Chapter 71
“Isn’t she acting like that because she’s been spoiled too much?”
“W-what did you just say?”
“Oh, please. Teach her some manners. She kept calling me by name without permission, accused me as if I gained my powers through some wicked scheme. Honestly, this goes beyond just an etiquette issue… Actually, now that I think about it, I’m getting angry. I didn’t even do anything wrong, so why do I have to hear this nonsense?”
“You’re absolutely justified in feeling upset. The Blake family could officially lodge a complaint over this matter.”
“W-wait! Commander Raphael! Instead of calming things down, what are you saying right now?!”
“Why should I calm things down? If she made a mistake, she should offer a sincere apology or take responsibility for it. That would be the proper thing to do.”
“Wow… Ever since you got engaged, the two of you are perfectly in sync.”
“Thank you.”
…Was that sarcasm?
Luisa glanced at Raphael suspiciously.
‘Weird. Why does he look so pleased?’
It threw her off a bit. He seemed different somehow—but maybe it was just her imagination.
“That’s enough. No point in talking anymore… Lady Saint, your lovely eyes might hurt. You should go ice them now.”
Vice Minister Bedal clicked his tongue as he approached Bella, who was still sniffling.
He seemed to realize the situation had spiraled out of control and rushed to escort her inside.
Yet whether it was due to lack of awareness or sheer stubbornness, Bella, with her tear-streaked face, moved sluggishly and reluctantly.
Even though she had cried, Bella still retained that distinct air of loveliness.
The charm she exuded was not lost—especially once she stopped talking.
Her quiet, sullen face brought out just enough pity that a few knights visibly sympathized.
Bella glanced toward Raphael.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this, Luisa.”
But whether he noticed her gaze or ignored it, Raphael’s eyes remained fixed on Luisa and didn’t budge.
“You’re so mean… hic…”
Bella finally turned away with the dramatics of a tragic heroine and ran off.
Her tears glittered in the air like something out of a cartoon.
Luisa, stunned by the spectacle, simply tilted her head back and looked up at the sky.
‘…Looks like rain.’
They say people get mentally unstable when the weather suddenly shifts like this.
She decided it was best not to think too deeply.
*
As expected, the plan to leave immediately for the capital had to be put on hold.
Thanks to the overcast sky, they had to delay their departure.
The dimming sky quickly turned gloomy, and the light drizzle became a steady shower.
It crossed Luisa’s mind that maybe they could’ve taken the carriage before the rain worsened.
But the weather was so fickle—it wasn’t worth the risk.
Besides, there was something she wanted to know.
“Thank you for making time for me.”
“Did you come alone?”
Raphael had come to Duke Blake’s temporary quarters, answering Luisa’s curiosity.
Demian eyed him warily and asked.
Raphael nodded earnestly.
“Yes. I checked the area—no one suspicious is nearby.”
“Damn. I was hoping to catch at least one.”
Demian’s grim expression was completely unlike his usual cheerful self.
Luisa sighed at the sight.
“And what would you have done if you had?”
“I’d use it to hold them accountable. How dare they let some brat of a saint hurl those awful words at our Luisa and do nothing to stop her…!”
Despite a week full of apologies, Bella’s actions had reignited Demian’s anger toward the temple.
He clenched his fists in frustration.
The Duke didn’t stop him—in fact, he gently patted Demian’s shoulder in sympathy.
‘Bella had better stay out of sight for a while. If this is how he acts toward temple priests, I can’t imagine what he’d do if she showed her face.’
The Duke and Demian had heard about what Bella said while Luisa was away and couldn’t hold back their fury.
Luisa had struggled to calm them down, especially when they nearly drew swords to storm the temple.
The temple priests instinctively stayed away, but Luisa still had to strongly request—practically threaten—that Bella not come near during their stay.
“It was my failure not to stop it properly. I’ll request that the temple bar the Saint from approaching again.”
Luisa gave the three men a deadpan look.
