– Greetings, I am Lucia Bright, a nun serving the God of the Sun, Helios.
The voice coming through the crack of the door held no tremor.
The nun’s gently flickering belief was spreading throughout all the citizens of Batian.
“Madame? What’s wrong?”
“Is there a problem?”
And right in front of me, the Chokugen members were bustling around, wanting nothing more than to bolt out like a dog on a leash.
The woman, dressed in black and draped in an umbrella, didn’t say a word, though.
‘So that woman is the madame.’
When Prince Oliver tested me, he had asked the boss where the madame was, and later, Sen and Rin explained that there were exceptions among the Chokugen, especially the stronger ones.
It was only right for the madame to rush over to me right now, not just for the sake of the mission but for the Chokugen members who had become crippled.
There was more than enough justification.
After all, those guys only followed whatever justification their money could buy. Just slip a few coins in their pockets, and they’d be happy to treat lives like trash.
As I yawned, I locked eyes with the madame.
With a slight smile, she asked when I would enter, but the madame hesitated at the provocation, unconsciously taking a step back.
“Madame?”
“You’re acting really strange today!”
Naturally, the Chokugen members, sensitive to even the slightest movements, gazed at her oddly, but I was honestly impressed.
“Good intuition?”
They never expected me to speak, and all the Chokugen members’ gazes pierced through like arrows. But more than those countless stares, I was focused on the madame.
She knows.
No one here can open the door behind me.
If they rush in, they’ll all die.
‘I won’t bother turning them into cripples anymore.’
When Prince Oliver ambushed the hotel, I turned most of the Chokugen members into cripples. Because I was sure that would be more painful for them than death.
Their bodies had endured a lifetime of drugs and inhumane training. But it couldn’t just be wasted overnight, leaving parts of them broken.
I thought it must have been inconvenient for the Chokugen to deal with.
But later, I found out they all died.
And they all had the same wounds inflicted by that scream on them.
Sen, who carefully examined the wounds, concluded it was the madame’s doing. No one else used the butterfly-shaped mark but her.
In the end, they all died.
The Chokugen presented death to their useless members without a moment of hesitation.
“Hah, let me clear the way first!”
Eventually, one restless Chokugen member rushed at me without the madame’s order.
He quickly struck down at me with a dagger while I sat around, but with a slight shift of my legs, I easily avoided his dagger, and his face was now unceremoniously laid out in front of me.
“Uh?”
I caught the bewildered guy’s hair and slammed him to the ground.
It was a moment where another layer of history, stained with blood, began to form on the white marble floors steeped in the history and tradition of the cathedral.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
I didn’t stop crushing his head, and soon enough, he was gone—more than just a cripple, he had departed to the afterlife.
“Ugh.”
Slowly rising, I chuckled at the sight of the now unrestrained dogs growling at me.
“This time, I’ll definitely kill for real. If they’re gonna die anyway, I’ll send them off cleanly in one go.”
Wouldn’t that be easier for you Chokugen too?
“But there’s one thing you should be thankful for.”
With a swish, the delightful sound of the sword being drawn accompanied the nun’s voice.
– For me, that month in Batian was truly a precious time. I had felt like I’d hit rock bottom, crying out to the God, asking why He’d given me such trials.
“Dying in the closest place to the God? Who knows, perhaps even scraps like you assassins could meet the God who recycles trash for a moment?”
“What the hell?!”
Enraged, the Chokugen member charged forward.
Sorry, but I had already witnessed that show back in the hotel.
Thinking of Sen, it was easy.
Would Chokugen members, who suppressed their emotions through drugs and training, truly rush in excitedly after just a few exchanged words?
That would never happen.
They were merely pretending to be excited.
The guy approaching me while scattering killing intent was playing a trick to draw my focus with exaggerated movements.
“Too obvious to miss your hiding spot.”
I sensed there was a man hiding behind him, stealthily approaching while killing his intent.
Snap!
The sound of my sword twisting through his ribs echoed as it plunged. The important part being, my sword had already pierced someone once, and yet, it stabbed yet again.
The blade that penetrated the man’s stomach sliced through the neck of the Chokugen member crouching behind him, whose masked face clattered across the floor.
But the other members, true to their Chokugen pride, maintained their composed patterns without a flicker of emotion over their teammate’s death, pressing me further.
