"Gulp gulp!" With Su Mo's help, she managed to swallow a large mouthful of water and finally returned to normal. This time, her attention was completely off the snacks, as she stared at Su Mo in disbelief. "A magician from the Roman Catholic Church?"
Even with her limited common sense, Index knew that the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church didn't exactly have a friendly relationship. And now, she'd just learned that Su Mo was an undercover operative sent by the Roman Catholic Church. This wasn't exactly information one casually shared with others. She wasn't naive enough to believe that the Christian churches were all united and harmonious.
Yet, despite this revelation, the fact remained that Su Mo had helped her. Index wasn't the kind to doubt someone who had saved her life. Instead, she worriedly asked, "Are you sure it's okay to tell me this? I promise to keep it secret, but you should be careful — walls have ears, you know!"
She still wasn't sure whether those two magicians chasing her were nearby.
"Don't worry, those two aren't here," Su Mo shook his head and continued. "The reason I'm being upfront with you is because I have some questions I want to ask you. But since they're related to magic, if I dig too deeply without explaining myself, it might create unnecessary suspicion between us. Suspicion is the seed of doubt. Rather than letting that grow, I'd rather lay everything on the table and build trust from the beginning."
Su Mo spoke with complete frankness, presenting the idea he had just formulated.
He didn't intend to use lies or deception to keep Index at his side. Frankly, he didn't believe such methods would work in the long term. If you want a reliable companion, winning their heart is far more effective than manipulating them.
For Index, Kanzaki Kaori and Stiyl Magnus were once trusted friends. Yet, thanks to their "wise" actions, they had left deep psychological scars on her. Even after learning the truth later, Index couldn't fully trust them anymore. The Anglican Church, which should have been her strongest support, had also failed her. After all, it was the Anglican Church that placed the magical collar around her neck. An organization that would do such a thing could hardly be called trustworthy.
At a glance, Index seemed to have plenty of connections, but in truth, she had no one she could truly depend on. The only person she could rely on was the one who had rescued her from danger — her hero.
Su Mo had seen through all of this. That was why he chose this direct approach — to lay everything bare from the very beginning and build a bond of trust. Heart to heart. Only then could he win this nun's complete and unwavering trust.
Once that foundation was established, all he had to do was expose the Anglican Church's schemes later. And at that point, Index would realize that out of the seven billion people in the world, the only one she could truly trust was the one who had been honest with her from the start — Su Mo.
Of course, Su Mo didn't deny that this was, in a sense, a kind of strategy. But even if Index realized it, it wouldn't matter — because he had indeed laid everything out truthfully, without hiding a single secret.
This level of trust was, in itself, a form of entrustment — a belief that Index would surely respond to such sincerity. In fact, once she realized this, Index wouldn't see it as some kind of manipulation by Su Mo but would instead be moved by his honesty.
Compared to Kanzaki Kaori and Stiyl Magnus, who always made decisions for her without asking; compared to the Anglican Church, who treated her like a caged pet under constant watch — Su Mo's open and sincere trust was on an entirely different level. It completely overshadowed them all. Not even comparable.
Even now, Index remained both shocked and touched by Su Mo's honesty. "Su Mo, if you have questions for me, you really don't need to tell me everything like this! You're my benefactor—whatever you want to ask, I'll answer. There's no need to go this far just to build trust!"
While she said this, it was obvious that she was far more at ease than before. It had to be said — Su Mo's approach was clearly effective. Index had always been the type who responded to kindness with kindness. And over the past year, while on the run, she had faced rejection and hostility countless times. Every rare instance of warmth she encountered always earned her genuine gratitude.
But what she was receiving from Su Mo wasn't comparable to anything she had experienced before. Even if all the bits of kindness she had received so far were added together, they wouldn't equal the impact of Su Mo's straightforward honesty. The fact that he would open up simply because he feared his questions might cause misunderstanding was something she had never experienced before. This unprecedented trust stirred her deeply.
At this moment, even if God Himself stood before her and demanded that she reveal Su Mo's secrets, Index probably wouldn't say a word. Just through this single conversation, her trust in Su Mo soared to entirely new heights.
"So, Su Mo, what exactly do you want to ask me?" she finally asked, full of curiosity.
"I want to ask—earlier, you mentioned that one of your pursuers was a Saint." Su Mo didn't hesitate and went straight to the point. "I'd like to know what that Saint looks like."
"Her appearance?" Index blinked, then immediately replied, "It's a woman who looks to be in her early twenties, wearing her hair in a single ponytail. She was dressed pretty... indecently, wearing one-legged jeans, looking quite improper. Her companion seemed to call her Kanzaki."
After being pursued multiple times, Index had managed to gather at least some information about her hunters. Still, in her mind, she didn't have any personal memory of them and had always assumed they were magicians from some unknown magical organization, trying to steal the 103,000 grimoires she safeguarded.
Hearing Index's description, Su Mo revealed a hesitant expression. "If that's the case, I might know who the Saint chasing you is. But... honestly, it's a bit unbelievable, and I'm not sure if I should even tell you."
"What do you mean? Is she someone you know?" Index tilted her head, still completely unaware of the weight of the situation.
"No." Su Mo shook his head firmly. "Strictly speaking, she should be someone you know."
Seeing Index's puzzled face, Su Mo finally revealed the truth. "Among the less than twenty Saints in the world, the ninth-ranked female Saint is Kanzaki Kaori — quite a famous figure in the magic world." He looked straight into Index's eyes, speaking with full seriousness. "And more importantly, she, like you, belongs to the Anglican Church. She's a member of Neccessarius, the Church of Necessary Evil."
Index froze, her expression dazed. "What? How is that possible? The one who's been hunting me... is from the same church as me?" Her voice trembled. "Why don't I remember anything? And why would someone from my own church want to kill me? Aren't we supposed to be on the same side?"
Completely thrown off by Su Mo's information, Index was utterly confused. All this time, the people pursuing her were actually her own companions? How could this possibly make sense? Had it not been for Su Mo's earlier honesty, she might not have even believed it — it sounded too absurd. If they were truly comrades, why hunt her down in the first place? It defied all logic.
"I don't know exactly what's going on within your church," Su Mo shook his head. "But Kanzaki Kaori's membership in Neccessarius is well-known throughout the magical world. If you want answers, I can help you investigate."
"Investigate?" Index blinked. "Ask who?"
"The Roman Catholic Church, of course!" Su Mo waved a notebook in his hand. "Didn't I already tell you? I'm an undercover agent for the Roman Catholic Church — naturally, I have channels to communicate with the Vatican."
Hearing this, Index's expression showed she was tempted, but there was still a bit of hesitation. "Isn't this kind of channel only meant for emergencies? Wouldn't using it for my sake put you at risk of punishment?"
With her keen eye, Index immediately recognized the magical artifact in Su Mo's hand — a special enchanted tool used to communicate directly with the Vatican. This confirmed beyond doubt that his identity as a magician for the Roman Catholic Church was real. Not that she had doubted him before, but having absolute confirmation still made her a little anxious.
If everything Su Mo said was true, then what did the past year of running away even mean? Why would someone who was supposed to be her comrade hunt her down?
Feeling lost and uneasy, Index's thoughts grew scattered. Just then, Su Mo gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this. Just trust me."
Feeling Su Mo's sincerity and seeing the seriousness in his expression, Index was overwhelmed by a sense of comfort she hadn't felt in a long time. "Mm!" She smiled sweetly. "I trust you, Su Mo!" And with that, she entrusted him fully with her faith.