CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

My Name Is

That night, the rumor of Duke Geril Lylester’s arrest consumed the entire capital in just one day. The temple handed over Geril, who had been held in the temple prison, to the Emperor along with scandalous evidence proving he had conspired with dark mages to target the imperial throne.

Enraged, the Emperor immediately imprisoned Geril in the palace’s underground dungeon. With more than half of the dark mages he conspired with also captured, Geril had no way to recover.

It was fortunate that everyone’s attention focused on Geril. Thanks to this, the Pope gained time to handle Rubert’s matter and conceal all related evidence.

Learning that a demon had disguised himself as a priest and lived in the Grand Temple for decades would destroy the Grand Temple’s dignity, so everyone who knew this truth had to keep silent.

However, silencing people doesn’t make what has already happened disappear without a trace. Rubert, who cursed himself and abandoned being human, was shot dead on the spot. So the problem was that there would never be a way to discover his true intentions. If they couldn’t find out why he did this, even this thorough cover-up would be meaningless.

The temple ransacked everywhere — Rubert’s office, quarters, and even the dark mages’ hideout — but found no further clues. The Pope was deeply shocked by this situation and wanted to summon Seiden to hear everything he had discovered so far.

However, while Seiden told what he knew, he kept silent about the Demon God Book even to the Pope. Learning about the Demon God Book’s existence wouldn’t change anything anyway. Even Seiden couldn’t unravel why Rubert had been so obsessed with this matter.

The Demon God wouldn’t resurrect just by killing saintesses in succession. Though the saintess’s existence held great meaning for the empire, her death wouldn’t shake its foundations either. Was it then simply revenge?

But Rubert’s plan was too elaborate to dismiss as simple revenge. He had maintained his meticulous plan for decades. Even going so far as to use holy relics to be reborn anew. There must have been another purpose.

Of course, such things held no meaning now. In the end, Rubert’s trail was caught and he lost his life, and today I will go to the Forbidden Land to break Bellota’s curse.

Seiden had made all his decisions. Yes, he would leave for where the rockdragon was as soon as dawn broke. But before that, there was someone he had to meet.

Seiden moved his heavy steps toward the west tower where Bellota would be. Soon it would be time for Bellota to return from the midnight mass of the Sacred Festival. Seiden stood rooted below the tower, waiting for her. And finally, when gentle footsteps resembling their owner came from far away, Seiden’s head turned.

Bellota was walking silently, holding holy texts to her chest and looking at her feet, lost in thought. Walking at a steady pace with calm steps, Bellota only stopped when she discovered the huge shadow blocking her path.

Bellota’s gaze moved from her feet to the feet of the one blocking her path.

“……”

At those familiar feet, her hands holding the holy texts tightened. Bellota stubbornly kept her head down and pressed her lips together.

This was their first encounter since returning from the north. Bellota had also heard about Rubert’s matter from Priest Felton. That Seiden was the one who discovered Cardinal Rubert’s identity and eliminated him.

She had also heard about Geril’s situation. That Seiden was also the one who found the decisive evidence that finally cornered Geril.

Perhaps all of this happened in the process of searching for the Demon God Book. So all of Seiden’s actions were ultimately connected to her. That fact made her happy and overwhelmed while ironically sorrowful. She felt afraid, resentful, and hurt.

“Won’t you show me your face?”

Finally, Seiden spoke first. His voice, carrying quiet pleading, scattered in the wind.

“I missed you.”

Seiden made his tender confession.

It was all true. Every moment he didn’t see Bellota, he missed her. Even facing her like this, the longing filling his heart hadn’t eased at all.

“Saintess.”

However, Bellota, who must have felt immense betrayal, wouldn’t readily respond to his confession. Growing desperate, Seiden moved his lips again to speak the name he had held for so long.

“……Bellota.”

When Seiden’s voice called her name, Bellota’s fingers tightened again. After stubbornly biting her lips for a moment, she finally slowly raised her head to face Seiden. Her still dazzlingly beautiful blue eyes were wet as if she’s about to cry, but she didn’t let tears fall.

Seiden stared persistently without taking his eyes from hers. Looking at Bellota’s pupils filled with light was his only salvation.

