Chapter – 100
As Kyle tried to go straight to where she was, William grabbed him.
“Stay still for a moment, Kyle. They’re just talking. Sian is kind to everyone anyway—except when he can’t get what he wants.”
“I think this is exactly that moment. When he can’t get what he wants.”
“You mean the throne? If it’s something like that, then for you—”
That’s not it.
Kyle silently watched Diana suddenly stomp hard on Sian’s foot for startling her, while Sian exaggerated his pain and joked around with her.
It felt like a pitch-black wave was crashing inside his mind.
For a moment, he thought that if—before time had been turned back—he had failed to defeat Sian, then it must have been because he had been blinded by jealousy.
Ignoring proper manners, he pushed through the crowd and headed toward Diana. By the time he got there, Sian had already left the temple.
As Kyle approached, Diana asked,
“Kyle, aren’t you still greeting people?”
The moment she spoke, Kyle spread his arms as if he had been waiting and pulled her into an embrace.
Diana grabbed Kyle’s chin with her uninjured hand and forced him to look at her.
“Didn’t you see Ethel’s expression this morning? You shouldn’t be doing such improper things in the temple.”
“It’s fine.”
“What do you mean it’s fine? People are whispering.”
Without answering, Kyle pulled her even closer.
Diana panicked and pushed him away.
“Kyle, people are getting embarrassed.”
“Don’t push me away.”
“Wow, your jealousy is really terrible…”
“Yeah.”
Kyle answered without thinking.
Diana was wondering how she should detach him from herself when—
A scream was heard from outside the temple.
The people inside the temple rushed outside in confusion.
The moment they saw the sky, their mouths fell open.
The sky was covered with black birds.
When one bird landed on the ground, people screamed again. As the bird spread its wings, there were eyes on both sides of its wings.
When the bird charged toward the crowd, Diana ran forward and blocked its path.
The bird suddenly stopped attacking.
At that moment, an arrow flew in and pierced the top of the bird’s head.
When Diana turned around, Amila was already standing there with a bow, pulling the string.
“Everyone, go back inside the temple!”
As Diana shouted, people rushed back into the temple in panic.
Fortunately, no monsters could enter the temple blessed by the god Roxand.
The only ones left outside were those capable of fighting.
Kyle swung his sword and cut off the bird’s neck.
But the strange monster did not die. It spread its wings again.
Diana said,
“I think the wings are the main body… no, maybe the face!”
“Damn it. What kind of monster is that?”
Disgusted, Kyle slashed the wings precisely this time.
Only after both wings were cut off did the bird collapse onto the ground.
Kyle looked up at the sky and muttered,
“If those things rush us all at once… we’re finished.”
Diana shot him a glare.
“Don’t say such negative things.”
“That was a realistic observation. Diana, how many do you think you can bind?”
“Hmm… I’ve never tried before, but maybe five? Ah—if they really attack at once, we’re doomed!”
Only then did Diana realize it and looked shocked.
Kyle stared at her in disbelief, wondering how a person could possibly be that fearless.
In truth, the only things she seemed afraid of were darkness, being alone, or situations where ghosts might appear.
At that moment, three birds descended at once.
Amila shot arrows and struck the eyes of six birds flying in the air one by one with perfect accuracy.
Her skill was almost supernatural, but the monsters only suffered and did not die easily.
Then, Wheelia—who had been standing behind—suddenly stepped back and ran forward.
She stepped on a subordinate’s shoulder, jumped high into the air, flipped backward, and landed on the bird’s back.
She stabbed her sword into the monster’s body.
With a terrible scream, the bird crashed to the ground.
She cut off its wings and looked at Jin, whose mouth was wide open.
“Alright, little brother. Your turn.”
“What do you mean my turn?! Why is my whole family like this?! Where was I even born?!”
Jin shouted as if he had been wronged by the world and pretended to cry in despair.
At that moment Diana said to Kyle,
“Kyle. Throw me up into the air like that.”
“No.”
“Why not? I’m really strong.”
“You’re strong against monsters. That’s different.”
“Then why not?”
“You can’t jump that high and accurately.”
Ugh.
That hit the mark.
Diana staggered in pain.
Just then, Sian asked,
“Wis can use temporary levitation magic. Do you need it?”
“I do! Oh, Sian. Cleaning up your own mess, huh.”
“Hm? What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Just lift me quickly.”
Diana casually gestured to Wis.
Wis asked,
“Where would you like me to place you?”
“Put me on top of that monster. The one at the very peak.”
“You mean onto the monster’s back.”
“Yep. If it’s an aerial battle, we fight in the air.”
Wis smiled and used the stick he was holding to draw something on the ground.
Immediately, Diana’s body began to float upward.
“W-Wow! Kyle! Buy me a mage too!”
“Sure. Later.”
“You’re not going to buy one, are you?”
“We already have civil servants.”
“No, not those. Buy me a mage like that.”
While Diana kept nagging him, her body rose high enough.
She kicked her legs like she was swimming and moved toward the monster, then neatly landed on its frozen back.
“Without the eyes, it actually looks kind of cute.”
As she said that and patted the monster’s head, the creature twisted in pain.
Diana said,
“Alright. Let’s go home. Northeast.”
