"Ah!"
That scene was the last thing I saw as I came back to reality.
“Are you alright, Princess?”
The Crown Prince asked urgently, clutching my hand, “Have you been by my side the whole time?”
Chihara, Netanya, Bayen, and Danos, who had been pacing around anxiously inside the tent, also ran towards me in a panic.
Everyone seemed to be very worried because I suddenly lost consciousness.
But there was only one thought on my mind.
“Elysia...”
“Elysia?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
The Crown Prince and Chihara asked with a puzzled look, and I quickly got up and opened my mouth.
“It’s Elysia. The culprit who harmed the goddess is Elysia.”
"What?"
“What the heck is this....”
“Were you dreaming?”
They just looked dumbfounded, as if they were taken aback by my sudden assertion.
'Yeah, that makes sense.'
The goddess's own daughter harms the goddess.
Does that make any sense?
I also understood Netanya's feelings when she suddenly asked if I had a dream.
'But this is not a dream.'
Even though I pretended it was a dream, this was definitely the goddess's past. A sad past that the goddess wanted to show me.
I calmly listed what I had seen.
All that the goddess fell in love with was the source of darkness called Moz, and the fruit of their love was Elysia, that it was this imprisonment of Elysia to avoid the curse that was placed upon Moz the moment he died that brought about her wrath.
Even after that long, drawn-out story was over, everyone looked in disbelief.
“No way. How could Lady Elysia do something like that...”
“Come to think of it, when Lady Elysia suddenly disappeared, the goddess said she was sick and was sent to recuperate. But Lady Elysia didn’t show any sign of being sick at that time.”
“Ha, so what if that Saintess saw was all true? Lady Elysia really is the bloodline of such a sinister person...”
Looking at Danos, who couldn't help but feel confused, it seemed that the goddess hadn't said anything about Moz.
Amidst the heavy silence, Chihara asked as if he couldn't understand.
“But who is that accomplice? If what you say is true, Lady Elysia was trapped underground all this time. Where did she get such reinforcements?”
"That..."
As I was about to respond to Chihara's words, I sighed deeply and shook my head.
“I don’t know. I think I saw the face, but for now, I can’t think of...”
“Think carefully again. If there is someone by Lady Elysia’s side who can drain Hethel’s life force, then this is a very serious problem.”
Netanya was right.
If someone who could overpower the goddess were helping Elysia, it would be very disadvantageous for us.
It was just then that I was trying to calm my mind as much as possible and recall his face again.
"Your Highness!"
Sir Arthur rushed into the tent.
“A messenger has arrived from the temple! The assassin who infiltrated the temple and attacked the Saintess earlier has awakened!”
We hurried to the imperial palace.
Of course, now that the assassin has discovered Ibis' true identity, it won't be of much help.
But there were still a few things to ask, and since we had gathered all the sacred relics, we had to return to the capital anyway.
'You can easily guess the identity of your accomplice on the way there.'
But even during the five full days of riding in the carriage, I couldn't recall his face.
Having arrived at the imperial palace without any results, I headed straight to the room where the assassin was staying.
“Saintess!”
As I entered, Marca, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, greeted me with a happy expression.
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time! Look over there! My brother is awake!”
The child, who knew nothing, seemed very happy that his brother had woken up.
'Well...'
I couldn't help it, because I didn't tell him that his brother was an assassin or that he was trying to kill me.
“Yeah, that’s really good.”
It was at that time that I was stroking the child's round head with a gentle smile.
The assassin, who had been looking at Marca and me with a restless face, quickly raised his upper body.
“I heard that you took care of my younger brother while I was unconscious. How could you do that to a sinner like me...”
"Stop."
I didn't want to reveal the truth and make the child lose his innocent smile, so I quickly covered the assassin's mouth.
But the child tilted his head and looked back and forth between me and his brother, as if he had already heard.
“A sinner? What sin did my brother commit against the saint?”
“No, that can’t be.”
I shook my head.
“Marca, I told you before that your brother is being used by bad people. Your brother thinks it’s his fault.”
"Ah."
Marca nodded as if he understood. Then he turned to his brother and smiled brightly.
