Larena stared at the small figure lying beside her on the office carpet. Although his decision to surrender to the church seemed absurd, she recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same determination she'd seen when he first confronted her about the children.

"She's not alone," Larena tried anyway. "The other kids need you as well."

"They've taken a blow, but it will be fine." Nova's voice softened. "Losing people has been a common occurrence for them since birth, and physical injuries are easily fixed. But Millie..." He turned to face her. "How did she act when you carried her?"

"... In complete shock." Larena lay back down, remembering. "She didn't speak unless spoken to, and seemed to be lost in her own head..." She sighed. "You're right, she needs you. But still."

"They can read all traits? Even unique ones?"

"Unique?" Larena's brows furrowed. "That's a thing?"

"Apparently. It's related to my past lives, and it's the main reason for my power."

"... Well, they might be able to see it." Larena stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. "But I still think they will let you in."

"... it does outright say I have past lives in the description."

"... I think they only see the name of the trait… But I don't know. It's risky."

Nova went quiet, seemingly deep in thought. "What if I equip a soul during the assessment? Does that work?"

"Oh… I don't know that either. It could be worse if they see it's an equipped soul, though. And you would need a human one, right? Do you have any?"

"I might get one tomorrow, then grow it with some of the other souls. I'm getting Millie out regardless, so unless you think there are other ways…"

"No, breaking in is impossible, at least undetected." Larena shook her head firmly. "They have formations targeting the system itself, and you can't get rid of it."

"Then I'm going."

She sighed, understanding that his mind was made. "Fine, good luck."

"I like how easy you are to convince." Nova's voice carried a hint of amusement.

"I can't convince you, so why try? And, like I said, nothing seems impossible to you..." Larena's voice softened. "I don't think you should blame yourself for the accident. You were in a hurry trying to earn souls to save thousands of kids. Teaching would obviously be a lower priority."

"The mistake is not considering what Millie could be capable of." Nova's voice tightened. "If I thought this could happen..."

"You're still human, despite all your experience."

"Yeah..." Nova sat up slowly. "I should get back to the kids. Tell them a few stories, calm them down."

"... Maybe you are an angel after all." Larena smiled up at him.

"Heh, it's not the first time I've been called that." Nova stood and brushed off his clothes. "But no, still human. Thanks for the talk, Larena."

"No, thank you, Nova! Knowing you're still around has lifted my spirits more than you know."

"I'm glad to hear it." Nova moved toward the door. "If you need to reach me, I'll probably stay at a fishmonger's shop near the harbor. It's named Quinn's Shop. Or you can leave a message with Quinn, the owner. I trust him."

"Good to know. I'll see you around, then."

"Yeah. I'll be busy for a while with the church, but after that, I'll talk with Newark again. See you then."

And just like that, he was gone. Luckily, he was in a much better mood than he had arrived in.

'He might be used to it, but carrying such burdens all the time… It would drive me insane.'

The next day, Nova felt prepared. He had spent most of the previous day with the children, watching their spirits lift hour by hour. Although his goodbye had been bitter, he promised to return within a week.

"Your trust has not been misplaced, sir Noctis." Valeria sat straight-backed behind her desk, gesturing to a small sphere before her. "The agreed-upon souls are all here, as well as top-grade materials for forging."

Nova leaned forward in his chair, arms folded and eyes narrowed. "That sphere? Is that all?"

"... Are you new to this type of thing?" Valeria arched an eyebrow. "This is a sphere of holding, capable of storing many essence-filled materials." She tapped it lightly. "But it is not included in the deal, so you must take the materials into your core."

"Ah, of course, a sphere of holding." Nova nodded smoothly. "They look different where I'm from."

"I'm sure..." Valeria lined up several dark stones on her desk. "The souls are stored in these soul stones, so feel free to start absorbing them. Each one should be white or better in purity, with no traits of note."

Nova stood from his chair, which ended up putting him closer to the ground. "... Do you mind if I jump on your desk?"