The bird shook its head violently as if it absolutely didn’t want to go.
But eventually it began flying in the direction Diana pointed.
When the first bird at the front of the formation moved, the others awkwardly followed.
“Wow. You really are birds after all.”
Muttering that, Diana rode the bird gliding through the sky and looked into the distant horizon.
“Oh. This is nice.”
She admired the view for a moment before looking down.
“…But how do I get down?”
The height wasn’t extremely high, but it wasn’t safe either.
To keep people safe, she had to take the monsters all the way to the northeastern edge.
“Northeast… Good thing I ate a lot earlier.”
Diana nodded proudly at her own decision.
Then a voice shouted from the ground.
“Diana! Jump down!”
She looked down.
Kyle was riding a horse and chasing after her.
How exactly was she supposed to jump?
She thought about it seriously, but it didn’t seem like Wis was coming to lower her down.
So there seemed to be only one option.
She spoke to the bird.
“Keep flying northeast. If you come back, I’ll take it as a challenge to fight me.”
The bird trembled at Diana’s threat.
Very satisfied with her powerful divine power, Diana shouted,
“Three, two, one!”
At that moment, she jumped.
Kyle kicked off the back of his horse, leapt into the air, caught Diana in his arms, and landed on the ground.
Landing directly on their feet might have injured her, so he held her tightly and rolled across the ground several times before stopping.
Only then did Diana open the eyes she had tightly shut.
She raised her hand and lightly smacked Kyle’s arm.
“Reckless.”
“So should I have sent you all the way to the northeastern forest?”
“Yes. That would’ve been less reckless.”
“That’s the most reckless option. What if you came back dragging more monsters with you?”
“Wow, you still don’t trust me?”
“Of course not, you fraud.”
“I wonder how you date a fraud.”
“Because you’re pretty, so I’ll just keep being fooled.”
Diana froze in shock at Kyle’s very un-Kyle-like answer.
She immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
Kyle looked puzzled.
“Why?”
“If I tease you for saying I’m pretty, you might never say it again. I’m holding it in.”
“That’s reasonable.”
Kyle laughed and stood up first, then helped Diana to her feet.
His loyal horse had already begun running toward them the moment it realized its master had disappeared.
Soon the two of them mounted the horse and returned to the royal castle.
However, the atmosphere inside the castle was terrible.
Wheelia and Renette were arguing.
The moment Diana and Kyle entered, Renette pointed at them.
“This incident proves the impurity of the god Roxand! On such a sacred day—at the very place where Roxand resides—monsters appeared in such numbers, and such ominous ones at that!”
Wheelia replied,
“So what? Things like that can happen.”
“No. Someone is at fault. This is corruption!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The one who suffers the most from monsters appearing here today is Kyle. So if someone summoned them, it obviously wasn’t Kyle.”
“Yes. Your Highness is correct. That is why I believe this was done by someone capable of controlling monsters. If we say that the one who summoned them was the priestess Diana—then everything makes perfect sense.”
“What?! You bastard!”
“Is there anyone here besides Priestess Diana who can control monsters?”
Wheelia was about to draw her sword in fury when her subordinates hurriedly restrained her.
“Y-Your Highness! You must not point a sword at a priestess!”
“But he’s talking nonsense!”
“W-Well… honestly, it’s not completely impossible…”
“What?”
“In the entire history of the Vitencia Empire, monsters have never appeared at the Roxand Temple. If someone brought them here… it would have to be Priestess Diana…”
Even her own subordinates reacted like that.
Wheelia’s face twisted in anger.
Diana simply shrugged and said brightly,
“What are you talking about? I’m such a fairy—how could I summon monsters? Right, Kyle?”
“In this situation, you’re saying something that embarrassing?”
“But it’s true. You said earlier that even if I’m a fraud, you’d keep being fooled because I’m pretty.”
“…If you were going to tease me, you should’ve done it earlier.”
Kyle sighed.
Then William, who had come outside, gasped in shock.
“M-My goodness! My son says things like ‘pretty’? Incredible! This is what you call a match made in heaven!”
“Your Majesty, you don’t have to try so hard to pair us up. We’re already very much in love.”
“Th-Then since everyone is gathered here anyway—let’s hold the wedding right now!”
Wow… still as impatient as ever.
At that moment, Rona stepped forward gracefully.
“Priestess Renette’s words may not be entirely wrong. For now, it would be best to escort Priestess Diana to the Vitencia Empire and have the priests of the Catiline Temple verify her. After all, it is certain that she can control monsters.”
“That won’t happen.”
Kyle stepped forward to block her.
Rona’s face turned cold.
“If you keep interfering like that… it makes your son look like an accomplice.”
“An accomplice? How can there be an accomplice when there isn’t even a culprit?”
Kyle answered and completely hid Diana behind his back.
From behind him, Diana added,
“That’s right. If there’s no culprit, how can there be a criminal?”
When Diana supported him, Sian smiled and said,
“Putting everything else aside, since we now know that the priestess can drive away monsters, how about going to the capital first and driving away the rest of them? The people of the capital are living in fear.”
At his suggestion, Diana shot Sian a sharp glare.
He wasn’t wrong.
But because Sian said it, it felt like he had some hidden scheme behind it.
