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Chapter 168
Of course, I knew it would be difficult to see results in a short amount of time.
As I stepped out of the room to avoid disturbing the woman reciting prayers beside Arsha, Luna tugged at my sleeve from behind once again.
“What is it?”
At my question, she remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
“Just… I feel weird.”
“Weird?”
“Just… not good.”
The way she said it made it clear she wasn’t simply being pouty.
She was seeking something.
After a moment of contemplation, I slowly took her hand, feeling her tension.
Then, I took a short breath and gently pulled her into an embrace.
“Better now?”
Her tone was as casual as ever, but with her head lowered, she seemed slightly satisfied.
She could be perfectly composed when sleeping, but in moments like this, she became a bundle of nerves.
“Leon, embarrassed?”
“No, well….”
I wasn’t really one to talk.
“You two are just dripping with sweetness, huh? At this rate, you’re going to have a surprise baby before the wedding. Let me know if you feel like you’re about to slip up—I’ll arrange the ceremony in advance.”
That’s when I belatedly realized that Melissa had been watching the entire exchange.
My response to her teasing was simple.
Ping!!
“You… you crazy?!”
I immediately activated a flash artifact and hurled it toward her face.
Paang!!!
With a sharp sound, the intense light burst forth, causing Melissa to cover her eyes with both hands.
“Ah! My eyes! Argh… my eyes! What kind of flash artifact is this strong?!”
Watching her flail around on the ground, I couldn't help but question whether she was truly a noble lady of a prestigious family.
Despite the commotion, there was no reaction from the room where the Saint was praying—it seemed she was deeply focused.
After letting Melissa squirm for a while, I slowly approached her and crouched down.
“Do you remember, patient?”
“Of course I remember, you lunatic?!”
With teary eyes, she slowly opened them and glared at me.
In response, I casually waved another flash artifact in front of her face, its pin already removed.
“Oh… you’re insane.”
Paang!!
“Kyaaaah?!”
Melissa’s shriek once again echoed through the halls.
* * *
Afterward, since the Saint Nadia had not emerged from the room for a long time, Melissa, worried, went inside.
She eventually came out carrying the soundly sleeping Nabell on her back.
“What the hell did she eat growing up to be this heavy….”
She grumbled but still carefully carried the sleeping Saint into one of the guest rooms.
“She must have completely exhausted herself—she fell asleep during the healing.”
“Well, considering how she’s been on the run, it’s no surprise.”
Even though it felt like some time had passed, it really hadn’t been that long since she was suddenly labeled a heretic and forced into hiding.
If not for spatial transference, they would still be making their way toward Cascadia’s territory.
Despite her abundant divine power and her status as a Saint, she was still young.
From what I’d heard, her nineteenth birthday was approaching soon.
She probably had little experience with such grueling trials, so it wasn’t strange for her to collapse from exhaustion.
“Alright then, we need to discuss our future plans.”
Melissa, now composed, struck a formal tone and took charge as we gathered in the office.
At her suggestion, Luna and I sat on the linear sofa across from her at the table.
“To summarize the situation… Saint Nadia prepared something to foster unity with the Hael tribe. However, a faction within the Holy Kingdom disapproved and is trying to oust her.”
We didn’t know how large that faction was, but given their ability to execute such a plan, they were certainly not small.
The name Baril also lingered in my mind.
“Frankly, the definition of heresy is pretty vague. If we’re not careful, we could be labeled heretics ourselves—or worse, accused of kidnapping and murdering the Saint.”
Melissa added with a grim expression.
“If they still hold a grudge over what happened with Prince Dorn, they might go that far.”
Of course, that was probably just speculation.
The problem was that there wasn’t much we could do at the moment.
“It’s frustrating… all we can do is wait and watch. We don’t even have any connections in the Holy Kingdom.”
Our only link, the Saint herself, was now in hiding here in Cascadia.
What a cruel irony.
And then it happened.
“Um… Lord. You have a visitor.”
“At this late hour? Who the hell is being so rude?”
Only someone with either serious business or no regard for manners would show up at this time.
“They’re from the Holy Kingdom.”
At those words, silence fell between Luna, Melissa, and me.
I slowly drew my cursed blade, and Luna silently equipped the Hand of Fury on her hand.
“Are they alone?”
“Yes.”
“Let them in.”
If they were truly from the Holy Kingdom, they wouldn’t have come alone.
Shortly afterward, the door to the office opened, and a man clad in pure white priestly robes walked in.
A golden cross-shaped brooch was pinned to his chest.
White robes and a white fedora—a strangely mismatched outfit.
The burly man removed his fedora and spoke.
“Is the Saint here?”
“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Melissa responded with a disarming smile.
