Ceres’ carriage was excessively lavish.
It was so flashy that you could tell it belonged to the regent just by looking at it, and the moment it moved, it caught everyone’s attention in the town as if it was a parade float.
However, as the saying goes, “Hide the tree in the forest,” no one would ever imagine that Yona, Alex, and Kaiyak were inside that carriage.
Yona, who was publicly declared a heretic by the Church of the Celestial God.
And Alex, who became a full-blown heretic.
Kaiyak, who has the suspicion of heretic concealment but isn’t guilty of heresy himself.
Who would think that these three would be riding in the carriage of a Church Elder?
That’s exactly what makes it so safe.
“Seriously, looking at me with such fierce eyes is a bit hurtful, Yona… I mean, Saint.”
“Quit the sweet talk.”
Yona shot a cold glare at Ceres.
Ceres, sitting across from her, seemed completely unfazed by Yona’s piercing gaze, even returning it with a bright, unfriendly smile.
“No matter what you say, Saint, you can’t go around destroying the Church on your own. You definitely need my help.”
“……”
“I told you, right? Once I achieve my goals, I’ll happily hand over my life.”
“I don’t need your life. What value does that have?”
From Yona’s perspective, the one she desperately wanted to kill was Ceres.
Thinking about how she had been dragged along by that kind face from the moment they met until now made her teeth grind.
But a life voluntarily offered held no value whatsoever.
It was only worth something when Yona had to break it herself amid pain and despair.
—Having already sullied her hands once.
“Come on, think about the kid.”
At that, Yona shut her mouth.
Ceres was smiling brightly, but what she said wasn’t wrong, leaving Yona with no choice but to stay silent.
Looking down, she saw Rubina asleep, curled up against her thighs, eyes closed and breathing softly.
“If you keep saying such scary things, who knows when you’ll get better?”
“……”
As Yona’s hand brushed through Rubina’s hair, it slid through those well-maintained, soft strands.
But the care that had earned those silky locks was far in the past.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“…Okay.”
At that gentle voice, Yona lifted her head to look at Alex.
Perhaps he shouldn’t even be here right now, but because it was Alex, Yona wanted to store every little bit of him in her eyes.
Alex, with his abundant black hair, looked somewhat unfamiliar, but—
The way Yona looked at him, the expressions, even the tone of voice—it was all Alex.
Everything—Alex.
“It will get better soon.”
“I hope so.”
Compared to that, Rubina had lost a lot.
Had to endure another tough situation, and perhaps Yona had become an even scarier presence.
Rubina had fallen silent.
To be precise, she couldn’t speak at all.
Yona had a rough idea of such cases.
Was it that kind of aphasia that kicks in when one is hit with a shock so difficult to accept—
Yona thought, but she wasn’t a doctor, so she wasn’t sure.
It would be better if, with time, Rubina accepted Yona.
Besides, if she stayed in the Church Region, wouldn’t even bigger problems arise?
Though she didn’t regret bringing her along, that didn’t change the fact that her heart ached.
“So, is there really a reason we have to go to Semek… or rather, Albre?”
Alex’s voice reached Ceres as he asked.
Yona was quietly listening to the conversation while combing Rubina’s hair.
Right now, they were headed to Albre.
Initially, their destination was Semek, but it was clear that the Holy Knight Brigade would be all spread out there by now.
The plan was to head to Albre, which was further up from Semek, and then sneak into Semek from there.
There might be remnants of vampires near Semek, or perhaps in the vicinity.
Though it was traces of vampires not detected by the divine or magical senses, perhaps Yona, being the Saintess of the Demon Realm, could discover those traces.
“We should go. Vampires have a tremendous life force. They’ve been around for over a thousand years, so if you absorb a vampire, it’ll be a big help. Of course, it’ll be an enormous opponent, but still.”
Yona’s gaze turned to Ceres.
The once bright golden eyes had now turned a subdued orange.
At some point, the eyes that used to be golden had changed to orange,
Even now, being able to handle magic properly, their color hadn’t returned to how it originally was.
“To be honest, I’m not expecting much. Semek and the surrounding areas have likely already been swept clean by the Holy Knight Brigade, so there’s a possibility that any traces that once existed are gone. If they’ve even done purification work, then it’s a whole other story.”
“What’s there to think about, really?”
Ceres was rambling on without a care.
Yona was silently glaring at Ceres without giving any response.
