“How dare you call the sacred object vulgar! What kind of thoughts do you usually have?”

Jerome frowned with a haughty expression and seriously considered whether it was okay to put Matian in the same place as Lady Rukna.

“I’m not such a scoundrel, you know?”

“I can only hope you’re not.”

Jerome made the sign of the cross towards the unconscious Matian, praying that the journey would be safe.

[Timeline separator]

The carriage left the golden plains and raced along a narrow forest path.

An unusually bright full moon shone down through the dense trees.

Rukna felt a heavy weight on her shoulder as she gazed into the dark forest, lost in thought.

Matian, who had been lying down, had unconsciously sought Rukna’s side and rested his head on her shoulder.

Rukna carefully placed his head on her lap and propped her elbow on the open window frame, surveying the forest.

The night, with the sound of insects mixed with the carriage wheels, had a certain charm.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve had this kind of leisure.’

With the hectic days continuing, it seemed there was no time to deeply ponder and think about things.

In fact, the very important identity issue of not being Kim Ha Young but Rukna Closet.

‘Actually, it’s not something to think deeply about.’

It was just something to accept. Something to acknowledge.

And wasn’t that how she had been living? As Rukna Closet.

Just then, the voice of the holy sword was heard.

[It’s an ambush.]

‘What?’

Rukna, suddenly coming to her senses, poked her head out of the carriage window and looked around. But she couldn’t see anything?

[Failed to find an escape route.]

‘Bisbi?’

[Entering defensive stance.]

‘What on earth is going on for this to…’

And the eerie chill she felt.

Rukna, who had been surveying outside, closed her mouth.

The cold energy was felt from inside the carriage, right next to her.

Rukna took a deep breath and quickly pulled out the dagger inserted in her thigh belt, turning around.

A black gate was open on the seat next to her.

Dark red candle wax flowed out from there, piling up like a pillar, and soon formed a human shape.

‘What is that!’

Rukna moved towards the unconscious Matian and protected him.

The suspicious mass wriggled and created delicate facial features. It soon became Chad.

“Hello, Ruka.”

He sat cross-legged and waved at Rukna.

“Chad? What happened to you!”

“Pretending to be surprised. You knew I was the Red Eagle. I appeared like this because there’s no need to hide anymore.”

As Chad spoke, the dark red candle wax that kept flowing from the gate enveloped the inside of the carriage.

The open window was blocked and the carriage became a perfect closed room. It was as if they were trapped inside the belly of a monstrous creature.

‘It’s suffocating. Scary!’

Rukna clutched her chest. Her heart was pounding and she could hardly breathe.

Cold sweat soaked through, dripping down the bridge of her nose.

“Nice expression, Ruka.”

“You…!”

“What? Are you remembering when I locked you in the cabinet before?”

Chad reached out to touch Rukna’s cheek. When she slapped his hand away, Chad burst out laughing.

“Your expression back then was really lovely. Even more frightened than now. But you ran away without any sense of responsibility as a sacrifice.”

Chad’s expression suddenly hardened.

“I was disappointed, Ruka.”

“You son of a bitch!”

“You’re the bitch. Because of you, I couldn’t taint the holy sword and all the plans were ruined.”

Out of spite, he had tried to track her down with black magic to kill her.

But Rukna returned alive and well. Claiming to have lost all memories.

At first, he didn’t believe her words.

But seeing her consistently annoyed attitude, not hiding her displeasure towards him, Chad nodded.

If it was the Rukna he knew, she wouldn’t have been able to meet his eyes even as a joke.

“Was there a side effect of the curse I gifted you that switched your soul? You came back as a completely different person and have been subtly ruining all our goals… Who’s behind this?”

“What, are you, ugh, saying.”

Rukna panted, clutching her chest. Being trapped was so painful, but she couldn’t even scream properly.

“Right now, a tremendous holy power is protecting you. There’s no way that’s your own power.”

Chad snapped his fingers and tentacles extended from the wall, rushing towards Rukna.

However, as soon as it touched the holy power enveloping Rukna, it made a sizzling sound and vanished as if burned.

“Hmm, I don’t like Ruka being covered in another guy’s energy.”

With those words, Chad drew his sword.

A grotesquely shaped sword, as if carved from the body parts of a giant demon beast. It aimed not at her, but at Matian without any hesitation.

“No!”

Rukna, who barely blocked the attack, was startled.

She was clearly holding a dagger until just now! It had changed into the holy sword.

‘Bisbi? How did this happen!’

[I had no choice but to reveal myself as the dagger could not block that attack. Keep your eyes forward.]

‘Forward?’

Clang! Chad’s sword flew in once more. He was glaring at the holy sword.

“Things are getting interesting?”

“……”

“How much will the great Matian Wiegratz despair when he learns of this? That the holy sword was taken by the dimwit Rukna!”

Hahaha. Chad laughed, holding his stomach, then frowned.

The holy sword that had been in contact with his sword slightly retreated and changed trajectory, cutting across his chest diagonally.

Kuheuk! Chad felt his chest. The cut wound split open on both sides and dark red candle wax gushed out from there.

The mass supporting him began to crumble.

“Do you know how many lives were sacrificed to use this magic?”

“Why should I know that? I don’t need to take responsibility for what you did.”

“What?”

Chad recalled the past.

The pitiful Rukna trapped in the cabinet, unable to make a sound, weakly pounding on the door with powerless fists.

