The underground prison was guarded only at the entrance by soldiers, with cells lining both sides of the long corridor.

Currently, Maxim was the only person imprisoned there.

Ordinary people would not have survived long in this place—they would have died quickly.

Because it was a deep space carved beneath solid rock, no light seeped in at all, and with no trace of human presence, psychological pressure usually caused prisoners to perish.

“Wait, Maxim. I’ll open it for you soon!”

The bars of the underground prison—terrifying precisely because there was nothing visible inside—swung open.

In just a few days, Maxim had grown even thinner, his hollow face shadowed by dark circles.

“Let’s go. I’ve been ordered to take you.”

Dragging legs that barely straightened, Maxim half-leaned on Cole as they exited the cell.

No one knew why Maxim had suddenly been thrown into the temple’s underground prison.

After Edan and Latieana disappeared, Hillstain Mathias abruptly ordered—with a smiling face—that Maxim be imprisoned.

Maxim stepped outside for the first time in ages, feeling solid ground beneath his feet and gazing up at the moonlight.

Cole led him to the priest’s chamber, seated him on the bed, handed him water and a small biscuit, and asked:

“What on earth happened to land you in that dreadful place? No one knows the reason. Tell me something. Hey. Maxim. Maxim?”

Despite Cole’s urging, Maxim blinked silently, drinking the water without answering.

‘Why? Because Hillstain Mathias discovered I’d been spying for Duke Edan all this time—and I let an outsider infiltrate the temple. Of course.’

While imprisoned underground, Maxim reflected on his mistakes.

Sneaking an outsider into the temple under false pretenses in the middle of the night was clearly wrong. But it wasn’t severe enough to warrant the underground prison.

After all, Lady Latieana was the very friend High Priestess Ivy had been searching for—and ultimately, it was Hillstain Mathias himself who guided her all the way to that room.

‘What exactly happened in that room?’

Maxim collapsed onto the bed, recalling Latieana’s face.

For just a moment—he was certain—her hand had been dried out.

Meaning… she had become like the priestess candidates, mummified.

Feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu, Maxim sank into deep, long-overdue sleep.

Several days passed.

Nothing happened—as if his imprisonment underground had never occurred.

He was summoned by the High Priest, but no one had uncovered the fact that he had let Latieana into the High Priestess’s chamber.

‘He admitted to making a grave mistake before the Knight Commander. He was told to be more careful from now on, to never slip from his sight.’

‘Yes. I apologize.’

Though Maxim had done nothing wrong toward Hillstain, the conversation apparently unfolded that way.

Maxim bowed deeply at the waist and accepted the reprimand.

Then came dawn—the hours when sleep refused to come.

His sleep cycle had been completely ruined from being locked underground, oblivious to day or night.

Eventually, Maxim rose from bed and headed toward the scriptorium.

Moonlight faintly illuminated the garden, casting its glow over the entirely white temple.

Just as Maxim lightly scanned the temple and prepared to move his feet—

A faint red glow seeped out from the building housing the priestess candidates.

“What’s that?”

It was an extremely late hour.

At dawn, only holy knights on guard duty patrolled the garden according to schedule.

Maxim stared curiously at the building, not moving an inch until the glow vanished.

Meanwhile, two holy knights on patrol passed right in front of the building.

It happened too quickly—they seemed not to notice the light.

Maxim hid behind a pillar where the glow couldn’t reach him.

Not long after, High Priestess Ivy emerged from the priestess candidates’ building.

She glanced swiftly around as if she’d done something secretive, then hurried toward her own quarters.

“There’s definitely something going on.”

As if doused with cold water, Maxim’s sleepiness vanished completely. He entered the priestesses’ building from which Ivy had just emerged.

‘It was the fourth floor.’

Maxim’s eyes widened in shock upon reaching the spot.

‘Good heavens…!’

The door of the room from which the light had leaked stood slightly ajar. Inside, two priestess candidates had been turned into mummies.

“Laa—Tii—Eee—Naaa—Nim.”

Bang!

I flung open the front door, irritated by that teasing, grating voice.

“Sir Hillstain!”

“Good morning.”

“Haaah.”

Seriously, it’s enough to drive me mad, this early in the morning.

Whether I sighed or not, Hillstain Mathias strode confidently into the lobby, arms overflowing with enormous bouquets.

He now moved through the reception room as comfortably as if it were his own home.

“I told you to stop bringing flowers. There’s nowhere left to put them.”

“Yes. Then next time, I’ll bring gold, silver, and jewels instead.”

Gold, silver, and jewels?

“I don’t need them.”

“All women say that. But you’ll still feel pleased when you receive them.”