*
The next day after Alex woke up.
Ceres, having brought the carriage, suggested that Yona’s group join her.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Yona’s eyes began to blaze again.
The fact that Ceres was smiling so brightly while suggesting they join her was utterly ridiculous, especially when Yona felt like she could kill her right then and there and still not be satisfied.
“Isn’t it true that the Saintess wants to bring down this Church of the Celestial God?”
Dark magic swirled ominously from the Sacred Barrier.
The barrier Ceres had given was already stained black, and the pure white and golden colors representing the Celestial God were nowhere to be found in the current Yona.
“If that’s true, then there’s no one more helpful than me.”
“Are you asking me to trust you?”
“You should.”
“On what basis?”
Yona’s frigid tone contrasted sharply with Ceres’ gentle voice. Yet, beneath that voice lay a confidence that Yona believed she couldn’t harm her at the moment.
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to rescue Alex. I helped, so it worked out.”
“…You seriously talk too much.”
When absurdity reaches a certain level, one just can’t find words, can they?
“Oh come on. Moreover, you’ll need my cooperation to smoothly achieve your goals, Yona—no, I mean Saintess. What else would get you there? Sitting by a campfire in the mountains? Cooking wild beasts without salt? And with Rubina along?”
At this, Rubina, holding Yona’s hand, flinched.
As a result, the heat rising in Yona’s head rapidly dissipated.
Thinking logically, Ceres wasn’t wrong.
Yona’s thirst for revenge could touch the sky, but her list of targets wasn’t limited to Ceres.
If they wanted to bring down the Church of the Celestial God, they couldn’t do it alone.
No matter how much Yona became the Saintess of the demon realm, she still couldn’t face the Church by herself.
“After it’s all done, you can take my life if you want. I’ll even offer it up. But in exchange, I’ll help you take down the Church.”
A strange light flickered in Ceres’ eyes.
“I’d actually like to ask you myself. Please let me assist you. The downfall of the Church is also a lifelong wish of mine.”
*
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“…No, I haven’t thought about it at all.”
It was evening.
Until now, they had been eating in the carriage, but since they were on a quiet mountain path, there was no need for that, so they were taking a break to eat for the first time in a while.
Rubina was feeding Kaiyak.
Two bonfires flickered gently, and on one side of a bonfire, Yona and Alex sat side by side.
“…Thank you for freeing me from the golden chains.”
“……”
Alex already knew that he was a Holy Knight.
He could feel the overwhelming divine power too.
Even in this moment sitting side by side, Yona could feel a slight tingling sensation near her left arm, close to Alex.
Still, she had no thoughts of moving away.
Just a moment without Alex in sight made Yona anxious.
“It’s been so long since I’ve felt this sensation; it feels new and strange.”
Brushing aside his black hair that obscured his vision, Alex smiled awkwardly.
Yona, slightly lowering her head, stole a glance at him.
“…You’re not disappointed?”
“What do you mean by disappointed?”
“Because I… became a traitor. I became the Saint of the Demon Realm…”
“Uh… why would you think that?”
At Alex’s questioning reply, Yona was at a loss for words.
She had become the Saint of the Demon Realm.
Someone on the opposite side of the Holy Knight, Alex—
No, a monster now.
It was a bitter laugh, but it had come to this.
So if Alex were disappointed, it wouldn’t be strange at all.
To be disappointed by Alex.
To be hated by Alex.
—Just the thought of it felt like her heart was tightening.
Breathing was becoming difficult, and the world in front of her felt dizzy.
It felt like the world was spinning.
“I’m not disappointed. Why would I be disappointed at this point?”
Suddenly, the spinning world came to a halt.
The world, now standing still, was telling Yona that this was reality.
Alex was smiling.
Brushing back the hair falling into his eyes continuously, Alex was smiling.
“You went that far to save me; why would I be disappointed? I’m not like those monsters. I’m a human.”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Yona, you were priestly. You sacrificed yourself for me. Whether it’s the Demon Realm or whatever, sacrificing oneself for others is sacred.”
Yona clenched her lips tightly.
She couldn’t speak; her heart was too overwhelmed right now.
“You were priestly. So I’m not disappointed. You’re Yona. That hasn’t changed. It’s okay, really.”
Yona’s tightly pressed lips trembled.
Feeling like she would cry at any moment, she covered her face with her cold hands.
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