“I have obtained it.”

The end of his voice, somehow overwhelmed, trembled with emotion. At these incomprehensible words, both Bellota and Felton looked at Geril in confusion. Obtained what?

Soon, as if answering that question, Geril slowly unwrapped the dirty handkerchiefs. Then, from what lay in his palm, a mysterious light burst forth brilliantly. Bellota and Felton’s faces simultaneously hardened upon seeing it. As devout clergy, they knew what this was. What kind of object emitted such light.

Felton soon noticed that beside the magic stone emitting that mysterious light, there lay something like a black stone. What is that?

Geril immediately resolved their confused questioning.

“I went to the Forbidden Land, slayed the rockdragon, and brought its heart.”

At those words, a breathtaking silence descended upon the noisy temple for a moment. Bellota looked at Geril, doubting what she had just heard. An overwhelmed smile had risen on his lips.

“Its heart was a holy relic, as numerous rumors claimed.”

At those words, Bellota’s breath stopped.

He brought the rockdragon’s heart. Geril……

Bellota, frozen as if she had forgotten how to breathe, looked at what lay on Geril’s palm. Bellota knew this object that was emitting mysterious light. As he said, it was a holy relic.

While Bellota remained unable to speak any words, Felton, who regained his senses faster than her, aggressively questioned back.

“Are you saying that’s the rockdragon’s heart?”

“Yes.”

Geril answered leisurely, not bristling at that wary voice.

“Can you prove it?”

The end of Felton’s stern questioning voice trembled faintly. Noticing this, a relaxed smile rose to Geril’s lips. Geril stood up, then picked up the pitch-black stone from among the things lying on his palm and showed it while answering leisurely yet clearly.

“This is part of the Rockdragon’s body. Take this and verify it. I barely managed to tear it off just before the beast’s corpse disappeared.”

At this, the temple, which had been so quiet that even each other’s breathing could be heard, began to stir noisily again.

“My goodness! Rockdragon? I didn’t mishear, right? He did say rockdragon!”

“So that’s why the Duke wasn’t seen because he was in the Forbidden Land?”

“Oh my, dear God. A rockdragon. Dear God.”

The mass hall, which had always been full of holy silence, instantly became as noisy as a marketplace. Felton deliberately raised his voice to not be drowned out by the noise.

“Are you saying the rockdragon’s corpse disappeared?”

As others quickly closed their mouths wanting to hear the answer to this, the mass hall became quiet again. Geril answered with a gentle smile.

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No, it’s possible. Even in Selento, didn’t the first monster’s corpse disappear on its own?”

Geril skillfully countered.

Bellota, who had been dazed, raised her head to look at Geril. That monster had not disappeared. It had merely been handed over to Abel by Seiden.

“Did you really visit the Forbidden Land?”

Even Cardinal Rubert, who had been quietly observing the situation, asked in confusion, and Geril nodded clearly.

“Yes. I nearly lost my life. When the rockdragon disappeared, a new monster appeared. I suspect that place is, like Mount Feiren, flowing with demonic energy.”

“A new monster appeared? What kind of monster?”

“It was a dangerous monster I had never heard of or seen before. I almost lost an arm to that beast. So it would be best if no one else goes there.”

Geril looked around with stern eyes as if warning, then soon let out a languid laugh.

“Though I suppose there’s no reason to go there now that the rockdragon is gone anyway.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Geril looked at Bellota again. Bellota was still frozen as if time had stopped, staring at what was held in Geril’s hand. Interpreting her appearance as being shocked with emotion, Geril pushed past Felton’s shoulder blocking his way and moved closer to Bellota.

Geril knelt again at Bellota’s feet.

“Saintess, I have long awaited this day. It was a mistake to use such shallow tricks at the hunting festival.”

Geril confessed in a devastating voice, seemingly truly regretting that action.

“Before going to slay the rockdragon, I thought I couldn’t waste energy on such things. Yes, of course I know. That it wasn’t sincere. But I thought the Saintess would be pleased if I caught more monsters and increased donations. I know it was a stupid and foolish thing.”