Sure, Bella was rude and immature, but wasn’t this overkill?
“…So why did you come to see us?”
Trying to change the subject, Luisa asked.
Raphael blinked, as if remembering only now.
“I wanted to talk about the underground tunnel we discovered.”
“Oh?”
“I was wondering about that myself.”
Huh.
She’d assumed the three of them had discussed it over the past week, but apparently not.
Since he brought it up himself, Luisa decided to set aside her annoyance and focus on the conversation.
“The tunnel was found by chance. One knight noticed an odd crevice, opened it, and found a hole. Right then, monsters started appearing.”
This sounded eerily similar to what happened in the north.
“Were the monsters any different from usual?”
“…How did you know? Yes, they were. Stronger and faster than anything we’d faced before.”
The Duke, Demian, and Luisa exchanged looks.
This wasn’t just similar—it was identical.
What had occurred in the north was now happening in the east.
An underground tunnel near the temple.
Sudden monster attacks.
And those who entered the tunnel showing signs of mana corruption.
Even one coincidence would raise suspicions—but all three?
“Hm.”
The Duke let out a low hum before slowly speaking.
“The same thing happened in the north.”
“In the north as well?”
“Yes. I witnessed it firsthand before leaving for the capital.”
Raphael widened his eyes and looked at Luisa as though something finally made sense.
“So that’s why you could use your powers so naturally.”
“Exactly.”
“Then you’re going to the capital to meet the Archbishop?”
“That’s right. I awakened my powers while helping my father, but I still don’t fully understand them. I don’t think hiding them is the answer, so I want to have the Archbishop evaluate them.”
“…In that case, please allow me to accompany you.”
“Huh?”
“The Holy Temple rarely allows outsiders. And not everyone who serves the divine is pure-hearted. Now that word of your powers is likely to spread, you might face trouble before you even meet the Archbishop.”
His blue eyes were filled with tension, as if holding his breath in anticipation.
Luisa blinked slowly.
“Don’t you have things to finish up here?”
“I’ve already extinguished the urgent fires. I was planning to transfer authority and head to the capital soon. As for the tunnel, we can’t explore it directly, so I was going to look into historical records.”
Ah, so he’s planning to use the Imperial Library.
That made sense—it had the largest collection of documents.
“If you do use the Imperial Library, would you mind if I join you?”
“Of course.”
Luisa nodded with satisfaction.
“Then before we head to the capital, shall we organize what we know about the tunnel?”
“Let’s do that.”
The Duke, who had been patiently listening, spoke up right away.
His usually fierce violet gaze softened noticeably when looking at Luisa.
Noticing that subtle shift, Demian smiled briefly—then straightened his expression seriously.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t go very deep, so all we know is that the monsters changed. Did any of your knights see what was inside?”
“They didn’t get a good look, but they mentioned a tomb.”
The Duke furrowed his brow, trying to recall the details he had glimpsed.
“A tomb, huh…”
“If it’s a tomb, doesn’t that imply a curse?
An underground tunnel hidden near the temple, and inside, a tomb?
Highly suspicious.”
“If only I had gotten a better look… That’s a shame.”
“Don’t blame yourself, sir. The situations are identical enough to continue the investigation. I’m also thinking of assembling a reliable team to search other locations.”
“Hm. The monsters in the tunnels are highly dangerous. If you’re thinking of splitting forces, I advise against it.”
“Understood. We’ll take it slowly and proceed one site at a time. As for the capital temple… it’s located right in the city, not in any remote area, so searching nearby might be difficult.”
Lost in thought, Luisa suddenly spoke.
“If there’s no forest, then the only places to hide something would be buildings…”
“Ah! That’s a sharp observation.
If it’s something that dangerous, no one would be living there, so we can focus on abandoned buildings.”
Raphael’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her.
His gaze was so intense, Luisa reflexively looked away.
The Duke and Demian exchanged meaningful glances.
