“Alright. Let’s go meet Cornelia.”
“······Yeah.”
The harvest was quite substantial.
First of all, I found out that Sola is not one of the Four Heavenly Kings yet. This means the last seat is still unoccupied.
Secondly, I also learned that Belphegor is currently not in the Holy Kingdom. Sola mentioned he’s out at sea to meet the Sea Dragon…
So, he’s likely at Saint Francesco Maritime Fortress. I can’t shake off this ominous feeling.
There’s no way to deal with it from inland Cologne.
If I get to the maritime fortress later, I’ll find out what tricks he’s up to.
‘But why did the demonic energy send a message here?’
This raises questions.
Belphegor’s magic clearly sent signals toward the west, towards Hameln and Cologne. If Belphegor’s real body isn’t here, who exactly was the message sent to?
It’s possible that Belphegor isn’t the only one in the Holy Kingdom right now. If we’re talking about the remaining one of the Four Heavenly Kings, it could be a Necromancer…
I need to be on guard.
And the much-awaited third point:
I obtained the Evil Eye.
[Eye of the Originator]
[This is the right eye of the first curse caster. It allows you to see one second into the future intermittently. If you look for too long, your mind may become muddied.]
Simply put, it’s a one-second future sight.
I know this sounds underwhelming, but it’s incredibly precious. In battles between superhumans, victories can hinge on millisecond differences.
Even though it takes quite a while to adapt… Once I do, it’ll provide an immense advantage in one-on-one fights.
But if I ask myself whether this is worth gouging out my perfectly fine eye and sticking that ugly thing in it…
“······Gross.”
“I think so too. Ugh, I feel like throwing up.”
Definitely not!
Every time it turns around and makes eye contact with me, it feels like the baguette I had this morning might come back up.
They say staring for too long muddles your mind.
I’ve been looking for just a moment and my head’s already spinning.
I desperately want to dive nose-first into Cornelia’s head and breathe in to stabilize my mind.
Of course, having this thing in my eye has led to such a corruption…
Maybe helping Sola remove it would bring her back to her senses?
Or maybe not.
‘Should I attach it to the magic sword instead? It’s been buzzing since there’s no way to communicate with the outside world besides talking to me.’
I briefly thought about sticking this Evil Eye onto the magic sword, but quickly shook my head and discarded the idea.
A sword with an eye stuck in it? Just the thought is horrifying.
‘So now, what to do about Sola…’
I have buried her deep underground, but it’s still too early to relax.
The place I’ve locked her in is the ‘Heavenly Armor Plate’ created with traits.
It’s an extreme defensive trait that reflects all physical force applied from the inside and outside.
The magic Sola has learned is electrical, so she can ultimately block it all with physical force protection.
Moreover, the Heavenly Armor Plate doesn’t release any mana or demonic energy, so unless someone specifically digs up the dirt, detection is impossible.
However, the Heavenly Armor Plate needs mana to function.
This means I can’t keep Sola locked away forever.
Calculating the mana consumption, I believe it should last about 24 hours.
In other words, after 24 hours, I’ll have to deal with a furious and rampaging Sola.
‘The guise of impersonating the Four Heavenly Kings is already used up…’
It seems there’s no way to prevent Sola’s antagonism towards me.
The best option is still to escape the Holy Kingdom before she breaks free.
I’m not sure if I can achieve all my goals and leave the Holy Kingdom in 24 hours.
‘If things get dicey, I could take her little brother hostage or something.’
I’m really not worried.
I have my last resort.
“Mi Jeong. Bring out the communicator. I need to contact Cern.”
“······Okay.”
Just in case.
I’ll have to summon Cern through Linda.
In the worst case, I might need his help.
*
“Whoo…”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of nails being bitten echoed in the room.
The Priestess Jill gazed outside anxiously, repeatedly sighing.
“It’s gotten bigger…”
The white smoke covering all of Cologne.
That smoke, visible only to Jill, had not cleared at all.
No, it seemed to have thickened even more since yesterday.
I deployed the Sacred Knights to find the source of the smoke, but there were no results at all.
The instruction of ‘look for something suspicious’ seemed to have been taken, but…
No matter how they searched the whole city, nothing came up, and they eventually had to withdraw.
Continuing an endless search for just one ominous reason was beyond the Priestess’s power.
Even when she mentioned the white smoke, everyone pretended to believe her.
But it was clear no one truly did.
Jill was feeling frustrated to the point of madness.
“Yoo Jin believed me without questioning anything…”
Before the regression.
That was on a day when Jill was quite close to Yoo Jin.
They had gone to the neighboring city for volunteer work and saw the pale smoke there.
When Jill raised her concern about the presence of corpses nearby, everyone was startled and began searching.
But as time passed and nothing showed up, they all slowly gave up.
However, one who remained searching quietly, even after sunset when everyone had left, was none other than Yoo Jin.
Yoo Jin dug into the ground, peeked under roofs, and endured the complaints of the townspeople as he continued his search.
And late into the night, he discovered it.
The skeletal remains of a person curled up inside a wine barrel.
