“Thank you so much. You came by so suddenly…”
“Not at all. If you need counseling again, please come visit me, Priestess.”
Cornelia waved her hand with a bright smile.
I smiled back at her and left the office.
Recently, it felt like Cornelia’s atmosphere had strangely changed.
She seemed to have gained some confidence, or something like that.
Anyway, something had changed.
‘Are you in a relationship or something?’
She mentioned that her late husband was a really bad guy.
They say the wounds caused by a man can only be healed by another man.
Seems like Cornelia is doing just that.
And it’s probably the same for Yoo Jin.
Because I vented my frustrations on Yoo Jin and hurt him, he must have been spending time with another woman to relieve that stress.
It’s all my fault.
It’s my own shortcomings that led to the infidelity, and here I am angry about it; Yoo Jin must have found it so absurd.
The more I think about it, the more foolish I feel.
“This method won’t work.”
After talking with Cornelia, I realized something.
No matter how much I want to find Yoo Jin,
and no matter how much I want to meet him, I can’t do it with a bounty on him.
I rushed into things wanting to see Yoo Jin’s face this very moment.
Needing his help was just an excuse.
Did I even try hard enough before seeking Yoo Jin’s help?
Did I not rely on him from the start?
Thanks to Cornelia, I could ponder these questions.
I decided to lift the bounty.
I was too anxious.
In my eagerness to see Yoo Jin’s face, I almost shattered our future relationship.
Even if it takes a little longer, I need to take it slow.
Showing Yoo Jin that I’ve changed comes first.
I can’t repeat the same mistakes I made back in the day, sending spam emails across the continent.
‘That white smoke meant that even if Yoo Jin arrives, there won’t be a sharp resolution. Whether Yoo Jin steps up or I take the lead, there’s not much difference. I need to do it myself. I won’t hurt Yoo Jin again…’
It’s about standing up for myself.
I’m not a fool who can’t do anything without Yoo Jin.
Well, that actually seems somewhat right…
When Yoo Jin isn’t around, I feel anxious and get nothing done…
Still, I have to overcome it.
Yoo Jin would dislike this side of me.
To change, I need to stand up first.
“Cornelia. I’m going out. I’m going to cancel the investigation.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Cornelia smiled as if it were her own business.
It’s all thanks to Cornelia.
After thanking her, I left the Briam mansion and headed towards Cologne Cathedral.
Without any prior notice, the bishop came out to greet me warmly.
“Hello, Priestess. Are you here to attend mass?”
“Yes. That, and I’m here to meet Cardinal Nicholas.”
“The cardinal’s room is on the second floor. I’ll guide you.”
“Thank you.”
As I climbed to the second floor, where there were fewer people.
The bishop covered his mouth and whispered softly.
“I have news from former Mayor Lawrence. It seems he found some demonic mana. Unlike previous demons discovered, this one appears to be from a higher demon.”
“Higher demon… Are you saying it’s a Great Demon?”
“That’s correct.”
It seems Cornelia wanted to keep this a secret from me.
But given my position, I inevitably learned a lot about her ex-husband.
I thought he was just an ordinary demon’s minion, but he ended up contracting with a Great Demon…
“The assumption that a Great Demon has no interest in the human realm has been shattered. Why has it suddenly intervened after being quiet all this time…”
“This is a hypothesis from the Magic Tower, but magic users believe there’s a link between the Great Demon and recently discovered monsters from other realms.”
“………”
Are the monsters from another realm actually originating from the Demon World?
No, that can’t be right.
It might be more accurate to view this as one Great Demon’s irregularities.
Is one Great Demon colluding with entities from another realm to invade our world?
For what purpose?
I don’t know.
The information is too limited to even speculate.
“This is difficult.”
“Indeed it is.”
“But since the Magic Tower and Elvenguard are actively exchanging information together, we might soon uncover the truth.”
Having caught a whiff, discovering their identities should be quick.
Recently, there was an incident where an intelligent monster’s corpse was stolen from Elvenguard.
But aside from that, it seems there hasn’t been any major disturbances.
“This is the room.”
“But Priestess, is there something about the cardinal… um.”
“Yes?”
“Never mind. I said too much. I’ll go prepare for the mass.”
“Okay, I’ll be down shortly.”
Once the bishop left.
I knocked twice on the door in the silent corridor.
But there was no response from inside.
I waited about 20 seconds, knocked again, and called out, “Cardinal, it’s Jill Diner. Is it okay to meet?”
“………”
Even calling out loudly, there was still no answer.
The absence of an out-of-office sign suggests he’s inside.
Curiously, I pulled the doorknob; it wasn’t locked and opened.
The office was cluttered with scattered documents.
And I saw Cardinal Nicholas standing firmly, gazing out the window.
“Cardinal…?”
He stood still as if his body had frozen.
He didn’t respond when I kept calling.
Has he fallen asleep on his feet?
I cautiously approached him, getting right next to him.
The cardinal’s eyes were definitely open.
He was standing upright but seemed to have no reaction, almost like a corpse.
The lack of blood color on his face made me think he looked just like a dead body at that moment.
“Ugh?!”
I checked his wrist and was startled, stepping back in shock.
He had no pulse!
He’s a corpse!
Thud!
As I stepped back, I accidentally bumped into the cardinal, who toppled over sideways.
He fell exactly as if a mannequin had collapsed.
Scared out of my mind, I turned and fled.
As I passed through the door, I suddenly felt a chill wash over me.
It felt like a sudden cold wind had swept past me.
And just as I stepped outside into the corridor, a familiar voice sounded from within the room.
“Is that you, Priestess?”
“Cardinal?!”
“Oh dear. Sorry, I accidentally dozed off.”
Peeking in, I saw the cardinal casually standing up, dusting himself off.
