“Hello, brown wolf?”

Even in Leana’s greeting, the giant creature didn’t flinch.

But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t here to exchange greetings.

Leana laid her apron on the floor, keeping a certain distance from the brown wolf, and comfortably sat down.

Murmuring as if embarrassed, she stared at the brown wolf.

“It must hurt a lot.”

The fur of this giant creature was matted with dried blood. The neck and head were partially missing, yet maggots had already covered it in a white layer. Fortunately, in the cool underground, decomposition was slower.

To anyone, this was clearly just a creature decaying and dying.

However, despite its lifeless condition, the creature was surrounded by stakes, and its entire body was restrained with iron chains connected to the stakes.

And on the body of the brown wolf, bound by iron chains, there were red Ancient Elvish inscriptions.

The priests seemed to struggle every night to bring this creature back to life. Every time, the creature’s howls echoed through the Tower.

But reviving a dead being was taboo.

Moreover, it was unbelievable that the Papal See would be involved in such activities.

“Why does the Papal See want to revive you? What do they hope to gain?”

Leana gazed silently at the tattoo engraved on the chest of the brown wolf.

On the decaying body, the only intact thing was the tattoo that read ‘S.T.’

As if claiming to be something other than a creature.

“How about you? Do you want to live, Esti?”

“……. ”

“Fool. It’s not all good to be alive. How you live is what matters. Have you ever regretted, like, if you just died then…”

Leana hugged her knees with a sardonic expression.

“I have. My dad sacrificed himself to keep me alive.”

Remembering an old memory, Leana wiped away the flowing tears.

“It’s a really old story, but I’m still like this. Hehe. But now, I can’t even die. If I die, my dad’s sacrifice would be meaningless.”

As if expelling the painful memories, she forced a smile.

“Hey… what if I save you, and we run away together?”

“……. ”

Even though there was no one around, Leana whispered in a lower voice.

“Actually, it’s a secret, but I know almost all the prayer spells that His Holiness uses.”

At that moment, the blue eyes of the girl lit up secretly.

“Since His Holiness always takes me with him during the dawn prayer. I thought he wouldn’t know my ears can’t hear and recited prayer spells in front of me. But in fact, I can hear everything. And my power is stronger than His Holiness. Really.”

As if trying to prove it, Leana closed her eyes and quietly recited the spell.

Then, the Ancient Elvish inscriptions carved on the brown wolf’s body began to emit a faint light.

It meant that this dying body was gradually gaining vitality.

Shuffle, shuffle!

As a young man with black hair walked down the corridor, the soldiers of the Papal See all lowered their heads.
However, he walked briskly, as if he didn’t care about greetings, with a furrowed brow.

Behind him, dozens of priests in white robes followed.

Maurice Etermati.

He was one of the top-ranking priests, of which there were only ten in the Papal See.

In his mid-twenties, becoming a top-ranking priest at such a young age was the first time since the establishment of the Papal See. His face was so handsome and dignified that one could believe he was a trainee priest.

However, he held the ‘Papal Hall’ in his hands. It meant handling tasks on behalf of the Pope. Observant people were already trying to elevate him to the status of the Pope.

“What happened!”

Maurice shouted loudly towards the elderly priest coming out of the underground prayer room.

The white-haired priest bowed his head, unsure of what to do.

“I don’t know. It seems to have suddenly awakened.”

Maurice scolded him with a bewildered expression.

“Do you call that an excuse! Wasn’t the top priest supposed to be prepared for such a situation and protect us?”

“I apologize.”

The white-haired priest, scolded in front of everyone, blushed.

But Maurice pushed him aside and went into the dim prayer room with a sardonic atmosphere.

“Growl, growl!”

Inside the prayer room filled with the smell of mold, a brown wolf drooled and growled.

Maurice clicked his tongue with a disgusted expression.

“Barking boldly for a soulless creature.”

As Maurice said, the brown wolf didn’t look like a living being at all.

Although its eyes were open, there was no focus in the pupils, and its head and neck were still swarming with maggots.

It was just a moving corpse.

In the Papal See, such corpses were called ‘undead.’

He turned around to the priests and soldiers and asked again.

“Doesn’t anyone have a guess as to who did this?”

The white-haired priest answered again as if making an excuse.

“…Myself and my priests were guarding the door continuously. No one has entered.”

“Tsk, incompetent…”

Maurice looked around the prayer room.

It was him who had inscribed Ancient Elvish on the brown wolf’s body and memorized the spells to resurrect it every night.