broken only by the synchronized rhythm of their breathing. After a long while, Undine nudged Eros’s chin with her forehead and whispered, "What did Mother say?"

  Eros casually relayed Estelle’s plan. Upon hearing it, Undine pouted. "I want to go into the Sin-Domain and see it for myself too!"

  Eros shot his bratty sister a flat look. "It’s not a field trip. Sin-Domains are incredibly dangerous!"

  "I’ve never been to one," Undine murmured, burying her face into Eros’s shoulder. "I’ve only heard stories. I wonder if they’re really as dark and twisted as the books describe."

  Resting his chin atop her head, Eros replied softly, "They probably are. Doesn’t the Academy organize a combat assessment in a Sin-Domain for students every year?"

  "Mhm," Undine hummed softly. "It’s September now. I think the assessment at the Martigordon Mountain Range is usually held in November."

  "Martigordon Mountain Range..." Eros repeated the name. It sounded familiar. Suddenly, a memory clicked. "Is that the Sin-Domain where Aunt Elsa went missing?"

  "Yes. Aunt Elsa disappeared during her first-year assessment."

  "It seems those practical exams carry real risk. During this year’s assessment, make sure you stay glued to my side!"

  "Mhm!" Undine answered obediently. Their conversation drifted off, and the room lapsed back into a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

  The next morning, after washing up, Eros headed to the Dean’s office to request a leave of absence. Upon arriving, he was surprised to find the office crowded. The three Deans were there, along with several high-ranking priests and instructors from the Academy.

  Even more unexpected were several individuals wearing clothes identical to the pursuers he had encountered that night.

  Are these the Nightwatchers of the Cycle Church? Eros wondered. What are they doing here? Could it be because of what happened two nights ago?

  As Eros entered, every eye in the room turned toward him. The instructors, recognizing him, nodded and offered polite smiles. Seeing this, the Nightwatchers looked visibly surprised.

  Judging by the atmosphere, the Academy’s top brass clearly knew this student well. Does this boy have some special background? they wondered.

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  Dean Como smiled and introduced him to the Nightwatchers: "This is Eros Lenka Noth, the heir to the House of the Rose Duke."

  Hearing the name, a look of realization dawned on the Nightwatchers’ faces. They had clearly heard of that surname. Turning back to Eros, Dean Como asked warmly, "Is there something you need?"

  Eros caught the gaze of the Nightwatchers out of the corner of his eye. Feeling a bit pressured but keeping his resolve, he voiced his request for leave. Dean Como was taken aback by the sudden request, so Eros offered the excuse he had prepared:

  "I feel like I’m about to advance to Sequence 7. I’m returning to Indiles to set up the promotion ritual."

  Strictly speaking, he wasn't lying. Two nights ago, after he personally took lives, the spirituality within him had surged past a certain threshold, meeting the requirements for advancement. This trip home served a dual purpose: his promotion and accompanying Estelle to recover the Ancestor’s Divine Kingdom fragment.

  With the "Tentacle" inside him, his promotion ritual would be swift. The greatest hurdle in any promotion was the "Eldritch Intrusion," but in his case, no eldritch horror dared to invade him. Thus, unlike others who needed days of preparation, he could finish almost instantly.

  Of course, only he knew this. In everyone else's eyes, spending a few days to advance a rank was perfectly normal—not because the breakthrough itself was slow, but because of the time required to set up ritual arrays to prevent or weaken the eldritch influence.

  Eros belonged to the rare category of those confident enough to endure the intrusion through sheer will (or in his case, a terrifying internal tenant), so he didn't need the elaborate setups.

  Aside from the three Deans, everyone else in the room looked shocked. How old is Eros? Most of the Academy’s instructors were only at Sequence 7 themselves. To the Deans, however, this was expected; it would be strange if he weren’t progressing this fast.

  He is a Saint, after all, they thought. And not just any Saint, but one who has awakened the bloodline of a Saint walking the Path of Greatness.

  Dean Como mused for a moment before granting the leave. He had considered suggesting that Eros promote at the Academy—they had specialized grounds for it—but then he remembered Eros had awakened an Elven bloodline, not a human one. He wasn't sure if human-centric ritual arrays would work on an Elf, so he dropped the idea.

  Relieved that his leave was approved, Eros prepared to take his departure. Just then, Dean Como seemed to remember something.

  "At the end of this month, Cardinal Archbishop Anthony will be coming to the Academy to meet you."

  The room went silent. Except for the other two Deans, everyone wore expressions of utter shock. They knew exactly who Cardinal Archbishop Anthony was.

  He was the presiding Cardinal of the Cycle Church in Indiles, a man with a seat at the Church’s Roundtable—the highest level of the hierarchy. Why would a titan of such stature condescend to personally visit a student?

  The instructors knew Eros had awakened Elven blood, but surely that wasn't enough to warrant a personal visit from the Archbishop? There had to be more to the story.

  Eros had heard of the Cardinal as well. To be honest, he was internally panicking. He knew the Archbishop was likely coming to verify his "Saint" status. He hadn't expected the Church to take him so seriously as to send a Cardinal.

  Then, he recalled Barbara’s promise: as long as he didn't wish it, not even a God could see through his disguise. He took a deep breath, bowed to Dean Como to acknowledge the news, and turned to leave once more.

  But someone else spoke up. This time, it was one of the Nightwatchers.