Celiya was not fooled by Dietrich’s words.

Giving her the leash was a lie, merely to lower her guard.

This was deception.

He could break the leash around his neck with his own hands at any time, while telling Celiya he would give her the leash.

Taking advantage of her moment of carelessness, he was telling her he would prostrate himself now, while intending to ultimately cut off her breath.

-Be aware of your position.

-You just need to do as I say.

Just a week ago, he acted as if he were the master instead.

Celiya had a hunch about why Dietrich was acting this way.

Perhaps the outside situation had changed a lot in the past week.

“I told you. I don’t have a hobby of raising dogs.”

Celiya’s hand slowly dug into his neck, just as Dietrich had once done to her.

Dietrich simply watched Celiya’s actions silently. His calm, sunken red eyes did not waver even as her nails left marks on his neck.

Those eyes were indifferent, even heartless.

Looking into those eyes, Celiya removed her hand from his neck.

She lowered her body onto Dietrich’s upper body and whispered.

“Say it again.

“…”

“That killing the emperor was a foolish act?”

A meaningful smile spread across Dietrich’s expressionless face.

“Yes.”

For Celiya, who had lived solely for the day she would kill the emperor, his affirmation was tantamount to denying her entire life.

“The person you should have killed was not the emperor, but…”

Dietrich overlapped his hand with Celiya’s. Interlacing their fingers, he pointed to the high ceiling with his hand.

“The Three Dukes above the emperor’s head.”

More than an hour had passed since Dietrich left the room.

Celiya lay on the bed, quietly looking up at the ceiling.

She could feel the day breaking, but she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

Dietrich’s words kept echoing in her mind.

‘The Three Dukes are my real enemies?’

Dietrich had accurately seen through that Celiya was not from Abelon. He might have even figured out that she was a survivor from a fallen kingdom.

No. Dietrich would certainly have figured it out.

-If you don’t believe me, see for yourself at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet that will be held soon. Your real ‘enemies’ will appear at the banquet hall.

That’s why he spoke so confidently.

“…”

She was frustrated.

Unlike her, Dietrich knew so much.

Well, he was a man of great skill, having risen to the position of Imperial Knight Commander and even securing a duke title despite not being from Abelon.

He knows about the existence of abilities and dislikes Abelon.

What exactly is Dietrich’s identity?

‘Could he be a survivor like me?’

But all the kingdom’s people except herself had died.

‘If what that man says is true, who are the Three Dukes, and how did they destroy my kingdom so far away?’

She didn’t know how much of what Dietrich said was true and how much was false.

He was a suspicious man, from his identity to every word and action.

Celiya recalled the moment when Dietrich naturally overlapped his hand with hers.

Celiya’s eyes narrowed.

‘I’ll find out what’s real and what’s false on the day of the birthday banquet.’

The Grand Temple in Abelon, with its walls and ceiling made of white marble.

The Grand Temple, reflecting the essence of a renowned architect, exuded an overwhelming majesty. The religious authority was strictly separated from imperial authority, so despite being in the capital, it received no interference from the imperial family.

In fact, the Grand Temple was under the influence of Ileon, not the imperial family.

The Grand Temple had been virtually owned by the Gredrick family since its construction, so it was natural for Ileon, the head of the family, to succeed it.

Moreover, the amount of money coming from the Gredrick family was more than the combined amount from the pockets of all the believers.

Ileon was both the financial backer and the owner of the Grand Temple.

The old High Priest, dressed in a white dalmatic, spotted Ileon and bowed his head respectfully towards him.

“You have come, my lord.”

Ileon, with his long silver hair slightly tinged with darkness tied back, was wearing a snow-white, voluminous robe that made him look more like a High Priest than the actual High Priest.

“Is the altar prepared?”

The High Priest answered Ileon’s question.

“Yes, the altar is prepared. The sacrifices…”

“About fourteen, I suppose.”

The High Priest swallowed hard. It was a bit more than usual.

“Understood. Then, I will call the executioner to perform the ritual.”

“High Priest.”

Ileon’s voice stopped the High Priest in his tracks.

“Have you heard anything about Celiya Brillyon?”

Celiya Brillyon. The High Priest was well aware of the rumors about that beautiful woman. However, as the High Priest, he was never allowed to leave the Grand Temple, so he had never actually seen Celiya.

“I only know that she is imprisoned on charges of assassinating the emperor. I just heard that the real assassin of the emperor was caught recently. But why do you ask…”

The High Priest glanced at Ileon. Ileon always wore a gentle expression, making it difficult to discern what he was thinking.

Ileon opened his lips, gently closing his eyes.

“One of the archpriests under you embezzled money from the believers to see that woman. Without my permission, no less.”

The High Priest held his breath. He thought Ileon wouldn’t know about the incident that happened a few months ago, but it seems he knew all along and just didn’t mention it.

‘Does that mean he knows about other corruptions and is turning a blind eye?’

“Prepare that archpriest as today’s executioner.”

