It’s hot.
But calling it just “hot” seems a bit off.
Yona finally realized that something was wrong.
This isn’t just a bit hot; it’s more like it should be called “burning.”
And the source of that heat wasn’t far away; it was coming from her left arm.
“Oh my god, what is this? Yona, why is your left arm so hot?”
Ceres, who had been wiping down her left arm, stepped back in surprise.
However, the most flustered person at that moment was Yona, completely oblivious to Ceres’ reaction.
“W-what’s going on? Why is this happening…?”
As Yona panicked, Vigrind rushed over.
“What happened? What’s wrong, Yona?” he asked, placing a hand on her left arm before quickly pulling it away.
“W-what’s this? Yona, why is your arm…?”
“I-I don’t know! Why is this suddenly happening?”
Yona looked like she was about to cry from the panic.
Her left arm was radiating heat like crazy, and she had a sinking feeling that whatever was happening was definitely, definitely not good.
“Yona. Let’s get out of here.”
“It’s best to leave quickly.”
Alex and Kaiyak hurried over to support Yona.
The moment Alex’s hand touched Yona’s scorching left arm, he felt an instinctive alarm bell ringing.
—Something is very wrong.
This was not just wrong; it was seriously wrong.
The temperature was well beyond normal human body heat.
“Wait a second.”
A voice stopped Alex, who was urgently trying to pull Yona away.
To Vigrind, Yona’s condition looked bizarre.
She appeared feverish.
Cold sweat dripped from her, and her complexion had turned pale.
Her shivering body looked like that of a patient, which made Vigrind anxious.
“L-let’s try healing here. Yona might be sick!”
“N-no, that’s not it! Saint, it’s not that I’m in pain.”
Alex shook his head firmly.
This was something he could never tell the saint, Vigrind.
Moreover, Yona’s left arm shouldn’t be exposed in this place at all.
They had to leave quickly.
Forget the banquet; they needed to escape the Church Region itself if possible.
Though there was an announcement planned for the banquet today to lift Alex’s seal—
Even so, Yona took priority.
She had to be okay for any of that to matter.
“Hero, Saint. I’ll greet you later. Right now, things are a bit—”
“W-wait! She’s my friend too!”
Alex, Yona, and Kaiyak were hurriedly trying to distance themselves.
Seeing them, Vigrind rushed over.
Vigrind hurriedly approached them.
After all, Yona was a friend she had grown up with since her orphanage days, even if things had twisted for a while.
Yona became a Healer, and Vigrind became a Priest, which somewhat distorted their relationship.
And because of Vigrind’s horrible inferiority complex towards Yona, they became distant.
Still, she couldn’t just let her friend Yona suffer like this.
Vigrind drew divine power from deep within her lower abdomen.
Great Miracle Healing.
The strongest power among the miracles of healing, using the power of the celestial god.
Without giving Alex and Kaiyak a chance to say anything, Vigrind raised both hands high.
The golden radiance swirling around her hands was ridiculously brilliant, and as it finally traced the seal of the celestial god, everyone’s gaze turned towards it.
Even the Pope, who had just stepped up to the podium to prepare his speech,
Those who glanced at the Hero and the Saint with eyes of goodwill,
And those passing between the people serving wine,
All eyes in the hall were fixed on—
The seal of the celestial god created by Vigrind.
Her hand pointed at Yona.
The seal also aimed at Yona.
With her face flushed red and breathing heavily,
The seal of the celestial god went towards Yona, who was leaning against Alex with her eyes closed.
Finally, the seal enveloped her entire body.
The brilliant golden light flowed through her, driving away all unclean energy until, at that very moment, it wrapped around her left arm—
– Kwaaaah!
A massive explosion occurred.
The hall turned into chaos.
The explosive noise came unexpectedly.
The seal of the celestial god should have directed itself towards the patient, banishing illness and then disappearing while revealing the appearance of the celestial god.
But that didn’t happen.
Defying everyone’s expectations, the seal instead erupted into a gigantic explosion that shook the hall.
People lost their balance due to the deafening noise and tremors, screaming and collapsing to the floor.
Tables overturned, food scattered everywhere, turning the place into utter mayhem.
“Protect the Pope!”
Amidst all this, the clanging sound of armor echoed.
Like the trained knights of the Cathedral, they instantly prioritized protecting the Pope as soon as the emergency happened.
Dust rose thickly, obscuring visibility.
Out of nowhere, the Hero, Ludvik, came rushing in, hugging Vigrind and rolling on the floor.
Next to him, Scarlet raised her shield high, gripping a morning star with her other hand.
“Saint, are you okay?!”
“I-I’m okay! Hero, I’m fine, so—”
Yona—Vigrind said, looking at the dust that had risen from the center of the explosion.
