You had nightmares every single day since long ago.

Waking up from the nightmares, I held you as you curled up and sobbed in the darkness, and I irresponsibly spouted fleeting promises.

“I will be by your side when you go through the deepest night, young lady.”

For the first time, I saw what nightmares you were having.

That pitch-black, eternal, and despairing dream.

I thought you were only having nightmares on that night.

Not knowing that you always lived in a nightmare.

Foolish me, I was never by your side even once when you went through the deep night.

What were you thinking as you heard my hollow promises?

How did you feel as you watched my ignorant complaints?

I, who can’t protect you until the end…

Sched opened his eyes.

In his blurry vision, her face seemed to faintly reflect.

“Lord!”

Along with the throbbing headache, his senses slowly become clear.

And the memories come flooding in like water.

Dietrich, the battle, the order and death, and.

“Louise…”

As soon as he reached that name, the memories became clear as if cold water had been splashed on him.

The sight of her collapsing, battered and bruised…

Sched’s body trembled as if convulsing.

He couldn’t protect her in the end.

It was I who brought her here.

I drove her to the end.

He collapsed.

His paradise, with his own hands.

“His Holiness the Pope said he will decide on the sealed body through a meeting. Also, other cardinals will come here directly to handle the disposal.”

At the priest’s words, Giselle crossed her legs and pressed her forehead firmly.

There was a lot of controversy about how to handle the sealed body.

Although they had stopped Dietrich’s rampage for now, the sooner the disposal, the better.

It’s just a matter of how to handle it.

“How on earth did the great saint perfectly hide Mephisto after disposing of him?”

It is possible to seal Dietrich with holy power.

However, where to keep the sealed body was a topic of much debate.

It is dangerous to keep it in a place easily accessible to people.

Someone might break the seal by mistake, or interest in black magic might increase.

“For now, the most likely disposal sites seem to be the Crevasse of Prunig or the crater of Mount Dunames. They considered the deep sea, but it’s difficult to drop it accurately into the trench and variables like ocean currents are risky, so it was rejected.”

Either way, it was troublesome.

“Nice places to live forever.”

Giselle twisted her lips and muttered again in silence.

Damn Dietrich.

You caused this mess even as a cardinal?

He always had a somewhat shady side. His presence was faint, and there was something hard to approach.

But I hoped it was just my misconception…

“And about Louise Ideana.”

Giselle, who had been inwardly cursing, frowned again.

Louise Ideana, a woman more troublesome than Dietrich.

Just hearing that name made her head throb.

‘To think Riana Serpens was that child…’

Giselle remembered the Ideana family’s girl she had seen in her childhood.

As a young lady from another ducal family, she had rarely seen her when very young.

They could have become close due to similar circumstances or become complete rivals.

Perhaps because of that, even though she didn’t see her much, her memory of Louise was vivid.

A pretty, gentle, and kind child.

In her childhood, Giselle felt a childish sense of rivalry towards that child.

When she visited the Ideana family with her great-grandfather, who was a priest, he said to Count Felix Ideana:

“The reason Louise is weak is because she can’t handle her strong holy power. But don’t worry, it won’t affect her life. It will stabilize gradually as she grows.”

Giselle, who had never seen anyone born with more holy power than her, was shocked as a child to learn there was a child stronger than her.

So she deliberately acted arrogantly in front of Louise and studied desperately at the monastery to not lose.

But unlike Giselle, Louise just liked her.

‘…She was a foolishly naive child to the point of being annoying.’

Even when Giselle played mean pranks, Louise would nod her head with a bright smile, looking at her with clear, innocent eyes that made Giselle feel apologetic…

That smile was enviable.

That child had become a demon.

“The Holy See seems to want to carry out the execution the same way.”

The priest held out a letter from the Vatican.

“Ha… Execute her?”

Giselle, who took the letter, rubbed her tired face once.

“Yes, because that’s the principle…”

The priest answered with a bitter expression.

Among the priests of Paradel, opinions on Louise were divided.

In principle, Louise must be subjected to hellish punishment.

But everyone in Paradel knows.

On that day when the world seemed to be destroyed, someone prevented the great calamity.

And they owe their lives to that being.

