The Door-Handle Sea Emperor / Saint, Limited-Time Only

What a coincidence!

Fujimaru Kyoya thought so, but reality, unsurprisingly, slapped Fujimaru Kyoya in the face, making the girl opposite him so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Flagg, this Miss Chris has the same Stigmata as you; it's practically fate."

Fujimaru Kyoya's mother took off his gloves, revealing a scar on his left hand that looked as if something had pierced through it.

It's more accurate to call this a birthmark than a scar. Fujimaru Kyoya and without any deliberate training, could easily leap onto rooftops and dart around Florence, all thanks to the power of the Stigmata.

However, the only thing that Fujimaru Kyoya understand was the explanation of the Stigmata.

Only the most devout can obtain the power of the Stigmata, but Fujimaru Kyoya felt that while he wasn't a heretic, he had nothing to do with piety.

"It's genuine, it really is Stigmata."

The Old Man who came with Chris seemed to be her grandfather. He examined the Stigmata on Fujimaru Kyoya's hand for a while, and seemed to have a special way of identifying it to confirm that it was not a fake.

"This Stigmata Chris's exactly. No wonder Chris only had Stigmata on one hand when she was born. The reason is actually here."

After seeing the Stigmata, the Old Man quickly changed his attitude towards Fujimaru Kyoya's family, from initially looking down on them to paying a little more attention. He also showed everyone the Stigmata on Chris's right hand.

The appearance was exactly the same as Fujimaru Kyoya's Stigmata, which confirmed the other party's identity for Fujimaru Kyoya.

It really is that little girl.

[You realize that the girl Chris is getting a little too cocky—she can't hold back anymore. You make an excuse and take Chris out of the living room, intending to head to the "date" location.]

Your performance has greatly pleased your mother. Although the Old Man's face showed displeasure, she ultimately did not object.

[You easily led Chris out of the room and arrived at... the Family Cemetery.]

It was already dark in Florence, and the cemetery had an eerie atmosphere. Fujimaru Kyoya thought the little girl would be scared, but her face showed no other expression besides wariness.

So, do we really have to get married?

Fujimaru Kyoya realized that this wasn't a blind date at all; it was basically an arranged marriage after both sets of parents confirmed each other's Stigmata.

The two younger members of the family basically had no say in the conversation.

While such political marriages may eventually blossom into genuine love, Fujimaru Kyoya had enough of the so-called "promising future" traps used to entice players to spend money when he was playing mobile games.

Since the future is promising, then the future can be filled with wives.

"It's impossible. My parents died in an accident when I was young, and now my grandfather is the one who supports the family. There's no way to change his mind in the family."

Chris felt a little relieved to see that Fujimaru Kyoya didn't want to get married, but the mention of her grandfather reminded her that things wouldn't go her way.

Perhaps because of the death of Chris's parents, the Old Man's concern for Chris almost bordered on obsession.

"If you didn't have the Stigmata, my grandfather would never have allowed any man to touch me."

Chris stroked the Stigmata on her hand. To her, it was nothing more than a scar. She had worn gloves since childhood to cover it up, and she had never experienced any power from the Stigmata.

[You seem to understand why this girl studies painting so diligently. Besides her interest, she likely wants to acquire a skill to earn a living. You want to make a contract with her.]

How long does it take for a painter's apprentice to establish himself in Florence?

"About three years."

Chris didn't understand why Fujimaru Kyoya suddenly asked that question.

"Then how about three years? We'll get engaged, and I'll give you three years. If you can establish yourself in Florence with your painting skills within three years, then I'll help you elope, how about that?"

Fujimaru Kyoya didn't want to get married so early, and in this era that was extremely unfavorable to women, it was rare to find a woman who was so independent and determined to stand on her own two feet.

Such people are outliers of their time, and Fujimaru Kyoya an outlier.

There was no compassion involved; it was merely a resonance between two different kinds of people.

What's in it for you?