She stared at the epicenter of the explosion.
As her gaze landed, the dust slowly settled.
And in an instant, silence enveloped the space.
Alex and Kaiyak were struggling to get back on their feet after being knocked away, but Yona, who was at the heart of the blast, looked completely unharmed.
Well, she was unharmed.
She didn’t have any visible injuries.
In fact, unlike just moments ago when she couldn’t even stand, she was now standing on her own.
And on her left arm—
A dark and crimson energy was swirling and burning.
“W-What the…”
Vigrind’s mumbling faded into nothingness.
Yona, reflecting in the dazed gaze, looked both bizarre and—
“M-Magic!”
“The magic exploded!!”
“What are the cathedral knights doing!”
“It’s a dark cult!”
“Arrest them immediately!”
It didn’t take long for the room to turn into chaos.
*
The first thing she felt was coolness.
Yona sensed the heat that was threatening to consume her body had vanished.
So, the first feeling was coolness.
The next sensation was the hateful glares directed at her.
As Yona opened her eyes, she felt a sense of bewilderment at the blade-like gazes flying toward her.
“Y-Yona!”
“Yona!”
Alex came rushing toward her, leading with his shield and wielding a hammer in the other hand.
Standing behind her was Kaiyak, holding a two-handed axe and scanning the surroundings.
But Yona’s gaze wasn’t directed at them.
It was on her exploded nun’s robe.
Her left arm, from the shoulder down, was completely gone.
Over the serpent tattoo that proved Vervaria’s presence, the dark and crimson energy flickered and burned.
“W-What… what is this?”
She muttered in a small voice as if it had escaped her lips.
But she wasn’t ignorant.
She knew what this was.
Vervaria hadn’t been quiet; it had been lurking.
Lurking, waiting for the chance to shove her into the abyss.
And Vervaria was indeed a demon.
“All cathedral knights, form a perimeter!”
With someone’s shout, the echoing footsteps of armor filled the air.
In the already chaotic place, the cathedral knights surrounded Yona and her party in a tight formation.
The banquet hall was filled with a heavy tension in an instant.
Yona, with dark and crimson magic swirling around her,
Alex stood in front of her to block it.
And Kaiyak was protecting her from behind.
Everyone else but them was hostile.
The magic that erupted in the heart of the Church Region.
And the source of that magic was the healer named Yona.
“Y-Yona. What, what is going on? Huh?”
Vigrind staggered towards Yona with a face that looked like he might cry at any moment.
Yona’s gaze was also directed at the unsteady Vigrind.
While she didn’t have a face that looked like she was about to cry, she appeared somewhat resigned.
“…Vig, don’t come any closer.”
“No, no! That’s not it! Right? Yona, you wouldn’t… sell your soul to a d-demon… would you? Right?”
Vigrind’s voice trembled.
Wasn’t Yona the one who shone the brightest even in the orphanage?
She had become a healer, but she always said it might be for the best since she could leave the cathedral.
This was the same Yona who was always positive!
Vigrind couldn’t believe that she would sell her soul to a demon.
And at least because of their conversation on the carriage, Vigrind thought he had cleared a little of the resentment he had towards Yona.
“Saint, it’s dangerous if you get any closer.”
Scarlet stood in front of Vigrind.
As always, he was clad in heavy armor, pointing the end of his morning star at Yona.
“P-Pardon me, Sir Scarlet! There must be a misunderstanding…!”
“Absolutely not. Saint, you must not approach!”
“No, step aside! I’m asking you to move!”
Vigrind tried to rush towards Yona past Scarlet.
But her body moved too slowly, and Scarlet easily caught her waist, stopping her.
“Let go! Let go! She’s my friend! There must be a misunderstanding…!”
“Absolutely not, Saint. She is the one who caused the magic explosion! She is someone who could harm you!”
“No, that’s not true—!”
Yona stood there, blankly staring at Vigrind.
She couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
Perhaps she already knew this was reality, but she just didn’t want to accept it.
“Yona. Just think about escaping from here. Kaiyak, what about you?”
Alex asked Kaiyak while raising his shield.
But that was a silly question.
Now that he was recognized as part of Yona’s group, who would believe it if Kaiyak turned back?
“I am a Lizardman— no, I will repay my debts. I don’t care if Yona is human or not.”
“Is that so.”
Alex glanced back.
Yona’s gaze was blank and unfocused.
‘…What do we do?’
They were on the left side of the banquet hall.
There was a distance to the main entrance of the hall.
Moreover, the number of Holy Knights surrounding them was about twenty.
And in front of them stood the Hero and Scarlet.
There didn’t seem to be any way out.
Alex took a deep breath.
Calmly, and quickly.
He started to sort through his thoughts.
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