The Captain pondered for a moment before turning to one of his team members. "Investigate who this student has been in contact with recently. If you find anything unusual, don't be reckless. Inform me first, and then we'll decide how to proceed."

  Once the member acknowledged the order, the Captain turned back to Eros. "Even though you're a Sequence 7 now and unlikely to be contaminated by a monster of the same rank, we still need to follow protocol—just to be safe."

  "After all, the source of this creature's corruption is still unknown. It never hurts to be cautious."

  Eros nodded in agreement. He prepared to spend the required five minutes within the effective range of the Grade-3 Sealed Artifact, The Sun’s Heart. However, after a few steps, he recalled the previous interference. He paused and turned back to the Captain, briefly recounting Baron Larry Watt’s suspicious actions.

  The Captain looked surprised. "Such a thing happened?"

  "Rest assured. We will conduct a thorough investigation. If it’s as you described, the Church will see to his punishment."

  "Could you let me know the results once the investigation is over?" Eros asked. He was genuinely curious, as he didn't recall having any prior grudge with this Baron Larry Watt. Knowing the motive would help him plan accordingly—he didn't want to worry about some lunatic randomly jumping out to backstab him again.

  The Baron’s strength is negligible to me, but what if next time he’s hiding in a corner with a 'Life-Saving' Maxim machine gun? The thought made Eros realize this man couldn't be left alive. But since he had just reported the matter to the Church, killing him now would draw too much suspicion. Better to stay steady. Find out the 'why' first, then decide if he needs to disappear.

  The Captain gave a hearty laugh. "Even if you didn't ask, it's your right to know the outcome. We'll keep you informed."

  With that settled, Eros stepped into the purification range of the Solar-domain artifact. After five minutes, a Punisher approached him with the Mirror of Revelation—a circular mirror set in a square frame, topped with a silver gemstone. He scanned Eros several times.

  Eros felt a wave of relief. Good thing I didn't carry that contaminant on me and chose to drop it in my shadow instead. Otherwise, the mirror would have exposed him instantly. Hoarding contaminants was a headache he didn't need.

  Cleared of suspicion, Eros walked out of the training grounds and immediately spotted Undine and Joanie waiting for him. Seeing him emerge, Undine let out a small sigh of relief, a faint smile gracing her face. Joanie, meanwhile, was looking at Eros with eyes full of wonder; his solo kill of a powerful monster had clearly left a massive impression on her.

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  "I intended to spend today training with you both," Eros said with a hint of helplessness as he approached. "I didn't expect things to turn out like this."

  Joanie tilted her head, her watery eyes twinkling as she smiled. "Actually, I feel like I don't even need to train. When the real-combat assessment in the Sin-Domain comes, I'll just hide by your side. Those specters and monsters shouldn't be able to hurt me then."

  She paused, a shy blush creeping onto her face. Looking at Eros with sparkling eyes, she mustered her courage. "You... you'll protect me then, won't you?"

  The smile on Undine’s face froze. Alarms blared in her head. Oh no. Joanie really has fallen for this dog-thing! What do I do now?! She blamed Eros—Why does he have to be so impressive? Now look what happened!

  Eros was momentarily taken aback by Joanie’s forwardness, then chuckled. "Of course I'll protect you. But improving your own strength is still necessary. After all, I can't be stuck to your side every second."

  Joanie’s eyes grew even brighter, her face flushed a vivid red. She took a deep breath and murmured, "Then... then I could let you..."

  "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

  A series of loud, exaggerated coughs interrupted the budding romantic atmosphere. Seeing them both look her way, Undine said nonchalantly, "I just remembered I have something I forgot to do. I need to go handle it. Joanie, I'll see you at dinner."

  Then, she shot a look at Eros. "Dog-thing, you're coming with me!"

  Without waiting for his consent, she turned and marched away. Eros gave Joanie an apologetic smile before following his "stinky little sister."

  Joanie stood there dazed for a long moment. Having used up all her courage for that confession, she was too embarrassed to follow them. Once they vanished around the corner of a flowerbed, she covered her hot cheeks with her hands, dying of shame at her own boldness.

  Eros watched Undine walking ahead of him, the corners of his mouth tilting up. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Hey, stinky sister... were you just jealous?"

  Undine’s face turned bright red instantly. "No way! I wasn't! What are you talking about? Why would I ever be jealous over a dog-thing like you? You're talking nonsense again!"

  Oho! Watching her intense reaction, Eros’s grin widened.

  After a while, Undine seemed to realize she had overreacted. She cleared her throat and tried to sound composed. "Anyway... I'm not jealous. Don't flatter yourself."

  "How heartbreaking," Eros sighed, feigning deep sorrow. "To think I risked my life to kill that monster just because I was worried about you..."

  Undine paused. She didn't understand what the monster had to do with her. Didn't it attack because he hit it with a sword?

  Eros then explained the details—how the monster had actually been fixated on her from the start. Knowing that the horror was targeting her and that Eros had stepped in specifically to shield her made Undine’s heart skip a beat. A sweet feeling surged through her, and she huffed, "Well... that's more like it!"

  "Alas!" Eros let out another melancholy sigh, looking profoundly depressed.

  Undine looked around. Seeing no one nearby, she quickly grabbed Eros’s arm and gave it a playful shake, wheedling, "Alright, alright! Don't be sad anymore. I misunderstood you, okay?"