“That’s okay, brother. The Saintess said she would help. Right, Saintes?”
“Of course. We’ll help you. In that sense, I think we should talk to your brother a bit. Would you mind stepping out for a moment? This is an adult matter, after all.”
“Yes, I will!”
The child nodded his head coolly and left the room, waving his hand and saying, “See you later, bro!”
I smiled brightly at that innocent look and soon approached the assassin.
As I sat on the chair the Crown Prince had brought and stared into his eyes, he lowered his eyes and opened his mouth.
“I heard from the priests. I dared to attack the Saintess... I am truly ashamed.”
“Are you saying you don’t remember what happened back then?”
“I’m sorry to say that.”
The assassin's head dropped even lower.
“Of course, I received that order, but I refused.”
“You refused?”
“Yes. Although I was forced into heresy, I couldn’t bring myself to attack the Saintess. Attacking the daughter of the goddess was a grave crime, and if I were caught, I would never survive. I was afraid that if I were caught and executed, my younger brother would be left alone. That’s why I refused, using my injuries as an excuse. But how did I end up here...”
He held his head as if he couldn't understand his own actions at all.
'Now that I think about it, he did seem like he was out of his mind at the time.'
It looked like a weapon that moved according to input commands, not a human being that could think for itself.
'Was he under hypnosis?'
Hmm, I frowned and met his gaze again.
“Your name is Evan, right? I have a question for you.”
“Please ask.”
“The day you invaded the temple, you had incredible strength. You could easily blow away the lion you see over there. That was definitely not human strength. How did you gain such strength?”
“Maybe it’s because that day was the full moon.”
“Full moon?”
“Yes. Did my eyes turn red that day?”
At those words, I froze.
This is because the blood-red eyes shining brightly under the unusually bright moonlight came to mind.
“That’s right. It was like blood condensed in your eyes. But when you lost consciousness and checked again, they had turned blue. What happened?”
“Because that day was also the full moon.”
Evan raised his head, which had been bowed, and met my gaze.
“I heard that you already know that the organization I belong to is a group that worships the heretical goddess Ibis.”
"That's right."
“The Ibis Church selects those who are skilled in martial arts from among its many followers and forms a knighthood. Within the church, we are called the Sword of Ibis.”
“The sword of Ibis?”
“Yes. Once you pass the rigorous test and become an official killer, you will have to perform a ritual in which you offer blood to Ibis and pledge your eternal devotion to her. After performing that ritual, you will be able to use some of her power during the full moon when the yin energy is at its strongest.”
For a moment, I stopped.
“I picked the wrong day. If it had been that day, I wouldn’t have suffered this humiliation.”
Because at the moment of death, I remembered Count Gus, who had been chasing the moon hidden in the clouds while saying those words.
'Is that what you meant...?'
As I was lamenting my belated realization, Evan suddenly jumped out of bed and knelt before me.
“I know how great a sin it is to dare to harm the Saintess, even if it was not intentional. Nevertheless, I thank you for taking care of my younger brother. Although it is late, please let me pay the price now.”
“What’s the price? That’s okay. A Saintess has to look after a helpless child. Especially if it’s a Saintess.”
I waved my hand as if to tell him not to care, but Evan was firm.
“No, you must accept it. The price I will pay is information that the Saintess must know.”
“Information?”
He nodded heavily.
Then he started to reveal the truth about Ibis.
It is said that he overheard Marquis Zenger and Count Gus talking there, which is called the paradise of the Ibis followers.
He said it with a rather serious expression, but it wasn't as helpful information to me as he had asserted.
Because it was already known that Ibis was the first blessing of the goddess, Elysia.
But the content that followed surprised me, as well as the Crown Prince and the archangels.
“There is someone who helps her. They say he is another bloodline of the goddess. I don’t know his name, but I heard he has olive hair and eyes like hers.”
At that moment, all our eyes were focused on one place.
A man standing in the corner, not moving at all, a man meeting my gaze with a stern expression as if to prove that Evan's words were true.
Incredibly, his true identity is...
“...Bayen.”
Bayen smiled faintly as he watched me hum softly.
