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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 167
"Quite a lot of interference."
"Leon."
"What?"
At that moment, Luna, who had been quietly staying in the rear, slowly walked forward and grabbed Leon's sleeve, pulling him back.
"Save your strength. I'll handle this."
Then, with a light step, she seemingly vanished and reappeared in an instant, right next to the inquisitor.
"Wha—?!"
Startled, one of the inquisitors hastily readjusted his grip on his weapon, trying to counterattack.
However, Luna's fist pierced through with precise accuracy, striking the inquisitor and slamming him into the ground.
Her hand-to-hand combat skills were impressive enough to earn Leon's admiration, far beyond what a mere inquisitor could withstand.
With a single blow, she shattered the barrier protecting them and reduced their bodies to a bloody pulp.
She flexed her hand briefly, then clenched it again.
"I'm somewhat useful."
But it didn’t seem like she was merely showing off.
For some reason, she didn't even bother to hide the cold contempt in her eyes as she glared at the heretical inquisitors.
When she moved again, the inquisitors, sensing something ominous, urgently shouted.
"S-Stop her!!"
Kwaaaang!!!
But Luna, closing the distance in a flash, caught a descending axe barehanded.
Her small, pale hand glowed with a brilliant white light.
An instinctive warning bell rang through their beings.
"I do not permit you to wield divinity."
Her voice rang out like a divine pronouncement.
Then, with tremendous speed, her fist slammed into the empty air.
Kwachik!!
With the sound of shattering glass, a massive fissure split the air itself.
Her punch never physically struck the inquisitors, but their faces turned deathly pale at the sight of the cracking void.
A blinding surge of light erupted immediately afterward.
A gigantic cross of light carved itself into the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave that devoured everything in its path.
* * *
Luna was unusually brutal in subduing the inquisitors, annihilating them all.
There wasn’t a trace of divine power left in their corpses.
As if she had declared that their bodies were no longer worthy of holding divinity.
Thanks to Luna, who had swiftly disposed of the inquisitors, they were able to escape the stronghold with Saintess Nadia and reach a safe location without any further obstacles.
"Phew... What now...?"
Once they were reasonably safe, Saintess Nadia wore a troubled expression.
Her feelings were understandably complicated, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Leon tore the brooch from her clothing.
"Ah?!"
"W-What are you doing?!"
"A tracker."
After examining the brooch briefly, he casually tossed it into a random spot.
"We need to move quickly. If we follow this forest path and—"
"No need. We're leaving right here and now."
"Pardon?"
The others wore puzzled expressions, not understanding his words.
But Leon was more concerned about Luna.
"Feeling any better?"
"Nothing to feel bad about."
Despite her words, Luna's expression seemed somewhat glum, which made Leon worry.
"Let's head back to Cascadia. There's no point in lingering here and leaving behind more evidence."
There were too many unanswered questions.
Who was trying to harm Nadia?
How did they know her location and timing?
And who had sent Leon the secret letter revealing it all?
There was a lot he needed to find out.
"Um... Lord Leon."
"Yes, what is it?"
"My identity..."
"Ah. You might feel a bit dizzy, so be prepared."
Before she could finish her sentence, Leon activated a teleportation spell.
By the time they regained their senses, they were already back at the Cascadia estate.
"You’re wondering how I knew Lady Nabel was the Saintess?"
Nadia, still dizzy from the teleportation, blinked in surprise and stared at Leon with wide eyes.
"Y-Yes."
"I knew from the start."
He wasn’t lying.
* * *
After receiving the report of the events at the heretical inquisitor stronghold, Melissa had the same reaction as Leon.
"Wait, is the Holy Kingdom completely insane now? They accused the Saintess of heresy?"
"Count Cascadia, you knew about this?"
"Ah... yes. I had a feeling, but hearing it confirmed my suspicion."
"I did my best to act convincingly..."
The acting itself wasn't the issue—it was simply that their preparations were too insufficient.
"Ha... This is driving me crazy... At this rate, I’m going to have a heart attack."
Every day seemed to bring another crisis.
Melissa was clearly feeling the pressure.
"There are already so many matters to deal with in the territory, and now external incidents keep piling on like this..."
In reality, Melissa had been struggling to prevent the current situation from escalating into an international incident or even a war.
The situation in the Pinas Archipelago was finally starting to show signs of resolution, and now the Holy Kingdom was entangling them further.
No wonder her head was about to explode.
"I’m sorry, Count."
"No, it was bound to happen eventually. Let’s focus on organizing the situation. Saintess, what is the most urgent matter right now?"
At Melissa's question, Saintess Nadia pulled out a hidden letter.
"I need to send this to the Hael Tribe. It's a crucial message..."
"If that’s the case, we could use one of the trusted trading companies—"
"Unfortunately, the Hael Tribe is currently under heavy restriction. No regular trading company can reach them."
