Maybe it was because there was a pretty girl in the house, but Hermi quickly adapted to her new home.

She clung to Daiyi, Or perhaps, it was Daiyi who clung to her.

Either way, throughout dinner, Hermi stayed curled up on Daiyi’s lap.

Felyn kept an eye on her—not because he was worried she’d suddenly transform into some kind of alien or beast girl from outer space—

But because he was afraid of her shedding fur.

Long-haired cats could be terrifying when they started to shed. In no time, the whole house would be covered in a layer of white fluff.

But thankfully, Hermi didn’t shed at all.

A surprising turn of luck.

It seemed that cats from other worlds were better in many ways.

While watching Hermi, Felyn’s eyes naturally drifted toward Daiyi’s legs.

She was wearing only a pair of shorts tonight, with black cotton thigh-high socks pulled up to her knees.

Her hand slipped beneath the sock to adjust it, tugging it back up where it had slid down slightly.

“Pop.”

The soft snap of fabric against skin was strangely pleasing to the ear.

Highly replayable.

“Hermi, your owner ogled me again today,” Daiyi said, petting Hermi’s head while giving Felyn an innocent look.

“I didn’t ogle you! You were fully dressed!”

While clearing the table, Felyn brought over the freshly brewed black tea from the kitchen.

It was the quiet time after dinner.

The room was filled with the comforting blend of stew and black tea, the kind of scent that calmed the soul.

Felyn shared what had happened at school today, wanting to hear Daiyi’s opinion.

“You actually made a major contribution during your trip to the Royal Capital? But you’ve been with me the whole time. Don’t tell me you snuck out for a late-night date and saved the capital on the side?”

“Someone else helped. I just picked up the leftovers.”

“You’re not even denying the date part? So I was right after all.”

Hermi hopped off Daiyi’s lap and rubbed herself against Felyn’s ankle before leisurely strolling off to explore her new home in the living room.

“But the exam is just one part. For you, the real challenge is going to be the divine affinity test afterward, right?”

Daiyi was right.

To enter a school in the Royal Capital, one had to not only pass the written exam but also undergo a divine affinity assessment to determine which school and which deity’s divine arts one should study.

And right now, Felyn’s divine affinity was… -1.

If it were 0, he could at least give up on divine arts and still graduate with a diploma.

But at -1, no school would take him in. That was the mark of someone hated by the gods.

“During the divine revelation that day, are you sure you didn’t do anything unusual?”

“No. I just followed the instructions the nun gave me, step by step.”

“You didn’t have any impure thoughts about the nun, right?”

“How could I?!”

Seeing that Daiyi still looked unconvinced, Felyn told her everything about what happened during the divine revelation that day.

From the moment he opened his eyes and saw the three deities standing before him…

To the red twin-tailed girl who appeared in the sky…

To the shock on the gods’ faces…

And finally, to the part where the gods started running away.

When he finished telling the story, Felyn noticed that Daiyi’s eyes were sparkling.

He had never seen that expression on her before.

In those deep emerald eyes burned a mix of curiosity, excitement—almost a kind of obsession.

She grabbed his wrist with both hands, shaking it lightly, like she was trying to open him up and study what was inside.

Daiyi had endured countless rejections, ridicule, and alienation during her long years of research—but she never minded.

Before meeting Felyn, the only thing she cared about was her work.

She had always been searching for a case to prove her theory—

To prove that gods weren’t what people thought they were.

And now, the perfect case was sitting right in front of her.

A person who made gods run away.

There could be no stranger anomaly.

After hearing the whole story, the first words out of Daiyi’s mouth made Felyn choke:

“Let’s get married.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t mind how many girls you’ve got. I don’t care who you bring home. I’m good-looking enough. Marrying me wouldn’t be a loss for you.”

“Are you being serious?”

Felyn raised a brow.

Daiyi looked deadly serious.

“Guess not, huh? Fine then. I’ll just stay your lover instead.”

Felyn couldn’t tell whether she was joking or not. Her expression gave nothing away.

“No thanks. Not even as a lover.”

He had no intention of being toyed with by a mischievous heiress.

“Such a pity.” Though she said that, Daiyi’s face didn’t show the slightest hint of regret, “By the way, have you thought about whether it was okay to just casually tell me what happened with the goddess?”

“Wait, I wasn’t supposed to?”

“Of course not. A divine revelation usually contains clues left specifically for you by the deity. Everyone’s experience is different. A lot can be deduced from what you saw.”

Daiyi pressed a hand to her chest and leaned back slightly, feigning horror, “I know your secret now. You’re not planning to drag me to your room and blackmail me into silence, are you?”

“I’m not!”

The best way to deal with a chaotic heiress like Daiyi…

Was to take her seriously.

Just do exactly what she says. That always shuts her up.

But Felyn wasn’t in the mood for that right now.

He was like a warrior without a shield, stumbling awkwardly through Daiyi’s storm of arrows.

“But there’s still a way to pass the divine affinity test. You need to raise your affinity quickly, tap into your god’s power, and awaken them as soon as possible. That way, when the affinity device scans you during the entrance exam, it’ll at least detect their presence. Then you won’t be stuck with -1.”

“And how exactly do I do that? Meditation? Prayer at the cathedral?”

Felyn refilled Daiyi’s teacup.

“Go to the dungeon. Fighting is the fastest way to strengthen your bond with a god.”

“Dungeon, huh…” That would mean burning through lots of spell seals, which meant spending a lot of money.

And going alone would be dangerous.

He wasn’t some dual-sword-wielding black-clad lone wolf.

Solo grinding was out of the question.

I don’t have many friends.

I don’t have many friends.

Who could I even form a party with?

…

Felyn, friendless as ever, drifted through Monday and Tuesday. Now it was Wednesday.

“I’m heading out.”

He crouched at the door, stroking Hermi as she seemingly saw him off.

Daiyi was the same as always—staying in her room every morning, never coming out.

“Meow~”

Patting Hermi on the head, Felyn stepped out to go to school.

He had to visit Adeline’s place tonight, so he’d already left the dinnerware in the kitchen for later.

After their encounter on Sunday, Adeline hadn’t shown up at Saint Andros Academy again.

Felyn figured, if she really decided to give up, it would be for the best—

For both of them.

It was a cloudy day.

The early morning wind had a chill to it.

The streets were touched with the hues of early autumn.

Fallen yellow leaves twirled in the breeze.

He hadn’t forgotten what Daiyi had told him on Sunday.

He’d been searching for a suitable teammate these past two days—

But came up empty.

Even his request posted at the Adventurer’s Guild hadn’t gotten any responses.

Combat was the fastest way to boost divine affinity.

But entering the dungeon alone would be suicide.

The only people he was even remotely connected to fell into three categories:

Clients.

Former clients.

And Bernice.

If Bernice could team up with him, that would be ideal.

But she was Daiyi’s bodyguard and couldn’t leave her side for long.

Asking a client to join him was obviously impossible.

And he didn’t want to trouble Viloti again.

“Finding the right person is so hard…”

Just as he was mulling over who to team up with, someone gently tapped his shoulder.

“Felyn. What a coincidence. Felyn, what a coincidence.”

Long silver hair was tucked into her hat, with only a few strands peeking out.

Her blue eyes curved like crescent moons, and her smile was sweet as ever.

Zervanie stood behind him, waving with a soft smile.

(End of Chapter)