A Game of Chess (1)

"S-Saintess!" Clara jumped like a startled rabid when she heard Saintess Safelia's voice.

The saintess looked at Clara and sighed with a hint of disappointment. "Clara, what do you have to say in your defense?"

"S-Saintess, I-I-I-"

"Calm down, Clara." I gripped Clara's hand and smiled. I then looked in Safelia's direction. "Saintess, long time no see you."

Safelia frowned. "I would have preferred if I don't have to see you again."

How cold.

I put on an expression of amusement and shrugged. "Is it so? Such a shame. Do you need something, saintess? My fiancée and I are on a date."

"A date?" Safelia's gaze turned sharp. "Can't you be more shameless, prince Claus? You know that Clara is our future holy daughter, but you not only refuse to let her alone, you even dared to take her out in secret!"

I smirked. "Of course, she is my fiancée, after all. Even if she was your holy daughter, that she is not yet, she continues being my fiancée. I don't need to ask for your permission to go on a date with her."

Safelia's expression turned cold. I could feel the mana inside her turning active, and her powerful aura tried to suppress me.

However, I did not fall behind. A powerful and sharp sword intent surrounded my body, clashing against Safelia's aura. It was as though sparks were clashing in the air.

A few seconds later, we both retrieved our auras simultaneously.

Safelia then turned towards Clara.

"Clara, return to the institute. I will talk with you later."

"But–"

"It's an order!" Safelia's firm voice shut Clara up.

I furrowed my brows and held Clara's hand with a smile.

"Don't worry, little princess. Go back to the academy."

"… Claus, you will not fight with the Saintess, right?" She looked at me with a look of worry.

I smiled wryly. I could see in Clara's eyes that although she constantly complained about Safelia, she, in fact, treated her like an elder sister.

"Don't worry, we will not fight. Now go back. I will go to find you later." After saying that, I leaned forward and pecked her lips.

At the same time, I injected into her mind information about a cultivation technique suitable for her.

Clara was surprised, but when she was about to check it, I stopped her with a kiss.

"Look at it later. Now go back, I need to talk with the saintess."

Clara turned red. She checked Safelia's reaction with a look of guilt before running away with a blush.

I looked at her back with a soft smile.

Once she was gone, Safelia's chilling voice sounded again.

"Prince, what do you think you are doing?"

"What else? I just want to spend time with my fiancée."

Safelia's eyes were ice-cold. She was looking at me with so much rage that it seemed to lower the temperature around us.

Unfortunately for her, I remained unaffected. Her pressure did not do so as much as ruffle my clothes. I remained standing with an unbothered expression, as though her pressure was nothing more than a breeze.

A tinge of surprise appeared on Safelia's face for the first time. It, however, disappeared in the next second, replaced by her ice-cold look.

I could not help but let out a chuckle.

"I thought the saintess was supposed to always wear a compassionate smile."

Safelia snorted. "That smile is only for the ones that deserve it. You are not a believer of the goddess, and neither you are someone that carries respect for the church."

"Oh? You sound like you know me pretty well."

"I don't need to know you in detail to reach that conclusion. Just the fact that you refuse to rescind your engagement with Clara is enough proof of that."

I shrugged in an unconcerned manner. Well, she was right.

Safelia stared at me for a few seconds before turning around and walking towards an alley. "Follow me, prince. I need to have a chat with you."

I chuckled and followed after her. Meanwhile, I made sure of ogling to her back in the most obvious way possible.

Unfortunately for me, Safelia feigned she did not notice it, so it was not as fun as I expected.

I must admit, though, that Safelia's body was pretty nice. Despite wearing a long white habit that covered her entire body, it could not hide her big bust and proud breasts.

Besides, her long black hair and pure appearance made her much more tempting to men. You could not help but want to sully her body after seeing her.

Such a shame she is a nun. Otherwise, I would have found a way to attack her.

… I still can, though. But it depends on her actions.

Soon, we reached our destination. It was a church of the Goddess of Order located in a humble part of the city.

To be honest, the church was rather simple. It was not ostentatiously decorated, and instead, it gave a humble aura mixed with a feeling of holiness, as though the goddess was observing you mercifully.

Safelia took me inside the church and led me into a small cozy room behind the hall. It was a rather good place, perfect to drink a bit of tea.

"Nice place." I praised. "I can understand why the church has so many adherents in the empire."

"Thank you, prince." Safelia gave me a brief nod. "Now please sit. I will bring you a cup of tea."

"It's not necessary." I waved my hands. "Miss Safelia, I have a question. I remember I knocked out the people that were tailing us. How did you find us?"

"… So it was you after all, huh." Safelia closed her eyes in exasperation. "I had to ask for an oracle due to your actions."

"An oracle? Did you ask for an oracle just because Clara was on a date with me?"

"Of course. Clara is our holy daughter. It would be bad if she ends losing her purity due to you."

Well, that already happened.

But she used an oracle, huh. That explains it. I had heard that the Goddess of Order was easygoing, but to think she replied to this kind of oracle.

Does she have so much free time?

I could not help but feel a bit suspicious.

Mm, I'm probably exaggerating, but I better keep an eye on it to be careful.

At that moment, a priest entered the room. He was carrying a small box in his hands.

Safelia received the box from the priest and thanked him. She then put it on a table and showed it to me.

"Prince, have you played chess before?"

"I have." I nodded indifferently. Of course, I have played before, in many of my lives. Not many people across the multiple worlds and parallel universes can match me, actually.

Of course, Safelia is not one of them.

"Then, do you want to play a game with me?"