Irene did not yet fully trust Kalos.

It was even harder to trust him in a situation where anyone could see her life was in danger.

Yes. It’s certainly hard to believe, but why did her anxiety subside after hearing his words?

“I don’t know.”

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find an answer. Rather, the more she thought, the more her head hurt.

Partly because of that, and partly because Trope, who had been murmuring prayers with his hands in the lake, was approaching her, Irene had to stop thinking.

Kalos stepped forward, hiding Irene behind his back.

“Is it over?”

“Yes. All preparations are complete. Now we just need to take the witch.”

Kalos’s eyebrows rose.

“It hasn’t been proven that she’s a witch yet, has it?”

Seeing his obvious displeasure, Trope hurriedly bowed his head and apologized.

“I apologize. I misspoke.”

Despite his polite tone, Trope’s face was covered in dissatisfaction.

He was displeased with Kalos, who denied that this woman was a witch and insulted him like this, when it was certain she was one.

The moment it’s revealed that woman is a witch, I’ll laugh at him to my heart’s content.

Hiding his foul thoughts, Trope spoke in a gentle voice.

“We must finish the witch trial while the lake is imbued with holy power, Your Grace.”

“I see.”

So they’re going through with the witch trial after all. Irene bit her lip hard.

Thanks to Kalos’s firm assurance that nothing would happen, she wasn’t anxious, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t tense. Not being told what he was planning to do was also one of the reasons for her tension.

“Shall we go then.”

So when Kalos naturally put his arm around her waist, Irene quietly asked.

“Are you sure this will be alright?”

Kalos gently brushed aside the hair on Irene’s face and asked in return.

“Don’t you trust me?”

When Irene shook her head, Kalos smiled with satisfaction.

Seeing their appearance as affectionate lovers, Trope asked in bewilderment.

“It seems you’re quite… fond of that person.”

The glance he cast at Irene was not kind. Kalos pulled Irene closer to him, subtly shielding her from Trope’s gaze.

“I am fond of her. Don’t you find her beautiful too?”

“Well… She is a rare beauty, I suppose.”

Even Trope couldn’t deny this point.

“But did you know, Your Grace? That witches are also extremely beautiful. They say they use that beauty to seduce humans.”

“Oh? That’s interesting. If we ever catch a witch, be sure to show me.”

Trope’s nose twitched at the answer that completely excluded the possibility of Irene being a witch.

“Are you aware that Baron Silas and his entire family died in a fire?”

“Yes.”

“In Silas’s territory, that witch…”

The moment Trope unwittingly uttered the word ‘witch’, a cold gaze filled with killing intent pierced him.

“…Her family also died because of a house fire.”

Trope quickly changed his form of address.

“The fire spread and burned about half of Silas’s territory. According to the locals, the fire was not ordinary. It was very… as if created by magic.”

“That’s enough of this useless talk.”

Kalos cut off Trope’s words as if he didn’t want to hear any more, and instead asked a question.

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

“This is a form of witch trial…”

Trope explained enthusiastically, but since it was information he already knew, Kalos let it go in one ear and out the other.

“…”

But Irene couldn’t do that. Trope’s words became sharp thorns, mercilessly pricking her skin.

The urge to run away right now surged, but thanks to Kalos being by her side, she was able to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground.

When Trope finished his long explanation and gestured, the waiting priests approached.

“Since we don’t have much time left…”

“Can this trial method be trusted?”

Once again, Kalos interrupted Trope and asked.

Suppressing his rising irritation at the repeated interruptions, Trope answered.

“Of course. We’ve rooted out numerous witches with this method.”

“And numerous people have died innocently.”

“That…”

At a loss for words, Trope hesitated for a moment before answering.

“We deeply regret that aspect as well. That’s why we operate the witch trials under a responsibility system, as a means of being cautious.”

Kalos snorted.

“You kill people and think stepping down from priesthood is taking responsibility? Even a passing dog wouldn’t laugh at such nonsense.”

The priests bristled at the sarcastic words, but facing the notorious Duke Esper, they could only swallow their anger silently.

“I’m still not sure if this trial can be trusted.”

In other words, he was saying to show him something he could trust.

Trope felt Kalos’s suggestion was like a trap, and not knowing what to do, he kept his mouth shut.

Yet he was inwardly anxious, because there really wasn’t much time left.

“…What would make you believe us?”

In the end, Trope had to ask, even knowing it was a trap.

“Well.”

Kalos pretended to think for a moment, drawing out his words, then answered.

“I’d like to see a demonstration.”

“A demonstration…?”

“Yes.”

The corners of Kalos’s lips loosened.

“I’d like one of you to step forward and show that there’s no problem with this trial method.”

In other words, it meant one of them should drown, so the priests were all flustered and murmuring.

