Chapter 195

Chapter 193 – Mutation – 4

“Pathetic tricks…”

Kaiquilia looked around the magic circle, which glowed blue and tightly surrounded the bedroom walls. It was a barrier with not a single gap in sight.

She lifted her Holy Sword and lightly scratched the magic circle with the tip of the blade. The part where the blade touched elongated and then sprang back, just like a rubber wall.

“For a Demon, you’ve put some thought into this.”

Kaiquilia muttered as she instantly grasped the nature of the magic circle.

If this were a barrier created by demonic power, she could have easily torn it apart with her Holy Sword. That was what divine power meant to them.

But now, it was different. What surrounded the bedroom was a magic barrier made of mana. Therefore, the Holy Sword was nothing more than a shining blade against this barrier.

“It must be thoroughly polluted outside.”

It was certain since the Holy Sword had been reacting like crazy since earlier. The demonic power nearby had indeed tainted the area terribly.

No one could approach without wrapping themselves in holy protection or purifying the surroundings with divine power. Not even Minerva.

“Was I that hateful to you, you pathetic beings?”

Kaiquilia scoffed.

Demon pride was notoriously strong, often scoffing and looking down on the concept of mana merely because humans used it. She had heard this directly from them.

Yet, to resort to using that very power they looked down upon to pull off such a stunt, it could only mean that their hatred for Kaiquilia ran deep beyond just pride.

Indeed, from their perspective, Kaiquilia must have been utterly detestable. She had interrupted their moment when they were on the brink of swallowing the Imperial Palace whole, appearing with her Holy Sword.

Most of the demons present in the Imperial Palace at that time were permanently obliterated, while a tiny few that survived had discarded their pride and fled in terror, making their hatred understandable.

“What shall I do about this?”

With the scoffing done, Kaiquilia scratched the magic circle with the Holy Sword once more. The spot where the sword made contact glimmered with a faint blue light.

The blue light soon spread throughout the entire bedroom. The magic circle rippled as if waves were crashing.

If she were to break it, it was well within her power. Kaiquilia’s strength was not something a mere magic circle could obstruct.

No need to go all out. Just using more power than usual in her swings would surely melt this magic circle like wet tissue.

The problem lay in what would happen afterward.

“Is the impact going to reach other places too…?”

These idiots had perhaps thought a bit—its composition was quite exquisite.

To break it, a force above a certain scale must be applied, but the moment a force exceeding that scale was used, the intensity would sharply decrease.

The moment Kaiquilia swung the Holy Sword to shatter the magic circle, it would obliterate not just the Imperial Palace but parts of the capital as well. She would essentially be demolishing the Empire with her own hands.

“……”

Kaiquilia paused to calculate the aftermath of her actions.

The Imperial Palace collapsing? She could rebuild it. The Empire’s wealth was overflowing. The palace could be reconstructed countless times.

People dying? She didn’t care. The one who had neglected both the Silver Dawn Knights and Golden Dusk Knights, leaving them as mere afterthoughts, was Kaiquilia. What of the peasants?

“However, doing so from the Emperor’s perspective would be inadmissible.”

While collateral damage could be endured, allowing fear to spread through the Empire due to that collateral damage was intolerable and must not happen.

This place, the Imperial Palace where Kaiquilia stood, had to be the most steadfast, powerful, and solid fortress in the Empire.

If the fact that the Palace had been partially destroyed and people had perished leaked out, unrest and chaos would spread like wildfire. That scenario was the most troubling from the Emperor’s viewpoint.

“Tsk.”

Having concluded her calculations, Kaiquilia clicked her tongue. At this point, she figured she would have to dismantle the magic circle piece by piece.

Though it had been a while since she worked with magic, and her memories were a bit fuzzy, Kaiquilia was a woman hailed as the second genius in the Empire after Minerva since ancient times.

The knowledge she had accumulated over time was not going anywhere. She planted the Holy Sword vertically into the ground and approached the magic circle. Just as she was about to place her hand on it.

“…Have I done less work?”

The magic circle began to shatter.

The geometric shapes that had covered the bedroom melted away cleanly without leaving a single piece of mana behind, as if they had never existed to begin with.

Kaiquilia had barely placed her hand there, which meant…

“Minerva.”

As soon as Kaiquilia muttered that, the bedroom door opened, and Minerva walked in.

How she had entered when the outside was brimming with the vile power of demons was an unoriginal question that need not be asked, as it was clear she was wrapped in a barrier of divine power.

“Were you the Pope?”

Instead, Kaiquilia asked another question. Though it was a truncated question, Minerva understood it easily and nodded. Her long white hair swayed behind her neck.

“Indeed.”

“How strange. Those creatures actually helped you; what brings about such a wind?”

Kaiquilia had not heard of any Pope personally intervening in external matters for the last few hundred years. They always sent Inquisitors to wage Holy Wars.

Having done so successfully until now, why on earth would they suddenly send a protective barrier?

She had indeed heard that the Pope had been appearing more often outside the Cathedral lately, which could be related to such behavior.

“There may be a slightly delicate reason concerning that child. Would you like to hear it?”

“Stop dragging it out and tell me. When have their actions ever lacked a delicate reason? I must hurry to kill the demon that has set foot here.”

With a light laugh, Minerva’s words returned, while Kaiquilia waved her hand as if to say not to do something unnecessary.

“Don’t worry, child. The Pope of the Sun has already gone. Oh, and this is also an answer.”

“…What did you just say?”

Kaiquilia’s expression stiffened.

“The Pope of the Sun came here in person? Not just sending a mere holy barrier, but actually arriving here?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

Minerva had not just given a divine protection, but now she had come here in person! The situation was changing in ways she could not understand, and it felt like the world was turning upside down.

“I do not know the exact reason. Naturally, since they did not tell me. However, I can only tell you that the Pope of the Sun is showing great interest in that child.”

“…Ha.”

Kaiquilia scoffed.

It was painfully obvious whom Minerva referred to when she spoke of “that child” the Pope of the Sun was showing interest in.

“So, you mean they came here drawn by greed for my possession.”

This confirmed it. In the past, she had only had suspicions without evidence, but now it was not the case. The fact that the Pope of the Sun had come personally was the most solid proof.

The content of the letter conveyed through Inquisitors, saying she would never take an interest, was nothing but a blatant lie. A chilling smile arose on Kaiquilia’s face.

“Where is the demon now?”

“It’s here.”

Minerva smiled lightly as if she had expected Kaiquilia to react this way, tapping the floor with her staff.

At that moment, both Kaiquilia and Minerva were transported to a corridor somewhere in the Imperial Palace.

Though they didn’t show it outwardly, Kaiquilia was quite surprised. There was no visible magic circle, and not even a hint of blue mana. It seemed an incredible achievement had been made in a brief moment.

“There it is.”

At Minerva’s words, Kaiquilia turned her gaze again. Now was not the time to focus on such a feat. A much more important matter remained.

The topic she claimed to have no interest in upfront, yet behind the scenes, possessed a greed larger than anyone’s. She had to meet the audacious female fox who dared to lie to the Emperor.

Kaiquilia did not find it difficult to achieve her objective. The Pope’s figure was easily spotted.

“……”

In a moment of pure disbelief, there she was—the very man who had assured her he would never show interest, embracing someone with a smile, grinding against her chest, and passionately kissing her, intertwining tongues.