CHAPTER 03…………………………..
Archangel Michael was an ordinary cat during the day.
But at night, he transformed into his true form — a white-maned lion.
Because his true form was that of a lion and carried the scent of a fierce predator, most wild animals instinctively avoided him.
“Someone treated him.”
There were traces of healing-attribute divine power left on Michael.
But was there even anyone in the Holy Nation with healing-attribute divine power?
Compared to other attributes, it was extremely rare, so even the Holy Pontiff Cassius had never sensed such a power before. Most likely, someone possessed healing power but was hiding it.
“Well, not that it matters.”
Unlike other attributes, healing could not reach its final awakening, making it practically useless.
At best, it could treat minor wounds; splashing holy water was far more efficient than calling a healing priest. Because of that, priests with healing ability were mocked for generations or dragged into troublesome matters they never wanted.
They were probably hiding the power because they didn’t want to be ignored for having an ability that might as well not exist.
“If I find out who it is one day, I should thank them.”
Cassius’s hand, which had been stroking Michael and checking his condition, suddenly stopped.
He smelled a scent he had once caught before.
As he became aware of the subtle fragrance, the image of Sonia surfaced in his mind.
His instincts whispered to him — her skin would be even more enticing.
His throat bobbed.
A faint sweetness that tickled the heart.
An intense Omega pheromone scent that stirred the very core of an Alpha and pulled at him made his mouth feel dry.
“What’s wrong with me…?”
It wasn’t as if this was his first time encountering an Omega. His reaction felt like that of a teenage boy in love for the first time.
Cassius had met living Omegas before the Omega Plague spread.
Their pheromones had always been so disgusting he could barely stand them.
But strangely, Sonia’s pheromone scent felt so sweet he wanted to breathe more of it in.
Cassius furrowed his brows as he savored the faint pheromone scent Michael had brought with him.
Her scent was stronger on Michael’s front paw.
A mixture of shock, pain, and sharp emotions.
It seemed Michael had hurt her.
“You’d better think of a good excuse.”
He had injured a human, after all.
Michael at night was not only huge in size but also capable of communication.
Cassius muttered a warning toward the clueless daytime Michael.
Not knowing what awaited him once the sun set and he returned to his true form, daytime Michael simply purred happily, enjoying his master’s touch.
This was no time to leisurely pet a cat.
If she had been attacked by Michael, the healing wouldn’t be easy.
Cassius lifted one hand.
An aide waiting in his office approached.
“You called, Your Holiness?”
Find a trainee priest.
And move as quickly as possible.
Cassius was about to give the order—but paused.
Sonia clearly wanted to hide her healing ability. Sending a holy knight would draw attention; it would be better to move himself.
It didn’t take long to make that decision.
Cassius stood up and issued an order.
“I’ll be stepping out. You’re in charge of the office.”
“You’re going out, Your Holiness? What about your work?”
“There’s something more important than paperwork.”
With that, Cassius disappeared without even taking a guard.
Left alone in the office, the aide couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.
The task Cassius postponed was a report that had taken three years just to prepare.
What on earth could be more important than the contents of that document?
No… If His Holiness is doing it, then there must be something important…
Cassius had never wasted time.
Nor did he ever deal with personal matters during official duties.
A man who calculated everything thoroughly would never suddenly decide to go for a spontaneous walk.
There must be something extremely important he couldn’t even explain.
The aide concluded as much.
“Meow—.”
Holding Michael, who was searching for his master, he began tidying the office.
After the ungrateful cat I had saved scratched me and ran off, I climbed the bell tower alone, just as I had planned.
I had to climb quite a few stairs to reach my destination.
When I first became a priest, Ellie and I despaired upon hearing we were assigned to clean the bell tower.
Because the tower was so tall, it had endless stairs—and this world didn’t have elevators.
It felt like climbing a ten-story building on foot.
We only had to clean it once a week, but climbing that tall tower was exhausting.
But after I gained healing-attribute divine power, it became easy.
Using it immediately relieved fatigue, so climbing stairs was nothing.
And after discovering the hidden “reward” at the top, I actually began to enjoy climbing.