That scene was the last thing I saw as I came back to reality.
“Are you alright, Princess?”
The Crown Prince asked urgently, clutching my hand, “Have you been by my side the whole time?”
Chihara, Netanya, Bayen, and Danos, who had been pacing around anxiously inside the tent, also ran towards me in a panic.
Everyone seemed to be very worried because I suddenly lost consciousness.
But there was only one thought on my mind.
“Elysia...”
“Elysia?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
The Crown Prince and Chihara asked with a puzzled look, and I quickly got up and opened my mouth.
“It’s Elysia. The culprit who harmed the goddess is Elysia.”
"What?"
“What the heck is this....”
“Were you dreaming?”
They just looked dumbfounded, as if they were taken aback by my sudden assertion.
'Yeah, that makes sense.'
The goddess's own daughter harms the goddess.
Does that make any sense?
I also understood Netanya's feelings when she suddenly asked if I had a dream.
'But this is not a dream.'
Even though I pretended it was a dream, this was definitely the goddess's past. A sad past that the goddess wanted to show me.
I calmly listed what I had seen.
All that the goddess fell in love with was the source of darkness called Moz, and the fruit of their love was Elysia, that it was this imprisonment of Elysia to avoid the curse that was placed upon Moz the moment he died that brought about her wrath.
Even after that long, drawn-out story was over, everyone looked in disbelief.
“No way. How could Lady Elysia do something like that...”
“Come to think of it, when Lady Elysia suddenly disappeared, the goddess said she was sick and was sent to recuperate. But Lady Elysia didn’t show any sign of being sick at that time.”
“Ha, so what if that Saintess saw was all true? Lady Elysia really is the bloodline of such a sinister person...”
Looking at Danos, who couldn't help but feel confused, it seemed that the goddess hadn't said anything about Moz.
Amidst the heavy silence, Chihara asked as if he couldn't understand.
“But who is that accomplice? If what you say is true, Lady Elysia was trapped underground all this time. Where did she get such reinforcements?”
"That..."
As I was about to respond to Chihara's words, I sighed deeply and shook my head.
“I don’t know. I think I saw the face, but for now, I can’t think of...”
“Think carefully again. If there is someone by Lady Elysia’s side who can drain Hethel’s life force, then this is a very serious problem.”
Netanya was right.
If someone who could overpower the goddess were helping Elysia, it would be very disadvantageous for us.
It was just then that I was trying to calm my mind as much as possible and recall his face again.
"Your Highness!"
Sir Arthur rushed into the tent.
“A messenger has arrived from the temple! The assassin who infiltrated the temple and attacked the Saintess earlier has awakened!”
***
We hurried to the imperial palace.
Of course, now that the assassin has discovered Ibis' true identity, it won't be of much help.
But there were still a few things to ask, and since we had gathered all the sacred relics, we had to return to the capital anyway.
'You can easily guess the identity of your accomplice on the way there.'
But even during the five full days of riding in the carriage, I couldn't recall his face.
Having arrived at the imperial palace without any results, I headed straight to the room where the assassin was staying.
“Saintess!”
As I entered, Marca, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, greeted me with a happy expression.
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time! Look over there! My brother is awake!”
The child, who knew nothing, seemed very happy that his brother had woken up.
'Well...'
I couldn't help it, because I didn't tell him that his brother was an assassin or that he was trying to kill me.
“Yeah, that’s really good.”
It was at that time that I was stroking the child's round head with a gentle smile.
The assassin, who had been looking at Marca and me with a restless face, quickly raised his upper body.
“I heard that you took care of my younger brother while I was unconscious. How could you do that to a sinner like me...”
"Stop."
I didn't want to reveal the truth and make the child lose his innocent smile, so I quickly covered the assassin's mouth.
But the child tilted his head and looked back and forth between me and his brother, as if he had already heard.
“A sinner? What sin did my brother commit against the saint?”
“No, that can’t be.”
I shook my head.
“Marca, I told you before that your brother is being used by bad people. Your brother thinks it’s his fault.”
"Ah."
Marca nodded as if he understood. Then he turned to his brother and smiled brightly.