As Geril apologized with exaggerated and clear pronunciation so that all the believers holding their breath could hear clearly, many covered their mouths in surprise. They now understood why the great Duke Geril Lylester had resorted to such tricks. His excuse was not only plausible but somehow even moving, so several were already wiping away tears, deeply impressed.

“I realized that such empty falsehoods could not please the Saintess. So this time, I swore to God and staked everything I had.”

Geril’s choked voice resonated heavily in the mass hall. At this sight, Bellota’s gaze slowly turned from the holy relic to Geril.

Finally meeting Bellota’s eyes, manic affection rose in the man’s eyes.

“The reason I headed to the Forbidden Land was solely because of you, Saintess.”

At those words, impressed gasps leaked out from noble ladies here and there. Bellota looked at Geril with eyes devoid of reality, as if wishing all this was a dream.

“I have finally returned, having earned the qualification to become your husband.”

Geril’s eyes were moist with emotion. They contained feelings excited to the point of ecstasy. A man’s ambition and pleasure at finally achieving everything, such excitement.

“Please marry me, Saintess.”

When the sweet proposal finally flowed from Geril’s lips, the dreamy atmosphere around them shattered in an instant. Bellota looked at the reality unfolding before her eyes.

Her frozen heart finally fell to her feet where Geril knelt.

* * *

Learning of the tragedy that had occurred in his absence, Seiden immediately rushed out to find Bellota without listening to the rest of Felton’s words. Though the startled Felton followed trying to stop Seiden, his speed was too fast to easily catch up to.

Seiden frantically ran searching for Bellota through her office, the empty mass hall, and finally to the front of the West Tower where Bellota’s quarters were. Just as Seiden was about to enter the West Tower, Felton, who had barely caught up to him, desperately clung to Seiden’s waist to stop him.

“Even if you go in, you cannot meet the Saintess!”

“Let go of me. I need to hear directly from the Saintess.”

“The Saintess herself has put up a barrier. It’s useless! Right now, the Saintess will not want to meet you, Commander!”

At those words, Seiden’s footsteps, which had been trying to push Felton aside like a madman to enter, came to an abrupt halt. When Seiden turned to look at Felton with eyes that seemed about to explode, Felton met his gaze with sympathetic eyes.

“The Saintess needs time too. Couldn’t you try to understand her?”

At Felton’s voice, filled with indignation and concern, Seiden’s murderous gaze slowly fell to empty space. His excited breath scattered rapidly into the air. Someone must have been squeezing his heart with a large hand as if they would burst it. Otherwise, his heart wouldn’t ache like this.

“First, listen to what I have to say. We need to understand what’s happening to come up with a plan.”

Plan. At that word, Seiden’s recklessly beating heart seemed to finally come to its senses.

“Will you really send the Saintess to Duke Lylester?”

Felton, who had approached Seiden, desperately murmured. Hearing that, Seiden’s heart stung sharply. He couldn’t know what others thought, but at least Felton clearly agreed with him. That provided comfort to Seiden, who was on the verge of losing his reason.

Letting out a trembling sigh of anger, Seiden finally turned to Felton in resignation.

“Tell me everything you’re thinking. I’ll stop this somehow.”

* * *

The two men moved to Felton’s office.

“The verification results show that the stone Duke Lylester brought is confirmed to be a demon race stone. You know the rumors about the rockdragon? The legend says it’s made of the hardest rock of the demon race. But that’s just an unproven rumor. No one has actually seen a rockdragon.”

Felton spoke in anger, his voice bursting with indignation.

Seiden remained frozen for a moment like someone who couldn’t understand any of this, then suddenly opened his mouth.

“When did this happen?”

“It’s been two days already. The rumors must have spread throughout the empire, did you really not know?”

He couldn’t have known. Seiden had been cut off from the world during that time.

“Has the Saintess responded to Duke Lylester’s proposal……”

He tried to ask if she had answered, but at that moment Seiden’s breath caught. He bit his lips, unable to continue speaking.

Another man’s proposal. To Bellota.

That horrible truth that had been buzzing dully in his ears suddenly crashed down on Seiden’s head like a tsunami.

Felton, who had quickly caught the intention of the broken question, answered promptly.