Esther looked into eyes as blue as her own.
If anyone else had done this, she wouldn’t just have gouged out their eyes—she would have taken much more. But with this man, it was fine.
One look into his eyes told her everything. As he said, there was no ulterior motive beyond restoring her body temperature.
His eyes held nothing but sincerity.
More than that, she remembered asking him to hold her before she passed out.
“Alright.”
Esther spoke as she checked her condition. The flow of magic? No issues.
What about the curse of frost that froze her to the bone? The excessive use of the borrowed spell, which imbued her with the glacial cold of Del Grecher, was now miraculously healed. Warmth flowed through her body.
“I’m fine now.”
Esther rose from the bed, grabbing the robe draped over the nearby chair and putting it on.
From where Encrid sat, he saw the blue light of dawn stream through the window and illuminate her back. As she donned the robe, parts of her bare skin were briefly exposed.
Her pale skin seemed to absorb the light, and the soft sound of fabric brushing against her body was accompanied by a faint scent—her scent—that lingered in his memory after holding her for days.
It was like the scent of a crisp night under the stars, cool and soothing. If made into a perfume, it would be aptly named ‘Night Sky’.
Esther shivered slightly. Though she claimed to be fine, leaving the warmth of his embrace brought a noticeable chill.
Encrid, shirtless, sat on the bed. She had to admit, his warmth had been comforting.
In her dreams, she had been surrounded by a pleasant warmth, lying in a field of flowers.
The warmth, the scent, everything had been delightful.
‘Sunlight.’
She thought.
The smell reminded her of freshly dried linens infused with the scent of sunshine, a fragrance that still lingered faintly in her nose.
As Esther looked at Encrid, who was watching her from the bed, she spoke.
“Take care of your eyes.”
“Of course.”
Her words were paired with a lighthearted joke. Thinking back to her dreams brought unnecessary thoughts to mind, and Esther transformed into a panther.
The robe clung to her body, morphing into fur as her form shrank into a four-legged beast, though her blue eyes remained unchanged.
“Why?”
Encrid asked. The panther motioned with its head, signaling she was leaving first, and stepped outside.
Encrid watched her go, shrugging his shoulders, when Luagarne, who was lying on a nearby bed, puffed out her cheeks.
It was an expression similar to a smile for a Frog like her, and by now, Encrid had learned to distinguish these subtle expressions.
“She’s embarrassed.”
Luagarne spoke, her cheeks still puffed out.
“Who?”
“Esther.”
The witch Esther, the Black Flower, known for her bizarre habit of gouging out the eyes of those who dared to see her body.
And now she was embarrassed? Encrid hadn’t sensed anything of the sort.
“Handsome men never realize the effects of their actions. Tsk. You’re guilty of this.”
Luagarne puffed her cheeks again, clearly enjoying herself as if she found it all amusing.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Just saying it’s interesting to see how this turns out later. Don’t worry about me. Frogs don’t place much value on physical affection. If I wanted offspring, I’d find a suitable male Frog.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Nothing. Just saying.”
Luagarne repeated herself. Encrid stayed in the city for one more day.
The cultists’ gatherings seemed to have vanished completely. It was likely because Frog like Luagarne caused such chaos whenever they showed up.
With the criminal guild disbanded, a few thugs emerged, trying to impose protection fees, but the lord swiftly arrested and flogged them.
“Argh! Stop, stop! I’ll work honestly!”
The screams of the punished thug echoed through the city like background music for a while.
Lord Louis’s approach was clear.
Having organized his forces, he declared that from now on, disobedience would be met with a beating.
It wasn’t something Encrid needed to get involved in.
‘They’ll handle it.’
It was no longer his responsibility.
Inside the lord’s mansion, there were a few jewels gathered from the vampires and administrators. The lord brought them all together.
Encrid saw the box of jewels as he prepared to leave the city.
“Please accept this.”
It was only right to receive payment for his work. Since he had undertaken this as a job, he should receive his commission.
But there was no rule stating that payment had to be in jewels or Krona.
Encrid understood that the lord would face countless challenges ahead.
To overcome those challenges, many resources would be required.
