Chapter 1 The Scorching Sun

The faint warmth of the midday sun in summer illuminated the ancient gray flagstones of Iketeria, casting a radiant glow under the protection of the statues. Around the square grew several enormous oak trees, their lush foliage offering a cool, comfortable shade along the square's edge.

The doors of the temple stood half-open, the carved pillars covered in sprawling green vines, silently guarding this sacred place like witnesses to history.

Beneath the trees, the two didn't need many words; their earlier embrace had been enough to express the longing of years and the joy of reunion.

But once the floodgates were open, it was as if they couldn't stop.

From past adventures to recent circumstances, accompanied by Loren's stories and Florence's soft laughter.

In the blink of an eye, it felt as if this moment would last forever.

"Pay attention to the time."

The voice of the Romance Instructor came.

"Mm."

As if sensing Loren's gaze, Florence looked up again, grinned, and patted Loren's shoulder, as if urging him to leave.

"Florence, I need to get back to the temple. Artemis has called me several times already!"

"Be careful not to overwork yourself, and feel free to contact me whenever you want to talk. No matter how you feel, I'm your friend."

She already knew that Loren had been extremely busy recently.

Florence said, "Florence..."

"Oh, oh, go on."

Her reaction startled Loren, who looked at her with confusion.

Loren gazed at Florence, his eyes filled with emotion.

"If I could, I wish I could spend every day with you. You truly are my soulmate."

Florence added in a gentle voice.

Florence smiled understandingly and shook her hand.

He shook his head reluctantly, regretting that he could only spend such a short time with his best friend.

Loren said with some apology.

Although he still wanted to continue chatting with his best friend, he no longer had the time.

And she was relieved to see that Loren was doing well.

"Go and get busy, good luck!"

Florence lowered her eyes and looked away.

"Is that so…"

Loren heard this and suddenly seemed to wake up as if from a dream, realizing something.

Loren nodded, bid farewell to Florence, and headed towards the Church of the Goddess of Fate, which was located beside the moat.

Before long, with a few flashes of his figure, the ethereal temple that had been built on thousands of years of faith appeared before him.

In the heart of the northern district of Iketeria, surrounded by woods on the edge of a clear river, stood a magnificent temple, which was also Loren's usual church base besides the Iketeria Academy.

According to the instructor's guidance, he should tell Florence and Artemis the truth.

Saying goodbye to Florence was to go to work, and saying goodbye to Artemis was to go to rest; there wasn't a single lie.

His footsteps crossed through the temple gate.

When the scorching natural light shone on the white reliefs from the window lattices, the images of the various gods seemed to flicker, giving him the illusion that they were enacting ancient legends.

"Instructor, is there still enough time?"

Loren felt that the light was a little dazzling, perhaps because he was a little guilty, and he refocused his mind and walked towards the interior of the temple, asking.

"Time is not a problem."

"Then what is the problem?"

Loren asked nervously.

From the instructor's tone, perhaps there was a second half that hadn't been said.

"Remember that sentence you promised Florence, 'When you're not busy next time, let's go out together'?"

"Mm."

"Do you think that counts as a date?"

"I don't think so. It's normal for good friends to go out and have fun together."

"It's okay, better luck next time."

The Romance Instructor's murmur seemed to have a sense of mission, but also seemed to have something unsaid.

"What do you mean?"

Even though Loren trusted the Romance Instructor very much, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Could it be that he had overlooked something without realizing it?

Just like learning, if you make a mistake but don't know where you went wrong, it's difficult to improve and progress.

"It's nothing, you have a lot of talent, even more than I imagined. The seemingly simple and unadorned ordinary attacks actually all come with armor penetration and critical hits. Just follow your own instincts, and following me completely might delay your own talents instead.

I will help you smooth everything out, so just relax and go on dates. Unless something happens to me one day, I guarantee that nothing will happen to you."

The Romance Instructor assured him with great conviction.

"Instructor…"

Loren said to the other end of the communication, feeling moved.

He walked through the solemn and tranquil space deep inside the temple, where pure white pillars stood majestically in the main hall. The further he went, the clearer his own footsteps became.

When Loren arrived in front of the huge door of the temple's office, it was as if he was standing on the threshold of another world.

He gently knocked on the door made of pure white jade and deep gray stone.

"Please."

From inside the door came a gentle voice like the first frost of winter.

Loren pushed open the heavy stone door. Before him was an office with a cathedral-like high ceiling, and the white brick alcoves on the surrounding walls were filled with the scriptures of the Church of the Goddess of Fate.

In the conference area at the center of the sanctuary, a silver-haired, silver-eyed woman sat quietly on a sofa. Even at noon, her figure was as pure and flawless as an elf in the moonlight.

If she didn't have breathing, it would be hard to prove whether she was a living being or a work of art.

"I'm sorry, I went to rest this morning. I'm really sorry I didn't reply to your message."

Loren bowed to the Ice Witch to apologize.

The Saintess Chosen by the Gods, Artemis, was a half-demon, without demonic horns; the only demonic feature was her slightly pointed ears.

She was more like a flawless snow elf than the demon that people talked about.

Although her gaze only contained inviolable arrogance and indifference, almost isolating all living beings in the distance, beneath that appearance, there was also a hint of kindness hidden.

Loren saw that the Ice Witch wasn't busy with work at this time, and there was still a cup of steaming tea on the table, so he was slightly relieved; at least the Ice Witch wasn't looking for him today for an urgent matter related to work.

"How did it feel to hug Florence?"

The Ice Witch's cold voice rang out in front of Loren.

He looked up and found that the Ice Witch had already stood up from the sofa. Meeting the Ice Witch's gaze, there was a kind of undisguised disgust.

Loren instantly felt a chill down his spine.

That's not right.

Was there a problem with him hugging Florence?

Could it be that in the Ice Witch's eyes, this kind of action between boys was considered strange?

"It felt good."

Loren replied confidently.

The Ice Witch's expression suddenly became more complicated.

Was she wrong about her understanding of humans, or did Loren really think that women could be hugged casually?

(End of this chapter)