“That’s okay, brother. The Saintess said she would help. Right, Saintes?”
“Of course. We’ll help you. In that sense, I think we should talk to your brother a bit. Would you mind stepping out for a moment? This is an adult matter, after all.”
“Yes, I will!”
The child nodded his head coolly and left the room, waving his hand and saying, “See you later, bro!”
I smiled brightly at that innocent look and soon approached the assassin.
As I sat on the chair the Crown Prince had brought and stared into his eyes, he lowered his eyes and opened his mouth.
“I heard from the priests. I dared to attack the Saintess... I am truly ashamed.”
“Are you saying you don’t remember what happened back then?”
“I’m sorry to say that.”
The assassin's head dropped even lower.
“Of course, I received that order, but I refused.”
“You refused?”
“Yes. Although I was forced into heresy, I couldn’t bring myself to attack the Saintess. Attacking the daughter of the goddess was a grave crime, and if I were caught, I would never survive. I was afraid that if I were caught and executed, my younger brother would be left alone. That’s why I refused, using my injuries as an excuse. But how did I end up here...”
He held his head as if he couldn't understand his own actions at all.
'Now that I think about it, he did seem like he was out of his mind at the time.'
It looked like a weapon that moved according to input commands, not a human being that could think for itself.
'Was he under hypnosis?'
Hmm, I frowned and met his gaze again.
“Your name is Evan, right? I have a question for you.”
“Please ask.”
“The day you invaded the temple, you had incredible strength. You could easily blow away the lion you see over there. That was definitely not human strength. How did you gain such strength?”
“Maybe it’s because that day was the full moon.”
“Full moon?”
“Yes. Did my eyes turn red that day?”
At those words, I froze.
This is because the blood-red eyes shining brightly under the unusually bright moonlight came to mind.
“That’s right. It was like blood condensed in your eyes. But when you lost consciousness and checked again, they had turned blue. What happened?”
“Because that day was also the full moon.”
Evan raised his head, which had been bowed, and met my gaze.
“I heard that you already know that the organization I belong to is a group that worships the heretical goddess Ibis.”
"That's right."
“The Ibis Church selects those who are skilled in martial arts from among its many followers and forms a knighthood. Within the church, we are called the Sword of Ibis.”
“The sword of Ibis?”
“Yes. Once you pass the rigorous test and become an official killer, you will have to perform a ritual in which you offer blood to Ibis and pledge your eternal devotion to her. After performing that ritual, you will be able to use some of her power during the full moon when the yin energy is at its strongest.”
For a moment, I stopped.
“I picked the wrong day. If it had been that day, I wouldn’t have suffered this humiliation.”
Because at the moment of death, I remembered Count Gus, who had been chasing the moon hidden in the clouds while saying those words.
'Is that what you meant...?'
As I was lamenting my belated realization, Evan suddenly jumped out of bed and knelt before me.
“I know how great a sin it is to dare to harm the Saintess, even if it was not intentional. Nevertheless, I thank you for taking care of my younger brother. Although it is late, please let me pay the price now.”
“What’s the price? That’s okay. A Saintess has to look after a helpless child. Especially if it’s a Saintess.”
I waved my hand as if to tell him not to care, but Evan was firm.
“No, you must accept it. The price I will pay is information that the Saintess must know.”
“Information?”
He nodded heavily.
Then he started to reveal the truth about Ibis.
It is said that he overheard Marquis Zenger and Count Gus talking there, which is called the paradise of the Ibis followers.
He said it with a rather serious expression, but it wasn't as helpful information to me as he had asserted.
Because it was already known that Ibis was the first blessing of the goddess, Elysia.
But the content that followed surprised me, as well as the Crown Prince and the archangels.
“There is someone who helps her. They say he is another bloodline of the goddess. I don’t know his name, but I heard he has olive hair and eyes like hers.”
At that moment, all our eyes were focused on one place.
A man standing in the corner, not moving at all, a man meeting my gaze with a stern expression as if to prove that Evan's words were true.
Incredibly, his true identity is...
“...Bayen.”
Bayen smiled faintly as he watched me hum softly.
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