〈Rather than sacrificing countless lives, wouldn’t it be better for just you to die and become the sacrifice?〉

When he said that, she stopped even the resistance of knocking on the door.

She, who regarded her own life as trivial in a tearful act of self-sacrifice, had become quite brazen now?

If she were a man, he would have wanted to kill her, but thinking of her as a woman, this was even more enticing.

“Did you forget the past and get reborn or something, Ruka?”

“You’re the one who seems to have forgotten the past.”

Rukna changed the direction of the sword towards Chad’s neck as she continued speaking.

Even in the suffocating situation, the movement honed by hundreds of practice sessions was precise without wavering.

“In the last swordsmanship test, my score was higher than yours. Did you forget?”

And with that, she sliced Chad’s neck.

The mass imitating Chad was cut and fell to the floor with a thud, turning into a squishy mess like crumpled clay.

As the caster disappeared, the black gate closed and the candle wax enveloping the space turned to black powder and vanished.

“Thank goodness.”

Rukna slumped down. Her hand gripping the sword handle was as pale as her face, drained of blood.

[Timeline separator]

“Ugh!”

Cough, cough! Chad, who had been sitting cross-legged in front of the altar, fell forward and vomited blood.

“Are you alright, Priest!”

Bishop rushed to Chad to check his condition. But Chad swung his arm back, pushing Bishop away.

The wounds his doppelganger had suffered remained intact on his neck and chest.

Chad touched those wounds and laughed bitterly.

Haha, hahaha!

He had not grown up sheltered after being abandoned by the imperial family and becoming the Red Eagle.

Dark mages used blood as a medium for their spells, so until reaching a level where sacrifices could be used, they had to cut their own bodies and had no uninjured parts.

But strangely, it felt amazing. The wound she left was hot, making his insides burn with heat.

‘I want to tear Ruka to shreds and devour her right now.’

I want to push her to the point of screaming, suffering, and begging me to kill her while looking up at me.

Then who will be first in your mind? It will be me, not Matian. You will think of me every moment.

“Bishop, I think the time has come.”

Chad laughed, gazing into the air with unfocused eyes.

“What do you suddenly mean by that, Priest?”

“The holy sword has revealed itself. We must shake the empire before it can function properly.”

[Timeline separator]

Rukna barely arrived at the temple.

Matian was immediately moved to the purification room and the priests were busy preparing the ritual.

The exhausted Rukna leaned against the corridor wall and slumped down.

The hand that had held the holy sword was still trembling.

Although it wasn’t the real Chad she met in the carriage, the unpleasant feeling of cutting a human wouldn’t go away like sticky oil.

‘It was unavoidable. I need to be calm.’

To protect someone, you have to point your blade at someone else.

‘How has Matian been doing this?’

Rukna hugged her knees.

The high priest approached her from across and squatted down, bending his knees.

The priests who had been following him in a line took note and gave them space.

“You look terrible.”

What happened to get so dirty. The high priest brushed off the remnants of dark magic clinging to Rukna.

“Are you hungry? Will you at least eat this?”

He held out the small bowl he was carrying. It contained a few roasted nuts.

“I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“Oh dear.”

The high priest put the bowl on the floor and reached out.

He took Rukna’s limp hand, caressing it as he pulled it over, and placed the back of her hand against his forehead.

“May the light of glory reach you.”

The holy power flowing from the high priest seeped into the back of Rukna’s hand.

His holy power was like a gentle spring breeze. The tense arms and legs slowly relaxed and became comfortable.

But her heavy mind was still tangled with complicated thoughts.

“How is it? Do you feel a bit energized?”

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

“Judging by your half-hearted answer, it seems the effect was minimal… What troubles did you have?”

“Life is too hard.”

Rukna confessed in a small voice.

“Why is my past and present filled only with hardships?”

Rukna buried her face in her knees.

She was exhausted.

Tears burst out.

The predetermined future was daunting and the undetermined future was overwhelming.

She was pathetic for not being able to find balance and being swayed by circumstances in this twisted world.

Still, how fortunate it was to have at least protected Matian in the carriage.

Even though she had a spine-chilling experience.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”

At the high priest’s words, Rukna slowly raised her head.

He smiled compassionately but didn’t wipe away her tears.

“Why do you think your life shouldn’t be hard?”

The unexpected question made the overflowing sorrow suddenly stop.

She knew life couldn’t be filled only with easy and enjoyable things.

It’s not wrong. Yes, who doesn’t know that tough times should also be calmly accepted?

“Aren’t you the high priest who embraces everyone? When you see someone struggling, can’t you just say ‘you’ve worked hard’, ‘you’ve had a rough time’?”

“No, I can’t. I’m struggling just as much so I’ll nag as thoughts come to mind.”

The high priest answered while crunching on an almond from the bowl.

“The other people should know that Your Holiness is this brusque.”

“Before that, if the priests knew you speak to me so bluntly, they would be astonished.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

“No. This is me nagging.”

“This is unbelievable, really.”

“I feel the same. A mere cadet of the officer’s school, far from showing respect to the high priest, tried to forcibly extort my sympathy.”

“Forcible sympathy extortion!”

What is this person saying! Rukna lowered her voice while glancing around.

“Why are you being so careful? Perhaps, has your dirty mind interpreted the word sympathy differently?”

How did he twist the words about forcibly demanding sympathy?

The high priest stared at Rukna with a look of seeing socks unwashed for 3 days.