"Yes." Valeria's lips twitched. "Would you like me to lower them for you?"

"No, it's fine." Nova reached up to touch the dark stones. They felt cold against his fingers, but the souls inside pulsed like spots of light to his senses. He drew them in, feeling tens of souls flowing toward his core simultaneously. "There are quite a few of them."

"Yes, we usually deal in weaker souls." Valeria watched him work. "You're receiving over half of our storage. We'll need the rest to continue doing business."

Nova looked at one of the souls out of curiosity, but he found nothing of note. The soul of a kobold, high in compatibility due to being from a humanoid creature. Only the high aspects compared to the Soul Power were notable, and that was due to the high purity.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

He drew in the remaining souls from the black stones, feeling an odd fullness settle in his core. The dozens of light spots swirled around each other, almost too many to count. "... There are only six thousand Soul Power here."

"... Sir." Valeria's fingers drummed once on her desk. "They are all valued based on global standards. Due to purity and compatibility, they are, on average, worth twice the regular price."

"Ah..." Nova's shoulders relaxed. "I wondered about that."

"But if you'd like," Valeria's voice took on an edge, "we could give you twelve thousand souls of murky purity instead."

"No, I understand that there is a common standard to these things. Anything else would be chaos."

"Exactly." Valeria nodded approvingly. "If anything, we've been generous."

"Yes, I apologize." Nova turned his attention to the small sphere. "And the... sphere? It works the same way?"

"Same procedure. Lay your hand on it and pull the contents to your core."

Nova nodded and did as she said. The sphere was considerably smaller than the soul stones, and actually seemed useful in comparison. Or, it would be, if storing materials in one's core wasn't possible.

'I should make a storage ring once I have the opportunity, though. Those can hold nearly anything.'

The materials joined the swirl around his core, looking similar to what he'd gotten from the troll. Only eight items, but each one radiated value. "Looks good!"

"We hope you will consider using us for future sales as well." Valeria flashed him a well-practiced smile, both warm and professional.

"Of course, why would I go anywhere else?"

"Good, good. Then I consider us even." Her expression turned serious. "However, I would appreciate it if you apologized to Eliana, our clerk."

"... She did accuse me of stealing, and then refused to let me leave with the soul. And yesterday, you set a trap in case I arrived again? I'm not sure an apology is warranted, unless it's the other way around."

Valeria stood from her chair, looking down at Nova with firm eyes. Then she bowed, letting her hat topple off her head again. "I am the one who should apologize to you, not her. I hope you can forgive me for the instructions I have given my employees, and for trying to restrain you here yesterday. It was done out of pride, and I regret my actions deeply."

"... I accept your apology, sister Valeria. But still…"

Still bowing, she continued, "I found her lost in thought yesterday, shaking in fear. For doing her job, she was scared half to death. If you apologize, she might realize you're not as scary as she thinks. Please think of it as a favor to me."

Nova sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. "Fine. I probably took it too far."

'I didn't think the killing intent could have such an effect on someone… I would have asked for an apology to Quinn in return, but that would reveal his involvement… Best to let it be. He didn't seem very shaken, in any case.'

He turned toward the door. "And, if there's nothing else..."

"Not at all. Thank you for the business!" Valeria gave him a polite smile as she sat back down, looking pleased with their transaction.

"Same to you. I'll see you around."

Nova exited the opulent white office and went down to the ground floor, where he found Eliana behind the counter. She seemed less frightened than the day before, but still didn't dare to look in his direction.

Nova walked to her counter, standing on his toes to look over the edge. "I would like to apologize, Miss Eliana. I didn't realize the consequences of my actions, and will strive to do better in the future."

She bit her lips nervously, then let out a surprised laugh at the sight of his small face barely visible over the counter. "... Apology accepted." Her tension eased slightly. "But I would appreciate it if you spoke to someone else next time you're here. I'm sure you can go straight to Sister Valeria."

"Noted. I won't bother you again."

