Aaron took his eyes off the cold corpse and surveyed the military camp.

Coana, noticing Aaron’s intention, immediately added:

“Sir Willar is still in the camp.”

Instantly, relief spread throughout his body.

Though the allied forces were being pushed back, it wasn’t yet time to sound the retreat signal. Therefore, there was no need to flee with Lucilia to Tudra.

However, he couldn’t imagine her being completely unharmed in this chaos. It seemed beyond what Ension could handle alone, no matter how excellent his skills.

Aaron summoned his last reserves of patience and assigned the cleanup to his subordinate.

“Investigate the extent of the damage and the cause of the accident in detail and report back. Check if anyone is still alive, capture them, and keep them confined.”

“Yes, Commander.”

They had monitored the priest day and night to prevent him from using tricks, but there were limitations.

The selection of volunteers was under the church’s domain, so they couldn’t intervene. Though reports indicated nothing suspicious, they had clearly overlooked the fact that all the volunteers were women.

The guard captain who opened Demre’s gate to the Mrangel must have also been bribed by the Pope.

There could be no more disturbances within Caldman.

That’s why he had secretly deployed forces near the garrison as a precaution.

The enemy might strike from the rear after infiltrating Caldman during the fierce battle.

He thought he had protected everything tightly, but to have marched with the enemy in their midst from the beginning…

The thought of the Pope smiling cunningly made his blood boil.

But he couldn’t just stand there dazed.

Determined to seize an opportunity for revenge, Aaron drove his horse, avoiding debris scattered everywhere.

At a glance, the facility damage from the explosion seemed extensive, but precious lives had been lost in no small number.

It was as if Lucilia stood amid the desolation.

She must be safe…

With explosives detonating without warning, she probably couldn’t have escaped properly.

As he approached his tent, his heart began to beat anxiously.

After deliberately maintaining an emotionless expression to avoid showing agitation, he finally spotted Ension.

Fortunately, there were far more assassin casualties than allied ones in this area. Unlike the soldiers guarding the camp, Ension was an elite knight, so it was to be expected.

Aaron jumped off his horse and without delay slashed his sword at an assassin. A death cry hung at the end of the wind-cutting sound.

Aaron flicked his sword diagonally to shake off the blood droplets.

Ension, spotting Aaron, wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and saluted.

“Commander, you’ve arrived? We were just beginning to see the end of it.”

He didn’t ask why Aaron had returned instead of commanding the army. It was because he trusted Aaron’s judgment of priorities.

Whether that judgment was emotional or rational.

Of course, it was uncharacteristic, but he thought Aaron would have handled things appropriately.

“Where is she?”

“I judged it safer for her to evacuate with Sister Mannea, as this place was too dangerous. They should be sending signals with the whistle, so we can find them quickly.”

Aaron nodded.

As the commander of the 3rd army, he had no time to question whether leaving his post was appropriate. He had already set aside his conscience when he handed things over to Gorenzo.

Avoiding an attacking blade, Aaron twisted his body, bent the assassin’s arm backward, and struck the nape of his neck.

Glaring sharply at the body that collapsed unconscious, he called to his soldiers.

“Tie him up so he can’t escape and deliver him to Coana.”

“Understood!”

There was no time to waste. As soon as he gave instructions to the soldier, he urged Ension.

“If you’re done here, lead the way.”

Ension guided them toward the mountains where Lucilia and Mannea had headed.

From the point where the slope began, they couldn’t ride horses. Throughout the walk, Aaron’s gaze remained fixed on the ground.

After searching for footprints for a while, Aaron pointed somewhere.

“There are traces of slipping over there.”

The shape of wet soil and leaves pushed together was occasionally visible.

Fortunately, there were no other footprints that might belong to pursuers. Only then could the two men feel somewhat relieved.

But when they had climbed about halfway up the mountain, their steps suddenly halted.

Deep wrinkles formed between Aaron’s eyebrows.

“The air here is murky.”

