Noel found himself pinned against a cold stone wall, barely processing how things had escalated so quickly.
The girl in front of him was small—shorter than most students he knew—but something about her presence felt... overwhelming. Her soft pink hair framed delicate features, and her bright eyes studied him with a strange intensity.
"I don’t sense any malice from you," she said softly. "You seem like a good person."
’What kind of opening line is that?’ Noel blinked, unsure how to react.
"Uh... I see. Could you maybe step back a little?"
"Of course," she said, retreating just a bit but keeping her gaze fixed on him. "How did you know I’m the Saint?"
Noel froze. "You’re the Saint?"
She tilted her head. "Yes... wait—you just said it a second ago. You called me the Saint. But that hasn’t been announced yet. The Church only made the decision last night. There’s no way you should know."
"...I said you looked like a Saint," Noel corrected smoothly. "Not that you are one. I mean, look at you. You’re not exactly... normal. You look like an angel or something."
Her eyes widened. "Oh no... I really messed up, didn’t I?" She clasped her hands together anxiously. "I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone yet. Please, you have to promise you won’t tell anyone."
Noel raised a hand. "Promise. I’ll take it to the grave."
Charlotte visibly relaxed, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you."
"Well," Noel said, stepping to the side, "since the misunderstanding is cleared up, I’ll be on my way—"
Before he could finish, she grabbed his arm again.
"No."
He looked down at her. "No?"
"Don’t leave me alone," she said, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes starting to water.
’Isn’t she too old for this kind of act?’ Noel sighed internally. "And why exactly shouldn’t I leave you alone?"
"Because I ran away from the Church."
"...I see."
Noel let out a long sigh, already regretting every choice that had led him to this exact moment.
"You ran away from the Church," he repeated. "And what exactly am I supposed to do about that?"
Charlotte looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Help me."
"No," Noel replied flatly.
Her lower lip trembled. "Please?"
"Nope."
In the next second, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his leg, clinging like her life depended on it. Pedestrians nearby started to glance in their direction with curious stares.
Noel stared down at her, completely unfazed. ’The patience required for this is not something I have in stock today.’
"Fine," he muttered. "I’ll help. Just... let go of my leg before someone starts thinking I kidnapped you."
She lit up immediately. "Thank you! Thank you! I knew you were a good person!"
"I didn’t say anything about being good," he grumbled. "What do you need?"
"I need you to hide me," Charlotte said without hesitation. "They’re going to make the announcement soon. I don’t want to be paraded in front of the whole city. I hate big crowds."
Noel paused, rubbing his temple. "I might know a place. But you’ll have to follow me."
Charlotte nodded eagerly. "Okay! Lead the way!"
He turned and began walking, hoping that whatever twisted logic had made him agree to this wouldn’t come back to bite him later. She followed close behind, practically skipping.
As they walked through the winding streets of Valon, Charlotte kept chatting.
"Are you sure this is the right way to the hideout?" she asked innocently.
"Absolutely."
"Oh! I never asked your name. That’s so rude of me." She placed a hand over her heart. "What’s your name?"
"Noel."
Her smile widened. "Noel. That’s a lovely name. I’m Charlotte. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"Yeah. Likewise," he mumbled.
They turned a final corner.
"We’re here," Noel said calmly.
Charlotte’s steps slowed as she looked up... and froze.
It wasn’t an alley or an abandoned building. It was a massive church—easily the largest in the city. Priests and guards were stationed at every entrance, eyes scanning the streets anxiously.
"This... this isn’t a hideout," she whispered, horrified.
"No. No, it’s not." Noel took a step back, raised his hand to his mouth, and shouted:
"THE SAINT IS HERE!!"
Dozens of heads turned instantly.
Charlotte’s eyes went wide as the guards and priests rushed toward her. "You betrayed me..."
But Noel didn’t hear the words. He was already long gone, disappearing into the crowd and making his way back to the academy.
’Phew. Another problem resolved. Hopefully, that doesn’t come back to haunt me later.’
Later that night, Noel lay back on his bed, the room dimly lit by a small floating orb of light. The window was still shut tight to keep out the early spring chill, and the curtains drawn to trap as much warmth as possible.
Nestled beneath a heavy layer of blankets and cloth was the egg, warm against his bare skin as he sat in the same uncomfortable position he’d used for days now. Revenant Fang leaned quietly against the wall nearby, like a silent sentinel.
He glanced at the floating system window hovering in front of his eyes:
[Incubation Progress: 2.6%]
’Almost there,’ he thought, feeling the dull ache in his lower back. ’Just a bit longer.’
He shifted slightly, careful not to drop the temperature again. The system was finicky—too much movement and it would punish him with a 0.2% drop for hours.
’I swear, if this thing hatches into a toad, me and fate are going to have a very violent conversation.’
The warmth pulsing from the egg was growing stronger, almost rhythmic now, like a slow heartbeat. Noel closed his eyes, letting the sound of his own breathing settle.
’I met a saint, betrayed her, and now I’m brooding shirtless on top of a magic egg. What the hell is my life.’
His fingers brushed against the shell lightly.
"Come on... just a little more."
The glow beneath the blankets pulsed faintly in response. He didn’t know what was inside. But something was coming.
And it was coming soon.