Chris couldn't believe why the person in front of her would make such a condition to someone she had just met. They were clearly meeting for the first time, Fujimaru Kyoya had no reason to try to buy her three years.

"Of course there are advantages, because I don't think you have the ability to establish yourself in Florence within three years, and I obviously have no plans to settle down. Three years is just the right amount of time."

Fujimaru Kyoya once again resorted to his provocation tactic. He could tell that the girl in front of him was a spirited young woman, and comforting such a person would be useless; only provocation would work.

"You... it's a deal."

Seeing Chris's sullen face, Fujimaru Kyoya's provocation was clearly effective once again.

This was the best solution Fujimaru Kyoya could come up with. He couldn't possibly elope, after all, his parents in this life had raised him, and eloping would obviously put Chris under the spotlight.

The Three-Year Pact was thus made, but as night fell, a gloomy atmosphere began to envelop the entire Florence.

A group of Divine Role came from the Papal States in search of something.

Chapter 193 Door Knob Sea Emperor

The Papal States may be small in size, but the reach of Christianity is vast, which gives it considerable influence.

If the Church is short of money, it can sell Indulgences; after all, there are plenty of people in this world who have done wrong and are worried about not getting into Heaven.

If the Church lacked power, countless kings would be willing to serve it, because all kings dreamed of inheriting the Rome throne, and the coronation of the Roman Emperor required the Church's approval.

This only applies to the secular world; on the mystical side, the Church is also a top-tier and powerful organization.

Those once-arrogant Magecraft turned pale at the mere Church," and now, with Britain's defeat, they had retreated to the small island nation of Britain, where they apparently even set up some kind of " Mage's Association."

It's just a bunch of stray dogs huddling together for warmth.

The Church's immense prestige naturally attracted discontent from some, and rumors began to spread.

"Find the Holy Grail, and you can control the Pope."

What a ridiculous and laughable rumor! Any believer knows that the so-called Holy Grail is nothing more than a cup that Jesus used to hold wine; how could it possibly have the power to control the Pope?

"Did you find it?"

Inside the church, a Cardinal was making his routine prayers before the Cross, and the priest behind him responded to his questions.

"Found them. The whole family didn't die out. The Survivor was adopted by an old man, who was obviously not clean either."

"This time, we need to be more thorough. Let the Templar Knights bring along a few priests who can perform Miracle. We absolutely cannot fail."

The "Miracle" the Cardinal spoke of were nothing more than some wondrous phenomena caused by Mana; after all, these days, who can preach without some real skills?

Of course, this tactic might be enough to fool some villagers, but if someone knowledgeable points out that it originates from the same Magecraft used by the Magecraft persecuted by the Church... then the Church will treat those people to barbecue.

Of course, what's being roasted is the flesh of those people.

Miracle are Magecraft, and such things cannot be exposed, but the bigger problem is still the Holy Grail.

Bishop Joshua, now a cardinal, naturally had access to some of the Church's core secrets and understood the terrifying nature of the "Holy Grail."

The true nature of the Miracle has been revealed; it's merely a new excuse to persecute Magecraft. Once the "Holy Grail" is revealed to everyone, the very essence of the Church will collapse.

The Holy Grail must be destroyed.

[You couldn't stand the boring small talk anymore, so to escape the tedium, you went back to your room to rest.]

Fujimaru Kyoya returned to his room, his fake smile vanishing. After all, he had promised to buy Chris three years, and now he had to put on an act of instant familiarity.

"So, what exactly are the conditions for triggering the Stigmata?"

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the Stigmata on his left and right sides, and then glanced at his character panel.

Name: Flagg

Gender: Male

Strength: D (B+)

Durability: D(B)

Agility: C (A+)

Mana: A(A+)

Luck: C(A)

Noble Phantasm: Not acquired

Stigmata: A++

A symbol of a born saint; as long as you remain devout to God in your heart, God will grant you strength.

