Theo found himself in a tight spot.

'Sh*t, sh*t...'

It was a situation that could easily be considered the biggest dilemma since he had become possessed.

To make matters worse, Irene barged into the room without knocking...

"What the... what's happening, Theo?"

And Isabella, just out of the shower.

Theo hadn't told anyone that he would be sharing a room with Isabella, so he was in a very tricky situation.

To anyone looking, it seemed like something was about to happen between him and Isabella.

After glaring at Isabella with a demonic expression, Irene turned her gaze to Theo.

"The revered Saintess is asking you, Theo."

Theo said nothing.

'Never open your mouth in a panic.'

Theo instinctively felt that 'every word in this situation is extremely important.'

'I need a solution to turn this situation around.'

Theo quickly thought of a way to make Irene understand the situation.

However, he couldn't hurt Irene in the process.

She had taken care of him when he was nothing, so at the very least, he owed her that much conscience.

Maybe it was because he had been involved with many women since being possessed.

'Alright. Let's go with this plan.'

Despite the panic, Theo thought of a seemingly good solution.

Once he had the solution, all that was left was to execute it.

Theo looked at the ceiling with a heavy heart.

"Haaah..."

And let out a long sigh.

No one in the room said a word.

Isabella, looking flustered, kept glancing back and forth between Theo and Irene, while Irene still had a demonic expression and her arms crossed.

After sighing, Theo invited Irene to sit down.

"This story might be a bit long, Rin. Will you sit and listen?"

"Okay."

Seeing Theo's serious expression, Irene suppressed her anger and sat down in front of the table.

Theo asked Isabella to sit as well.

Hesitantly, Isabella sat down in a chair some distance away from Irene.

Theo didn't make eye contact with anyone.

Instead, he confessed his painful memories, speaking in a soft, subdued voice.

"Recently, I died once."

Irene replied in surprise.

"What?"

Theo didn't respond to her. He just continued his story.

"I was killed once by the leader of the Magic City and a major member of [Turning White], Maitri, who was a contractor of a Great Demon. But I was revived."

Theo pointed to Isabella.

"Thanks to Senior Isabella's sacrifice."

"The Saintess's sacrifice?"

Irene's expression softened somewhat as she asked.

Theo nodded.

"Yes. Isabella paid a great price to revive me. That's how we barely managed to take down Maitri."

"I see."

Although Irene still had doubts, Theo looked so serious that she refrained from saying anything more.

Theo continued.

"As I mentioned before, to [Turning White], I have become an enemy that must be killed. There might even be assassins targeting me right now."

He elaborated further.

"That's why I asked Isabella to stay by my side for a while. There's no healer on this continent who could protect me as devotedly as she can. She was just showing me kindness."

After saying this, Theo lowered his head again.

A moment later, Irene pursed her lips.

"You could have told me this before."

Theo covertly glanced at Irene to check her expression. Her lips were pouted, but the demonic look had disappeared.

'This is almost settled.'

Theo internally celebrated.

However, Theo was more adept than anyone at concealing his emotions.

"I thought there might be a risk. Of course, I trust the people here, but it's hard to know the extent of [Turning White]'s infiltration. I believed it might be safest to keep Isabella's presence by my side as concealed as possible."

"I see."

Irene pursed her lips, lost in thought for a moment.

Theo maintained a somber expression as he looked at Isabella.

Isabella's face was a mix of surprise, disbelief, admiration, and fear.

After a while, Irene spoke again.

"I understand. I had no idea you had such reasons for not telling me. I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories."

Theo, still with his head down, shook it from side to side.

"No, Rin. It was my mistake. I should have at least informed you..."

"Theo..."

Irene looked at Theo with a touched expression, resembling a girl deeply moved.

Seeing this, Isabella shook her head.

'Theo, this guy... he's a real player. He's completely manipulating that girl's feelings.'

Isabella was even more astonished because she had been witnessing Irene's true feelings unfold in real-time.

Theo had succeeded in transforming not only his image in Irene's eyes but also her negative feelings towards Isabella into positive ones.

'Could Theo also read other people's minds?'

Isabella seriously considered whether Theo might possess the same [Mind Reading] ability as hers.

Aside from his abilities, the breadth of character Theo had shown was hard to match for a first-year student at the academy.

In fact, he surpassed anyone she had ever seen.

Theo told Irene,

"So, Rin, let's keep it a secret that she and I are sharing a room. You know as well as I do how quickly this kind of rumor spreads."

Irene didn't respond.

"Hmm..."

She was lost in her own world.

Theo didn't rush her for an answer. Instead, he waited for Irene to come back to reality on her own.

Suddenly, Isabella's eyes widened.

She had read Irene's inner thoughts.

'Please, please don't say that...!'

But it was futile.

Irene said in a serious tone,

"Then, Theo. I'll share a room with you too. It'll be easier to protect you that way."

Theo didn't respond hastily.

Having Irene around would be helpful, but Isabella was the problem.

Isabella preferred being alone.

Continuously reading Irene's thoughts could mentally exhaust her.

So, Theo decided to leave the decision to Isabella.

"Rin, that's not something I can decide."

"Is that so? Then, Saintess, would it be alright for me to stay in this room too? I might not be as strong as a Guardian Knight, but I'd throw myself to protect both of you."

Isabella sighed internally.

She preferred being alone or just with Theo, but there was no way out. No one knew about her unique ability [Mind Reading].

Moreover, Irene was Theo's fiance. Even though she was a student, cohabiting with Theo wouldn't be a big societal issue.

'Is there no other choice...?'

Fortunately, Irene was the type of person Isabella preferred, genuine inside and out, similar to Claire.

Living together wouldn't be mentally draining.

Reluctantly, Isabella nodded.

"Thank you for doing that. Your name was Irene, right?"

Irene knelt on one knee in front of Isabella and bowed her head, a complete turnaround from before.

"Yes, Saintess. I am Irene Aslan, the eldest daughter of the Aslan family."

"Right. I'm well aware of the Aslan family. A knightly family that values honor and duty..."

Isabella patted Irene on the shoulder.

...And so began the strange cohabitation of the three.

In front of the Great Demon Shrine in the Magic City.

Thump, thump

David, the Guild Master of [Leading Mind], tapped his stomach with his hands.

"Ugh, that was satisfying. It's the first time I've feasted to this extent in my life."

His body barely maintained a human form; instead, it exhibited a bizarre shape.

Large black horns protruded from his head, and black wings emerged from near his shoulder blades. His pupils had also turned a deep red.

The people accompanying David were kneeling on one knee, bowing their heads to him.

Their bodies were shaking like leaves in the wind.

"Congratulations, Master. As expected, the remnants of the Great Demon were no match for you."

David, seemingly in a good mood, kept nodding his head.

"Of course, of course. They were just remnants, but there were four of them, so I was slightly nervous... Well, I almost died a few times, but in the end, I'm the one who survived."

David pointed with his finger towards the outside.

"Let's go then. Let's see how strong the Warrior of Light, appearing after 200 years, really is."