What was merely payment to him might represent a single meal for the lord and his city.
Seeing this, Encrid couldn’t accept it. Besides, he believed he had already been compensated.
“I’ve already been paid.”
“I won’t feel at ease unless you accept this.”
“Wouldn’t it be better used to rebuild the city?”
The lord’s efforts were evident. He had strained to gather the box, which wasn’t even neatly organized but filled with valuables haphazardly thrown together.
“I’ve already been paid.”
Encrid repeated himself. Just last night, Delma had come to him and said:
“Thank you.”
Those words held more value to him than the box of jewels.
Delma wasn’t the only one. Everyone who knew what he had done had come to him and expressed their gratitude.
“Thank you for saving my child.”
Even the innkeeper, who had raised a child that wasn’t his own, had said so.
“Thank you! I’ll take you on my boat first once it’s ready!”
A simple but wise man had also expressed his thanks.
“Th-thank you.”
A mother of a child had delivered similar words. And now, the lord bowed deeply and said:
“Thank you sincerely, my lord. If the day comes when you need my help, I will offer it, even if it costs me my life.”
True sincerity didn’t need words to be felt.
Even if time dulled the color of their sincerity, it didn’t matter.
On the contrary, time might deepen the lord’s desire to express his gratitude.
All of this would only be known as they continued to live their tomorrows.
After hearing their words, Encrid walked out of the city. Even as he faced wary, cold gazes, he left Cross Guard behind.
Not all eyes were friendly, but Encrid was content.
This city would still greet the sun tomorrow.
That alone was satisfying.
* * *
Later, Esther revealed that she had killed an Apostle.
This act caused the cult to stir across the entire continent.
They began to scheme in uniquely audacious ways.
This was something neither Encrid nor Krais could have foreseen.
* * *
“A revelation has come. This is the task given to me by the Gods.”
Overdeer eventually faced the Archbishop who had betrayed and exploited the divine.
Among the Crusaders protecting her, two fiercely brainwashed Knights had just been defeated.
“Sir Overdeer.”
The Archbishop was a woman in her fifties. Her expression was full of regret as she spoke with drooping eyes, feigning deep sorrow.
“Why are you doing this? What do you stand to gain by opposing the Temple? Is this worth throwing away all the honor you’ve built as a Holy Knight?”
She spoke of Overdeer’s honor, but her words hinted at something deeper.
“Is there truly nothing you hold dear? Nothing at all?”
She asked again.
On the surface, her words questioned whether this was worth sacrificing a lifetime of honor for. Couldn’t he simply let the rot fester? Couldn’t he watch from a place of power?
‘Ah.’
But no, he couldn’t. Even if this was the stubbornness of an old man.
He couldn’t bear to watch what he had built rot away any longer.
“A revelation, you say.”
So he answered.
With his hands around her neck, the Archbishop closed her eyes.
“Curse all who betray me.”
Even as she died, the Archbishop smiled faintly. A truly vile woman.
Her neck snapped with a loud crack, her tongue lolled out, and Overdeer gave her no time to cast a spell, immediate execution.
“Phew.”
Overdeer sighed in relief, having overcome a significant obstacle.
The decrepit old mansion, more akin to a ruin, had been where the Archbishop had used her curse-like magic to torment many.
She possessed the ability to control those who had spent enough time in her presence, even from afar.
She called this ability “Penance”, but Overdeer referred to it as “Torture”.
It forced victims to flog themselves, prevented sleep, and denied them sustenance.
It was a power that turned voluntary ascetic practices into enforced suffering.
Could such a thing exist in holy magic? Absolutely not.
It was a form of Western witchcraft combined with a curse.
The problem was that among those under her control was Overdeer’s wife.
When the Archbishop spoke of honor, she subtly threatened him with this fact.
The moment he decided to expose the Temple’s corruption, he knew his wife Rona was in danger.
It was devastating.
Thus, he needed someone new—someone who could act in his stead.
Someone to carry out the task while distracting the Archbishop.
“Is it over now?”
That person asked. A man aptly nicknamed the Bear Beast for his massive frame. His divine presence was greater than Overdeer’s, and no one in the Temple could match his talent.
