"Hold out your hand."
"Huh? My hand? Why?"
Victor's request caught Utaha off guard.
He explained, "Don't you want to walk the path of the supernatural? Let me check your qualifications. If they're decent, I might be able to point you in the right direction."
"Really?"
Utaha's face lit up with excitement as she quickly extended her hand, placing it in Victor's palm.
Her hand was soft and cool to the touch, pale as jade. Victor found himself squeezing it gently, drawing a faint blush to Utaha's cheeks.
A thin thread of spiritual power flowed from his palm into hers, tracing through her meridians and energy channels. After a moment, he withdrew it.
"Your talent is truly unique."
Utaha tensed. "What do you mean? Am I... unsuitable for cultivation?"
Victor shook his head. "No, you can cultivate. But you're only compatible with holy energy, not magic power."
Utaha's talent was genuinely unusual. Most people could either cultivate magic power but not holy energy, or they could cultivate both. Victor had never encountered someone who could only cultivate holy energy and nothing else.
It was like having a driver's license but being unable to drive an automatic car, completely backwards.
Not only that, but perhaps because of this unusual constitution, Utaha possessed an extraordinarily high affinity for holy energy.
"That's fine! As long as I can cultivate something!" Utaha exhaled in relief.
"What's this 'path forward' you mentioned?"
"Hold on, let me make a call first."
Victor pulled out his phone and dialed Emi.
After a few rings, she picked up.
"Victor? What made you think of calling me today?"
Her tone carried genuine surprise. He rarely initiated contact, usually she was the one calling him, often when he was in seclusion and couldn't answer. Most of the time, Shinobu or one of the others would pick up instead.
"Are you interested in taking on a disciple?"
Victor got straight to the point.
"I found someone with excellent aptitude for holy energy. Her affinity rivals yours as a half-angel. Interested?"
"Really?"
Emi shot to her feet, excitement clear in her voice.
As a half-angel, her affinity for holy energy was nearly unmatched, except by Victor himself, who broke all the rules.
Someone with comparable affinity could have been trained as a backup hero in her world!
But she quickly calmed down, suspicion creeping into her tone.
"I'm interested, but... why aren't you taking her as your disciple yourself?"
Is there some kind of trap here?
Utaha, sitting close enough to hear the conversation through the phone, found herself wondering the same thing. Why wasn't Victor teaching her directly?
Victor shrugged. "I've been busy lately. Don't really have time to teach."
Well, that was partly true. Mostly, he was just lazy.
Even his first disciple, Stelle, had been left in a semi-independent state. Though Stelle's situation was different, she practiced Daoist cultivation and had high comprehension, so she could advance on her own without constant guidance.
Utaha would be practicing holy energy and would need consistent instruction. He worried that if he took her on, he might accidentally lead her astray.
Emi obviously didn't believe his excuse.
But after thinking it over, she couldn't bring herself to pass up such a talented prospect.
"Fine. Are you home? I'll come to you."
"No, I'm out. I'll send you my location. Come find us."
After hanging up, Victor sent Emi the address, then turned to Utaha. "As you heard, I've found you a master."
"Thank you!" Gratitude shone in Utaha's eyes. "But... why are you helping me?"
Could it be because...
A faint blush colored her fair cheeks as an idea formed in her mind.
She wasn't being narcissistic, she was confident in her appearance.
They'd only met twice, yet Victor was willing to help her achieve her dream. It was natural for certain thoughts to arise.
Victor didn't hide his reasoning. "As a connoisseur of beautiful women, I'm naturally happy to help beautiful girls achieve their dreams."
He grinned. "But more importantly, you have real talent. It would be a shame to waste it."
"I see..."
Though it wasn't quite the answer she'd hoped for, Utaha still felt pleased.
At least Victor considered her beautiful.
Half an hour later, footsteps approached.
A young woman arrived, but she wasn't alone.
Beside her walked a petite beauty in classical dress, her dark blue hair tied in a side ponytail, her kimono elegant and traditional.
"This damn GPS is absolutely useless. The positioning's all over the place."
Emi pocketed her phone, first glancing at Victor before her gaze settled on Utaha.
"Is this the talented prospect you mentioned?"
Utaha quickly stood, folding her hands politely as she bowed slightly. "Hello. My name is Kasumigaoka Utaha."
"What a polite girl!"
Emi took an immediate liking to her.
Victor couldn't resist. "What do you mean 'girl'? You're practically the same age. Stop pretending to be older."
Utaha's eyes widened in surprise.
The same age? This mature-looking woman in her office lady outfit and heels was only eighteen?
Emi's face flushed red. "Shut up! Can't you let me save a little face in front of my future apprentice?"
Victor rolled his eyes before turning his attention to the classical beauty beside Emi.
"Is this the fellow countrywoman you mentioned wanting to rescue last time?"
Emi nodded. "Her name is Crestia Bell, the Scythe of Death Bell. In this world, she goes by Kamazuki Suzuno. Just call her Suzuno."
Victor was already familiar with her identity.
The third female lead from the original story, a character known for wielding a giant mallet despite her delicate appearance, creating a striking contrast. Quite adorable, really.
Unlike Emi, who lied about being twenty when she was actually eighteen, Suzuno did the opposite, claiming to be eighteen when she was actually twenty-six.
What made it even more deceptive was that she genuinely looked younger than Emi.
At just 1.5 meters tall, she was the definition of a legal loli.
Suzuno bowed gracefully to Victor. "Thank you for the healing pills you provided last time, Mr. Victor. Without them, I might not have survived."
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