I stepped as close as possible toward Killian.

Killian, whose build was similar to Edan’s. With him lowering his eyes with a sneer, he looked even more like Edan.

“You’ve made your decision, I see?”

“Your Highness.”

I flung the oath document and pen straight onto the ground. The amusement in Killian’s eyes vanished instantly.

“What are you doing?”

A low, displeased tone. Under normal circumstances, I’d have wanted to turn and flee immediately out of fear—but now, having steeled myself for everything, I felt not even a trace of dread.

I opened my palm to reveal the powdered Butterfly Leaf.

“Believe it or not—it’s up to you, Your Highness—but I think you should know the truth. This is called Butterfly Leaf. As you can see, ordinary people like me can touch it with no reaction whatsoever.”

“What’s your point? If you’re just trying to stall time with nonsense…”

“But.”

I cut him off and lifted my head to meet Killian’s crimson eyes.

“If it touches a witch, it causes a rash.”

Killian’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to pull. What do you expect me to do with this trash? Are you trying to claim you’re not the witch?”

Indeed, the Crown Prince’s seat clearly isn’t for just anyone. Merely a subtle sharpening of his gaze created such oppressive pressure that I felt compelled to confess everything honestly.

At that moment, Ivy’s impatient voice and hasty footsteps rang out from behind me, her patience clearly exhausted.

“Latieana! What are you doing?”

Killian’s gaze flicked toward Ivy approaching from behind, then locked back onto me.

“This conversation has neither intent nor amusement. Stop wasting my time.”

“No. Look closely.”

I turned away from Killian.

“To see who the witch really is.”

Ivy, who had swiftly closed the distance, was now right behind me. I hurled what I’d tightly clenched in my fist straight into Ivy’s face.

“What are you—”

Ivy’s eyes widened in shock—but it was already too late.

The shattered Butterfly Leaf crumbled into fine powder and clung to Ivy like iron filings to a magnet.

Cheeks, neck, shoulders—the moment the Butterfly Leaf touched Ivy’s skin, it transformed into a sticky liquid.

Ivy tried frantically to brush it off, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t budge. And soon—

“KYAAAAAH!”

Ivy let out a piercing scream and collapsed onto the ground.

White smoke began rising from the skin where the Butterfly Leaf had touched, and red rashes started erupting.

“AAAAAH!”

Screeching hysterically, Ivy began clawing savagely at her face and neck with her fingernails.

“AAAAH! AAGH! AAAGH!”

“Lady Great Saintess!”

As the Holy Knights rushed toward Ivy—who thrashed wildly on the grass, tearing at herself like a madwoman, utterly ruining her pristine white dress—I stepped back two paces.

“AAAAH! AAAAAGH!”

Insane. Was the Butterfly Leaf really this potent?

The book only mentioned it caused rashes—I had no idea the effect would be this severe.

Though honestly, in this situation, I was the one benefiting.

Red spots, like those from contact with poison, rapidly spread across Ivy’s entire body.

Her once beautiful skin grotesquely warped as if contaminated, swelling into blisters.

Then—POP! The largest blister on her cheek burst like a soap bubble, oozing bright yellow fluid down her face.

Ugh. Beyond disgusting—it was downright horrifying.

I covered my mouth and kept retreating backward.

“G-Guhheeeek! AAAAH!”

Screaming almost like a monster, Ivy lost all rationality and scraped violently at her own body.

At that moment, a heavy, low voice pierced my ears.

“Latieana Merigold.”

Though monotone, the voice brimmed with chilling rage. I lifted my head and met Killian’s gaze.

Veins bulging on his forehead, Killian closed the considerable distance between us in just two strides and seized my throat.

“Guh…!”

“How dare you lay hands on the Empire’s Great Saintess?”

Seriously annoying. Killian, didn’t I explain everything already?

Didn’t it occur to you that it’s strange the leaf was perfectly fine in my hand but caused that reaction when it touched Ivy?

I hadn’t expected you to believe me easily—but even after seeing this, you still sided with Ivy.

A wave of sorrow surged through me, and tears welled up behind my tightly shut eyelids.

“Lady Latieana!”

As my feet slowly lifted off the ground, Maxim—held back by knights farther away—called out to me in a trembling voice.

With both hands shaking violently, I grabbed Killian’s wrist clutching my throat.

Then I rapidly manifested my healing power.

The healing energy, glowing in soft pink swirls, shone brightly like condensed starlight.

“Hah.”

Killian, who’d winced slightly at the intense brightness, let out a hollow laugh.

“Pulling cheap tricks? Do you really think this pathetic glow can affect me, while I’m under the Great Saintess’s healing?”

Killian tightened his grip—but at that exact moment, I channeled my healing power directly into his body.

Edan said my healing power completely erased his headache. Since Killian suffers minimal side effects from abilities, even a small dose of healing should make him feel its strength clearly.

The pink light swiftly seeped through his hand.

Startled, I felt Killian’s grip loosen.

“…!”

The healing energy traveled up his arm and vanished completely into his chest. Instantly, Killian’s hand released my throat.

“Cough!”

My feet touched the ground again. I took a deep breath, coughed, and slowly raised my head.

“How on earth…?”