Revelation: Unawakened

Information Erasure: Unawakened

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at his talents. Due to the end of the Hundred Years' War, the world had entered a period of peace. Apart from the Stigmata, which he had awakened at birth, he had not awakened any of his other talents.

Looking at the attributes in parentheses, Fujimaru Kyoya understood that those were the powers brought to him by the Stigmata. Such a huge improvement truly deserved the A++ rating.

Unfortunately, this power doesn't seem to change despite Fujimaru Kyoya's training; the maximum stat on his character panel is fixed here.

This is quite convenient, saving Fujimaru Kyoya spend training. The only problem is that even though he's not devout at all, the Stigmata still works, which is really frustrating.

As for the talent of Revelation, which only awakens when God remembers to chat with him, Fujimaru Kyoya was too lazy to even look at it. And after playing hide-and-seek for so many years Fujimaru Kyoya still hadn't awakened the talent of Information Erasure. He couldn't just actually go and kill people, could he?

As night deepened, the once lively banquet came to an end, and even the servants cleared away the dishes and began to rest.

At this time when there should have been no one around, figures began to slip into the manor. They were blessed by the Church, and even though they were wearing armor, they could walk without making a sound.

Ordinary locks could not stop the priests who were capable of Miracle; they pushed open the doors and attacked the servants one by one.

The method was clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation. Those people couldn't make a sound while they were sleeping, and their lives were ended in their sleep.

This time, the Templar Knights were ordered to eliminate witnesses. They were not required to ask if the other party knew anything about the Holy Grail; anyone involved with the Holy Grail was to be wiped out.

While the sudden, unexplained death of someone from an estate would certainly cause some commotion, there seem to be quite a few heretics in Florence lately who steal corpses; it would be best to pin the blame on them.

Anyway, they own the church, so even if something really happens, we can see who's suing us.

They would kill them one by one, then set the entire manor ablaze, leaving no trace.

This is the Church's complete sin.

The servants had finished tidying up, and the Templar Knights went upstairs to the room where the main course was to be served.

The door lock had been opened with the help of Miracle; with just a gentle turn of the doorknob, the Templar Knights could enter the room and kill the person sleeping inside.

But the Templar Knights didn't move... no, it should be said that he had used all his strength, but the doorknob remained unmoved.

Did you actually pick the lock?

I'm absolutely certain it's open.

With just a glance, the Knight knew that the priest had unlocked the door, but he couldn't open the door himself, which indicated something.

Someone inside was also gripping the handle, preventing his strength from being transmitted.

This family is definitely suspicious.

The Knight Sword was drawn directly and thrust into the door. The ordinary door panel was naturally no match for the sharpness of the Knight Sword, but with a crisp sound, the person holding the sword felt that his sword had become lighter, and at the same time, a strong sense of crisis came from inside the door.

"Bang!"

A broken sword shot out from the door panel, embedding itself directly in the Knight's throat, killing him instantly. The sword in the Knight's hand was now only half intact.

"I initially thought they were just ordinary thieves, so I was prepared to play along. It seems I underestimated them."

Fujimaru Kyoya came out of the room. A thief breaking into the house in the middle of the night could be dealt with by paying some money, but a robber was a different story.

Chapter 194 Saints' Limited Time Period 41/102

"Do you... do you know who we are?"

The priest was clearly flustered. They were merely auxiliary Knight; they didn't have much combat power themselves, only providing Miracle as assistance.

The Knight arrived at that moment, and he immediately panicked, even forgetting the purpose of his visit.

"You? Aren't you thieves?"

Fujimaru Kyoya merely glanced at the man dressed as a priest. Had these bandits just looted a church? Oh well, whatever.

Grab the other person's head and twist it, and they're straight to Heaven.

"If you really are a priest, then please give my regards to God."

Fujimaru Kyoya left with those words, then turned and departed. Clearly, robbery is not something that can be committed by just a few people; the robbers who broke into his house couldn't possibly have been only two, and they both possessed Magecraft that allowed them to conceal their presence...