Here we are.
The floor just below the great bell.
This was the bell tower’s maintenance room, where supplies and cleaning tools were kept.
I headed toward the box Ellie and I had brought here.
Inside were items we had stored.
I had placed blankets and cushions.
Ellie had brought books and knitting supplies and other things to pass the time.
A book I haven’t seen before.
It seemed Ellie had added something new.
I checked the title on the plain cover and froze.
〈The Indomitable Duke Alpha Whose Hips Never Stop〉
Good grief. Ellie actually brought a book like this?
I’m going to have to scold her for this.
Which meant I needed to thoroughly examine its contents.
I cleared my throat and gently lifted the book.
Then I undid the latch and swung the window wide open.
Warm sunlight and a cool breeze flowed into the wooden maintenance room.
After setting down the cushion and the book, I looked outside.
A cloudless blue sky. The white buildings of Magnus, the Holy Nation.
It looked almost like a seaside city — just looking at it made my chest feel open and refreshed.
I feel so good.
My previous life had begun in a semi-basement and ended in a burning semi-basement.
With the musty smell of mold and a small window with metal bars showing only exhaust pipes from passing cars.
A tiny space where I couldn’t even tell day from night, filled with the sound of my parents fighting.
Fearing the sparks might fly my way, I would curl up near the entrance and wait for the argument to end.
That was why the ordinary daily life I gained after being born as Sonia Theodore was so precious.
A mansion filled with memories of loving parents, my younger sibling, and kind people.
And the peaceful life of the Holy Nation, finishing my duties and spending my free time in comfort—everything was precious.
I don’t want to lose it.
Now that complications had arisen, I didn’t know what would happen next.
But I wanted to protect everything—without losing a single piece.
To stay strong, I needed to rest properly whenever I had time.
With renewed determination, I examined the book Ellie had brought.
I was definitely alone, but for some reason I glanced around before refocusing on the book.
〈The Indomitable Duke Alpha Whose Hips Never Stop〉 was explicit from the very first page.
Alphas had superior physical abilities compared to betas or omegas.
Since they excelled in physical activities, they were also incredibly adept in bed.
That was when I felt a sharp sting on my wrist.
Huh?
I pulled up my sleeve to check the red mark—and gasped.
There was a long cut as though sliced by a blade, with blood pooling up.
It must have been from the cat’s scratch.
I had used divine power to heal it before climbing the tower.
Was the wound deeper than I thought?
I used my healing power again.
But aside from the sting fading briefly, the injury didn’t heal.
Panicked, I used divine power several more times, but nothing changed.
If the wound didn’t heal, there was only one explanation—
The cat that scratched me wasn’t an ordinary cat.
A divine beast or a monster.
If it was mid-rank or above, my power as a trainee priest would be too weak to heal it.
The pain I thought had vanished returned.
This time it grew sharper, making me wince.
It seemed that when I used healing power, the pain disappeared briefly but returned worse after.
This was no time to be reading a book.
If I didn’t heal it soon, the monster’s poison would spread, intensifying the pain.
I needed to find someone with water-attribute divine power to cleanse the wound.
Thump, thump.
As soon as I stood, I heard loud footsteps.
Someone was running up the stairs outside the maintenance room.
Ellie knew where I was going.
But the footsteps were too heavy to belong to her.
Who is it?
Swallowing hard, I stared at the door.
“Priest Sonia!”
It was the Holy Pontiff, Cassius.
“…Your Holiness?”
He approached, breathing heavily.
He must have sprinted all the way here.
I hid my injured arm behind my back and stepped away from him.
Because a line from 〈Domain of Predators〉 popped into my head.
“Lancelot, I want to smell more of your scent.”
There was only one reason they tormented Lancelot.
When his emotions intensified, when he was injured — the more Lancelot suffered, the stronger his Omega scent became.
Especially when he bled, his pheromone scent thickened to the point that others lost their minds.
Not wanting any hint of blood to escape, I clamped my hand tightly around the wound and bit my lower lip at the sting.
But it seemed the Omega scent had already spread into the air.
Cassius drew a deep breath.
His broad chest rose and fell.