There was no reason to reveal the Saint’s presence.
At that, the man smiled faintly.
“I was the one who sent the letter with the location and time.”
Ah.
So it was this man?
But just because he said so didn’t mean we were ready to trust him. We remained silent.
“For now, I am not one of those trying to oust the Saintess… hmm?”
His eyes widened in surprise.
But his gaze was not directed at Melisa or me—it was fixed on Luna.
“How are you… here…?”
And then it happened.
Luna suddenly sprang from her seat and shot forward like a flash of light, slamming her fist into the man’s face.
BOOOOM!!!
Melisa and I were both startled, our eyes widening at her sudden action.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing?!”
Despite Melisa’s shout, Luna pinned the man to the ground, straddled him in a mount position, and relentlessly pummeled him with her fists.
“I’ve been wanting to beat you to a pulp for ages.”
“Guh…! Guhh!!”
Seeing the man staggering under her repeated blows, it became clear that if I didn’t stop her, she might actually kill him.
I quickly grabbed her from behind, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her away.
“Hey, calm down! What the hell?! Do you know him or something?”
But Luna knowing someone?
That was impossible.
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She had been sealed away for an exceptionally long time.
For her to recognize him, he would have to be from the same era as her…
Or perhaps, he was an angel—just like her.
Though, I wasn’t sure if even among the angels she would be familiar with him.
“He’s a demon.”
Her blunt statement left both Melisa and me dumbfounded.
Melisa stammered in disbelief.
“A demon? That high priest is?”
A high priest—an office that only the most devout believers could hold.
Even within the Holy Kingdom, only a select few, thoroughly vetted, were permitted to wear the golden cross brooch on their chest.
And yet… what?
Luna’s bombshell revelation was so shocking that it took a moment for my brain to process it.
Melisa tilted her head in confusion.
“Wha…?”
Luna struggled in my grip, trying to break free.
“Leon, just let me punch him once more.”
“No way.”
“Just one more time….”
Her puppy-like, pleading eyes made me hesitate.
But seeing the man on the floor, his face already a bloodied mess, I knew I couldn’t let her go.
“Are you trying to kill someone? No. Why are you being so rough with him?”
Even if he was a demon, she didn’t need to beat him to a pulp.
And above all, I still didn’t understand why she was so furious with him.
“No matter what, he deserves a beating.”
Luna’s resistance grew more violent until she finally slipped from my grasp and lunged at him again.
“Guh… It’s fine. Let her do as she pleases. Ah… guhk!”
Her fist struck his mouth, splattering blood once again.
Melisa and I stood there in stunned silence, watching the scene unfold.
After what felt like an eternity of pummeling, the bloodied priest finally spoke.
“Feeling a little better now?”
“…….”
Luna coldly stared down at him, then slowly rose to her feet.
But after a brief pause, she suddenly kicked him one more time.
“Does it look like I feel better?”
“I know. I have no excuses.”
Still fuming, Luna flopped onto the sofa, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes, clearly still in a foul mood.
“…What the hell is going on…?”
The priest, who had just been beaten to a pulp, was now sitting up perfectly fine, as if none of it had happened.
There was no sign of divine healing or the use of holy power.
It was simply unnatural.
Too bizarre for a human.
Seeing it, I realized that Luna’s claim about him being a demon was likely true.
“I was told she was sealed away,”
The man muttered as he stared at Luna.
He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before slowly nodding toward me.
“I see. So, you were the one who freed her.”
“You can tell just by looking?”
“Of course. Cause and effect are easy to discern. Well, in any case, this is good. Take good care of her.”
“You don’t seem much like a demon. Serving the divine and all.”
“Why? Can’t a demon serve a god? Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Dibel.”
“Melisa Cascadia. And this is my brother, Leon Cascadia.”
Just as angels weren’t what the world imagined them to be, it seemed demons were no different.
“You’re saying you’re a demon?”
“Yes. I may look like this, but I’ve been around for a long time. And even among demons, I’m fairly well-known.”
“Is that your true form?”
“Is there a need for another form?”
He looked no different from a gentle, soft-smiling priest.
Nothing like the demons from legend with horns, red skin, and tails.
“Rest assured. I am not aligned with those seeking to depose the Saintess.”
“Then why did you contact us?”
“Because if nothing is done, the Saintess will meet a tragic end. I felt it was my duty to at least warn you.”
“So, you came all this way just to say that?”
At Melisa’s question, Dibel nodded.
“I simply hope that this message won’t lead to unnecessary suspicions. Ah, but don’t worry—no one knows I came here.”
In other words, he was making it clear that he had no intention of actively intervening.
“Is there anyone within the Holy Kingdom who will aid her?”
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