Chapter 68

I felt a dull pain creeping from the core of my head.

I instinctively pressed my temples with my fingers, but there was no sign of the pain subsiding. It seemed that to get rid of this dull pain, I would have to split my head open.

I had been told that An and the Holy Lady were coming, but I didn’t think I could get out of bed for a while. I lay on the bed in the second floor of the tavern, frowning.

I had drunk a bit too much last night, thinking that it was good ale. I stuck out my tongue, instinctively seeking pure water. Ale without any additives was apparently too good for this body. The alcohol seemed to be coursing through my veins along with my blood.

However, I didn’t drink enough to be intoxicated by good wine and produce a dull pain in my head. I didn’t, and I wanted to believe that. Because something came to mind.

I finally crawled out of bed and reached for the pillow. I put a chew of tobacco in my mouth, raised my upper body, and let the smell pass through my nose and mouth. I rolled the tobacco on my teeth and narrowed my eyes. In my mind, a person appeared unmistakably.

-- The golden hair that reflected the sunlight and glowed faintly. The smile that made my cheeks flush just by looking at it. The person I thought of was none other than Alyeno.

Pathetic. How pathetic. Just thinking of her made something hot well up in the corners of my eyes. In the inner pocket of my coat, there was a handkerchief I had received from Alyeno. If there was anything that connected me and her now, it was only that.

On one side, she was taken to the cathedral and was destined to be a great talent.

On the other side, I was an ordinary man who had consorted with the emblem believers and gained a bad reputation.

Where was the connection between these two people? Even if I gained a name here, it would be a poor match to go and fetch Alyeno. Rather, it would be no different from an attack. The result of acting on my own intense emotions.

Indeed, it was a fitting punishment. Still, there was no trace of regret in my heart. The difficulty of the path made my brow furrow. What could I do?

Moreover, to be honest, I probably didn’t regret this choice.

Of course, I was troubled and wracked my brain. Perhaps the reality of the situation hadn’t fully sunk in yet. Or perhaps it was just my small mind refusing to understand the current situation and trying to justify myself.

But still. No matter how much I doubted, there was no trace of regret in my heart.

In the past, I had valued reason above all else.

Living by instinct and emotion was a path only the powerful could push through. The weak, the inferior commoners, had no freedom to show their emotions. Therefore, I had suppressed everything and lived in hiding.

What did I gain from it?

Nothing. Just a life of taking everything for granted and living day by day.

Indeed, even thinking about it made me feel as if something heavy was stroking my sternum.

-- So, now I felt comfortable. Living by my emotions at this moment. Even if this path led to an absolute death.

To sober up from the hangover and swallow the anguish, I reached for the pottery on the table. It should have contained water. My throat was strangely dry.

At that moment, a pointless question suddenly swirled in my head.

-- The cathedral. Alyeno. Wait. Come to think of it, why didn’t he...

Was the alcohol still affecting my hands? The hand I extended from the bed slipped slightly, and the glass slid off the table.

*

-- Clatter

In the cathedral’s chapel, golden eyes opened wide. The color clearly showed shock. The glass slipped from her hand and made a loud noise, though it didn’t break.

The pale lips trembled slightly, but she bit them with her front teeth to suppress the movement.

“Oh, what’s the matter, Alyeno?”

The people in the cathedral’s robes, sensitive to the sound, peered at Alyeno’s face. The eyes directed at her were not filled with concern or curiosity, but only with a sense of curiosity.

Alyeno’s eyes blinked.

Next, the shock and surprise in her eyes disappeared, and her expression transformed into the one she had been wearing as if it were natural to be here.

“No, nothing, nothing. It’s just that there are people who don’t know the wrath of God, you know.”

She gave the softest smile and the most embracing voice she could.

Then, she handed over the article that the cathedral was circulating. A murmur of “Oh” spread among the others.

The article was inscribed with one fact and hundreds of words that embellished the villains.