In an instant, Killian’s expression had completely transformed—just like Dante and Hillstain Mathias had before. But his gaze held far greater confusion than either of theirs.

As Killian opened his mouth to speak, Ivy’s shredded, agonized scream echoed across the garden.

“Latieana! How dare you do this to me! AAAAH! AAGH!”

In the brief interval, Ivy’s appearance had utterly changed. Clutching her face, she staggered to her feet.

Even the Holy Knights hesitated, unable to bring themselves to touch her monstrous form.

“Hic… Sob… Huhhic… Killian…!”

Ivy stretched out her mottled, ruined hand toward Killian.

But Killian’s attention was more focused on me than on her. The moment his gaze—briefly flickering toward Ivy—locked stubbornly back onto me…

“Great Saintess!”

An elderly man with a long white beard strode forcefully into the center of the garden.

Appearing belatedly, he wore a tall hat adorned with golden patterns—clearly marking him as the High Priest to any observer.

At his arrival, Ivy burst into even more pitiful sobs.

“H-High Priest… Please help me… Huhu!”

The High Priest, his face darkening, shouted at the Holy Knights.

“What are you fools doing? Attend to the Great Saintess immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

The previously stunned knights finally hurried to support Ivy.

Once Ivy was slightly distanced from me, the High Priest turned to Killian without even a greeting and demanded an explanation.

“Your Highness! What is the meaning of this commotion at dawn?”

I stared at the High Priest, whose skin was so pale it verged on ashen.

The man responsible for identifying Saintess candidates and managing their healing powers.

Within the Empire, where ability-users are indispensable, the High Priest held significant authority—without Saintesses, ability-users would suffer endless agony from side effects. But confronting the Crown Prince? Was he insane? Killian is the future Emperor!

“That’s what I’d like to ask.”

“What do you mean!”

Killian’s gaze, previously fixed on me, shifted to the High Priest.

“The Great Saintess, Ivy, is suspected of being a witch. Do you know anything about this?”

“What… what absurd nonsense is this! The Great Saintess—a witch? Who could possibly weave such a conspiracy…!”

The High Priest’s eyes naturally turned toward me—and at that moment, Killian spoke again.

“Answer. Depending on your reply, I will charge you with the crime of insulting the Imperial family.”

“Crime? How could the Great Saintess possibly be a witch? I know nothing of whatever this girl has done! Twelve priests gathered to confirm her power when she was crowned Great Saintess!”

“Then how do you explain that?”

The High Priest’s eyes turned to Ivy. Though the itching seemed to have subsided, her skin continued erupting with blisters, oozing yellow pus.

“She reacted to something called Butterfly Leaf, which identifies witches.”

“B-Butterfly Leaf?”

Apparently, the High Priest knew of Butterfly Leaf.

His brow twitched momentarily, then he glared fiercely at me and continued.

“Are you certain that was truly Butterfly Leaf? This is the Great Saintess who has guarded the Temple for ability-users for an entire year! How can you possibly trust the word of some girl of unknown status!”

He was entirely on Ivy’s side. I recalled Maxim’s passing comment from before—he’d said the High Priest benefited most from Ivy becoming Great Saintess. Clearly, he wasn’t wrong. He obviously knew about Butterfly Leaf, yet still shielded Ivy so blatantly… This man’s corruption ran deep.

“I saw it myself!”

Killian, the High Priest, and I all turned simultaneously toward the voice’s owner—Maxim.

“High Priest! I saw it myself! The Great Saintess—no, that witch—absorbed the healing powers of Saintess candidates and turned them into mummies!”

At those words, the High Priest’s face twisted grotesquely as he roared at Maxim.

“What outrageous slander is this! Priest! As a Temple-affiliated servant, you should be the one protecting the Great Saintess above all others!”

“But I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Priest! Watch your tongue!”

Listening to their exchange, Killian ordered his Royal Knights—stationed along the Temple building’s wall.

“Bring the Great Saintess before me.”

“Your Highness!”

The High Priest’s shocked cry rose even higher, but Killian ignored him. His subordinates, cloaks emblazoned with the royal insignia fluttering, advanced toward Ivy.

“No… no! Nobody touch me! You can’t do this!”

Black mist erupted violently from Ivy’s body.

Whoosh! Like cascading sand, the black energy surged outward, knocking back the Holy Knights supporting her and striking down the approaching Royal Knights.

“Nobody touches me! Nobody dares lay a finger on me!”

Contrary to her clear, ringing voice, Ivy’s skin continued collapsing, oozing pus. The High Priest flinched at the horrifying sight.

Ivy intensified the black mist, making it thicker and larger.

“Damn you, Latieanaaaah! Die, die, die, die, die! How dare you—you—you dare lay hands on me!”

Ivy’s true form—visible only to me until now—was fully revealed.

Her sclera turned pitch black, her voice splitting into thick, layered tones that made her sound less human and more like a monster.

Nothing about her resembled her usual self.

The black mist swelled until it completely engulfed the once brightly lit garden.

Then Ivy charged straight toward me.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, I swear! Die! You worthless little girl! Die! Drop dead right in front of my eyes!”

At that moment—the space between Ivy and me split vertically. A portal opened instantly, and a long, finely honed sword shot out, flying straight toward Ivy.