Arrogance, appeasement, resentment, regret, greed, gluttony, and lust—humans always possess a variety of endless desires.
Like insects in the thorns or the calamity fire that devours living beings, after the unbridled destruction, only decaying and broken fragments remain, left upon an eternally hopeless, scorched earth.
Therefore, laws, adjudication offices, and judgment courts were born among humans, because humans themselves are wary of the demons that arise from desire.
On this land, the deterrent from the law and the adjudication offices can restrain the actions of most people, allowing the chaotic world to maintain a fragile balance so that not everyone lives in fear and trembling every day.
No one is an exception.
The Holy See, which spreads across the land, is a loyal supporter of such laws. Consequently, privileges similar to the “Right of Sanctuary” have also emerged.
St. Catherine’s Monastery is located in the Capital, Minuo, acting as the expanded tentacles of the Holy See.
Vyea had dealt with the Holy See many times. Back then, the Saintess of the church was also a member of her squad, following her to gain experience.
After all, whose squad was the strongest and safest was a fact clear to everyone on the continent.
To get Saintess Lilian into the squad for training, the Pope of the Holy See had promised many benefits at the time.
Benefits were never given for free. The Saintess, who had been pampered since childhood, had always been arrogant. When they first met, she had applied for a duel to determine their positions; how could she possibly settle for being a subordinate for long!
Years ago, Vyea spent quite a bit of effort educating this bratty teammate, all for the sake of the Holy See’s favors and promises.
But now, the person was dead.
The benefits she had earned hadn’t even been redeemed yet.
Vyea looked at the sky and sighed deeply.
“A life of labor without rest; by the time rest arrives, one sleeps among the mountains…”
***
St. Catherine’s Monastery, Great Hall.
The statues of the Twelve Apostles were distributed around the main hall. Unlike the statues in the square of the Adjudication Office, they had all removed their armor and held scales and mallets.
A red carpet with gold trim stretched from the steps in front of the door to the pulpit. Banners of a vertical cross featuring the scales and mallets hung from twenty-four white stone pillars adorned with reliefs.
Murals with a deep blue base tone covered the entire arched ceiling, depicting the setting sun, red clouds, retreating foreign races, humans kneeling on the ground praying toward the heavens, and countless sword-wielding messengers spreading their wings.
The sunlight passed through the stained-glass windows, forming beams of light that poured into the hall.
The sight before one’s eyes alone was enough to make less-than-devout believers kneel with tears streaming down their faces, confessing their sins to the relief of St. Catherine on the main wall.
Oppressive, solemn, and sacred—this was the first impression it gave to every newcomer.
Vyea stood alone beneath the reliefs, lost in thought, as if merging with the surrounding statues of the apostles.
After a long time, the sound of light footsteps came from behind, stopping only when they reached Vyea’s side.
Perhaps the silence between the two was too heavy, or perhaps the ill intent of the person beside her was so obvious that it couldn’t be ignored.
Vyea turned her head to look at the young girl beside her wearing a black and white Nun’s habit. Meeting those striking, star-like eyes, she asked helplessly, “Is there something you must say that requires me to be here? You even specifically went out of your way to keep the Dean from interfering. Lilian, I’m just an innocent bystander. Right now, you should be doing what you’re supposed to do.”
“What I’m supposed to do? Please don’t misunderstand me.” Lilian giggled, her black sleeves brushing against the tips of Vyea’s shoes. “Eliminating heresy is certainly the responsibility of our monastery, but compared to those miscellaneous Ghosts, an ‘innocent person’ like you, who can freely enter and exit twelve Purification Barriers, interests me much more.”
Vyea asked, “Ghosts? Is that what you call those Masked Men?”
“You seem to have missed the point of my last sentence, Vyea!” Lilian was momentarily stifled.
‘So, the focus is on me?’ Vyea realized and shook her head. “The Dean of your monastery granted me permission to enter and exit this place. Of course I can come in.”
“Hehe, you’re still making excuses.” Lilian reached out her hand, her fingertips hovering over Vyea’s shoulder, but then she suddenly smiled. “But you aren’t human. You know, no matter how much privilege one has, the heartless Purification Barriers won’t make an exception for a Demon. You are an existence that remains unscathed even under the gaze of God.”
“But what if I say I’m not a Demon?”
Vyea pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to the stunned Lilian, adding calmly, “I am a Monstergirl with legal residency rights within the Human Race’s borders. All rights of interpretation for this card belong to the Adjudication Office.”
Lilian took the card and scanned it, suddenly falling silent. Her fingertips brushed against the surface of the card as if she were brewing some response.
This unusual silence gave Vyea an uneasy feeling.
“Even a Monstergirl wouldn’t be able to enter and exit a Purification Barrier unscathed,” Lilian said coldly, looking at the white-haired girl before her. “You must be that Monstergirl who bullied little Lania and then put her in the hospital, right?”
‘That was… forget it.’
“I did it,” Vyea admitted straightforwardly. “If you want to seek revenge for her, there’s no rush. I’ll be here.”
Lilian took a deep look at her, her tone no longer aggressive. “I only wanted to tell you that you’ve been marked by the Ghosts. They are different from us; they will do anything to achieve their goals. This time they only sent some riffraff to test the waters, but next time, higher-level Ghosts might come looking for trouble.”
“I know you might be extraordinary and very strong, but that half-demon child following you isn’t. If you truly care about her, then don’t cause trouble as you please.”
“Alright, Vyea. That is all I have to say. If you need it, I can prepare a file on the Ghosts for you later. Consider it thanks for ‘tempering’ Lania.”
“Anyway, they are waiting for you in the reception room. If anything else happens in the future, you can come directly to this monastery to find me. I’m usually here.”
Lilian stepped aside, clearing the path for Vyea to leave.