Chapter 42
Wiping the sweat from her forehead after bickering with Stuart, Lily awkwardly bent her back and accepted a newspaper from the Duke. It was a bulletin published regularly by the imperial palace.
“Huhhh?”
On the front page, Lily’s name was printed in huge letters. Under the headline, “Lily Hegelstern of the Guardian Knights Who Found the Light of the Magic Tower,” the story detailed how Lily had spent a week at the Tower, dispelling curses from the magicians.
“…She even completely cured the long-standing illness of Tower Master Elliot Rafe, and in gratitude, the Rafe family transferred a considerable number of their artifacts to L. Hegelstern.”
The Tower Master had sent various artifacts by type: battle-use artifacts, ones convenient for daily life, all categorized and accompanied by detailed explanations.
Lily had intended to keep only what she wanted and offer the rest to the Duke, but he refused, saying he could not accept gifts meant for her. In the end, Lily had no choice but to move into a larger room.
Why her lodgings were in the main building instead of the annex remained beyond her understanding…
“There’s more on the back.”
As Lily was about to fold the paper, Stuart quickly explained. Just as he said, the article continued on the back. The problem was that from the back onward…
“…But the High Priest, who bore responsibility, instead sent the youngest saintess and priests to bear the risk…”
The article harshly criticized the High Priest—known as the one with “unparalleled divine power”—for shirking responsibility and pushing it onto children. Even worse, it compared him to Lily. It claimed that the divine power Lily Hegelstern had shown was by no means inferior to the High Priest’s, but rather an equally immense force… At that part, Lily’s eyes widened.
“C-Can they even criticize the High Priest like this?”
To believers, the High Priest was God’s representative. No one treated him as just a man. God was the High Priest, and he was revered almost as a demigod. Was it really okay to speak against him like this? Lily felt a chill of fear.
“Keep reading.”
Stuart looked rather satisfied. Lily finished the article. Though the words were carefully phrased, in the end it raised suspicion: “Why did Lily Hegelstern, who possessed such strong divine power, never once participate in external missions while she was in the temple?”
“Well… that does feel refreshing.”
Even so, Lily wasn’t sure the High Priest would stay quiet after reading this. And tonight was exactly the night she was supposed to meet the coachman and hand over that glass bottle. She ruffled her hair anxiously.
“Is this really okay…?”
She looked down at Stuart with conflicted eyes. Stuart had said she didn’t need to follow the coachman’s orders anymore. No need to extract her divine power, no need to meet every three days. He had even taken the blue glass bottle from her. Since divine power couldn’t be stored in just any container, she hadn’t been able to draw any at all.
“I’m not sure this will be fine…”
The newspaper crumpled in Lily’s hands also carried a short article: several saintesses and priests had gone missing. Since such people often eloped together, it was the kind of story nobody paid attention to.
“Those who claim to follow God’s word—what a joke!” People would just sneer and forget it, treating it as trivial.
But if the article hadn’t concealed the fact that the missing priests were ones the High Priest had sent to the Magic Tower… suspicions might have exploded.
“Lady Successor Saintess, we have something to report.”
The saintesses and priests who had returned from the Tower went to see the Successor Saintess. Their faces were stiff with anger. They hadn’t expected those corrupted by black magic to understand true teachings—but instead, they had seen Lily being exalted as though she were a goddess.
“It’s the High Priest who was chosen by God, not that pathetic traitor!”
Filled with fury, they reported everything that had happened at the Tower. When they reached the part where “Lily’s divine power smelled the same as the High Priest’s,” their voices grew even more heated.
“I see.”
The Successor Saintess nodded blandly. They assumed she was lost in deep thought.
“You didn’t tell anyone else, did you?”
“No. We came straight to you.”
“Good. Until we fully understand the situation, do not speak of this to anyone.”
“Yes, Lady Successor Saintess!”
Convinced that the traitor who had disturbed the High Priest would soon be punished, they left smiling with satisfaction. When asked how the Tower had been, they boasted arrogantly, leaving out all mention of Lily and claiming her achievements as their own without hesitation.
