The office they went to was, as Adam expected from a nun with only devotion to God in her mind, soberly decorated.
There were only the strict minimum necessary items that usually comprised an office with a computer and a few other work-necessary objects— an office chair, a table, and a coffee machine.
It was weird to imagine a young girl who was barely an adult woman, and still pretty much a teen, working in such an austere place but it was how things were.
"Please take a seat while I prepare some coffee for you."
Elysia walked with a certain grace and ease that Adam didn't think should be possible in such ceremonial attire. Wherever she walked, it was like she was stealing the limelight of the entire place and flashing it onto herself. Eyes would always stop on her no matter where she went. Adam even had the impression that she had an innate charisma that was hard to match and seeing her stats, he could understand why.
『 Stats
Strength: F+
Speed: F+
Dexterity: F+
Endurance: F+
Prana: B (SS)
Charm: A+ (SS+)
Willpower: A
Luck: SSS+
Overall Combat Capacity: B ( SS+)
Remark: This is a saintess, in her normal form she is nothing but cannon fodder but she can be very dangerous. Against Devils, all her stats will increase by one tier. 』
This was the first time Adam saw stats that were so clearly skewed towards a pure mage build. Obviously, since she was a hunter, she could boost her physical attributes, and one needed to remember that F+ was still in the realm of the strength of a normal, fit, and healthy adult man.
Even so, it was clear that her own power was extremely lacking compared to some of the other people he had seen the stats of. But whatever gimmick she was hiding could boost her overall level greatly by a certain margin.
'Is this the power of the so-called contract?'
[Indeed. As an Apostle, she must have made a contract with a powerful angel. The hidden stats she can bring only represent what she can actually wield. Through the ages, all the Saints/Saintesses eventually reached the limit of the power that this world can bear before eventually dying young because of that power or simply giving up on the position.]
Adam nodded inwardly. He had done some research on this subject. While Apostles and Witches or Warlocks essentially worked in the same way, there was a great difference between them as Witches only obtained the ability to use magic while Apostles could bring forth the power of the Gods they submitted to on earth by using their bodies.
In the long run, a mage would most likely surpass or at least outlive an Apostle but the reality was that the Apostles won the fight pretty easily from the get-go. This was one of the advantages of the church and other religions during the wars that opposed them with other forces of the supernatural world.
While Elysia was working on the coffee, Susanne stood up from her seat…
"Let me help you."
"Please take a seat, Susanne. This will be faster with just one person."
Elysia was quite adamant on this subject. This was one of the few hobbies she had and she wouldn't let anyone disturb her.
Once everyone was seated she asked in a light tone,
"Sugar? Anyone?"
Adam received two cubes and the same went for the others and then Elysia started to put the cubes in her cup one after another.
"Firstly, since the three of you are gathered here, I would like to once again express my sincere gratitude for the help you gave me during that incident. In a situation where you could have given up everything to save your life, you still choose to stay. That's an admirable thing."
"It was our duty."
"Honestly, I think we were pretty crazy back then."
Susanne and Oscar joked a little but Adam was not particularly in the mood to joke around. At the same time, being rude to someone as selfless as this woman was something he could not really do.
"I acted out of desire for a reward. Not for something like a desire to sacrifice myself."
He wanted to draw a clear line. If people thought that one was willing to help them in any situation, they would be more likely to ask for their help. Adam already had enough problems of his own and didn't need anyone to add more to the already massive plate.
Surprisingly, Elysia showed no surprise or negative feelings at his words. In fact, she even smiled slightly.
"There is nothing wrong with seeking an appropriate reward for the danger encountered. In the first place, humans always move with this kind of calculation in mind."
Elysia believed firmly that true selflessness could not exist for a human. In the same way that perfection was an illusion.
Everything was based on the law of equivalent exchange and it was not just monetary compensation that humans sought. People who helped others for 'nothing' did so because helping others made them feel good. It brought them happiness or a sense of fulfillment that few things could hope to bring.
She, of course, knew that this was a very nihilistic approach towards life. But this was the only way she had always seen things.
Even during the era of the Crusades and Holy Wars, what pushed believers to commit all sorts of atrocities was the belief that the gate of heaven would be open to them should they fight in the name of their gods.
This was something that was common in nearly all religions and this made her have even less faith in humanity. Ironic as that may be for a Saintess such as herself.
"I like working with people who have a clear sense of duty and who understand risk management rather than people who are filled with nothing but passion."
Passion was nothing but ephemeral. Only true discipline and continuous growth could make people act in accordance to their fates.
"You… You are a very interesting nun…"
"I know that I am pretty unorthodox."
Adam nodded and drank the coffee offered only to tilt his head in wonder.
'Hmmm?'
He took another sip and was immediately startled by how good it felt. Not only that, he felt like all the fatigue in his body was swept away and he was full of energy.
'What the fuck?'
He looked at the coffee and inspected it with the 'Eyes of Truth,' only to look back at Elysia as if she was insane.
"Really?"
"Oh my, it seems like our dear benefactor has a special pair of eyes. That's pretty intriguing."
She chuckled a little before nodding, "I don't know how much you have seen, but this coffee was made using holy water."
She smiled affably.
For humans, holy water was perhaps the best tonic short of immortality, elixir, and the like. It could improve lifespan, clear out fatigue, heal wounds and even calm the mind. It was also a precious material when it came to creating weapons and armor.
The quantity of holy water that could be produced was limited but as a saintess of the church, she could produce her own holy water whenever she wished.
Usually, she would share it in a place she visited in order to help as many people as possible. It wasn't much and was nothing more than a splash in this ocean of suffering.
But even so, it was still something.
Of course, while it was a great tonic for humans. It was not so much for earthly supernatural creatures.
If Adam had been one, he would have been unable to drink this without letting some smoke out at the very least.
If he had been demon-possessed?
They would have watched a beautiful fire show right about now.
'Thankfully, he isn't a demon.'
Elysia kept her benevolent smile to herself as she tested one of her doubts.
She was not a good person and she would never be. Blind faith and benevolence were never her motto, after all.
———
(AN: Heh. What do you think of Elysia so far? She is a pretty gray and utilitarian character so far. At least this is how I tried to portray her. She cares more about results than intention. By the way, I hope you liked the new cover picture.)
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