The physician who hunted heretics had been deeply concerned for Liana’s condition. But when she insisted over and over that she was fine, he finally raised his hands in surrender.

“She still has a fever, but the worst has passed.”

At his words, Shed turned a steady gaze on Liana.

Her pale green eyes darted away under the weight of his suspicion. That piercing look of his felt as though it could strip away every secret she had tried to hide.

“Then, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

The low, indifferent voice fell without warmth.

Duke Lester gave her a single glance before stepping out of the room. The old door closed behind his back.

Only then did Liana release the breath that had been knotted tight in her chest.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

Thunk. His broad back tilted against the wall.

‘Goddamn it.’

Shed Lester dragged a dry hand across his face.

Liana had awakened.

It was as though the ropes binding every muscle in his body had suddenly snapped. Tension drained away.

Three days. Although she had only been unconscious for three days, he felt as if he had fought on the battlefield for a week.

While she teetered on the brink of life and death, unable to regain consciousness, he had not closed his eyes once.

It was as if she had stolen every moment of sleep that should have been his.

With bloodshot eyes, he thought again and again: if she never woke up, if she truly slipped away forever, then he…

‘D*mn.’

She was a devil, cunning and cruel.

The instant she had thrown herself before the blade, the tower of reason he had built so carefully, the edge of revenge he had honed for so long—everything had shattered.

No one had he wished more desperately to see dead. Yet now, with her awake, the flood of relief nearly broke him.

His calloused fists clenched tight.

The image of Liana as she received treatment refused to leave his mind.

Dark, clotted blood dripping from her wound. Her frail body barely upright, as if about to collapse.

The way she bit her pale lips to hold back the pain, as though she were used to enduring it, it tore at him from the inside.

Her cold hands trembling, the sheen of cold sweat covering her skin, it unsettled him more than he could admit.

Pity? For her?

For the daughter of the enemy who had slaughtered his brothers and comrades?

For the woman who had betrayed his devotion and trust? Did he dare feel sorry for her?

Every emotion, every thought tangled together until he could no longer tell one from the other.

All he knew was that he wanted to ask her—

‘Why. Why in the world did she throw herself in to save him?’

“Lord.”

At that moment, the knight Carlisle approached down the hall. Having been leaning against the wall, Shed stood up straight and shook off his tangled thoughts.

“We’ve finished cleaning up the annex for now. Thankfully, there were no casualties, but that attack was definitely…”

Carlisle knew who was behind the recent disturbance.

Shed rubbed his aching temple and nodded. Carlisle glanced between Shed and the closed door, then spoke cautiously.

“Has the woman awakened?”

Shed gave another brief nod.

“And the priest?”

“He’s trying to reinforce the barrier, but it’s still incomplete. Part of it was damaged during the attack just now.”

To think they’d allowed an intruder in simply because the barrier wasn’t properly set… He’d known the priest was incompetent, but not to this extent.

“The High Priest should arrive soon.”

Carlisle could not help but acknowledge the priest’s ineptitude either. In fact, he had lost everyone’s faith a long time ago.

“No word from the High Priest’s side yet?”

Only a handful of people in the Empire held the title of High Priest. Among them, there were two individuals whom Shed wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Nothing official yet. For now, all we can do is wait for the priest to arrive…”

“Understood. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

At those words, a faint smile flickered across Carlisle’s usually stern face. He bowed loyally and withdrew.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“It’s… it’s really been a long time since I’ve been to Ideana…”

The silver-haired priest removed his white robe and gazed at the old, distant mansion. The sun-faded walls were stained with layers of dust and tangled ivy, making the house look forlorn and desolate. Its crumbling, unrepaired sections stood out, broken and left to decay.

It would not have been surprising if ghosts or demons had made it their home.

However, when he reached the entrance, he was greeted not by a chill, but by a bright, welcoming energy.

“High Priest Dietrich!”

A group had come to welcome him, opening their arms in greeting. Relief and hope lit up the faces of those who looked at him.

The priest who had accompanied Shed to Ideana looked ready to burst into tears as he bowed deeply.

“May the Lord be with us! We’ve been waiting so desperately for you to arrive, High Priest.”

