After chatting a little more, I didn’t even realize when I fell asleep.
When I woke up from a light nap, Zaka was no longer beside me.
I pushed away the jacket he had laid over me and stood up.
Zaka was standing right by the door.
When I approached, I noticed something was wrong with his expression.
‘What’s wrong?’
When I mouthed the words, Zaka quickly pulled me behind him.
‘Something’s strange.’
‘What is?’
Instead of answering, Zaka opened the door just a little and tilted his head toward the hallway.
There was no sound of guards at all.
That meant it might be the perfect time to escape.
‘Did they go for a shift change?’
‘No.’
‘Then what?’
‘They all suddenly rushed toward the entrance.’
I quietly clicked my tongue in agreement.
Maybe it was simply because the night had ended and the place was closing, but we couldn’t take that chance.
We had gone too deep inside this place to make up any excuses if we got caught.
We had to move carefully.
Then suddenly—
Someone ran into the room in a panic.
The man didn’t even notice us hiding behind the shelves. He started sweeping all the papers and ledgers onto the floor—then poured oil over them.
The papers caught fire instantly, the flames spreading fast.
He was dumping glass bottles onto the burning pile, and each time one shattered, thick, acrid smoke filled the room.
‘The evidence!’
I bit my lip. I had planned to take some things as proof before we left.
A bad feeling ran down my spine.
Then—
A loud explosion echoed from somewhere far away, followed by shouting and the sound of dozens of people clashing and running.
It sounded like the final line of defense had been broken.
The meaning was clear:
There was a battle happening nearby.
That’s why the guards had left the corridor empty.
I couldn’t tell who was attacking—
But if it had anything to do with the incident during the Hunt Festival… could it be the Duke?
I made up my mind quickly.
I signaled to Zaka.
Then I grabbed a candlestick and struck the man setting the fire on the back of the head.
He gave a short groan and collapsed, unconscious.
There was no water around, so I grabbed a nearby coat and began beating at the flames.
Zaka joined in, still looking at me like I had gone mad, but together we managed to slow the fire down.
I used my foot to drag out the half-burned papers from the edges of the fire.
My shoes got hot from the heat.
“Ow, ow!”
Zaka glared at me like I was crazy, then found a metal rod and used it to pull the unburned papers free.
That was when it happened—
Zaka suddenly staggered and pulled me into his arms.
I started to protest, but he covered my mouth and nose and moved us back from the fire.
“What’s wrong?”
Zaka motioned toward the bottles that were shattering in the flames.
Then I realized it—
The smoke!
We had been breathing in the fumes from the burning drug bottles.
Even in that short time, I could feel Zaka’s grip tightening around me.
He was losing control of his strength.
I was still fine, so I held him up and helped him move toward the hallway, dragging the papers to the side with my foot.
The heat from the fire burned at my back.
I sat Zaka down in the corridor, ready to go back for the documents—
But he grabbed my wrist tightly.
“Where are… you going…?”
“I have to get the evidence before we run!”
“No.”
His grip tightened painfully.
“Don’t get involved… with the cult.”
“What are you talking about now—?”
Then suddenly—
I froze. A chill ran down my neck.
Someone was pointing a sword at me.
“Are you part of the cult? Or…”
The man hesitated, studying our clothes.
That small hesitation saved us.
Before I could explain, Zaka—still lying on the ground—moved like lightning.
He lunged like a beast, straight at the man holding the sword.
“Zaka!”
The man stumbled back several steps, caught off guard, then swung his sword.
Zaka twisted his body, the blade grazing his side as he closed the distance and reached for the man’s neck—
“Don’t! Stop!”
“…”
The man blinked in shock when he saw me clutching Zaka from behind, blocking his movement.
“You… who are you?” he asked sharply.
“We’re not part of the cult!”
He looked from me to Zaka again, clearly suspicious but also confused.
It felt like he recognized me somehow—though I’d never seen him before.
A cold sweat ran down my back.
Even I could tell that Zaka’s movements were too skilled—too dangerous.
If he’d really attacked, this man could have been dead.
“…Are you a Holy Knight?” I asked.
“Yes.”
The man wore full silver plate armor, with the insignia of the Grand Temple engraved on his sword hilt and a long silver cloak.
A Holy Knight, without doubt.
“And this one?” he asked, nodding at Zaka.
“He’s my attendant—and my guard. You pointed your sword at me first, so please forgive him.”
I climbed down from Zaka’s back, my legs trembling.
Pain shot up my thighs, and Zaka immediately grabbed my arm to steady me.
His breathing was uneven, his eyes losing and regaining focus.
“Are you okay?”
“…You, my Lady—”
“I’m fine.”
He must have inhaled too much of the drug smoke earlier.
Or maybe it was the wine he accidentally drank before.
Either way, I was the only one still steady on my feet.
“Baroness Roxan?” the Holy Knight asked suddenly.
“…Yes.”
“Why are you here… No, never mind. Please come with me.”
He glanced at Zaka again, sheathed his sword, and motioned for us to follow.
“Wait,” I said, pointing toward the smoky room.
“This place is their base. Someone came in to destroy evidence, so I knocked him out. But we couldn’t put the fire out completely.”
The knight stepped in to look and spotted the stack of papers I had saved.
His expression softened ever so slightly.
He called out to his fellow knights to extinguish the flames and preserve the documents.
“Be careful,” I added. “The smoke’s from drug bottles—they might be toxic.”
He didn’t reply but passed my warning to his men.
Then he led us down the corridor.
“Where are you taking us?”
“…”
“My attendant is not well—could he be treated first?”
“…”
“I know the cult has been using those drugs to control people’s minds. The Temple must have developed an antidote by now. Surely, after what we’ve done—”
“I have no authority. Just follow quietly.”
I bit back my words.
Zaka’s condition was getting worse.
I was scared he might lose control, like the man we’d seen earlier.
We descended a floor. Holy Knights were everywhere.
There were bodies scattered around, so I kept my eyes on the knight’s back instead of looking at them.
If we couldn’t prove our innocence, we might end up the same way.
The Temple was known for showing no mercy to anyone involved with heresy.
Finally, the knight brought us before a middle-aged man who looked like the commander.
He stood before an empty platform in the central hall and frowned when he saw us.
“What is this?”
“I found civilians during the search,” the knight explained.
“What makes you think they’re civilians?”
The hesitation in the knight’s voice told me he didn’t have a convincing answer.
If I stayed quiet, both of us could end up dead.
So I stepped forward quickly.
When the commander’s gaze met mine, I bowed deeply.
“I am Baroness Anastasia Roxan.”
“And?”
“We were sent here under orders. Please, I ask for your fair judgment.”
“Orders? From whom?”
I clenched my lips for a moment, then raised my head to meet his eyes.
“From Duke Ishtan Gladinare.”
That was the only name I could use to protect us now.