Late that night, Brandley, who had been hiding on the north side of the temple, cautiously stepped outside. At his side was the former Captain of the Holy Knights, wearing a mask.
The Captain quietly delivered the High Priest’s orders:
“Go north and make contact with Bezley.”
Brandley’s expression hardened. Surely they meant Philip Bezley, the Duke’s coachman he had once seen at the temple? Why should a knight of his standing be sent all the way north just to meet a mere coachman?
The Captain sighed, reading his thoughts.
“This is the High Priest’s direct order. There’s something you must retrieve from him. Your task is to deliver it safely to the temple.”
“Then… it’s important?”
“Extremely.”
When the Captain confirmed it, Brandley smiled proudly. Guarding an important item on the long journey back to the temple—that was indeed a task for a brave knight like him. He readily accepted.
Watching him, the Captain inwardly mocked the so-called Guardian Knights’ “keen judgment.”
But someone else was watching. It was Bianca, Brandley’s younger sister, who had infiltrated the temple. She already knew that Philip Bezley was a traitor.
“So that’s why the High Priest brought Brandley here…”
He needed a pawn to carry Lily’s divine power. Someone tied to the north, yet with no ties to the High Priest.
During the Captain’s time, there had at least been some suspicion cast toward the High Priest. But if Brandley were caught doing anything, no one would suspect the High Priest.
“Perfect scapegoat. Brandley and the High Priest have no connection.”
Clicking her tongue, Bianca erased her presence and moved toward the temple’s northern end. There, a small back gate led to a rarely visited open area, and beyond it, dense forest. She had been using it to hide magic stones and send reports to her young master.
But there, she came upon a shocking sight.
“Y-Your Holiness, what is the meaning of this?”
The High Priest, face unusually cold, stood before young saintesses and priests. Their arms were bound behind them. Bianca realized they were the ones who had returned from the Tower.
“Just one step into the Tower, and you return tainted with evil.”
His soft voice chilled the humid night air. Surrounded by Holy Knights, the children were bound tighter. The High Priest let out a sorrowful sigh.
“Sadly… those who have joined hands with practitioners of black magic can no longer remain in the temple.”
“…If he’s just expelling them, why bother tying them up?”
Bianca frowned. Then the High Priest spoke words even more shocking:
“But as properly appointed saintesses and priests, you cannot leave the temple alive.”
The grief-stricken High Priest slowly opened his eyes. But within them was nothing but cold fury.
“Death is your only path to atonement. Repent until your last breath.”
The temple stood on a high hill, surrounded by thick forest—an ideal place for unmarked graves.
The Holy Knights bowed and began dragging the captives to a hidden pit that had already been dug.
“No! Your Holiness, that’s not true! We never sided with them!”
“By God’s name, we swear—we are innocent!”
Their desperate cries went unanswered. To the Holy Knights, everything seemed routine.
Bianca, watching from the shadows, realized something unsettling:
The saintesses’ quarters were to the south, the priests’ to the east, the prayer hall to the west… The north only held storage. And the small hidden gate at the north, the deserted clearing, the vast forest beyond—were all of these really coincidences?
“Silence, you rotten wretches. How dare you profane God’s name with your mouths?”
“Ever since Hegelstern left, everyone’s grown careless.”
The Holy Knights quickly pushed the captives into the pit and shoveled dirt over them without a shred of guilt. Bianca’s body shivered at the sight.
“To think the man worshipped as a demigod is such a monster…”
The High Priest casually told the knights, “Finish up and return. Rest well at home tomorrow.” Then he left.
Delighted at the unexpected day off, the knights hummed as they carelessly buried the victims. The pit was deep enough, and the frail saintesses and priests—wasted from fasting and prayer—could never climb out anyway.
“Shall we grab a drink? A new tavern opened near Aiden’s shop, and the waitress is a real beauty.”
“Of course, can’t ignore a new place. You joining, or is your wife waiting?”
“Bah, she knows I’ll be late. Don’t leave me out.”
Laughing and gossiping, the knights walked away.
When no trace of them remained, Bianca appeared and ran to the pit. She wove her magic into a net and pulled the saintesses and priests out.