I said I don’t need them!

The reception room and first floor were already overflowing with flowers Hillstain had brought over time. The scent was so overwhelming it made my head spin. The flowers themselves were innocent, but lacking enough vases, they’d been haphazardly dumped everywhere. Consequently, I had to deal with the withered ones—and that was no small task.

He comes every day, grinning brightly as if to cheer me up, but really, he’s just tormenting me until I heal him. Isn’t that the truth?

“Aren’t you, Commander of the Imperial Knights, busy?”

“Busy, yes—but I always have enough time to visit Lady Latieana.”

“Could you please spend that time somewhere else?”

“That’s impossible. The time I set aside is specifically for Lady Latieana. It must be used to visit her.”

“….”

Hillstain Mathias, you sly, smug man! My sarcasm didn’t faze him one bit.

I thought I’d gotten rid of him after the pepper incident, but he started visiting the manor almost daily.

I’ll allow that he comes in—but every time he leaves after being insulted about Edan, his patience is unreal. If shamelessness were a competition, he’d rank first in the empire.

Now I understand why he’s trusted to personally guard that notoriously difficult Empress.

Moreover, he seems to have made some kind of secret deal with Edan.

According to Ruben, it involved quickly releasing Maxim and leaking imperial intelligence—in exchange for strict confidentiality regarding information about me, plus a guarantee not to lay hands on my body carelessly.

“Next time, instead of flowers, I’ll bring something more expensive and better. Hold my hand.”

“No.”

“Just once.”

“I’ll refuse.”

He always ends up clinging like this—unwelcome to me.

“Get lost.”

Eventually, Edan appeared behind me, staring at him.

“Yes. I shall. I’ll come again.”

Of course, Hillstain ignored him completely and left smiling. This scene repeated itself many times.

Thanks to this, I gradually grew accustomed to Hillstain—once appearing only as a cold, frightening pervert—and even found courage to retort coldly. Though his visits still stole my time and annoyed me.

“Where on earth is it?”

I’d grown increasingly impatient and sensitive, unable to find any books about witches—and my guard against Hillstain had also lowered.

“Laa—Tii—Eee—Naaa—Nim.”

Despite all my efforts to chase him away, Hillstain came again.

Determined to finally end these bothersome visits, I yanked the door open with all my strength. Bang!

“Hill…!”

“I’ve brought a guest you’ll surely like.”

After I rejected every gift of gold and jewels, now he brings a person?

Frowning deeply, I looked past his shoulder—and behind the grinning Hillstain stood Maxim.

“Goodness! Priest Maxim?”

“Hello, Lady Latieana.”

Just from his aura, he looked like someone who’d weathered storms and endured endless trials. Shoulders slumped, face shadowed and weary, Maxim bowed his head deeply.

“Have you been well? I heard you were released from the underground prison—I’m sorry. It’s all because of me…”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t die, so it’s alright. Huh? Why are tears suddenly…?”

Haha. Maxim chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his exhausted dark circles.

He must have truly suffered…

Edan, Hillstain, and Maxim.

The reception room’s guest sofa now seated one more person.

“Thank you.”

Maxim—clearly brought here half against his will—drank the coffee I offered him with the serene expression of someone who has accepted all things.

He’d always been thin, but his pallor was so severe he looked deeply worrying.

“Why did you suddenly bring Priest Maxim here, Sir Hillstain?”

I asked somewhat sharply, and Hillstain crossed his legs arrogantly as he replied.

“Obviously, to improve Lady Latieana’s mood.”

Why would bringing Maxim improve my mood?

Still, it wasn’t a bad thing—I happened to have questions for Maxim anyway.

I grabbed Maxim’s priestly sleeve and stood up.

“Master, I’ll take Priest Maxim to the library for a bit.”

“Go ahead.”

Perhaps Edan found my presence with Hillstain even more unpleasant than with Maxim—he readily gave permission.

“Ha, damn.”

“Damn?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ll die.”

“Your Majesty remains consistently foul-mouthed.”

“Even my foulest words carry more dignity than yours.”

“You’re mistaken.”

“Shall I turn your ‘being alive’ into a ‘mistake’? Care to experience it now?”

“I’ll pass.”

I deliberately ignored the conversation between Hillstain and Edan behind me, and headed to the library with Maxim.

“Is it really okay to leave those two alone like that?”

“Probably. But I have something I want to ask you, Priest.”

After all, right now, Maxim was the only person I could ask about this.

Seated at the library’s work desk, I pulled out the black book and showed it to Maxim.

“What is this?”

“It’s a book on black magic.”

“What?!”