So some priests argued that even if they can’t praise her merits, they can’t demand punishment.

But on the contrary, there were also those who argued that she should be punished even more because they had seen her power.

And the church’s position was that there should be God’s judgment on heretics without exception.

‘Certainly… that would be more convenient.’

Giselle knew well what the church was thinking.

This incident was an embarrassing and humiliating one for the temple.

Of all people, a cardinal using black magic.

The arrows of criticism will naturally point to the temple that failed to supervise him, and the imperial family will welcome the weakening of the priesthood’s power.

The temple needed to divert the arrows elsewhere.

‘The survivor of the Ideana family, who had committed treason long ago, hid their identity wickedly and instigated heresy…’

A political move that’s always used. It’s cliche but quite useful.

But Giselle couldn’t write a reply to the Pope’s letter with a pen in hand.

She stared blankly at the empty paper.

There were a few unanswered questions still on her mind.

Without knowing the answers, she couldn’t write a reply either.

“Haa…”

It’s really annoying.

She put down the pen irritably.

A problem that had been bothering her all along.

Why was Louise, with that great power, hiding until now?

Giselle recalled the overwhelming power that pierced the sky.

A power that no one could approach recklessly.

Louise lived as the maid ‘Riana’ even with that power.

Easily despised, hated, and living in submission to others.

A powerless position where one had to swallow words, endure, and persevere.

That’s why Giselle couldn’t understand Louise.

With that much power, she could have punished those who bullied her.

Using some tricks, she could have used her power to acquire a decent amount of wealth and live a quiet and comfortable life.

At least, if it were Giselle, she would have lived like that.

But Louise was in a position that was too low.

Honestly, she thought Louise, who had lived like that, was a bit pathetic and stupid.

‘Then why did she learn black magic?’

To save the world? For self-defense? Or purely out of curiosity and a desire to explore?

Giselle was bothered by Louise’s incomprehensible actions, so she tapped the Pope’s letter with her fingertips.

Just then, the door opened rudely with a bang.

As Giselle turned her head, a pale-faced man stood there.

“Sched!”

Giselle was surprised and jumped up from her seat.

It had only been a few hours since the dawn ended, and she never thought he would wake up so soon.

Moreover, moving with a body that hasn’t been properly treated yet…

“Where is Louise…”

Sched gripped the doorknob as if he would break it.

Giselle, who had been worried about him, let out a twisted snicker at the unchanging situation.

Ha, right. You were that kind of person.

“You crazy bastard.”

Giselle cursed at her former fiancé, forgetting to even mutter.

“I asked where Louise is!”

“I wish you’d show some manners to the savior of your life.”

Giselle looked straight at her former fiancé with her arms crossed.

A torn and hoarse voice, a face more haggard than usual, rough breathing.

He can barely stand on his two feet, leaning against the door, but he glares at her with only his eyes wide open.

“Giselle Marlhein!”

“The end of a heretic is obvious, isn’t it?”

Giselle narrowed her eyes and looked at her former fiancé.

Honestly, his violet eyes are shaking.

“Don’t tell me… you sealed her?”

His fingertips were clearly trembling.

Giselle smiled.

The man who had been growling just now was suddenly trembling like a frightened child.

He always acted arrogantly as if he lacked nothing, but now he looked like he would even kneel and beg.

What reaction would he show if she said Louise received hellish punishment here?

Giselle suddenly had a sadistic thought.

She was curious about how that man would react.

But she decided to stop experimenting with curiosity after seeing his eyes.

Really, if she said that, he looked like he would die right away.

She, a cardinal, was famous for being merciful.

“She’s alive and not sealed. For now.”

At the answer filled with a touch of kindness, Sched staggered as if his legs would give out.

His shallow and rough breathing softened as if untangled.

He rubbed his haggard face with his palm.

“If it’s for now…”

It wasn’t a hopeful answer.

But it’s enough that she’s safe.

It felt like the fog of anxiety that had clouded his mind was clearing.

And only one thought pushed out all other thoughts and took root in his mind.

‘Louise.’

I have to save her.

If she hasn’t been sealed yet, he will use any means to get her out.

He will hide her and make her run away.

His mind began to race at an abnormally fast pace.