Tia, who had regained her energy little by little, was helping to make incense. In fact, in terms of not being able to move around freely, it was similar to the Followers' residence or the Rhineland Mansion.
But even though she was locked up in the Rhineland Mansion, she didn't feel locked up. Maybe it was because she felt at ease.
Of course, she was worried that the priest would come looking for her and try to kill her.
But nothing has happened so far, and the godmother has even cast a spell to protect Tia.
She was also wearing an amulet that would repel any spell that was harmful to Tia, and the Rhineland Mansion itself had a weak protective spell cast on it.
“Even though you make this much incense every time, do you sell them all?”
“Then, it will be over in two days.”
“It’s selling well. Even though it’s selling so well, Miss Harrington still hasn’t paid off her debt?”
“She does have quite a bit of debt.”
Tia was sitting next to Siya, chatting away, tying ribbons around the incense she had just made.
"Ah!"
"what's the matter?"
Tia felt a stinging pain in her eyes and shut them tightly.
“I think there’s something in my eye. Ugh, it tickles.”
Her eyes felt itchy as if dust had gotten into them. Tia put down the incense and rubbed her eyes. But it only made them tickle more.
“Open your eyes, I’ll see what’s inside.”
Siya grabbed Tia's hand and told her not to keep rubbing it. Tia opened her eyes, fluttering her eyelids three or four times, and screamed as soon as she opened them, seeing a world filled with blood.
“Whoa!”
Judith, Erne, and Tan came running in, panting, after hearing her screams.
“What's going on?”
“Tia’s eyes...”
Siya pointed to Tia's eyes, her vision trembling. Tia's amber eyes were stained red as if blood had dripped from them.
“Oh, no, no.”
Tia muttered that she couldn't and tried to close her eyes, but it didn't seem to work.
Shrieks of terror erupted from all directions as Tia, terrified, tried to stab herself in the eye with the scissors she was holding to cut the ribbon.
“Tia, why are you like this!”
“Take the scissors away, quickly.”
“What’s wrong, Miss Tia? Is it because your eyes hurt? Yes? Should I call Mr. Beichi?”
Tia cried out as she struggled violently with both hands tied.
“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him!”
“You were there?”
Shadin's eyes, which were looking at an unknown location, moved from side to side without stopping.
He was now seeing what Tia was seeing through Tia's eyes.
A fireplace, windows with ornate decorations, incense, worried-looking Shartins, and a woman with dark brown eyes and hair that was almost black.
“This is how I see Miss Judith Harrington.”
Does that woman know that Erne is possessed? Even if she didn't know at first, she probably does by now.
Shadin, who had seen Erne frowning next to Judith, let out a mocking sneer and closed his eyes tightly.
Akan, Shadin's confidant, extinguished the candle in front of Shadin, who was sitting cross-legged. At the same time, tears of blood flowed from the eyes of the man kneeling to Shadin's left.
“Ugh, huff, ugh.”
The man was holding back a groan and just scratching his poor thigh.
“Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you, I was able to find out where Tia is.”
Shadin opened his eyes again and lightly patted the man on the shoulder. The man collapsed and gasped in pain.
“Please take him and treat him.”
Of course, he would never be able to see the front again. The other Followers grabbed the man's arms on both sides. The man, who was not in his right mind, was dragged away, erasing the pentacle he had drawn on the floor.
“Ouch, my eyes are sore.”
Shadin pressed his eyelids shut. He offered someone else's eyes as a sacrifice, but he didn't know why his own eyes were so hard.
“Ugh, I feel dizzy.”
Shadin, who had expended a lot of spiritual power, staggered and sat down on the armchair as if lying down. The spell of borrowing the perspective of others was difficult and tricky.
It was a spell that required not only several materials, such as a handkerchief soaked in Tia's tears, underwear, and hair but also two good eyes as sacrifices.
Shadin sacrificed the eye of one of his Followers who fled with him, citing 'his will'.
Anyway, now that he knows where the traitor is, he won't regret wasting his eyes.
“Where is the bride?”
Akan asked, handing over a towel soaked in hot water.
“Rhineland Manor. Sir Erne and Miss Judith Harrington were there. Oh, and there were other Shartins too. The medium who followed me earlier was also there.”
Shadin said, placing a warm towel over his eyes.
“I was wondering why the spell I sent to Miss Judith Harrington didn’t work, and it turns out the mansion is full of mediums hidden away.”
Was Tia's gold ban also solved by that medium?
The corners of his mouth were curved and slanted under the towel placed over his eyes.
“If we magically approach this, we might end up losing out. I think we should try a different method.”
“It’s my fault for not being able to prepare my defenses.”
“Don’t blame yourself too much, Mother. No one knew that a priest could use such magic.”
Judith squeezed the godmother's wrinkled hand. Tia's eyes returned to normal.
Tia, who had briefly given her eyes to the priest, almost fainted from shock, but there was nothing wrong with her body. Her eyes were now fine.
Ironically, that was the problem. The spell the priest had cast didn't do any harm to Tia's body, so the protective spell didn't work.