Someone with at least some level of authority needed to deliver it.
The problem was that Nadia had no idea who, if anyone, in the Holy Kingdom could still be trusted.
"Though I'm not entirely certain, it's clear that a significant portion of the Holy Kingdom's upper echelon is already determined to harm the Saintess."
The holy knight cautiously voiced his opinion.
"Lady Nadia, please entrust me with that letter."
"Sir?"
"To be honest, I can't discern who is still trustworthy enough to help us. And it would be unthinkable for you to go yourself, so I will go in your place."
"That's too dangerous! It would be better if we go together…"
"No, Saintess. You must look at the bigger picture. You must never be exposed to danger. The moment you are, your life—and the lives of the benefactors from Cascadia here—will also be at risk."
At his words, Nadia pressed her lips together in silence.
"Please, entrust this to me. I will see the mission through."
The Saintess could no longer dissuade him.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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Thus, the holy knight left for the Hael tribe alone, after asking them to protect the Saintess well.
However, unable to shake a nagging concern, they concealed a banshee within his shadow—a small insurance policy.
* * *
Nadia, whether out of relief or shock, soon appeared visibly fatigued.
"Then, let’s talk about something else. There was something I wanted to ask earlier—who exactly is trying to harm you right now?"
No one underestimated the importance of information.
If not for Saintess Nadia being the benefactor of Cascadia, they would have simply distanced themselves from the Holy Kingdom's affairs.
At the very least, they needed to know who they were preparing to face.
"I'm not entirely sure… but the one orchestrating the attempts on my life seems to go by the name 'Baril.' Though, I suspect it’s an alias."
Baril.
It was a familiar name.
"Baril, you say…?"
"Yes, that one."
When Melissa affirmed it, Nadia's eyes widened in shock.
"Do you know this person?!"
"No. I've only heard the name before."
Baril was the one who handed over the Archangel's Halo to Dorn Lu Pascalia in the Berner estate.
"For now, it would be reckless to act hastily. Then, who sent this letter?"
I showed her the secret letter containing the time and place of the meeting.
"This is… I don't know. Perhaps someone inside the Holy Kingdom who still wishes to help me…"
It was unlikely that anyone holding such detailed information about the assassination attempt on the Saintess was merely an ordinary figure from the Holy Kingdom.
To obtain this level of intelligence, they would have to hold considerable power themselves.
For a moment, the thought crossed my mind—was this a trap designed to publicly eliminate both the Saintess and all of us in one fell swoop?
But I shook my head.
The enemy was no fool.
They wouldn’t resort to such a reckless gambit.
"For now, just rest here comfortably. Trust the Hael tribe to keep you safe."
Though she wished to prevent the war, continuing to concern herself with the Holy Kingdom, where her own people sought to oust her, was a fool's errand.
"Thank you for your concern. I will never forget this kindness."
She bowed her head deeply toward us.
At that moment, Luna tugged at my sleeve, as if she had been waiting for the right moment.
"Leon."
"Hm?"
"Show Arsha to her."
She gestured subtly toward the Saintess.
"While my healing can help, the restorative power of the stigma holds unique advantages."
"Is there… a patient?"
Catching on quickly, Saintess Nadia turned her eyes toward us with sharp intuition.
I gave her a brief explanation.
"You remember the story about my parents, don't you?"
"Ah… yes. I do recall."
"We recently rescued my youngest sibling, who miraculously survived but had been held captive."
"My goodness… That’s truly fortunate! May the blessing of the Lord be with you…"
She clasped her hands together in prayer.
"But… she suffered some mental damage. Would you take a look?"
Without hesitation, she agreed.
"I'll do everything I can to help."
If there was even the slightest chance of bringing Arsha back to her senses, there was nothing we wouldn't do.
* * *
Arsha was still lost in her mind.
The only silver lining was that most of the physical wounds had healed.
Her twisted bones had been restored, and her blind eyes had been successfully healed with Luna's power.
However, her broken mind, most likely damaged by the Kraken’s influence, remained beyond their ability to mend.
"My heavens… what on earth happened to her…?"
The Saintess covered her mouth in shock the moment she saw Arsha.
Like Luna, she seemed to perceive something about Arsha's condition that was not visible to the naked eye.
"Do you think it’s possible?"
"I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll do my very best."
"Don't overdo it. You must already be exhausted."
"This much is fine."
She sat in the chair beside Arsha’s bed, folded her hands, and began to pray.
A divine light of holy power emanated from her entire being.
Though in terms of raw quantity, Luna’s power might have seemed greater, there was something distinctly different about the Saintess’ power—a warmth that seemed to seep in from somewhere else.
It was said that even angels coveted the stigma.
Perhaps this truly was the mark of one loved by the divine.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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