Fra's tone was incredibly certain.
This made Ogre start to feel a bit unsure.
"There's no need to pretend, there's no one else here, and I don't know any Yato..." Fra stopped walking, and the two of them stood by the riverbank.
"Sigh..." Ogre let out a sigh...
Revealing himself so quickly was unexpected, but although it was a bit beyond his expectations, he wasn't completely unprepared.
If Plan A failed, there was always Plan B.
Ever since he decided to return with Macal, he hadn't planned on keeping it a secret forever.
He could deceive Macal, but dealing with someone smarter would be tricky.
"I just want to know, where did you get your badge of discipline?" Fra's tone was calm and peaceful, but his gaze carried a soul-piercing judgment.
"This is mine." Ogre pulled down the scarf from his face, revealing his true appearance.
His revealed face was so stunning that Fra was momentarily lost in thought.
"No wonder Macal favors you." Fra's confusion lessened a bit, but he still didn't plan to let Ogre go: "I need to hear the truth from you."
"This... this badge was handed to me personally by its owner." Ogre reluctantly took out the Silver Badge that Yard had given him.
"Who is the owner of the badge?"
Perhaps because Ogre posed no real threat, Fra's threats remained only verbal.
Of course, his patience was only for humans.
"Yard, he's my teacher." Ogre waved the Silver Badge in front of Fra.
"I know this badge is real," Fra said calmly.
"I'm not lying." Ogre waved his hand—he wasn't a wizard or a mutant, so he wasn't afraid of what Fra might do to him.
He chose to mix with the Church of Dawn because it was safe.
As for being blacklisted...
It was Geling who lied, what does that have to do with me, Ogre?
Ogre understood the structure of the Church of Dawn well; if he ran, there might be trouble, but if he chose to stay, at most he'd be detained for a while.
Because they were good people.
"Reach out your hand."
Looking at Ogre's indifferent face, Fra began to wonder if he was making a fuss over nothing.
"Here."
Ogre extended his fair arm—after all, he couldn't fight back, and he couldn't run away, so what else could he do?
Fra stared into Ogre's beautiful eyes for two seconds, then reached out and grasped his arm.
A pure, sacred flame began to burn with their contact.
Strangely, Ogre felt no discomfort from the flame.
He even felt a hint of comfort.
"It's fine now... you brave little one."
After a few breaths, Fra released his grip.
He hadn't sensed any transcendent power within Ogre—neither vitality, mana, wizardry, nor Battle Qi.
This meant Ogre wasn't a mutant, he was human, and at most, he was just a Martial Artist Apprentice. Judging by his fair arm, his strength probably wasn't very high.
Ogre blinked his innocent eyes and then withdrew his hand.
"Tell me, pretty little one, what's your purpose in pretending to be a nun from Notabond City?" Fra asked, tucking his hand back into his sleeve.
"Actually..." Ogre paused, then after a moment of feigned hesitation, he squeezed out a few tears: "I'm actually asking you to save my teacher."
Fra: "?"
"Then why did you use such deceitful means?" Fra didn't ask why Ogre wanted to save someone, but instead focused on Ogre's disguise.
"Because... that's my real name."
Ogre said as he wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, perfectly demonstrating what it meant to be pitiful yet strong.
Well, asking for help isn't shameful.
"What was your previous name?" Fra asked with his hands behind his back.
"Thrandic," Ogre replied without hesitation.