Kiriko wasn't sure how her words were translated by Language Comprehension B, but evidently, the nun understood her clearly.
The nun stared suspiciously at Kiriko.
Obviously, she found it unbelievable that Kiriko could actually secure the king's approval.
Was she bluffing?
No—even if there was only a tiny fraction of a chance, it had to be taken seriously.
Thus, the nun rejected the idea outright.
"Absolutely not. The king is merely a worldly ruler. The gods reign above even him—and even above Her Majesty the Queen."
Kiriko looked at the nun's righteous expression.
On one hand, they constantly called upon the Heroes to save the world. Yet on the other, they pulled out all the stops to hinder those same Heroes…
Heh.
Kiriko let out a cold laugh.
"So you're saying, no matter how much we pay, or even if we get the king's approval, we still can't Class Up?"
The nun's face grew fanatical.
"The revelations of the gods are absolute. We mortals must not defy them."
Kiriko had seen too many self-righteous people like her in her previous life.
In your eyes, she might be ignoring the bigger picture out of personal prejudice.
But in her own eyes, wasn't she simply upholding justice?
Facing the nun's aggressive stance, Kiriko appeared to relent, smiling faintly. And then—
"Lute."
At Kiriko's command, the Dogkin stepped forward immediately, smashing his shield right into the nun's face.
Bam!
The nun felt her vision whirl violently before she crashed heavily onto the floor.
Blood mixed with saliva spurted from her mouth.
Naofumi reacted instantly, shouting "Move!" as he stepped in front of Raphtalia, replacing Lute to shield the two girls.
Meanwhile, Naofumi's companions rushed forward, quickly brawling with the guards.
Although the guards stationed here were double their number, they were significantly weaker than Kiriko's and Naofumi's groups.
Very quickly, Naofumi's companions subdued all the guards.
They didn't kill anyone; at most, a few bones were broken.
On Naofumi's side, no one was seriously injured.
The only person completely unharmed was the priest who had entered with the guards.
At the start of the fight, he'd immediately crouched down, holding his head in fear, so everyone ignored him entirely.
Even after the fighting ended, he still didn't dare stand up, trembling like a frightened quail.
The nun was pinned firmly beneath Lute, but still she didn't yield, struggling fiercely.
"The gods… the gods will punish you! Heretic Witch, Shield Demon, and all your filthy followers—your deaths are approaching!"
Kiriko squatted down, ignoring the nun's curses.
Honestly, what HR professional hadn't heard worse from rabid dogs like her?
And other than Tanya von Degurechaff, everyone else turned out just fine, didn't they?
So Kiriko got right to the point:
"Now then, Sister—can we do our Class Ups yet?"
The nun simply continued cursing.
Such a pretty face, yet her mouth spewed nothing but filth.
Kiriko gestured to Naofumi to lead Raphtalia, Gabriel, and the others out of the room first.
After they left, she nodded to Lute.
Lute immediately understood, grabbing the nun's hand and pinning it forcefully to the ground. He drew a dagger from his waist…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
A blood-curdling scream instantly echoed through the chamber.
The priest, still cowering on the floor, trembled even harder when he heard the shriek.
Lute had viciously stabbed his dagger through the nun's hand, pinning it firmly to the ground.
Even hearing the nun's screams, Lute's expression didn't change—if anything, he felt deeply satisfied.
After all, he was a devout follower of the Shield, and bringing judgment upon a nun of the enemy Three Hero Church brought nothing but pleasure.
Kiriko leaned closer, looking calmly at the nun's face, twisted in agony, and slowly began twisting the dagger in the wound.
"Aaa—AAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The nun's screams grew more desperate. The priest couldn't even bring himself to glance in her direction.
"Sister, I didn't quite catch your curses just now. Would you mind repeating them?"
Kiriko's tone was exceedingly gentle—but her actions couldn't have been further from kindness.
Blood streamed continuously from the nun's hand, staining the floor crimson.
The nun was in so much pain that words failed her. All she could do was gasp weakly for air.
The priest trembled, pleading desperately:
"Z-Zero Hero-sama, please have mercy… Of course, your companions may Class Up. I… I'll prepare it immediately!"
"But wouldn't that go against your gods' revelation?"
Kiriko smiled, twisting the dagger handle a bit more.
"If it really makes things difficult, that would trouble me terribly. I'm not someone who likes forcing others."
The priest forced an awkward smile onto his pale face.
"No, no, it's no trouble at all! The gods' revelations are always cryptic. Perhaps we misunderstood their meaning… No, that must be it! Please forgive our earlier rudeness."
"Really? You're sure it's no trouble?"
"Absolutely, no trouble at all!"
Kiriko playfully rubbed her fingers together.
"In that case… will we still need to pay the Class Up fee?"
The priest shook his head so vigorously it nearly snapped off.
"Of course… No! No, no, of course you don't! The Heroes are here to save the world. How could we possibly charge you a fee?"
"Alright then. Go quickly prepare whatever's needed for the Class Up. There's only twenty hours until the next Wave—we don't have time to waste."
"Yes!"
Kiriko shot Lute a meaningful glance, signaling him to follow the priest outside.
Lute returned quickly, accompanying the priest who now carried a beautifully ornate container.
"All we need to do is pour this liquid into the indentation below the Dragon Hourglass, and the Class Up ceremony can begin."
Kiriko hadn't even spoken yet when the priest anxiously explained.
"Good."
Receiving Kiriko's approval, the priest let out a sigh of relief. He carried the container to the Dragon Hourglass, opened its lid, and was about to pour the liquid—
"Hold on."
The priest flinched violently, nearly dropping the container.
"I trust your character, Father, but you know… when I was in high school, my history teacher said something that always stuck with me: 'It's better to suspect first, trust later.'"
Kiriko suddenly yanked out the dagger embedded in the nun's hand. When the nun started screaming again, Kiriko ruthlessly stabbed it straight into the nun's other hand.
"So, Father, I hope you'll reconsider your actions carefully. Otherwise, I might turn you from a 'Father' into a 'Sister'. Do you understand?"
The priest's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Y-yes… I understand clearly!"
"Excellent."
Kiriko stood up, her face beaming brightly.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and Class Up."
---
T/N: hohohohohoho