Chapter 155
“Renee?”
A low, soft voice.
It was Carlton. Moonlight traced along the side of his face.
His red eyes pierced through the situation: the syringe, the blue stain, and her crushed shoulders.
The man lifted his head sharply.
Without a word, black energy swirled around his fingertips.
“You were told to kill.”
In an instant, Carlton bent his body—but the man’s spell was faster.
The air vibrated.
At that moment, Renee’s fingertips flared.
“No—!”
Her magic erupted.
The air twisted, the floor shook.
The man’s arm twisted backward, the syringe flew out and lodged itself in the wall.
Blue liquid spilled onto the floor.
Before the man could scream, Renee didn’t stop.
A second, stronger surge of magic struck like lightning, and the man collapsed onto the floor.
Thud—.
Breathing heavily, Renee took in the scene carefully.
Only the liquid from the broken syringe slowly spread across the floor.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Renee sank onto the bed. Her fingertips still trembled. Her heart pounded as if it would burst.
Carlton slowly approached her. Relief showed in his gaze before any hint of surprise.
Renee didn’t even look at him, staring down at her shaking palms.
The frightening thing wasn’t the man—who might have been dead.
It was her first act of defiance.
Disobeying Bain’s order was, at this moment, her greatest fear.
“…Thank you.”
A voice slipped through her consciousness, faint but piercing. It woke her.
Renee’s eyes snapped open, and she looked upward.
“…What?”
“You stopped him from attacking me.”
He gave a short laugh, then drew a slow breath before speaking quietly.
“I’ll forget what happened before…”
At those words, Renee finally understood why she had unleashed her magic.
She stared blankly at Carlton.
Those few words felt strangely warm. The tension from moments before gradually ebbed.
Her heart was still racing, but now the beat didn’t feel painful.
“How… did you come here?”
“The area outside your room was too quiet.”
Carlton answered honestly.
“I thought it was strange. There are always many eyes watching you.”
Renee’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…You doubted me too?”
Quiet, but sharp.
Carlton paused, then slowly shook his head.
“I don’t doubt a friend who helps me.”
Short, firm.
At those words, Renee felt a twinge of discomfort.
The unease she always felt when looking at Carlton.
Had she ever betrayed him?
And at the end of that thought, she saw Carlton’s hand—he hadn’t used his magic.
“…You’re hurt.”
“…What?”
Renee muttered to herself, glancing at the pattern visible through his sleeve.
Carlton, not hearing her, turned to the man lying unconscious on the floor.
He examined him quietly, muttering under his breath.
“I’ll take him with me. He’ll need to be interrogated.”
Then he glanced at Renee briefly.
“You’re okay, right?”
Renee only nodded.
“Ah, but don’t let him escape. If he tries to run, finish him so there’s no chance of telling anyone.”
Understanding her unspoken meaning, Carlton nodded and left the room.
The door closed, and silence settled in the room. Disheveled sheets, broken glass, blue stains spreading under the moonlight.
Renee sat there for a long while.
Finally, she exhaled slowly. Her eyes caught the faint traces of magic left on her hands.
She couldn’t believe what she had just done.
The same ritual she had once refused because of its pain and danger—she had now used magic to protect someone.
‘What is it that I truly… want?’
She lifted her head slowly. Beyond the window, moonlight fractured, and faint starlight shimmered.
She muttered absentmindedly.
“Belia…”
The words Belia had said with a smile earlier that day echoed in her mind.
“Think carefully about what you really want. And if you have a request, tell me.”
Renee repeated the words quietly to herself.
“…What I really want.”
The blue glow on her fingertips gradually faded.
The air in the room settled. Strangely, this time, she wasn’t afraid.
For the first time—she exhaled not by command, but by her own will.
And she rewound her memories.
She recalled each dizzying moment in detail, reflecting on whether she had ever truly acted on what she wanted, whether she even existed for that purpose.
In the heart of the capital, the grand square in front of the palace was already filled with people.
“Oppose the envoy from the Holy Kingdom! Free Renee!”
Blood-stained banners covered the sky.
“The Holy Kingdom mocks the Empire!”
“The Fragment of Abundance belongs to God! Don’t misuse it!”
Shouts of anger and distrust erupted endlessly.
Meanwhile, the palace gates slowly opened.
The envoy from the Holy Kingdom entered in procession, their flags leading the way.
Under a canopy, the royal knights in golden armor lined up to escort them.
Tension in the square was taut as a drawn bow. Every thundering hoofbeat sent the crowd’s breath scattering.
“Step back! I command you in the name of the Crown!”
The commander’s shout rang out, but the crowd did not move.
Screams, prayers, cries of anger.
At the center of the chaos, the holy relic carried by the envoy caught the sunlight.
A handle adorned in pure gold, sealed markings—
It was the Fragment of Abundance.
Then it happened.
Bang!
An explosion echoed. The relic vanished into a plume of red smoke.
“Thief!”
“The Fragment of Abundance is gone!”
Knights drew their swords.
The crowd screamed, stones were thrown.
Some knelt in prayer, some fled.
Flames erupted.
In the midst of the chaos, a woman’s commanding voice cut through the square.
“Everyone, calm down!”
Her clear voice carried power, spreading like magic among the crowd.
The woman stepped forward slowly, the hood of her robe pulled low, dust crunching under her feet.
Her hair brushed in the wind.
Suddenly, the square fell silent.
“Do not fear.”
Low, clear, and strong. When she raised her hand, the wind ceased.
As her robe fell, her silver hair was revealed. The crowd realized—the Holy Kingdom’s saint had come to the Empire, hidden among the envoy.
A golden halo bloomed above her head. Under that light, all sound stilled.
“The Fragment of Abundance has not been stolen.”
Her voice filled the square.
“It is merely a prank by those who wish to test God’s will. Now is the moment to show the true miracle of faith.”
The saint raised her hand to the sky.
Words of prayer filled the air.
As a clear light spread, mothers held their children, and the sick pressed their foreheads to the ground, whispering:
“The saint has come…”
Then it happened.
From an alley at the edge of the square, people screamed.
“What is that!”
What was brought out, guided by someone’s hand, were the already dead.
Blackened hands and feet, charred skin.
Once “miracle recipients,” abandoned when they could no longer give offerings.
Those who had received Belia’s grace in darkness moved, followed by bound worshippers hidden in shadow.
“Look!”
One cried out.
“The so-called miracles have ended like this. This is the end of the God they believed in!”
The square instantly buzzed. The saint looked at them.
Blackened hands, hollow eyes.
She stepped forward.
And prayed quietly.
“Lord, forgive them.”
At that moment, the black smoke lifted, and the corpses’ bodies fell still for a moment.
The air grew warm. The square’s flames vanished. Sighs of relief and awe mixed together.
The people knelt toward the saint.
Just as everyone acknowledged that peace had arrived through one person—
Clack.
A shadow moved atop a spire. A man, backlit by the sun, overlooked the square.
His shout tore through the air.
“Words alone cannot change anything!”
A voice as beautiful as the saint’s.
All heads turned.
His robe fluttered in the wind, faint light rising from his fingertips.
“If you wish to see a true miracle—look at me, not God.”
White light flowed from his hand. The bodies lying on the ground convulsed.
Their eyes snapped open.
“They’re alive…!”
Screams erupted in the square. The saint’s face turned pale.
Black smoke leaked from the mouths of the revived.
They staggered to their feet and slowly turned toward the saint.
There was nothing in their eyes.
No light, no soul, no god.
A short sigh escaped from the saint’s lips.
“…Bain.”
