Chapter 28: Michelle’s Progress +10%!

The next morning at eight o’clock, Leo finished getting ready and went out.

Arriving at the date location, Leo saw a girl in a white dress from a distance.

In the bustling crowd, she stood out like a crane among chickens, instantly catching the eye.

She stood quietly by the roadside, exuding a sacred aura, and no one dared to break the beautiful scene.

“You’re so early!”

Leo approached to strike up a conversation, suddenly feeling the piercing gazes of the crowd around him, but he was completely unaware.

Their agreed time was nine o’clock, and Leo arrived around eight-thirty, not expecting Michelle to arrive even earlier than him.

“Good morning! Let’s get going.”

Michelle greeted him with a smile, “Let’s go to Master Jexis to forge some weapons first.”

“Sure.”

“Leo, are you familiar with this city? Would you like me to show you around before we go eat?”

Michelle thought for a moment and said.

“That sounds good.”

Leo naturally agreed.

“Yes, it will definitely be fun! I haven’t gone out with friends like this before. Next time, I should invite everyone to come out and play together.”

Michelle walked ahead cheerfully, and just looking at her back made Leo feel very satisfied.

“I didn’t expect that my first outing would be with Leo.”

Michelle suddenly stopped and walked alongside Leo.

“I didn’t expect you to invite me so suddenly.”

“I just wanted to make it up to you, don’t misunderstand.”

Michelle smiled playfully.

Although they hadn’t spent much time together, Leo had a slight understanding of Michelle.

She was gentle with everyone and always wore a smile, which was polite, but upon closer observation, one could sense a hint of distance in her smile.

Her seemingly gentle smile often made people feel unreachable, preventing any misunderstandings.

Thanks to this, Leo could interact with her comfortably without feeling awkward.

“Ah, I’m heartbroken, my heart hurts so much. I thought this was a date.”

Leo clutched his heart, showing a pained expression.

“Don’t worry, even if your heart has problems, I can heal it with divine magic.”

Michelle knew he was joking and put on a serious expression.

The two exchanged smiles, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

“By the way, it seems like someone has been following us since the beginning.”

Leo noticed a group of people lurking not far behind them.

“From the sound of their footsteps, they are a group of trained warriors. Their tracking skills are quite clumsy; they are amateurs, and their appearance and demeanor clearly don’t match their clothing.”

Leo used his sword heart to see the group of people behind them.

“Let me take a look.”

Michelle glanced back, and the group immediately became flustered.

“Teleport!” Michelle clapped her hands, “Done!”

Leo was a bit dumbfounded; she sent those people away without a second thought. Wasn’t she supposed to ask for permission?

They must be from the church.

After all, their candidate saintess going out alone with a boy of the same age would definitely raise suspicions.

“You have a good relationship with the church’s holy knights; they seem to care about you a lot.”

Leo admired their relationship; from their brief interaction, he could tell that Michelle’s relationship with the holy knights was not one of strict hierarchy.

“Yes, most of them grew up with me,” Michelle said.

“Grew up together? Aren’t you a noble?”

Michelle’s status as a candidate saintess suggested she came from a high background.

“Although I am a noble, my family’s title is not high, and I have many siblings. My parents sent me to the church when I was young.”

The relationship between the church and the empire is complex; nobles sometimes send their children to the church, severing ties with their families.

It becomes almost like being an orphan, but they naturally receive special treatment.

Any child sent by a noble will be valued and carefully nurtured by the church.

“Many of them are orphans adopted by the church; to me, the people of the church are like family.”

Leo found it refreshing to hear Michelle talk about her life.

“Family? That’s nice. I’m also an orphan. If it weren’t for the old man adopting me, I might have ended up joining the church.”

Leo said this casually, thinking that if the old man hadn’t taken him in, he would likely have starved to death on the streets.

Despite being poor himself, the old man still chose to adopt him.

It wasn’t out of kindness; he still remembered what the old man said when he adopted him.

“Good eyes; this beast-like gaze is exactly what I am looking for in an heir. A human who is unwilling to fight against fate cannot sever the chains of heaven and earth. Be my disciple; your sharpness will become a sword that tears apart heaven and earth!”

That’s right; it was just to pass on the Heartflow Sword Technique.

“You can still join the church now.”

Michelle smiled sweetly, “Then we would be family.”

“Proselytizing is prohibited!” Leo crossed his arms.

“Not at all!” Michelle immediately retorted.

“It might be rude to say this in front of you, but I have never believed in gods. The core of the Heartflow is to believe in oneself; that is where my strength lies.”

Leo confidently pointed to his heart.

“I know; the church doesn’t force people to believe in gods because it can’t help every person suffering from difficulties.” Michelle showed a slightly bitter smile.

“Alright, let’s stop this topic here.”

As the conversation grew heavier, Leo quickly interrupted, “Today is supposed to be a happy date.”

“I already said it’s not a date.”

Seeing Michelle’s cute reaction, Leo wanted to tease her more, but she would probably really get angry.

What would happen if Michelle got angry?

Leo imagined that she would definitely show a smile that radiates deathly pressure.

For certain types of people, it might even be a reward.

“By the way, does everyone in the church count as your family? You have a lot of family members.”

Leo suddenly made a sarcastic remark.

“Of course not; there is competition in the church, just like among nobles. The relationships between all the candidate saintesses are not harmonious. I haven’t interacted much with the previous nine candidate saintesses, so I don’t know them well. When I say family, I mean my faction.”

“I never thought about competing with the other candidate saintesses; I just want to do what I need to do. The first candidate saintess, Selina, is too outstanding; she is almost universally recognized as the saintess, and all the candidate saintesses are overshadowed by her. So even though there is competition among the candidates, it isn’t that intense.”

It was clear that Michelle had it tough; being in the tenth position, she was probably the weakest candidate saintess.

“Although I haven’t met the other candidate saintesses, I feel that they are not as good as you.” Leo said this sincerely.

Is Michelle really weak?

During the team assessment, Michelle’s displayed abilities were just the tip of the iceberg.

Leo couldn’t see any flaws in her; aside from her close combat abilities, she was almost all-rounded. If it were a one-on-one fight and he didn’t use his ultimate move, he probably wouldn’t be able to defeat her.

There probably aren’t many people as outstanding as Michelle, so it stands to reason that most of the other candidate saintesses are not as good as her.

Michelle was momentarily taken aback, then smiled, “Even if it’s just flattery, thank you!”

“I’m serious!”

Although he hadn’t met the first-ranked candidate saintess, he thought she wouldn’t be much stronger than Michelle. Even if she was stronger, her personality might not be better than Michelle’s.

“Thank you!”

Seeing Leo’s serious expression, Michelle felt a warmth in her heart and revealed a brilliant smile, which was also sincere.

Leo was captivated by that smile; he thought he had to do something, or he would definitely fall for her.

“Yay! Michelle’s progress +10%!”

“Alright, let’s call it a day and head back!”

Michelle’s genuinely happy smile gradually changed.

“Don’t!”

———-
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