“Oh, I… I haven’t been welcomed like this in a long time…”

Dietrich met their shining, tearful eyes with his own. Although he had been welcomed with grand ceremonies as High Priest in many places before, he had never been greeted with such genuine warmth.

‘Something must have happened here.’

Through his glasses, his blue eyes surveyed Ideana’s estate. A crude protective barrier had been erected around the mansion. Clearly, it had been erected by the priest who had travelled here with Shed over several exhausting days.

‘To think he was formally ordained after creating a barrier like this. The quality of priests has dropped these days… Has the monastery started handing out priesthood for money?’

Like an old man fed up with the younger generation, Dietrich shook his head inwardly. The spells were a mess, the prayers uneven, the work sloppy in every sense.

With a barrier like that, even one or two large monsters could break through with ease.

At that moment, a tall man stepped out from among the line of people.

“High Priest Dietrich.”

Dietrich recognized him instantly and bowed his head.

“Oh, it’s been a long time, Duke Lester. May the Lord be with you…”

Shed Lester: He was the adopted son of Josef, the former Duke of Lester. Josef and Dietrich were half-brothers born many years apart, which technically makes Dietrich Shed’s uncle.

Yet Dietrich always felt nervous when he met his much younger nephew.

“I’ve always been at the Munich temple, so, uh, it’s rare to see you face to face.”

Dietrich said, trying to hide his nerves as he greeted his nephew.

“Thanks to my vassals, the domain has been managed well, even in my absence.”

Shed replied with a bored, rote answer, as if reciting from a dull book.

“In any case, I came as soon as I received the letter from the main temple. And it’s a good thing I did. It seems the situation here isn’t very good…”

“There’s much to discuss. Let’s go inside.”

Shed said, leading High Priest Dietrich into the mansion.

Thanks to the staff’s diligent cleaning, the interior of the estate was relatively tidy. Every cobweb and speck of dust had been swept away, and the broken windows and old, splintered railings had been repaired. However, the empty rooms still echoed with every step and faint sound.

Shed led Dietrich to the conference room with the fireplace. With its chairs, large round table, map and pieces for strategic planning, the room looked as if it had been used as a command centre by Shed and his knights.

“But, High Priest, shouldn’t you be tending to the Munich temple? What brings you all the way to Ideana?”

Shed asked as he showed Dietrich to a seat.

“Don’t you want me here?”

Shed shook his head.

‘Of course not…’

Dietrich knew that Shed wasn’t really glad to see him. He had sensed a distance between them for as long as he could remember.

Was it because of his timid nature or the way he spoke? Dietrich considered many possibilities, but could never figure out what truly lay in Shed’s heart.

“As the chief priest of the Munich temple, I thought you would find it difficult to leave your post.”

“Well, when it comes to forbidden ancient magic, there’s no one who knows more than I do.”

Eight years ago, after the Ideana rebellion, Dietrich Lester managed the aftermath for a year.

Despite being underestimated due to his timid, introverted nature and awkward speech, Dietrich was a High Priest in every sense of the word.

His reputation among the priests was well known: The Mad Dog Who Hunts Heretics. He was a lunatic who never let go once he sank his teeth in.

Even during his days as a trainee at the monastery, he had a habit of obsessively investigating anything he came across. This left the other monks and priests shaking their heads in disbelief.

Dietrich had a few exceptional qualities, one of which was his research on heresy.

He had created a purification prayer — some called it a spell, while others a ritual — that could cleanse vast areas of contaminated land in half the usual time. Furthermore, he had achieved remarkable results in identifying and dealing with heretics tainted by black magic.

“High Priest Dietrich, you show no mercy to heretics. They say black magic is stronger than holy power or aura, but no heretic would stand a chance against you.”

This came from one of the priests standing behind Dietrich. Along with Dietrich, the main temple had dispatched three other ordinary priests, all of whom had participated in the previous purification of Ideana and placed great trust in Dietrich’s abilities.

Perhaps embarrassed by the praise, Dietrich’s ears flushed red.

“So, everyone seems on edge. Has something happened?’

He brought the conversation back to the main point.

“There’s a heretic here who uses black magic. They attacked our party, and even broke into the mansion.”

“A-a heretic is still here…?”

Dietrich’s eyes grew wide in disbelief, as if he couldn’t imagine it being true.