Eliana smiled briefly at his words, but that was all the reaction he got. He left the store in good spirits, heading back to the now-familiar shop near the docks.

Quinn was busy talking to a customer when Nova arrived, and it seemed to be a heated discussion.

"I can't just give you that much fish!" Quinn gestured widely with his hands. "You can come here for meals, but not to pick up fish for an entire party!" He looked over at Nova, and a sudden look of worry crossed his face.

Nova started heading toward the stairs, deciding to let Quinn handle his business.

But the customer, a middle-aged woman with long black hair, jabbed a finger in Nova's direction. "Who is that?!"

"... A kid I'm helping. Nothing important." Quinn tried brushing it aside.

"Where is he sleeping?" Her eyes narrowed. "Quinn, you didn't!"

"It's empty," Quinn exhaled, looking at her with a pained expression. "The kid needed a place to stay, and I had room."

Nova now understood that this woman was more than just a customer. 'Is she… his wife?'

"It's empty," She repeated, putting weight on every syllable. "It's empty for a reason, Quinn. And since when do you take in random kids from the streets?"

"Can I help, Quinn?" Nova stepped forward carefully, feeling the tension in the air.

Quinn waved him off without looking. "It's fine, Nova. You just go prepare."

"... Okay." Nova retreated up the stairs, leaving the tension behind. The room was clearly a sensitive topic, and now wasn't the time to ask about it.

The quarreling continued after he left, but he didn't care enough to make out any words. 'Based on a few clues… I'm guessing this was a happy family at one point. Before their child disappeared. And the wife left, unable to live in the same house anymore. But Quinn had little choice, as this was both his business and inherited home.'

One family destroyed by the death of a child. Whether it was a kidnapping, an accident, or just a simple disease, it always tested the bonds of the people closest.

"... Well, not much can be done about it. Other than some couple's therapy, perhaps. And that's not something I can do."

He returned to the room, briefly checking the detection formation for anything suspicious before sitting in the bed.

'Huh, the formation doesn't detect Valeria… Is her office protected by a stronger formation, then? The church really knows more than I expected…'

He dismissed the curiosity and started focusing on the dozens of souls swirling in his core.

[Would you like to attempt a mass soul absorption?]

'Oh, it's been a while since you asked me questions without clear intention. No, I don't want to absorb all of them. But let me absorb half, if that works. And leave all human souls out of it.'

[Warning: Absorbing multiple souls simultaneously may have unexpected effects.]

[Warning: Absorbing souls of different purities may result in unstable resonance.]

'Yeah, only absorb the pure ones. The lizard souls can remain.'

The nearly fifty souls began orbiting his core faster, forming complex patterns with their pure trails of light. They approached his core slowly, sending tendrils of their light into it.

[Beginning absorption process...]

[Soul of Brownfur Direwolf absorbed. Soul Power +67.]

[Soul of Red Hobgoblin absorbed. Soul Power +19.]

[...]

The notifications continued in a long list, with a total of 43 entries. Each one was from a different monster, and they all had varying levels of Soul Power.

Nova felt the power in his body increase manyfold, now flowing with force through each meridian. It was different from using the fragment; this time, it was truly part of him.

He looked down at his hands, seeing them glow with a soft, warm light. It looked exactly like Millie's glow on the day her soul was completed.

'Now I'm ready! Let's look at the completed stats…'

[Nova's Soul Status]

[Core Stats]

[Soul Power: 3285]

[Soul Purity: Bright]

[Held Souls: 45]

[Essence]

[11265/11265]

[Aspects]

[Physical Force: 1281]

[Physical Control: 1478]

[Physical Resilience: 1379 + 20]

[Mental Force: 1133]

[Mental Control: 1576]

[Essence Generation: 1182]

[Essence Capacity: 1330]

[Soul Traits]

[Legacy of Nine Lives] [UNIQUE]

[Void Touched Mind] [MYTHIC]

[Presence Of The Don] [RARE]

[Blessed Physique] [RARE]

'Wonderful! And finally, my third fragment is unlocked!'

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