Just a moment ago, he looked so stiff.
Now he was moving normally, speaking and showing color in his face.
Did I see things wrong?
“Do you… sleep standing up…?”
“I have something akin to narcolepsy. People often get surprised when they see it for the first time. Hahaha.”
“There was no pulse… just a moment ago…”
“My pulse might have been a little weak. Want to feel again? It’s fine now.”
And indeed, he was okay.
When I checked again, this time his pulse was strong and active.
I must have been mistaken.
What a shock…
“What brings you to this shabby office?”
“Um, I came to cancel the bounty.”
“The attempted assault case, you mean?”
“Yes. I met with the person involved, and we reached an agreement. So, I’d like you to halt the investigation.”
“You met with the person involved…?”
Cardinal Nicholas squinted his eyes at me.
His expression looked a bit eerie, and I involuntarily gulped.
“How did that happen?”
“That… that’s a secret. Everything just worked out. It turned out to be my misunderstanding, so that person has no charges. Therefore, it would be great if you could end the investigation and lift the bounty.”
“Alright, understood. If the parties involved reached an amicable resolution, then of course, I’ll do as you wish.”
“Thank you. You accepted the bounty so readily and then pulled it back so suddenly…”
“Hahaha. It’s a request from the Priestess. No one thinks it’s unreasonable.”
The cardinal smiled widely, then pulled out a piece of paper from the pile of documents.
It was a copy of the decree with the cardinal’s seal.
He stamped it again, called for a bishop, and handed over the decree.
“As of this moment, the decree is hereby null. Halt the investigation. Also, erase the identity of someone named Yoo Jin.”
“Yes, understood.”
“This is what you wanted, right, Priestess? Are you feeling relieved? Hahaha.”
“Yes…”
Everything has been settled.
Everything went as I wanted.
Yet, for some reason, I still couldn’t shake off this uneasy feeling.
What is it?
Why does Cardinal Nicholas seem so strange today?
*
If something were being hidden in Cologne, it would be in the sewers.
If suspicious activities were occurring in Cologne, they would take place in the sewers.
It’s said among users that the sewers of Cologne are like a demon’s lair.
Given the vast size and its history of being a dungeon, it’s not surprising.
Even if I were a villain, I’d conduct my dark deeds in the gloomy, deserted sewers of Cologne.
Therefore, Mi Jeong and I were deep into our sewer exploration when…
Gahh! The smell is insane! I should’ve bought a gas mask!
“…garbage.”
“Is your nose okay?!”
“…garbage.”
“When will you stop saying that…?”
“…garbage.”
The stench was disorienting.
The place I entered when I defeated the dungeon was one of the lesser-smelly parts of the sewer.
But now, as I ventured deeper, my head was reeling.
It wasn’t just the smell; there were toxic gases mixed in, making it hard to breathe.
If I pushed it any further, I might suffocate.
In the end, we couldn’t explore to the very end.
We had to give up halfway and run outside.
“Excuse me! Who are you?!”
“Oh, are you the sewer manager?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Just one question. Have you seen any suspicious people coming in and out of the sewers recently?”
“Besides you two, I haven’t seen anyone. But my colleague mentioned he saw something floating in the canal.”
“Got it.”
“But who are you?! Don’t run away! Hey!”
“Mi Jeong, run. No, just get on my back.”
“…okay.”
It was impossible to survey this vast sewer network all within 24 hours.
So, I had no choice but to trust the manager’s words that there were no suspicious people…
‘Did he say he saw something floating in the canal?’
Does that mean someone moved through the canals?
No, that can’t be!
The water flowing through the canals is polluted not only with sewage but with all kinds of chemicals.
In some areas, you’d have to completely submerge to get through, and it’s impossible for a living person to pass through those places.
‘Wait. If a living person can’t pass through, then what about a dead body…?’
The suspects could be Blood Ghouls.
And then there are the Necromancers made of spiritual bodies.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings, Luna?
“I lack evidence…”
To begin with, I have no shred of evidence that the counterpart is one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Honestly, I’m not even sure if the counterpart exists at all.
Everything started from Jill’s story about the white smoke.
I need more solid evidence.
I need to confirm the identity of the counterpart.
And find out their location and scheme.
One who might know the details well is…
“Damn it. That’s Sola.”
The Holy Knight in cahoots with the Four Heavenly Kings, Sola.
The problem is; that guy is currently buried underground, and the moment I try to dig him up for a chat, he’s likely to attack me.
It seems Jill also doesn’t know much, so approaching her wouldn’t be of much use.
So, who else could be a useful source of information?
“….I’m tired.”
“Me too. After running without a break and struggling to breathe, I feel like I’m dying of thirst.”
Both of us were completely exhausted and plopped down on a bench.
From the outside, Mi Jeong appeared expressionless and not out of breath, but her eyes were slowly glinting with pink, signaling that she was nearing exhaustion.
She was likely going to force me down and siphon my blood at any moment.
“Hey… Want some water?”
“Oh, thank you.”
At that moment, a cup of water was shoved in from the side.
She seemed to be a worker from the nearby store, given her neat apron.
I gratefully accepted the cup and gulped down the water.
But then I realized…
This pretty boy.
His face looks incredibly familiar.
With his blonde hair and bright blue eyes,
he has that typical handsome protagonist look that resembles someone I’ve seen before.
“What’s your name?”
“My name? I’m Zenon Artemisia.”
“Oh.”
Artemisia.
It clicked in my mind.
He’s Sola’s younger brother.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve wanted to see you for a while; it’s great to meet you like this.”
“Huh? Ah? Y-yes? Who are you?!”
“I’m a friend of Sola. You’re his younger brother, right?”
“Ah…! Yes! That’s right!”
‘In-bag acquired.’
I just got the perfect blackmail material to use against Sola.