“Is it? I don’t… really notice.”

Aaron extended his hand to Ension, who was tilting his head in confusion.

“Give me the whistle.”

Soon, a thin signal sound spread.

Surprisingly, it seemed to fade away, blocked by the thick air.

“W-what is this… Let me try blowing it again.”

Ension blew the whistle forcefully from a short distance away.

This time, it couldn’t be heard at all.

Aaron ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth and furrowed his eyebrows. An ominous aura emanated from his face, colored with anger.

Shocked by the unexpected situation, Ension sighed deeply, unable to contain his guilt.

He couldn’t believe that Mannea was in league with the volunteers. Unable to express his ominous premonition, he apologized repeatedly.

“It’s my oversight. I misjudged.”

“Enough.”

“Commander…”

“D*mn it!”

Aaron thr*st his sword into the ground and ran his fingers through his hair irritably.

It had been a series of misjudgments.

He was furious at his own complacency and foolishness.

Where had it gone wrong?

He had thoroughly investigated Mannea.

Lucilia had also said she read her true intentions.

Not understanding how she could have deceived even Lucilia, he soon realized.
She must have used some sinister trick to block the flow of air and create confusion.

The inability to confirm whether they were alive amplified his anxiety.

And of all times, it had to rain now.

Aaron looked up at the gloomy sky and then retrieved his sword.

* * *

Lucilia, who had been sleeping with her arm as a pillow, opened her eyes.

Her arm was numb, but the chill prevented her from sleeping deeply.

As soon as her consciousness became clear, her first thought was of Ension.

“How much time has passed…”

She gripped the whistle and adjusted her blurry focus.

When her pupils fully opened, she saw Mannea sitting demurely.

“Are you awake now?”

“How long did I sleep?”

“Not that long. I also dozed off briefly and just woke up.”

“Ah, that’s good. I should blow the whistle right away.”

As she placed her hand on the floor to raise her upper body, Mannea grabbed Lucilia’s forearm.

The pressing force was quite strong.

Just as she was about to look at her, thinking she had something to say, Lucilia was seized by a sensation of her senses freezing.

‘Your father killed my mother!’

The suddenly revealed inner thoughts struck sharply. What was all this about?

Goosebumps rose on her forearm as if cold wind had been scattered on her skin.

Consumed by cold fear, Lucilia forced a smile, pretending not to know.

“I’ll go outside and look around.”

An instinctive sense of crisis overwhelmed her, telling her to escape this place. But more desperate was the simultaneous instinct that she wouldn’t be able to flee.

Nevertheless, Lucilia rose calmly, not showing her fear.

“Ension might have come nearby.”

“Sit down.”

The commanding voice was more gloomy than the damp air. Mannea’s face, when Lucilia turned around, was even more chilling.

Her eyes seethed with terrible vengeance, as if she had never been modest and kind.

“My legs hurt, so I need to move a bit.”

Maintaining her pretense of ignorance, she reached for the latch.

But Mannea was faster.

The woman who had been sitting until just now stood right beside her, firmly covering Lucilia’s hand.

Just as Lucilia thought how nimble she was, no less than an assassin, fear born of certainty froze her limbs stiff.

“You… were the Pope’s person.”

“Me, Sister Bonizella, the priest, and many others—yes, we are.”

Mannea’s voice, having decided not to hide her identity, suddenly became energetic.

With the corners of her eyes curved pleasantly, as if she had discovered an amusing spectacle.

“But why.”

Lucilia was about to ask why she couldn’t read Mannea’s true thoughts but let her words trail off.

No one except Aaron knew that her holy power had not disappeared.

Playing dumb would make Mannea reveal her true self.

She might have used the method of transmitting fake thoughts to deceive her eyes until now, but it was different now. She was openly revealing her inner self as if she had nothing to lose.

Lucilia continued her interrupted sentence.

“Why did you help me escape? If you had just left me, I might have been killed by the assassins.”

“Because I need to take care of you myself.”