Emilia quietly watched Dorias Angus, the corners of her mouth curving into a smile.
“This is exactly the kind of answer I expected from you.”
The nun murmured softly. The church’s iron gate was just ahead, and a young priest on night duty had already come out holding a lantern.
“Ah… Miss Emilia, and Lord Dorias Angus!” The young priest looked at the two in surprise.
“Thank goodness you’re finally back, Miss Emilia. I was worried you had run into danger on the way…”
“Take good care of her, Priest,” Dorias Angus said. “Sister Emilia overexerted herself using divine arts and needs rest.”
“Yes, Lord Dorias Angus!”
The young priest hurriedly moved to support Emilia, but she straightened up and gently waved him off.
“No need. I feel much better now.” She turned to Dorias Angus and performed a standard church salute.
“Thank you once again for your help, Mr. Dorias Angus.”
Dorias Angus gave a slight nod, his gray-blue eyes still fixed on her face. “I will visit again tomorrow. Regarding tonight’s events—we still have much to discuss.”
Emilia’s expression remained unchanged. “I will be waiting, Mr. Dorias Angus.”
The nun spoke softly and turned to walk deeper into the church. The young priest nodded to the saint and followed Emilia inside. The nun’s white robe dragged along the stone corridor before finally being swallowed completely by the darkness.
…….
It was already late into the night when Dorias Angus returned to the mansion where the princess was staying.
The torches in the corridor cast his shadow long and distorted across the stone walls like a twisted monster. He stopped in his tracks, his gray-blue eyes staring at the flickering shadow—just like the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind right now.
“What…? You’re saying that foul-mouthed female mage and that unlucky big guy have gone missing? On their way back?”
“It’s the truth, Your Highness.”
Prinshitt’s startled voice came from ahead. Dorias Angus turned and saw Prinshitt standing at the end of the corridor, her golden hair cascading over her white nightgown, while Ileil stood in front of the princess with a worried expression on her face.
“How could they… They seemed perfectly fine just a while ago…”
Ileil watched the princess’s slightly trembling shoulders and said calmly:
“Gro has already taken people to search for them. There were traces of teleportation magic at the scene. They should still be alive. You don’t need to worry too much about this matter.”
Prinshitt suddenly looked up, her ruby-like eyes staring straight at Ileil. “Are you sure? Can that annoying mercenary leader really find them? They did protect my life after all. If possible, I…”
Ileil frowned slightly. Prinshitt’s words were almost too kind-hearted. She was genuinely concerned for two mercenaries she had known for less than a day. While Ileil didn’t dislike the princess’s personality, Prinshitt really couldn’t offer much help here.
“Gro is more reliable than you think, Your Highness.”
Even Ileil herself didn’t realize how much trust was in those words. “The witch and those heretics’ true target is likely you. I hope you will focus on keeping yourself safe.”
The girl’s words came to an abrupt halt. Ileil sharply sensed someone approaching. Her golden eyes turned vigilantly toward the direction of the faint sound.
“It’s me, Miss Ileil.”
Steady footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor as Dorias Angus’s figure appeared around the corner.
“Mentor…? You’re finally back!”
Prinshitt hurried over to the saint and took his hand.
“Ileil already told me what happened with Kaze and Alyssa… I only just learned that you had returned to the mansion earlier…”
“Your Highness, you should get some rest,” Dorias Angus said as he approached, his voice low and gentle. “Duke Lokas will be holding an important meeting tomorrow to summarize the events of the past two days and officially begin the purge of the heretics and the witch stirring trouble in the shadows.”
“Saint Dorias.”
Ileil looked at Dorias Angus and asked, “You should already know about what happened to Her Highness today. Have you been informed about the attacker’s identity, any clues related to the witch, and the appearance of Blood Axe Regnar?”
“When I returned, Duke Lokas already explained everything to me in detail.”
Dorias Angus nodded, his expression exceptionally grave.
“I feel sympathy for the members of the mercenary group who were temporarily manipulated by the witch’s flames—I will not tolerate the witch’s crimes.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “As for Regnar… to be honest, the reason Mr. Gro and I were out so late tonight was because we were tracking his whereabouts. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any valuable clues…”
“I understand.” Ileil narrowed her golden eyes slightly. “Then what is your opinion regarding Sister Emilia, Mr. Dorias Angus?”
Ileil asked tentatively. Even though the witch had told her that following her voice would lead to revenge, Ileil wasn’t foolish enough to completely trust a witch’s words.
Since the witch had asked her to keep her discovery about Emilia secret from Gro—it was practically confirmation that something was wrong with Emilia.
“While escorting Sister Emilia back to the church, I asked her about her past.”
Dorias Angus answered honestly, his tone carrying some hesitation. “I haven’t heard anything illogical from Sister Emilia so far, but the things she knew about the past… were truly beyond my expectations.”
“Ileil has always felt that there was something wrong with Sister Emilia. It’s no big deal,” Prinshitt said, sighing as she recalled how Ileil had questioned and even confronted Duke Lokas about the nun.
“But what exactly did that nun say that surprised even you, Mentor?”
“She said… she knew Sertant.”
The saint answered heavily.
“What?”
The name caused the air to freeze instantly. Prinshitt gasped—she knew exactly what that name meant to Dorias Angus. It was a pain he never spoke of. Even though Prinshitt had read his records, she had never brought up that name herself.
“She… how could… Could Sister Emilia have learned about your past from somewhere and deliberately made up a lie?”
The princess’s voice trembled, but Dorias Angus simply shook his head.
“It’s not what you imagine, Your Highness. The details she knew were too accurate. Far too accurate to be hearsay. Even my official records don’t document those past events in such detail.”
“May I ask one question? Who is Sertant?”
While the two were silently staring at each other, Ileil couldn’t help but speak up. She didn’t want to be treated like an outsider staring blankly at an unfamiliar name.
“This is not something you need to know, Ileil.”
Prinshitt refused sternly, but Dorias Angus raised a hand to stop the princess.
“It’s fine. Tell her, Your Highness.”
“But Mentor…”
Dorias Angus gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“These things are all in the past. As your guard, it is also for the greater picture that Ileil learns this information.”
…….
At the same time, in the darkness of the church basement, Emilia was kneeling before an altar. Her pure white robe spread across the stone floor like a bizarre blooming flower. Her fingertips lightly touched the ground as black-gold flames spread along the cracks in the stone, outlining a complex magic array.
“Did I do well… Lady Livia?” she whispered softly.
‘I am very satisfied with your performance, Emilia, my beloved follower.’
The voice that came from within her body was no longer the gentle tone of the nun, but carried an inhuman resonance.
The flames illuminated the twisted smile at the corner of her mouth. The shadow on the wall was no longer that of a slender human figure, but stretched out multiple twisted limbs, resembling some horrifying arthropod.
‘Continue like this—Emilia. The authority on Ileil will eventually return to my hands…’
‘The hero you have been waiting for will also return to your side.’
“It is my greatest honor, Lady Livia,”
Emilia replied in a low voice, her eyes filled with the devout reverence of one gazing upon her savior.
Moonlight streamed in through the high window, illuminating her pale face. Deep within her blue eyes, black-gold flames burned quietly.