You're the One with Impure Thoughts!

The Sealing Array had stopped running, and the Silencing Field was no longer in effect, yet the second sector remained trapped in an unbearable, deathly silence.

The Sealing Array did restrain Freime and cause her considerable discomfort, but even prolonged activation could not kill her.

So rather than fear, what filled her heart now was anger at being provoked.

And a faint trace of confusion.

What gave him such confidence?

Other than angering me, what could he possibly achieve by doing this?

"..."

Freime stared at the far-too-young Holy Knight, trying to find a weakness in him.

In terms of strength, he was feeble. She could practically find weaknesses everywhere.

Even in her current weakened condition, she could easily kill him.

But mentally, she could find no openings.

A faint blessing lay over his soul, protecting him from evil influences and keeping his thoughts pure.

She knew what it was. That damned Purity Blessing was precisely why she could not control his mind.

But no, that was not all.

Even without that blessing, there was not the slightest fear of her in his eyes.

"..."

When they first met, although this fellow had appeared calm on the surface, there had still been a faint trace of fear in his eyes. All he could do was silently trail behind that damned old man.

But now... he seemed like an entirely different person.

Valentina, that dimwitted dragon, could not see through Herbert's disguise, but Freime was different.

She was a Legendary Sea Monster who excelled at manipulating others' emotions, and she could keenly sense the change in Herbert.

Looking past his friendly, gentle facade, she could sense a calm, deceitful, and arrogant soul.

What exactly changed him?

His surroundings? His experiences?

Or had nothing actually changed at all?

Was his earlier behavior merely an act put on for the Archbishop?

Freime could not quite figure it out.

After a long silence, she stared at Herbert and slowly spoke. "Mortal, do you know what your actions just now meant?"

"Of course."

Herbert smiled and nodded without hesitation. "From your perspective, they were nothing more than a provocation, a declaration of war, a threat... however you look at it, they certainly weren't friendly."

Freime frowned. "Then you..."

"But what's wrong with that?" Herbert interrupted her question, smiled, and raised his eyebrows. "Am I required to be friendly toward you?"

"Miss Freime, think about it carefully. Even if I hadn't done that, would you have felt any goodwill toward me?"

"You wouldn't."

"You're a prisoner, and I'm the warden responsible for you. Whatever I do, you'll resent the Archbishop and the Monastery for locking you up, and you'll certainly resent me along with them."

The youth stood with his hands behind his back, tilting his head up slightly to look at the alluring mermaid as he said softly:

"You're the one who hated me first."

"Aren't you?"

Faced with one pointed question after another, Freime fell silent. She truly could not refute that.

Herbert was not the only one who had been seen through.

She had been, too.

Her arrogance had kept her from bothering with much of a disguise, allowing him to see straight into her heart.

As Herbert finished, he suddenly changed tack. "But that said, I don't want to keep fighting with you forever. That would be far too exhausting."

"Rather than both of us wearing false masks and going through the motions here, why don't we be more direct and show our true selves?"

Herbert held out both hands to reveal the Holy Marks and explained with a smile:

"So this time, I showed you my trump card. Although I can briefly control the Sealing Array, I'm not strong enough yet to keep it running for long."

"So you don't need to worry about me using it to torment or threaten you every so often."

He had simply laid bare his own shortcomings, frankly revealing them to a prisoner who ought to hate him.

Was he willingly handing his enemy a knife?

No.

Because this knife was only symbolic to begin with, possessing little actual killing power.

Rather than keeping it hidden, he might as well openly display it.

That would both make his stance clear and provide a measure of deterrence.

Once he had finished showing her all this, Herbert could not help sighing.

"After all, it would be such a shame if I could never get along with a beautiful lady like you."

Freime: ?

"You're so lovely, and your voice is so pleasant. I'd still like to talk with you more."

"Let's get along!"

Freime: ??

"Wait, you..."

Freime's eyebrows rose. This was the second time she had heard Herbert compliment her so openly.

The first time, she had paid it no mind, assuming he was merely spouting nonsense. But this time-she realized he seemed to be serious!!?

"Wait! Do you have..."

Does he have indecent intentions toward me!?

Instinctively, she withdrew into the sphere of water, leaving only half her head outside as she stared at Herbert strangely.

"Hm? What's wrong? I've always admired you!"

Herbert seemed to pause, then tilted his head. As though he saw nothing wrong with it, he said matter-of-factly, "Whatever else may be true, beauty is beauty. Being a monster doesn't change that."

Letting looks dictate my morals?

It's not that complicated.

I'm just a sucker for a pretty face.

"Y-y-y-you... aren't you afraid of breaking your oath?"

Herbert blinked and tilted his head in bewilderment, asking in confusion, "Why would this break my oath? Oh, I see what you mean..."

"Miss Freime, you've misunderstood. My admiration for you has always been entirely pure!"

He shook his head with a righteous expression and said earnestly, "You're the one with impure thoughts!"

Freime: ???

The Legendary Sea Monster still wanted to explain that she did not!

But after struggling to speak for ages without getting a word out, she pressed her lips together, her face faintly flushed, and stayed curled up in the water, constantly blowing bubbles.

Glug, glug.

This fellow, he... there's something wrong with him!

Why do I feel so happy hearing him say those things?

But-but he's a Holy Knight who can't lie, so... does he really think that?

Does he really think I'm beautiful!?

Her fish tail swished rapidly within the sphere of water, pushing her body higher until most of her upper body was exposed.

Herbert: Huh?

This mermaid princess really does have high attack and plenty of health, but why does her defense seem paper-thin?

You can deliberately charm me with your singing, but I can't find you attractive?

Double standards!

Nothing but double standards!

"Miss Freime, please explain yourself!"

Glug, glug... (I'm not! I didn't!)

And just as Herbert used his identity as a pure Holy Knight to play the "innocent" and win over the mermaid princess with his direct approach...

A cool, clear voice rang out in the darkness of the third sector.

"The magic has been drawn away..."

"At last, the opportunity I've been waiting for."