Sena was on his way back to his inn, trying to collect his thoughts.
“What the hell is going on?”
“I have no idea. Suddenly, the guards just created a complete mess.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but guess what? A woman inside took them all down.”
Sena’s eyes widened as he looked up.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the inn. Through the open door, he could see dozens of knights surrounding someone.
“Excuse me, let me through!”
Pushing his way through the crowd, he entered inside, only to see Sylvia, crouched low with her sword drawn, growling.
“Sylvia!”
“Senior, run away! Quickly, while I buy you some time!”
‘She’s injured…’
Sena’s pupils trembled slightly.
A faint scar could be seen on Sylvia’s cheek.
At that moment, the knight who had been facing off against Sylvia sheathed his sword and turned around.
The surrounding knights immediately parted, making way for a figure in black armor who began walking toward them.
The knight stopped in front of Sena and removed his helmet, letting his black hair fall free.
“Are you Sena Birkender?”
It was Dark, the aide to Marquis Teolrant Rockefeller.
“Senior!”
Sylvia shouted impulsively, trying to approach, but the surrounding knights all drew their swords and pointed them at her.
‘There’s no point in hiding my identity any longer.’
Just as Sylvia bit her lip and prepared to unleash her aura, Sena spoke.
“Sylvia, stay still.”
Sena focused his gaze on Dark as he spoke.
“What business do you have, injuring my knight?”
Dark looked down at Sena calmly. Sena knew that look well. It was the gaze of someone trying to understand.
“I’ll ask directly. Are you Sena Birkender, the ‘Saint’ that the Church of Justitia is searching for?”
“I don’t know if I’m a Saint or whatever, but yes, I am Sena Birkender.”
“I see.”
Dark briefly expressed his thoughts before suddenly kneeling on one knee.
“There is somewhere you must go immediately.”
“…Where is that?”
“His Excellency Marquis Rockefeller is requesting your presence.”
‘Marquis Rockefeller wants to see me?’
Are they planning to hand him over to the Church?
Or is it Astria looking for him?
There was no reason to refuse.
But still…
“I cannot go.”
“…”
“I cannot go to those who have injured my knight.”
Dark glanced at Sylvia momentarily before returning his gaze to Sena.
“Her resistance was too strong; we had no choice. Please, understand.”
“No.”
“This is problematic.”
“It’s wrong to do things that cause problems. Hurting people is wrong.”
Dark stared at Sena, momentarily at a loss for words.
He couldn’t believe people like this still existed.
But there was no need to complicate things.
Dark had orders to bring Sena. The method was not specified.
“I have no intention of going, so if you have business, come to me.”
Sena dismissed Dark and tried to pass by him. Dark grabbed Sena’s wrist.
“Then I have no choice but to take you by force.”
“By force?”
Sena, already exhausted from the series of events, was deeply irritated by Dark’s words.
The faint scar on Sylvia’s cheek, the cold touch of the knight’s glove gripping his arm—all of it grated on his nerves.
Even the knights exuding an oppressive atmosphere and the townspeople whispering as they watched—everything.
‘…I really feel like I might snap.’
Sena just wanted to return home. He wanted to go back to his hometown, to read the contents of a letter in peace. And then—he just wanted to quietly close his eyes.
…But how did things end up like this?
There was no one to blame but himself. The cause clearly lay within his own weak, overly accommodating nature.
Enough was enough.
If anyone tried to stop him, he wouldn’t hesitate any longer.
“Go ahead and try.”
Swish!
A sharp slicing sound echoed. Dark quickly turned his head.
“What is this…?”
A faint line appeared on the cheeks of the knights. It was in the exact same position and size as Sylvia’s wound.
Without realizing it, Dark raised a hand to his own cheek. When he looked at his fingers, they were stained with red blood.
‘Is this even possible?’
Dark had sharp ears. What he heard was a single, solitary slicing sound.
In other words, every single one of these knights had been cut on the cheek at the exact same time.
If it had been done with a sword, it would require someone of a master level or higher.
If it had been done with an ability, that control would far exceed human limits.
Dark slowly lowered his gaze to look at Sena.
Sena’s eyes were calm, but they seemed to burn with a cold, blue flame.
In a daze, Dark released Sena’s wrist. Sena turned and walked directly toward Sylvia.
Everyone in the area was frozen in place, so no one stopped him.
Dark was the first to snap out of it. He quickly spoke up.
“His Excellency’s child is in grave danger.”
“…”
“I’ve heard that you wouldn’t refuse to help.”
Sena’s steps came to a halt. He turned slightly.
“Who told you that?”
“You already know.”
Sena looked down and spoke quietly.
“Astria.”
**
In the end, Sena headed to the Rockefeller mansion.
“Where are the other two?”
Lucia and Ellie were nowhere to be seen.
“They went out looking for you first. They’re probably wandering around.”
“…I see.”
