“Ah ~ we don’t seem to be walking the same path ~”
Ileya smiled and tilted her head, looking at Amisa and the members of the Heretic Interrogation Squad behind her, led by Sigrid.
“Oh my ~ it is a pleasure to meet you honored members of the Church ~ I am Ileya Bateos, daughter of the Bateos family, Marquis of East County ~”
She smiled and nodded slightly. Then, following her memory, she extended two slender, fair fingers and tapped her forehead once.
This was the most basic etiquette of the Church.
“I am also the most devout believer of the Supreme God ~”
Eh?
Not only were Sigrid and the other members of the Heretic Interrogation Squad stunned, but even Amisa was momentarily dazed.
‘When did the Lady become a believer of the Supreme God?’
‘And… she’s a Transcendent, right? Isn’t she afraid of displeasing the 【Supreme Being】 she follows?’
When it came to matters of faith, even the most merciful Supreme Being to their Divine Kin would consider this an absolute red line!
Most Transcendents would not only refuse to believe in the Supreme God, but they would also never perform a Holy Rite for a Church member.
They frequently scoffed at the Church’s claim that “the Supreme God created all things, including the Supreme Beings.”
This was one of the reasons the Church excluded other Transcendents.
However… after everyone remained silent for a few seconds, nothing changed.
These “Reanimated” did not rebel, and no omens appeared in the sky.
‘Could the Lady of the Marquis Household truly be a devout believer?’
The members of the Heretic Interrogation Squad looked at each other. Then, somewhat bewildered, they returned a 【Holy Rite】 to Ileya.
“Cough… First, I would like to thank you for your assistance in our operation.”
After the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, Sigrid stepped forward and bowed slightly to Ileya.
Aside from Ileya’s friendly attitude toward the Church, she had indeed played an indispensable role in this battle.
Without this Lady, the Heretic Interrogation Squad might not have lost, but it would have been a pyrrhic victory.
It was even possible… that only the Captain alone could have survived.
However…
After the battle, the only reward they could offer this Lady was perhaps this simple word of thanks.
If the other party were a commoner, everything would be easy to handle.
But she was a Noble… the most powerful Noble in East County, from the Marquis Mansion whose head was privately called the “King of Eastern County.”
Generally, the Church could not have too deep a friendship with such high-ranking Nobles. Otherwise, where would the Royal Family’s face be?
“Hehe ~ it’s fine, it’s fine ~ after all… we are one family ~”
But just as Sigrid wanted to say a few more polite words, Ileya’s next sentence left her stunned again.
Huh… what?
One family?
‘What on earth does this Lady mean?’
Tramp, tramp, tramp…
Just as everyone was confused, a series of footsteps sounded from behind the group.
Everyone instinctively turned their heads.
They saw the Captain, who looked a bit disheveled but was completely uninjured, walking toward them step by step against the moonlight.
Her eyes were the same as before.
Or rather… whether she was in battle or at any other time…
Those dark gold eyes were soul-stirring.
The moment one met her gaze, it felt like being in zero-distance contact with a furious dragon, making one’s hair stand on end.
“Captain!”
“Captain…”
The members of the Heretic Interrogation Squad quickly cleared a path.
“You have curses on you. I will purify you in a moment,” the Captain said coolly, her dark gold pupils scanning everyone in front of her.
But the power of this sentence was surprisingly great!
Some members even instinctively slumped to the ground, their legs trembling.
This… was a reaction that hadn’t even appeared during the life-and-death struggle earlier.
However…
Before Ileya’s side could figure out what was going on, the Captain’s eyes had already turned to the Lady sitting on Insmouth’s palm.
Ileya also met the gaze of this Heretic Interrogation monster, who seemed capable of incinerating everything, with her light, smiling red eyes.
“Bellelily,” the Captain spoke first, shocking the members of the Heretic Interrogation Squad once more.
‘The Captain… is actually taking the initiative to speak to a heretic?!’
‘And she’s not… using force to solve the problem immediately?’
Compared to the terrifying destructive power the Captain displayed and her lack of hesitation when killing Cultists, her name was a bit too cute.
“Ileya ~”
Since the other party had introduced herself, the Lady also nodded slowly in return.
At this moment, the Captain named Bellelily stood below Ileya. Insmouth slowly leaned down, lowering Ileya to a height level with the other girl.
Because of her age, Bellelily appeared incredibly small and slender in front of her giant axe, but in reality… she was at least three heads taller than the Lady.
However, the Lady fundamentally disliked looking up at people, especially strangers.
So even if she wanted to express goodwill… she had no intention of tilting her head up.
“My thanks.”
Bellelily had clearly only walked over to say this one word of gratitude. She then turned around immediately, without even giving Ileya a second glance.
Ileya wasn’t surprised by the reaction. She just watched the other’s back and smiled.
She repeated those words once more…
“There is no need for thanks. We are one family, equally devout in our faith in the Supreme Being, the Supreme God ~”
Sure enough, her words made Bellelily, who had just come to her senses, stop in her tracks.
As she looked back, sparks seemed to flicker in those dark gold eyes.
Whoosh…
In the next second, Amisa stood in front of Ileya. Although there was a hint of cold sweat on her brow, there was no trace of fear in her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
However… the expected attack did not come. Bellelily simply asked the question in her heart in a soft voice.
“Hehe ~ exactly what I said. Didn’t I just tell you?”
The smile on Ileya’s face never faded, and her words were light, like a playboy teasing a dancing girl in a tavern.
“Death, is also a divine gift.”
As she slowly reached out, the girl’s originally clean fingernails gradually turned black.
A thick, pitch-black aura of death swirled between her palm and fingers.
“Simple death is not evil; it is the liberation granted to us by God.”
“Therefore, this is also a gift from the Supreme God, one of the origins of the world’s cycle.”
Everyone who heard these words was stunned.
It was the first time they had heard someone describe “Death” as so harmless.
Yet… for some reason, it felt like what this Lady said actually made some sense.
“That is why… I call us 【one family】 ~”
Poof! Ileya extinguished the black death energy in her hand.
Tilting her head, she looked at Bellelily, who had slowly turned her body around once more.
“So… are you interested in learning more about the 【Death】 authority… that the 【Supreme God】 bestowed upon me?”