-- The walled city of Galuamaria has fallen into the hands of evil. The ringleader is the witch Matia, and the accomplice is the sinner Lugis.

Alyeno was desperately trying to keep herself from speaking. In her mind, the words “Why” and “How could he” were repeatedly born and died.

The name Lugis on the circulation list didn’t seem to be someone she knew. Of course not. He was just an ordinary person. He wasn’t the kind of person who could do such a grand thing. He wasn’t the kind of person who could do such a grand thing, or so she thought.

However, the detailed description of Lugis’s appearance, attire, and height matched most of what she remembered. Alyeno almost felt dizzy but bit the inside of her mouth to hold it back.

She couldn’t show any weakness. That was the way of the world she had learned here.

Those who entered the cathedral to become nuns or receive magical education were mostly daughters of the upper class or children of wealthy merchants. They all had a backing. Family names, wealth, and numerous educations and knowledge cultivated from childhood.

But Alyeno, an orphan, had nothing.

She had been brought here by the cathedral’s upper echelons, recognizing her magical talent, and to them, she must have been a very unpleasant presence.

No family name. No wealth. No knowledge. Just a girl with nothing, standing beside them. Moreover, her magical talent was outstanding.

In a closed society, these were sufficient elements to become a target of persecution.

She bit her molars repeatedly, covering the pain in her chest, and her brain was shaken by the humiliation she was given. Many times, she felt the weight in her stomach and thought about leaving this place.

At such times, the taste in her mouth always returned.

The taste of the candy she had received from Lugis that day. Not the cheapest, but a slightly more expensive one that he must have bought with great effort. He really was all about appearances.

Each time the taste returned, she decided not to break. She would never show any weakness, remain resolute, and never yield to anyone. She made that face.

Originally, Alyeno, with her outstanding magical talent, showed her skills in practical exercises and took a strong stance, making everyone start to harbor a slight fear in their hearts.

She couldn’t show her bottom to anyone. She couldn’t show her true face to anyone. By doing so, Alyeno earned the right to live in this place, the cathedral.

Therefore, even if a person she thought she knew appeared on the circulation list, she couldn’t show any agitation.

Alyeno’s expression was no longer moving. However, one thing stuck to her heart.

-- Hey, Lugis. Why are you on that side?

Her cheek twitched slightly, unnoticed by anyone. A strangely sticky emotion was crawling inside her chest.

Lugis knew that she would go to the cathedral. He must have understood that she would be forced to belong to the Holy Church. Rather, he must have known. They had talked about it directly. He had said he would come to fetch her one day. He had said that, hadn’t he?

She never imagined that their next meeting would be his appearance on the paper as a member of the emblem believers.

“-- Indeed, I’ve been seeing carriages quite often lately. I never thought something like this would happen.”

She suddenly realized that her thoughts had drifted for a moment and nodded lightly at the words of the person sitting next to her.

Now that she thought about it, she had indeed been hearing the sound of the cathedral’s gates opening and the neighing of horses more often lately. It made sense that people from noble families who had fled from Galuamaria and those who wanted to entrust their children to a safe place were seeking refuge with the Holy Church and the cathedral, she murmured while narrowing her eyes.

Religious institutions like the cathedral have often been used as temporary shelters and sanctuaries from battlefields since ancient times.

Naturally, this role would not change this time. Especially since the damage was caused by the emblem believers, the cathedral would certainly want to show its magnanimity and the despicable nature of the emblem believers.

However, in this situation, the Holy Church would not hold back. They would likely request that the emblem believers be recognized as enemies and heretics by the various countries. Alyeno’s eyes flickered. Her golden eyes seemed to sparkle slightly.

Enemy. Yes, an enemy. I am on the side of the Holy Church. The emblem believers are the enemy. Then, what about Lugis? If the man named in the circulation was the Lugis I knew...

Alyeno’s cheek twisted again.