This was because the priest expected that if he did anything to Tia, she would try to take his life.
Who could have predicted that only eight people would run away to find Tia, who was a traitor and had ruined the Solitary Art Complex?
“If he's this obsessed, he might come to our mansion to find Tia.”
Of course, if he can enter the capital. The capital was more heavily guarded than any other territory. In preparation for the possibility of entering through the side passages of the walls instead of the gates, many soldiers were dispatched to the walls.
In places where people gathered, such as plazas, there were surprise checks, and a large bounty was placed at the bottom of the wanted poster for the priest. The wanted poster was even spread to the slums near the city walls.
Countless people were eager to receive the bounty, so no matter how elusive the priest was, it would not be easy for him to find his way to the mansion.
“He can’t come in person, so he’ll send you something else.”
Poisonous insects, strange sorcery, things like that. Erne's mumbling made the godmother nod her head vigorously.
“Hurry up and have the portrait drawn. If he doesn’t intend to kill Tia, he’ll attack Sir Erne or Miss Harrington.”
That way, Tia will either leave the mansion on her own two feet, or she will be kicked out by Erne and Judith.
Erne couldn't sleep a wink that night. He was so worried that the priest might cast an evil spell on Judith that his eyes kept opening.
“...Yeah.”
As expected, Judith, who had been tossing and turning with worry, had fallen asleep in his arms. Erne sighed softly as he held Judith in his arms.
“...”
At this moment, what reassured Erne the most was neither his swordsmanship nor the godmother's protective spell.
The priest knows that he is possessed. So, if he is attacked, he is more likely to be attacked before Judith.
That was the only thing that reassured Erne.
The next day, Judith and Erne stormed into Vincero's studio early in the morning. Vincero worked hard and diligently, but it still took four more days for the portrait to be completed.
“I haven’t been able to draw any of my pictures because I’m busy drawing portraits, so from tomorrow onwards, you have to be my model for real.”
“Even so, I keep my promise.”
Erne came out carrying the finished portrait under his arm. He was very satisfied with the portrait. Judith clapped her hands, saying it was almost like looking at a mirror.
The portrait was hung in the hallway in front of Erne and Judith's bedroom. The godmother collected Judith and Erne's blood and daubed it over the painting.
Because both Erne and Judith were wearing dark clothing, no blood was visible. After nine coats, each applied every three hours, the portraits that would replace them were completed.
Meanwhile, Judith and Erne's daily life was calm. While it was calm but strangely tense, a letter arrived at the incense shop.
“Do not open this letter? You are not responsible for any damage that may occur if someone else reads this letter? What the heck, this is.”
A letter with no sender, only a recipient, and a warning.
But even though she was locked up in the Rhineland Mansion, she didn't feel locked up. Maybe it was because she felt at ease.
Of course, she was worried that the priest would come looking for her and try to kill her.
But nothing has happened so far, and the godmother has even cast a spell to protect Tia.
She was also wearing an amulet that would repel any spell that was harmful to Tia, and the Rhineland Mansion itself had a weak protective spell cast on it.
“Even though you make this much incense every time, do you sell them all?”
“Then, it will be over in two days.”
“It’s selling well. Even though it’s selling so well, Miss Harrington still hasn’t paid off her debt?”
“She does have quite a bit of debt.”
Tia was sitting next to Siya, chatting away, tying ribbons around the incense she had just made.
"Ah!"
"what's the matter?"
Tia felt a stinging pain in her eyes and shut them tightly.
“I think there’s something in my eye. Ugh, it tickles.”
Her eyes felt itchy as if dust had gotten into them. Tia put down the incense and rubbed her eyes. But it only made them tickle more.
“Open your eyes, I’ll see what’s inside.”
Siya grabbed Tia's hand and told her not to keep rubbing it. Tia opened her eyes, fluttering her eyelids three or four times, and screamed as soon as she opened them, seeing a world filled with blood.
“Whoa!”
Judith, Erne, and Tan came running in, panting, after hearing her screams.
“What's going on?”
“Tia’s eyes...”
Siya pointed to Tia's eyes, her vision trembling. Tia's amber eyes were stained red as if blood had dripped from them.
“Oh, no, no.”
Tia muttered that she couldn't and tried to close her eyes, but it didn't seem to work.
Shrieks of terror erupted from all directions as Tia, terrified, tried to stab herself in the eye with the scissors she was holding to cut the ribbon.
“Tia, why are you like this!”
“Take the scissors away, quickly.”
“What’s wrong, Miss Tia? Is it because your eyes hurt? Yes? Should I call Mr. Beichi?”
Tia cried out as she struggled violently with both hands tied.
“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him!”
***
“You were there?”
Shadin's eyes, which were looking at an unknown location, moved from side to side without stopping.
He was now seeing what Tia was seeing through Tia's eyes.
A fireplace, windows with ornate decorations, incense, worried-looking Shartins, and a woman with dark brown eyes and hair that was almost black.
“This is how I see Miss Judith Harrington.”
Does that woman know that Erne is possessed? Even if she didn't know at first, she probably does by now.
