The aura dissipated far too quickly, like thin frost under the morning sun, or a fleeting illusion.
Even before a full breath could be taken, that unsettling gleam of darkness vanished completely from Julius’s perception.
Julius stood at the edge of the plaza, his brow unconsciously furrowing.
He did not give up. Instead, he quietly mobilized the holy light power within him, concentrating it in his eyes and senses.
The chosen one’s terrifyingly sharp perception spread outward like ripples, trying to catch even the slightest clue in the bustling crowd.
But this time, he sensed nothing.
No scent of decay, no twisted mana, no nauseating malice.
The air was filled only with the aroma of roasted meat, the smell of cheap perfume, and the noisy waves of laughter and conversation.
The anomaly from a moment ago seemed to have been nothing more than an illusion born of his own tension.
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
In the past, when fighting cultists in the borderlands, even if they hid well, once they revealed a single flaw, they could never escape his full search.
But this time, the source had vanished into thin air, severed completely without a trace.
“What’s wrong?”
Helos saw him staring blankly at the statue and couldn’t help waving a hand in front of his eyes.
“You’re not bewitched by the statue’s beauty, are you? I mean, it’s a nice carving, but you don’t have to stare so intently, do you?”
Julius snapped back to reality.
Looking at the girl’s curious and teasing face, he loosened the tight string in his heart a little.
He couldn’t be sure whether it was just his imagination.
After all, this was a border city with a mixed crowd. Perhaps it was just a passing dark mage, or a merchant caravan carrying some cursed item.
Without concrete evidence, acting rashly in such a festive plaza would not only cause a commotion but might also alert the enemy.
“It’s nothing.”
Julius took a deep breath and buried the seriousness in his eyes back into his heart.
He temporarily set aside his detection of the chaotic aura and put on his gentle smile again.
“I just thought this statue’s presence resembles your sister a bit.”
Helos pouted, clearly unimpressed by the comment.
“Tch, my sister is way prettier than this stone man.”
She tugged at Julius’s sleeve and pointed toward the acrobatic performance on the other side of the square.
“Let’s go, let’s go! It looks like there’s a show over there! If we’re late, we won’t get a good spot!”
“Alright, slow down.”
Julius let her pull him through the crowded crowd.
He swept his gaze over the dark corner one last time, then looked away.
As long as he was here, Helos would never be harmed by those cultists.
After all, with him around, no matter what demons or monsters were hiding here, they wouldn’t lay a finger on her.
On the other side of the plaza, under an inconspicuous eaves shadow.
A petite nun was leaning against the cold wall, gasping for breath.
Her face, which usually bore a sweet smile, was now filled with lingering fear, and her emerald eyes sparkled with a sense of relief.
Mi Ya patted her heaving chest.
‘That scared me…’
At that moment, she felt as if she had been targeted by an ancient beast.
The terrifying pressure, as if her soul were being seen through, made all her hairs stand on end.
‘That goddess’s lackey has quite sharp perception… He almost caught me.’
She muttered under her breath, her tone carrying some residual fear but more of a sense of triumphant relief.
‘I told you, that guy is no pushover.’
A cold and elegant female voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Mi Ya was not surprised.
She simply adjusted her slightly disheveled nun’s robe and slowly turned around.
Behind her, in the shadow that had been empty, a streak of deep purple light flashed.
Then, Lilith’s tall and graceful figure silently emerged, like a violet blooming in the darkness.
Mi Ya looked at her colleague and put back on her harmless sweet smile.
“After all, he’s the one who single-handedly broke through the believers’ defense line. If he didn’t have that much skill, that would be disappointing.”
“Of course.”
Lilith’s gaze crossed the crowd and landed on the tall back that was buying fruit for Helos, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
“Speaking of which.”
Mi Ya turned to look at Lilith.
“I never expected Her Holiness the Saint to come in person. That saves us a lot of effort.”
“Yes.”
Lilith nodded.
A complex light flickered in her burgundy eyes.
“That blue old man somehow got his hands on intelligence, accurately predicting that Miss Helos would attend this festival, and even that Julius would follow her.”
“That old geezer may seem crazy, but he’s really capable.”
Mi Ya shrugged.
“Anyway, since everyone’s here, we can’t miss this opportunity.”
Lilith took a deep breath.
“Exactly.”
She looked at the silver-haired girl in the distance, her eyes revealing a craving and desire that couldn’t be easily erased.
Although the black ring on Helos’s hand, which served as a “switch,” had been severed by that unromantic Julius, causing the curse of silence to lock her body again.
However, the “seed” that had been planted deep in her soul, and the Phantom mark, though temporarily dormant, still existed.
The awakening of the Phantom mark could not be stopped.
Lilith murmured to herself, as if stating an established fact.
“As long as the time is ripe, as long as enough nourishment and stimulation are given, it will eventually break through the ground and transform that perfect vessel into one of our kind.”
“And what about you?”
Mi Ya tilted her head and asked curiously.
“Are you going to execute your plan here? That Chosen One is watching closely; it won’t be easy to make a move under his nose.”
“No.”
Lilith shook her head, a confident and cruel smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
“I don’t need to act. Or rather, the current situation is already a natural course of events.”
She extended her finger, wearing a black lace glove, and pointed gently at Julius in the distance.
“That man will personally help Miss Helos awaken. We only need to wait quietly.”
Lilith withdrew her hand, her gaze becoming profound.
“Once the Phantom mark awakens, we can proceed to the next step of our plan. I will also follow the old man’s instructions and send believers to various parts of the empire to place ‘that’ thing.”
“When the time comes, she will naturally fall into our arms.”
With that, she looked at Mi Ya beside her.
“As for you.”
Lilith warned.
“You’d better carry out your plan properly. That Bishop Duran is a fool, but he’s still a local big shot. If he senses something wrong and bites back, it’ll be trouble.”
“Don’t worry.”
Mi Ya waved her hand dismissively.
“That old man has been completely blinded by power and greed. All he thinks about now is how to trample that little saintess under his feet and become the savior of this land.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a glass bottle filled with green liquid from her sleeve.
The liquid in the bottle emitted an eerie glow in the shadow, slowly writhing as if it were alive.
“And besides…”
Mi Ya smiled, the smile looking especially sinister in the shadow.
“I’ve already made all the preparations.”
“These foolish humans will never expect—”
She shook the bottle, looking at the murky liquid inside, her eyes full of mockery.
“That the so-called ‘antidote’ is actually the poison that will plunge the entire city into deathly silence.”
The wind blew past the eaves, letting out a moan.
Mi Ya put the bottle away, then, like nothing had happened, walked out of the shadow with light steps.
When the sunlight shone on her again, she became the innocent, kind, sweet-faced novice nun once more.
“Well then, good luck to us.”
She waved back at the empty shadow, then turned and merged into the bustling crowd, heading toward the cathedral.
Leaving only Lilith standing alone in the same spot.
She watched the direction Helos had gone, then looked up at the sun in the sky, bright but giving little warmth.
“Good luck?”
Lilith chuckled lightly, her figure slowly dissipating into the air.
“For these poor lambs, this is probably their last ‘good luck.’”