“Having your back against the wall, you think you’ve cornered me?”
They didn’t think their excitement tactic would work, keeping silent. Yet, even so, their movements were splendid.
Their actions looked random, like children tossing stones by the river, but they were all results of rigorous training.
Since I had always fought alone, it was my first time experiencing a coordinated effort like this among so many skilled people.
– You too must have experienced this. Crying, kneeling, screaming to the God. Asking why you were given such trials, wondering why He had forsaken you.
To the advancing Chokugen members, I offered a simple piece of advice.
“Being cornered means there’s one less direction you can attack from.”
Of course, they wouldn’t be oblivious.
I suppose they thought the most important thing was to block my movement, even at the cost of one attack direction.
Crunch! Crunch!
Sadly, that judgment was a failure.
No, it felt rude to call it a failure for them. It was simply an outcome where success wasn’t even an option.
Neither success nor failure was a choice; it was just an inevitable result.
I felt like I had become a typhoon.
I merely moved, yet like a storm carrying crops, beasts, people, and buildings, the Chokugen members rushed at me without pause.
And they died.
Already, the chapel’s door and the entire corridor were drenched in blood.
– I understand. It must be unfair and frustrating. You must wonder if this truly is the God’s will. I’m sorry; I’m far too inadequate to comprehend the will of the Gods or provide you with answers.
Then.
From the crimson backdrop emerged a violet butterfly.
The butterfly flitted among the Chokugen members, aiming directly for my heart.
Snap.
Without hesitation, I snatched that butterfly. My hand was scratched, blood dripping down, but it wasn’t a big deal.
“So this is that fetish.”
I wondered how it moved, but upon checking, it was a unique fetish powered by the madame’s magical energy.
For someone like me, who couldn’t easily use mana, it was an unusable weapon, fit just to decorate the room.
“Impressive.”
Once I confirmed the madame’s involvement, the remaining Chokugen members backed off.
– Nevertheless, I will weep with you. Having also suffered similar pain, I will pray alongside you. I cannot provide you with answers, but I will seek those answers together with you.
With a glum expression, the madame reached out and a swarm of butterflies danced behind her. I never anticipated she could handle so many fetishes, causing my eyes to widen.
Like a protective wave around the madame, the butterflies began to swoop in, and at the same time, the members charged at me once more.
Swish.
Wounds slowly began to form on my once-spotless body. As long sword marks traced my shoulder, cheek, and thigh, the members gripped their swords a little tighter.
They were accumulating damage against me, who had once felt invulnerable. The hope rose that their numbers could lead to victory.
“Oh dear.”
Honestly, I was quite taken aback.
The madame’s butterflies continually attacked from unexpectedly various directions, keeping me on the defensive.
Moreover, due to their large numbers, the moment my attention strayed to one side, they would strike from the opposite.
Amid the increasing damage.
Ultimately, I reached my conclusion.
“Ah, this won’t do.”
With my sword in my mouth, I grabbed two corpses sprawled on the ground and flung them at the members.
Naturally, they had to retreat, and I seized the opportunity to stomp through the door and charge right past the Chokugen.
The butterflies attempted to gather and block me, but in the end, they were just butterflies.
One hefty swing of my sword sent them tumbling to the ground, unable to protect their master.
With no hesitation, I pierced the madame’s chest with my sword.
“I was hoping to fight here without crossing the chapel door, but you turned out to be quite a handful.”
“……”
I naturally expected her to say something, but instead, the madame appeared calm, as if this situation was just a natural outcome.
“Hm? You knew you were going to die, didn’t you?”
“Why……”
The madame slowly knelt, a self-deprecating smile cresting her lips. In her eyes, there was not Daniel McLean standing but rather her leader.
‘I know Sen is there. But no matter what, don’t approach the Academy in Elgrid.’
At the time, I couldn’t grasp why she said that. Especially since the betrayer Sen was still openly attending the academy without seeking revenge.
That act was as good as a disgrace to the Chokugen.
But now, the madame finally understood.
It wasn’t about Sen being the issue.
Nor was there something wrong with the academy itself.
It was because of this man ahead.
Because of this monster……
The madame’s hand fell with a swoosh.
Was it the clothes she wore, the umbrella draped over her shoulder, or the veil covering her face?
Just like an actress receiving applause as she exits the stage,
she closed her eyes just like that.