“No, this is just the beginning.”
“But my part is done, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Now it’s time for a different task.”
“Do you have no doubts?”
Audin asked abruptly. Despite his appearance, he was a sharp thinker. Overdeer understood the intent of the question and asked back.
“Are you suggesting the ease of this task raises suspicions?”
He had felt the same. Things had gone too smoothly.
The Archbishop had revealed herself easily, and the Crusaders’ defense had been lacking. No matter how skilled Audin was, it had been too easy.
“Yes, that’s correct. My dear elder brother, who loves to boast about his wife.”
Audin’s nickname for Overdeer stemmed from his habit of bragging about his wife.
Overdeer took it as a compliment. He only answered the question of whether he had doubts about the task being too easy.
“It was a necessary task. Even if someone orchestrated this, it couldn’t be avoided.”
If left undone, his identity would be exposed, and his wife would perish after enduring endless suffering. He couldn’t stop.
Even if he were to lose his wife, he had to act.
This was about protecting what he had built.
That didn’t mean losing his wife wasn’t unbearable. Audin’s unexpected presence had been a blessing he was deeply grateful for.
‘May the Lord guide me.’
While Overdeer prayed silently, Audin nodded.
There had been help from the shadows during their mission. Though it didn’t seem like it was entirely benevolent, there was nothing he could do about it.
“I will take my leave now.”
“Don’t go too far.”
Thus ended their short partnership. Audin departed, and his instincts proved correct. Trouble arose just before he reached the Border Guard.
* * *
“Who follows the word of God? Who is righteous? If you don’t know who is right, don’t interfere. I will punish them myself and restore God’s will!”
Some priests of the God of Abundance, some of the God of War, some of the God of Angels, and even a portion of the Crusaders declared a holy war.
“The monastery that betrayed the Temple and exploited the saint for its own gain will be the first target.”
Armies gathered under the banner of the holy war, with the Cult’s machinations mixed in.
They brazenly attacked where the Holy Knights resided.
Several apostles of the Cult began fighting with the Knights. This prevented the Holy Knights from participating in the holy war.
It wasn’t the time to pick sides. They had to protect the ground they stood on.
Every action has a purpose, but the Cult’s goals were unclear.
On reflection, however, inciting a holy war benefited them greatly.
The Holy Kingdom was tearing itself apart, consuming its own flesh.
“I’ll wipe these damned cultists off the face of the earth.”
The emergence of apostles spurred the righteous zealots and the Cult Extermination Order into action.
Amid this, rumors spread that a Holy Knight had been killed.
The rumors claimed that the apostle of the Demon Realm Cult was responsible.
This prevented two factions of the priesthood from effectively intervening in the holy war.
The Holy Kingdom, governed by the Temple, consisted of three major cities, all of which fell into chaos.
In the midst of this, Muel, one of the Seven Apostles of Abundance, who declared himself the next Pope, advanced on the monastery he had targeted.
This new holy army issued indulgences, proclaiming publicly that they included two Holy Knights among their ranks.
At this rate, a new Temple led by Muel was on the verge of being established.
“We serve the Gray God.”
They boldly declared the light they had lost to be sacred. They were utterly insane.
They had created a new God and religion from nothing.
Even within the Temple, those who emitted a faint gray divine light had occasionally gathered, and now it had become a reality.
However, because some of these individuals were part of the Temple’s elite, the situation had escalated.
“These people have completely lost it.”
Unable to ignore it any longer, Overdeer organized an army and moved.
Noah, who led the monastery, chose to hole up inside its fortress-like structure. It wasn’t an option to meekly surrender and die.
Muel gathered his forces and marched toward Noah’s monastery. His numbers grew daily, and he adorned his army with the title of the ‘Gray Holy Army’.
“I will burn your flesh and offer it as a sacrifice to the Gray God.”
He declared that he wouldn’t seek the monastery’s forgiveness.
At this point, their faith had diverged so far from the God of Abundance that it had become a different religion altogether.
Yet, like a wagon speeding downhill, there was no stopping it.
No one could intervene.
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