Chapter : 99
The followers erupted in a thunderous cheer.
The cult leader raised both hands, drawing everyone’s attention, and then continued speaking.
“Our Messiah’s arrival is not far off. Then, true paradise shall descend… Until that time comes, do not act recklessly. Do your best in your respective positions!”
“In the name of the Blood-Red Blade!”
Once again, the followers concealed themselves, and the leader turned away as well.
Soon, the dim cave was filled only with a dense fog and the scent of blood.
I sat quietly in my bedroom, waiting for the appointed time.
The scheduled regular communication from Yulrite and Pegasus—was what I awaited.
‘This time, I need to confirm something with Pegasus…’
While waiting for the appointment, I decided to briefly organize the plan in my head for preventing the Dungeon Burst.
The ones responsible for causing the Dungeon Burst were the Blood-Fanatics—the cult known as the “Blood Blade Sect.”
As the name suggests, they were exactly the kind of cult that frequently appears in fantasy settings—akin to an evil religious sect in martial arts stories.
Normally, such groups would clash with the temples, but the Blood Blade Sect had chosen the Kadol Empire as its base of operations.
The cult preached that they would deliver salvation to a dark world without gods and awaited the Messiah.
‘So far, it’s the usual sort of heretical religion…’
The problem was in the actions of these lunatics.
They called the massacres they carried out salvation, in the name of the Blood Blade.
In other words, as long as you claimed it was in the name of the Blood Blade, killing someone supposedly sent them to paradise—thus earning virtue in their twisted view.
‘They’re completely insane…’
Of course, there was a reason behind their doctrine.
Do you remember how I, the saint, could use dark magic?
Blood magic.
In fact, the cult’s doctrine was originally a system designed to collect blood for the practice of blood magic.
The higher the number of people they killed and collected blood from, the higher one’s rank within the cult.
While they did use conventional dark magic, the core of their power was primitive magic.
Blood magic, creating chimeras from corpses… These were techniques inefficient or too costly for modern dark magic, naturally discarded over time.
Yet, they attempted to develop this insane primitive magic under the guise of religious doctrine.
At first, they were insignificant, but about 300 years ago, the cult grew larger than expected, becoming a serious problem for the empire.
The royal family mobilized the four great houses to crush the Blood Blade Sect, rooting it out completely.
Thus, the sect, along with their primitive magic, vanished into the annals of history. Applause, applause.
…It would’ve been a satisfying ending, but these cockroach-like maniacs survived, hiding and maintaining a foothold.
Three hundred years later, they had regained some strength and finally revealed themselves.
This was exactly what triggered the Dungeon Burst this time.
Then, a bright light suddenly appeared in the air.
‘They’re here!’
Yulrite and Pegasus, now considerably grown, appeared above the light.
Yulrite had matured beautifully, unrecognizable from the scrappy child she had been five years ago.
Thanks to Pegasus taking good care of her, her complexion had improved, her silver hair gleamed, and even at such a young age, her cyan-gray eyes brought a sense of harmony to her refined features—a picture-perfect scene.
Having awakened to new powers and begun full paladin training, her physique had grown strong and solid.
I straightened my posture, smoothing the folds of my dress as I sat.
“Hello, Yulrite! And Pegasus, hello too!”
“Greetings, Mia. It is a pleasure to see you again.”
[It has been a while, Saint. Have you been well?]
I was used to Pegasus managing his concept whenever sending psychic waves simultaneously with Yulrite, so I could now respond with a gentle smile.
“I’ve been doing well! Oh, in a few days, we’ll depart for the Deldomoss territory.”
“Oh, then…”
“That’s right. We’ll be carrying out the Dungeon Burst prevention plan.”
I nodded firmly.
The Blood Blade Sect aimed to cause mass casualties with the Dungeon Burst and then collect the blood.
‘At first, the artificially induced Dungeon Burst went unnoticed…’
Later, in the main story, it is revealed that past Dungeon Bursts were actually the cult’s schemes…
The Blood Blade Sect, growing in power by collecting blood, became one of the villains opposing the protagonists.
It was already hard enough dealing with the temple, so letting a cancerous cult grow in the empire was out of the question.
‘That’s why we need to eradicate them before their forces fully recover.’
[Understood… I comprehend your determination to stop the cult’s cunning schemes. But also take care of yourself.]
“Of course! A clever saint like me doesn’t come around often!”
[…….]
Pegasus whispered to me privately, [It’s not that rare, you’re the first, you mischievous thing.]
Of course, I pretended not to hear.
“Anyway, as I mentioned, our first priority is catching the spy.”
The Dungeon Burst had been able to occur in the middle of the festival because a spy had disguised themselves as a member of the Deldomoss family.
Unfortunately, the original story doesn’t reveal exactly who the spy replaced—only that it was a collateral member living in Deldomoss territory.
“So the reason the spy could flawlessly disguise themselves as a Deldomoss was thanks to blood magic?”
“Yes.”
They used a technique called the Doppelganger to perfectly copy the appearance and traits of a human target.
‘Even in the original story, this Doppelganger tricked Yulrite…’
However, the Doppelganger wasn’t a perfect spell.
To maintain it, the caster had to periodically contact the original victim, using a large amount of blood to reinforce the spell.
Naturally, the victim was imprisoned in the cult’s hideout.
Therefore, the spy had to return to the hideout regularly, which meant that tracking them could reveal the location of the base.
Even after finding the hideout, there were still some tricky tasks remaining…
But if the spy was not caught, the next steps couldn’t begin, so our focus was on that first step.
Yulrite lowered her eyebrows and whispered,
“It pains me that I cannot help directly.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. They’re a troublesome group in the future, but right now, their forces are incomplete.”
“Even if that weren’t the case, I would want to be by your side as soon as possible. I know the timing is premature, though…”
Hmm.
“Hey, Yulrite.”
“Yes, Mia?”
“Do you like me?”
As soon as I asked, Yulrite smiled brightly and nodded.
“Of course. How could I not like you, Mia?”
“Uh…”
“As one who carries out the will of God, how could I not love the Saint?”
“No, not that…”
I hadn’t meant agape love.
Expected, but it deflated my spirits a little.
“You mean…?”
“Yes… feelings that would lead to romance… marriage… that kind of thing…”
My energy drooped, and I spoke in a weary tone.
Pegasus quietly laughed to himself at my expense. Ugh…
Yulrite blinked, then answered softly,
“If the Saint desires, marriage is, of course, possible. The doctrine does not forbid unions among followers.”
“…….”
“However, since I possess Salma’s power, it may be difficult to fulfill marital duties. But if that’s acceptable to you…”
“Sorry. My fault.”
I brushed my face with both hands and apologized.
It was my mistake for jokingly asking, even with the tiniest chance in mind.
But everyone had to understand me.
Do you realize how blindly devoted Yulrite has been to me over the past five years?
