The girl flinched at his words, stepping back like a startled cat, staring at him with eyes burning with caution. She said, with clear suspicion: "Your goal? You're a pervert!"
The priest's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, as if she had verbally slapped him. "A pervert?! I meant something completely different!"
She exhaled in slight relief, placing her hands on her chest and saying in a calm tone: "Oh, so what do you want then? If you're looking for money, I have nothing to offer you."
The priest raised his hand with muffled exasperation, muttering: "First a pervert, and now a beggar?! No, girl… I came to talk to the Saintess."
Her face suddenly changed as if she had recalled something important, and she exclaimed enthusiastically: "Ah! The Saintess!" Then, without another word, she spun around and began to run with all her speed toward Edgar's house.
However, she had only gone a few steps before he lightly caught her, lifting her as one would lift a stray kitten. He smiled at her calmly, saying: "So… my Saintess is trying to run away?"
She screamed, twisting and trying to break free: "I'm nobody's Saintess! Leave me alone!"
He said in a mocking tone, tightening his grip on her: "But my mission is to bring you back to the temple, so why should I let you go?"
Suddenly, she bit his hand so hard that he instinctively released her. She said, catching her breath nervously:"Listen, maybe I was chosen as the Saintess by mistake! I don't want to live in the temple!"
The priest tilted his head slightly, with a look that mixed curiosity and mockery: "And why is that? Don't you want to be famous? To be valued and respected by everyone?"
She let out a short laugh, her scorn obvious: "As if I care about that! They can all go to hell!"
The priest smiled and placed his palm under his chin, asking in a cunning tone: "Even the vast sums of money that will come to you?"
She froze for a moment, then said with childlike simplicity: "Let's go to the temple!"
His eyebrows shot up in astonishment, then he laughed sarcastically: "It seems living with Edgar has affected the way you think."
She looked at him with honest curiosity and asked: "Do you know Edgar personally?"
He shrugged nonchalantly: "An old friend."
She said, crossing her arms: "Strange, Edgar used to say you were a suspicious person."
His face tensed slightly as he replied with displeasure: "As if Edgar is normal! He's far more suspicious than me!"
But before he could finish, she caught him off guard with a kick to his back that sent him tumbling to the ground. When he looked up at her, he saw that Edgar himself had taken her place.
The latter said with familiar coolness: "Me? Suspicious?"
The priest quickly stood up, raising his hands in surrender: "Hey, no need to fight. I just came to take the Saintess with me."
Edgar answered, crossing his arms firmly: "Hey, Marine already refused."
The priest quickly pointed his finger at her: "But she agreed!"
Edgar turned toward her in astonishment: "What?! Did you really agree?"
She raised her hand with childlike innocence and said: "Yes!"
He placed his hand on the bridge of his nose, sighing: "Why…?"
Marine said with unexpected seriousness, taking hold of his shoulders: "He said my salary will be very high!"
Edgar gave her a serious, sarcastic look: "Long live the Saintess! May I become your follower? For a percentage of the money, of course?"
She smiled confidently, her eyes sparkling, and said: "Of course! I won't forget your favor… even though you often left me to sleep outside. But my heart is kind, as you know."
As for the priest, he remained silent, shifting his gaze between the two, unable to comment on the blatant capitalism unfolding before him.