Once the body was cleared, the white smoke instantly vanished.
Yet even after a corpse had appeared, few believed Jill’s claims of the ‘white smoke.’
Everyone just thought it was a coincidence.
Only Yoo Jin believed her completely.
“Why? Why did you search so diligently? It could have been my delusion. It could have been a lie.”
“You’re the Priestess. I’ll trust everything you say, no matter how absurd or ridiculous it may seem. Even if the whole world turns their back on you, I’ll stay by your side until the end.”
Nostalgia flooded Jill’s eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
She missed Yoo Jin.
She wanted to return to the relationship they once had.
But now that there was a bounty on her for attempted rape, such a future would never come.
If Yoo Jin fell into this bounty-net, she felt she would never be able to receive forgiveness.
To uncover the source of the white smoke enveloping Cologne, she needed Yoo Jin.
Yet finding Yoo Jin would mean she would surely be hated for eternity.
Caught in an ironic dilemma, Jill became increasingly confused about which route to choose.
“I need to have a consultation…”
With a weary face, Jill roughly brushed her hair aside and stumbled out of the room.
At this hour, Cornelia should be working in her office.
Just as she was about to knock on the door, it suddenly shook with a thud.
And then it returned to calm.
“Cornelia…?”
With a strange unease, Jill cautiously called out.
.
.
.
Just moments ago, she’d been lost in thoughts of Yoo Jin, wishing to see him.
And then, at that moment…
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while, Cornelia.”
“······!”
As Jill turned her head at the sound of the window opening and the sudden movement, she froze.
There was Yoo Jin awkwardly smiling as he squeezed his body through a small window.
It was only a brief shock.
An overwhelming joy filled her heart so completely that there was no room for other thoughts.
She almost let out a scream, but Yoo Jin put a finger to his lips to hush her.
“Is Jill here at the mansion? I’m here to meet her secretly, so no loud noises.”
“Then what about the barrier…”
“The barrier won’t work. That girl can sense magic casting like a hawk. It’s best to just speak softly and quietly.”
“Got it…”
That girl?
There was a strange intimacy in the way he referred to the Priestess.
What kind of relationship did they have before that allowed him to refer to her like this even after parting on bad terms?
It stirred a bit of jealousy in her.
“Are you okay? Jill isn’t torturing you or anything?”
“No, we’re super close now. The Priestess treats me really well.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried she might have found out I’m your spy.”
“Hoo-hoo, I’m not that easy to catch.”
Yoo Jin couldn’t just agree with Cornelia’s beaming smile.
After all, there had been instances where he got caught while playing spy.
“But how did you manage to get past the bounty network?”
“Uh… The situation’s a bit complicated. Someone noticed the Priestess’s rampage and tried to help me, but I ended up burying that person underground.”
“What?!”
“I’ll dig them up by tomorrow, so no need to worry. But about this bounty… it’s not just that Jill wants to see me, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“There must be another reason. A reason why you urgently need to find me.”
“······.”
The confident tone in Yoo Jin’s voice caused Cornelia to fall silent.
He was convinced Jill didn’t place the bounty solely for her selfish desires.
It was something only possible with absolute trust in the Priestess.
Cornelia smiled as she responded.
“Do you know about the white smoke?”
“White smoke? That sounds vaguely familiar.”
“It’s something the Priestess mentioned…”
Cornelia relayed the story she had heard from the Priestess to Yoo Jin.
The Priestess claimed she saw white smoke coming from dead corpses, and that smoke was currently blanketing all of Cologne.
Yoo Jin, who had been listening intently, now wore a serious expression.
Far from mocking, he seemed to have no doubts about the Priestess’s words.
‘A bit of jealousy is creeping in.’
Just how deep was the bond between those two for them to have such unwavering trust?
How deep was their connection?
In the face of this seemingly impossible gap, Cornelia felt a surge of envy.
“Yoo Jin, I missed you.”
“I did too. I was running low on cash.”
“You… are you meeting me just because of the money…?”
Yoo Jin’s mouth closed before he could answer.
With a soft touch, Cornelia’s hand came up to caress his cheek.
Then, slowly…
She pulled his head towards her.
Yoo Jin had always drawn lines with her since long ago.
But it seemed like the reason was other than just a lack of attraction.
“You seem really stoic. But that’s not the real you, is it? You’re just pretending to be stoic. You don’t give your heart to others on purpose. Why is that?”
“······.”
“Is it because you think everyone will eventually part ways?”
“I won’t deny that.”
“All encounters will eventually have separations. In the end, it’s just a matter of how brief or long those encounters are. It’s all the same. So, Yoo Jin… don’t suppress your feelings too much. That way, you’re likely to develop illness in your heart. Acknowledging that parting gives value to encounters, and be honest with yourself…”
Yoo Jin’s pupils shook.
That was a sign he was being persuaded.
Cornelia wouldn’t miss a chance like this.
Slowly, she pulled Yoo Jin closer.
Yoo Jin did not resist as he came closer.
Their faces tilted toward each other, ready to meet when suddenly…
“Cornelia?”
A familiar voice came from beyond the door.
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