Shadin, who had seen Erne frowning next to Judith, let out a mocking sneer and closed his eyes tightly.
Akan, Shadin's confidant, extinguished the candle in front of Shadin, who was sitting cross-legged. At the same time, tears of blood flowed from the eyes of the man kneeling to Shadin's left.
“Ugh, huff, ugh.”
The man was holding back a groan and just scratching his poor thigh.
“Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you, I was able to find out where Tia is.”
Shadin opened his eyes again and lightly patted the man on the shoulder. The man collapsed and gasped in pain.
“Please take him and treat him.”
Of course, he would never be able to see the front again. The other Followers grabbed the man's arms on both sides. The man, who was not in his right mind, was dragged away, erasing the pentacle he had drawn on the floor.
“Ouch, my eyes are sore.”
Shadin pressed his eyelids shut. He offered someone else's eyes as a sacrifice, but he didn't know why his own eyes were so hard.
“Ugh, I feel dizzy.”
Shadin, who had expended a lot of spiritual power, staggered and sat down on the armchair as if lying down. The spell of borrowing the perspective of others was difficult and tricky.
It was a spell that required not only several materials, such as a handkerchief soaked in Tia's tears, underwear, and hair but also two good eyes as sacrifices.
Shadin sacrificed the eye of one of his Followers who fled with him, citing 'his will'.
Anyway, now that he knows where the traitor is, he won't regret wasting his eyes.
“Where is the bride?”
Akan asked, handing over a towel soaked in hot water.
“Rhineland Manor. Sir Erne and Miss Judith Harrington were there. Oh, and there were other Shartins too. The medium who followed me earlier was also there.”
Shadin said, placing a warm towel over his eyes.
“I was wondering why the spell I sent to Miss Judith Harrington didn’t work, and it turns out the mansion is full of mediums hidden away.”
Was Tia's gold ban also solved by that medium?
The corners of his mouth were curved and slanted under the towel placed over his eyes.
“If we magically approach this, we might end up losing out. I think we should try a different method.”
***
“It’s my fault for not being able to prepare my defenses.”
“Don’t blame yourself too much, Mother. No one knew that a priest could use such magic.”
Judith squeezed the godmother's wrinkled hand. Tia's eyes returned to normal.
Tia, who had briefly given her eyes to the priest, almost fainted from shock, but there was nothing wrong with her body. Her eyes were now fine.
Ironically, that was the problem. The spell the priest had cast didn't do any harm to Tia's body, so the protective spell didn't work.
This was because the priest expected that if he did anything to Tia, she would try to take his life.
Who could have predicted that only eight people would run away to find Tia, who was a traitor and had ruined the Solitary Art Complex?
“If he's this obsessed, he might come to our mansion to find Tia.”
Of course, if he can enter the capital. The capital was more heavily guarded than any other territory. In preparation for the possibility of entering through the side passages of the walls instead of the gates, many soldiers were dispatched to the walls.
In places where people gathered, such as plazas, there were surprise checks, and a large bounty was placed at the bottom of the wanted poster for the priest. The wanted poster was even spread to the slums near the city walls.
Countless people were eager to receive the bounty, so no matter how elusive the priest was, it would not be easy for him to find his way to the mansion.
“He can’t come in person, so he’ll send you something else.”
Poisonous insects, strange sorcery, things like that. Erne's mumbling made the godmother nod her head vigorously.
“Hurry up and have the portrait drawn. If he doesn’t intend to kill Tia, he’ll attack Sir Erne or Miss Harrington.”
That way, Tia will either leave the mansion on her own two feet, or she will be kicked out by Erne and Judith.
Erne couldn't sleep a wink that night. He was so worried that the priest might cast an evil spell on Judith that his eyes kept opening.
“...Yeah.”
As expected, Judith, who had been tossing and turning with worry, had fallen asleep in his arms. Erne sighed softly as he held Judith in his arms.
“...”
At this moment, what reassured Erne the most was neither his swordsmanship nor the godmother's protective spell.
The priest knows that he is possessed. So, if he is attacked, he is more likely to be attacked before Judith.
That was the only thing that reassured Erne.
***
The next day, Judith and Erne stormed into Vincero's studio early in the morning. Vincero worked hard and diligently, but it still took four more days for the portrait to be completed.
“I haven’t been able to draw any of my pictures because I’m busy drawing portraits, so from tomorrow onwards, you have to be my model for real.”
“Even so, I keep my promise.”
Erne came out carrying the finished portrait under his arm. He was very satisfied with the portrait. Judith clapped her hands, saying it was almost like looking at a mirror.
The portrait was hung in the hallway in front of Erne and Judith's bedroom. The godmother collected Judith and Erne's blood and daubed it over the painting.
Because both Erne and Judith were wearing dark clothing, no blood was visible. After nine coats, each applied every three hours, the portraits that would replace them were completed.
Meanwhile, Judith and Erne's daily life was calm. While it was calm but strangely tense, a letter arrived at the incense shop.
“Do not open this letter? You are not responsible for any damage that may occur if someone else reads this letter? What the heck, this is.”
A letter with no sender, only a recipient, and a warning.
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