“That’s absurd…”

“You were the ones who made the absurd request first.”

Kalos tilted his head askew.

“You proposed an absurd trial where my lover would die whether she’s a witch or a human, and now you’re not willing to pay even this much of a price?”

Meeting the cold purple eyes, the priests hurriedly averted their gaze. The same was true for Trope.

“Don’t worry. If there’s no problem with this trial, and it’s revealed that my lover is a witch, I’ll not only pay for that person’s life but also donate 10,000 gold to the temple.”

10,000 gold. The priests’ jaws dropped at the mention of a sum equivalent to half a year’s operating expenses for a decent-sized city.

“However, if she’s proven to be human, everyone here will die.”

But only for a moment. As an overwhelming pressure that seemed ready to take their lives right now weighed down on their shoulders, the priests’ faces turned as white as paper.

Even Trope couldn’t say they should proceed with the witch trial right away and kept his mouth shut.

Kalos looked down at Trope with a cold smile.

“Since there’s not much time left, hurry and select someone to demonstrate. Isn’t that necessary to proceed with the witch trial?”

Despite Kalos’s urging, Trope’s tightly closed lips didn’t open. He just rolled his eyes around as if pondering how to break through this situation.

In the silence so quiet that the sound of wind brushing against grass could be heard, Kalos spoke.

“Since no one seems willing to step forward, I’ll have to choose.”

“Your Grace, that’s…”

“Why? Don’t tell me you’re thinking of not holding the witch trial now?”

At the sharp retort, Trope closed his mouth again. Given what he had said so far, he couldn’t say they wouldn’t hold the trial.

“Since it will be going to God’s side, it would be good to select the most devout. Who has the highest rank here?”

At those words, the priests looked at two people. One was Trope, and the other was a priest named ‘Polo’, who was also a mid-level priest like him.

Kalos looked back and forth between Trope and Polo, then pointed at Polo.

“I think it would be good for this one to do it.”

At Kalos’s choice, Trope breathed a deep sigh of relief, while Polo’s face turned pale.

“I, I…”

“Please, brother.”

Trope grasped Polo’s hand tightly and said.

“This is all for the sake of the empire’s people, and further, for all people of the continent.”

“That’s right. If we don’t root out the witch now, there will be greater sacrifices.”

Kalos let out a small laugh, finding it amusing how they were pushing their colleague of at least 10 years to go die for the greater good.

As his fellow priests all urged him on, saying it was for the greater cause, Polo had no choice but to accept.

Soon, shackles were placed on Polo’s hands and feet. With heavy stones tied to him as well, Polo said to his fellow priests with an ashen face.

“Then I’ll entrust the aftermath to you, brothers… and go to God’s side first.”

Nonsensical words followed about how this was all a noble sacrifice, that they were doing a good thing.

Kalos watched silently without saying anything, but he wasn’t just standing still. As evidence, the shadow at his feet disappeared.

After finishing his long farewell, Polo closed his eyes tightly and jumped into the lake.

With a splash, a strong spray of water rose, and wide ripples spread from where the priest had fallen in.

The ripples gradually disappeared, and soon the water surface became calm as if nothing had happened.

In a situation that looked to anyone as if Polo had died.

Trope wiped his slightly reddened eyes with the back of his hand, calmed his sad emotions, and then asked Kalos.

“Can you trust this trial now?”

“Well.”

Just as Trope was about to say something in response to Kalos’s cold reaction.

“Br-brother!”

A priest beside him called out urgently.

“…!”

Wondering what was happening, Trope turned around and soon saw bubbles rising from the calm water surface, his eyes widening.

Could it be that Polo, who had fallen into the water, was coming back?

It was truly sad and regrettable that his colleague had died, but that didn’t mean he wanted him to come back alive.

Coming back alive here would prove that Polo was a wicked being.

If it was revealed that a priest, a faithful servant of God, was actually a wicked being, the reputation of the temple would plummet to the bottom.

He was also afraid of how Kalos would react, and they could no longer determine whether Irene was a witch or not.

What right did a priest who couldn’t even notice that there was a devil among his colleagues have to conduct a witch trial?

So Trope and the other priests hoped that Polo would not come back alive, but unfortunately, their wish was not granted.

“Sa-save me!”

Not only had he come back alive, but their colleague Polo, who had even freed himself from the shackles, cried out desperately, flailing his arms.

“Please, please save me!”

However, the priests turned their backs on Polo. Rather, it was Kalos who nodded to Deuce to save him.

The moment Polo came out of the water alive, Kalos’s shadow that had disappeared returned.

Kalos looked at Trope and the priests who didn’t know what to do, with a cold sneer on his lips.

“Now, who’s the wicked one?”