“Senior, this isn’t a good decision.”
Sena knew that too.
It wasn’t the wisest choice.
‘Patients like this are usually nothing but trouble.’
Not that he was in the habit of refusing patients.
But people who resorted to threats right from the start tended to be particularly dangerous.
Still, he smiled brightly to reassure Sylvia.
“It’s fine. People like this are the most grateful when you heal them.”
“…Senior.”
Sylvia sighed deeply, then smiled as she patted Sena’s head.
“There’s no helping it, then. I’ll protect you.”
The moment they stepped into the Rockefeller estate, Sena noticed that the atmosphere was different.
Sylvia noticed it too. She glanced around and whispered to Sena.
“There’s a devil worshiper here.”
A sense of foreboding settled over them.
“This way.”
As they moved to enter, Dark blocked Sylvia’s path.
“Only Sena is allowed to enter.”
“As his knight, I can’t allow that.”
Sylvia’s response was sharp, but Sena intervened.
“It’s alright.”
“If anything happens, call out immediately.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
As Sena stepped inside, he found a rather ordinary-looking office.
The man who occupied it stood by the window with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Are you the one who called for me?”
Sena asked in a calm voice.
Teolrant turned around.
“Yes, that would be me.”
Teolrant smiled kindly, but his eyes remained cold, making the expression seem eerie rather than warm.
“Where’s the patient?”
“There’s no need to rush.”
‘Is there no patient after all? No, he doesn’t seem like the type to lie.’
“I was told the patient is in critical condition.”
“Why don’t you take a seat first?”
Teolrant gestured to a table where two teacups were prepared, then sat down himself.
Sena, with a cautious look, followed suit, sitting opposite him.
Teolrant crossed his legs and spoke with a condescending air.
“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to meet you.”
“…That’s strange. As far as I recall, I’ve never had any dealings with Rockefeller.”
“Your beauty is indeed worthy of being called divine. It’s hard to tell if you’re a man or a woman, and it’s impossible to discern what thoughts you harbor. You’re like a reincarnation of Justitia—no, you embody Justitia herself.”
‘This conversation isn’t making any sense.’
It felt as though there was a massive wall between them, despite being in the same room.
“I’ve heard you can even bring the dead back to life. Is that true?”
“…I’m not some grand being. I just try my best to save any patient I can.”
Teolrant stared at Sena, curling one side of his mouth into a sneer—an unmistakable expression of mockery.
“It must be true, then.”
“What is?”
“You must be his son, judging by how you spout the same nonsense.”
‘Is he talking about Cruyff?’
Sena’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of his father.
“…Do you know Cruyff?”
“He said the same thing.”
Teolrant continued, ignoring Sena’s question.
Realizing that he couldn’t have a rational conversation with this man, Sena clamped his mouth shut.
“A holy priest, as angelic in appearance as you, came to this very place.”
Teolrant toyed with his teacup as if lost in memory.
“He promised to do everything in his power to save my daughter. There I was, standing on the brink of hell, and he extended a hand of salvation.”
Teolrant’s expression shifted to one of sorrow.
“What parent in the world wouldn’t grasp such a hand?”
‘This man is insane.’
His voice was endlessly sad. However, his face was smiling. Sena instinctively leaned back.
“But who could have imagined that an archbishop, no less, would plant the seed of a demon in my daughter?”
“…!”
Sena’s pupils dilated in shock.
-Sena, the one who created the devil worshiper was Cruyff Birkender—your father.
Lucia’s words echoed in his mind like a haunting refrain.
The conviction he had held—that ‘Lucia must have been deceived, there’s no way Cruyff could have done that’—began to crumble.
“Birkender.”
“…”
“I despise you.”
“…Ah.”
“I despise you for harboring unfathomable evil behind your angelic facade.”
Sena’s hands trembled slightly.
It wasn’t just the unbearable hatred radiating from Teolrant that affected him.
It was the truth itself—overwhelming and unbearable.
Sena, who opened his mouth for a moment, lowered his head.
His long silver hair cascaded down his cheeks.
“What… do you want me to do?”
“Drink that tea.”
Teolrant’s voice quivered with emotion.
“If you feel even a shred of guilt, drink that tea.”
Through the fine strands of his silver hair, Sena saw the teacup filled with a blue liquid.
“It contains magic.”
It was an elixir that could significantly enhance one’s magical power, something priceless beyond measure.
However, for a priest without magic, the situation was different.
Magic and divine power were like water and oil—they couldn’t mix.
If Sena drank it, the magic and divine power within him would clash violently, wreaking havoc on his body.
Even for someone like Sena, this would be fatal. In fact, because his body was mostly composed of divine power, the consequences would be even more dire.
“……Yes.”
Sena took the teacup in both hands and drank without hesitation.
By the time Sylvia, who had sensed something was wrong, rushed into the room, Sena had already collapsed, vomiting blood.