The High Priest thought it was fortunate that he wasn’t the executioner.

The ritual begins with the executioner stabbing the sacrifices lying on the altar.

Without exception, all executioners who perform the ritual die vomiting blood.

They utter something like a divine prophecy at the end, and as a price for revealing heavenly secrets, blood pours from every orifice in their body, and they die on the spot.

Usually, orphans with no relatives are chosen as executioners.

From a young age, they are brainwashed that it’s a holy ritual for God, provided with meals and clothing. In the end, they are made into executioners to perform the ritual and then discarded.

Only the High Priest, who had long held the position, and Ileon knew this fact.

Ileon smiled, closing his eyes. Those who saw his gentle eyes with blue irises folding softly would never dare to imagine how many humans he had killed in this Grand Temple under the pretext of offering sacrifices to God.

Who would believe it? That Ileon, the leader of the Three Dukes, had been carrying out the massacre of countless humans in the holy Grand Temple under the pretext of offering sacrifices to God.

“I’ll turn a blind eye to other matters, so keep up the good work.”

Ileon said, patting the High Priest’s shoulder. His voice was gentle, reminiscent of spring sunlight.

The High Priest bowed, his hands trembling behind his back.

“…Understood. Everything is according to the master’s will.”

Having heard the desired answer, Ileon headed towards the altar, his sleeves fluttering.

In the center of the huge room, on the altar, stood a statue modeled after the form of God. The statue had two feet and two legs like a human, but its head was in the shape of a snake.

On the altar platform covered with a red carpet, people with white cloths covering their eyes lay as if dead, their hands tied with ropes.

There were fifteen sacrifices in total. They were the scapegoats to die in place of Celiya Brillyon.

Among them were some living people, and some already dead with maggots swarming.

Incense was lit around the altar to mask the stench of decaying bodies.

Soon, the executioner who would perform the ritual entered, holding a cold, sharp knife. Unlike the High Priest, the face of the archpriest, who knew nothing, was clearly tense.

The executioner who performs the ritual inevitably dies. They are only taught that they sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices and ultimately embrace God, so even the archpriests don’t know exactly how they die.

‘I wanted to see Celiya Brillyon one last time.’

The archpriest holding the knife carefully observed Ileon, who was watching all of this.

Ileon was sitting on a white velvet chair placed in front of the altar.

Was it because of the voluminous white clothes he wore? Or because his skin looked particularly snow-white? Or was it because of his relaxed expression that seemed to know no nervousness?

To the archpriest’s eyes, Ileon looked more godlike than God.

“I-I will execute the ritual.”

The archpriest raised the knife. He began to stab the hearts of the sacrifices on the platform furiously with the knife. The splattered blood stained the white statue red.

The place where the archpriest passed was soaked with the blood of the sacrifices. He stabbed the dead ones again, and the living ones until their hearts stopped functioning.

Ileon watched the ritual with a calm face.

As the ritual was nearing its end,

The last remaining sacrifice let out a painful scream.

“Kuheuk!”

Seeing this, Ileon’s expression noticeably worsened. Living sacrifices placed on the platform are always made to inhale Aquinep incense.

Aquinep incense, even in small amounts, has an effect similar to full-body anesthesia and prevents feeling any pain until the moment of death.

Even an elephant would not wake up for half a day after inhaling it, yet a living sacrifice woke up in less than half a day. This had never happened before.

“T-The ritual!”

The panicked archpriest dropped the knife in his hand. The archpriest, covered in blood from head to toe, looked at Ileon, his body trembling.

Ileon gazed at the archpriest with sunken eyes.

“…Wasn’t Aquinep incense used on that sacrifice?”

“No! I was told it was used…”

The ritual had failed. Ileon, who believed in prophecies, was greatly displeased with this situation. This was a bad omen.

At that moment, the sacrifice suddenly rose from the altar and pierced through the archpriest’s body with one arm. Blood flowed from the archpriest’s mouth, and with a thud, his body collapsed.

The living sacrifice, with rolled-back eyes and foaming at the mouth, pointed at Ileon with a finger and screamed a blood-mixed shout.

“Apostle of the snake and master of liars. You will surely die at the hands of the woman you love!”

With those words, the sacrifice’s hand fell lifelessly to the floor, and blood flowed from their ears, nose, and mouth.

Ileon said nothing and rose from his seat. Unlike the altar soaked in red blood, not a single drop of blood had stained Ileon’s clothes.

Ileon bent down and picked up the archpriest’s knife from the floor.

Holding the blood-stained knife, Ileon let out a low laugh.

“Your prophecy is wrong.”

Ileon, who murmured quietly, stabbed the already dead sacrifice’s neck again and again. The blood from the sacrifice thoroughly drenched Ileon’s entire body.

Clang!

He roughly threw the knife he was holding onto the floor.

In the room filled with the stench of blood, Ileon dusted off his hands and muttered coldly.

“I don’t have anything like a woman I love.”