Episode 32
“Form a line here! Just place your hand on the orb!”
Katrina was conducting a mana test for the residents of the territory.
She quietly observed the process, watching the inspection proceed smoothly.
The symptoms shown by those who had followed the sound of the flute—
They were the exact signs of someone who had lost their dark mana.
Very few people knew about these symptoms.
In fact, Katrina might be the only one here who understood what it meant.
The reason why?
Because I’ve lost divine power before.
Long ago, Katrina had been stripped of her status as a Saint candidate after losing her divine power.
Back then, she couldn’t understand why such a thing had happened to her.
So she’d begun to research, digging through every bit of information she could find.
And that’s when she learned about this phenomenon—
That when someone’s mana is stolen, a faint mark appears on their body.
So faint, in fact, it was nearly invisible. But Katrina had seen the exact same mark illustrated in a book.
Which meant one thing:
Everyone who had followed the flute had once possessed dark mana.
…But here came the real question.
Were there really this many people in Ashius with dark mana?
Even accounting for the number of criminals in the region, this was still an overwhelming number.
It was unsettling.
And what’s more—
I don’t have dark mana.
In fact, she had the opposite. Or rather, she used to—Katrina had once possessed divine power.
So then why was I affected by the flute?
“Katrina, can I ask why you’re conducting this inspection?”
It was Niel beside her, breaking her train of thought.
“The ones who followed the flute got sick because their mana was stolen,” she replied.
“Their mana was… stolen?”
Well—more precisely, their dark mana.
“How do you know that?” he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
“…I studied it once. That’s how I know.”
“Did you study it because… you also lost your divine power?”
Katrina was momentarily speechless.
But Niel’s face held no ill intent.
“There’s no reason for me to answer that kind of question,” she said coolly. “Just ask about the inspection, Niel France.”
She had no desire to get too involved with him.
In fact, she didn’t want anything to do with any of them.
She hated the protagonists of this story.
“Then just answer me one thing.”
Niel didn’t back down. He looked at Katrina, as if something weighed heavily on his mind.
“Did you meet Sylas?”
“What?”
Katrina blinked, caught off guard.
It was as if Niel already knew Sylas had gone to see her.
“So you did.”
The moment he saw her reaction, Niel nodded in certainty.
“Niel, stop wasting your time on me and focus on the relics.”
“…”
“Isn’t that your mission? To purify the artifacts?”
Most ancient relics were steeped in ominous energy.
They had the power to enthrall people—luring them, drawing them in.
In fact, many who used such artifacts hadn’t even done so of their own will.
It was the relics that controlled them.
And only one thing could cleanse those relics—divine power.
This very incident was still under debate.
Was it the flute’s doing, or someone using the flute with malicious intent?
If it really was a bewitching relic, then it had to be a powerful one.
Relics like that didn’t purify easily.
That’s why the temple had sent someone with overwhelming divine power—Niel.
Niel would purify the artifact.
Lucifer would recover it.
That was their reason for coming to Ashius.
“Katrina, I’m Sylas’s closest friend.”
“…”
“I only asked because I’m worried about him.”
Friend, he said.
Hearing that word from Niel’s mouth almost made her laugh.
But of course, he couldn’t stop there—Niel France had to push further.
“You were close to Sylas once too, weren’t you, Katrina?”
Her brow furrowed.
“No matter how much you hate him, you shouldn’t have done that to him.”
“…”
“I just want you to feel a little guilt. Because Sylas, because of you—”
“Niel.”
She cut him off, her voice sharp.
“Enough with the deception.”
“Deception…?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
Katrina’s black eyes dimmed.
Her mind drifted back—to long ago, to when they were all still young.
And to the day they were no longer children.
A faint smile curved her lips.
“You all know I never poisoned your tea.”
All five of them knew.
They knew she was innocent.
Yet they had betrayed her, slandered her, humiliated her…
And tried to kill her.
“…Just what do you think you’re doing in another lord’s territory?!”
It was then that Lord Gilbert arrived, running over in a frenzy.
His face was flushed red, his breathing ragged.
He shouted at Katrina.
“A mana inspection?! Without my permission?!”
Katrina frowned.
She’d simply run a test. Why was he reacting this way?
Even the gathered townsfolk were now murmuring, glancing back and forth nervously.
They looked to the lord, hesitant to proceed.
“My lord, please calm down and hear me out—”
“I will not! You, stop this at once!”
Gilbert’s voice boomed.
“Do you even know how much this costs?!”
…What?
“I understand that the young lady may be unfamiliar with these matters, but you must consult with me first! Our territory runs on a tight budget!”
Katrina looked at him with growing disbelief.
Tight budget?
She knew Ashius wasn’t wealthy. She knew Aviche didn’t provide much funding.
But—
And yet you’ve been importing luxury goods by the wagonload.
She’d already seen the carts loaded with expensive items. She’d known from the start he was wasting the territory’s funds.
“My lord, that’s enough.”
“Enough? Do you have any idea how much I care about my people?!”
His tone reeked of false righteousness.
It was clear. He was trying to paint her as the villain before the townspeople.
“You there! What are you doing?! Clear all this out at once!”
Gilbert shouted to his knights. And immediately, they began to move, trying to shut down the inspection.
This bastard.
He was deliberately obstructing her.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Lord Gilbert, I came here as Lady Hildegard’s representative.”
Katrina finally raised her voice.
“I don’t believe you’re a direct heir, are you?”
What—?
He’d dared to question her lineage.
Unbelievable.
And he wasn’t done.
“Escort the lady!”
At his command, the knights moved in on her.
Ha.
Of course, they obeyed.
As they reached out to seize her—
“Agh!”
One knight screamed.
Katrina saw it too.
A dagger was embedded in the back of the knight’s hand.
“Well, I’d recommend you take your hands off the lady, nameless knight.”
It was Lucifer.
He had been sitting nearby the entire time, chin resting on his palm, lazily observing the commotion.
Now, he rose to his feet.
“And while you’re at it—maybe keep your eyes to yourself too. Yeah?”