Still looking at Seiden with emotions of resentment, confusion, and sorrow, Bellota soon discovered the long cut on his cheek and stopped her slow breath. Looking at Seiden’s face, seemingly upset, Bellota seemed to think about something for a moment before slowly reaching out her hand.

Seiden noticed Bellota’s hand moving toward his cheek. It was a wound from when the Demon God’s fragment made its final struggle while being sucked into the box. Bellota’s soft fingers touched Seiden’s cheek. Seiden knew what Bellota intended to do but didn’t step back anyway. His action seemed to soften Bellota’s heart a little.

Bellota looked at him while carefully caressing the wound on his cheek. He wore a docile expression as if he would follow whatever she wished. At that expression, aching sorrow slowly swirled again inside her. Now Bellota also knew why Seiden had so desperately avoided her healing.

Because he had seen Bellota wandering at death’s door after depleting all her holy power because of him. So Seiden accepting her healing now was his will and determination to overcome the lingering shadows of the past.

Holding back tears, Bellota pressed her fingertips firmly on Seiden’s wound. Blue light leaked from her slender fingertips and deeply penetrated his wound.

As Bellota’s power seeped in, Seiden felt the familiar aching pain clinging to his heart again. Though the wound cut deep enough to show red flesh healed quickly, Bellota’s hand touching his cheek didn’t fall away.

Bellota moved her dry lips.

“……Don’t do this again.”

Instead of answering, Seiden stared blankly at Bellota. He couldn’t know exactly what she meant not to do. Was it not to get hurt like this again? Or not to tell such outrageous lies again? Or not……”

Not to leave again with vague and irresponsible promises to return?

He only hoped it wasn’t the last meaning. He could no longer grant such a request. Because he had to leave again for an uncertain destination.

Seiden persistently stared at the blue eyes still beholding him. Thankfully, the cold gaze that had turned away from him, full of betrayal and confusion when returning from the north, had softened considerably. In that gaze, Seiden knew Bellota had decided to forgive his lies. That fact made him want to smile even in this situation.

However, not wanting to break this warm air flowing between Bellota and himself with that smile, Seiden held back his smile and kept looking at her. Nothing was more important to him at this moment than looking at her.

Would he be able to see her again?

Though his heart painfully tightened whenever such thoughts came, Seiden quickly shook off even those thoughts and looked at Bellota.

Bellota, who had been fully receiving Seiden’s gaze, slowly lowered her hand that had been touching his cheek. Though he found it quite regrettable, instead of grabbing Bellota’s hand, Seiden just kept looking at her.

Despite blushing at Seiden’s tenacious and persistent gaze, Bellota opened her mouth.

“……Until I fulfill the mission given to me.”

Seiden held his breath, not wanting to miss even a bit of the faint voice flowing between her moving lips.

“It will take a very long time.”

At those words, Seiden’s brow narrowed very subtly. He could hardly understand what she was saying now. Though Bellota’s gentle voice seemed to hesitate, it continued speaking without stopping.

“Perhaps the next saintess won’t be chosen until just before I die.”

At those words, Seiden vaguely traced the tenure of previous saintesses. Since both the previous saintess and the one before her died young, he couldn’t know exactly how long they had struggled to fulfill their missions. But if they had lived, the next saintess would have been chosen only after they became elderly. If they hadn’t been cursed, perhaps it could have been shortened.

Still unable to understand what Bellota wanted to say, Seiden silently waited for her next words. However, the next words didn’t flow as easily as before.

“So……”

Bellota’s cheeks were now flushed pink.

“So…… After a very long time…… after I’ve fulfilled my duties as saintess, if Sir’s feelings haven’t changed……”

At those hazy words, Seiden’s pupils hardened.

“Then…… I want to be properly by your side.”

At Bellota’s confession, Seiden’s heart slowly swelled. Seiden looked at Bellota with frozen eyes. Instead of excitement, happiness, or joy, Bellota’s eyes swirled with guilt and shame about her selfish confession, mixed with remorse.

Bellota knew what Seiden would have to give up because of this confession. Things like a marriage blessed by everyone, a peaceful and harmonious home, the chance to become a father to lovely children with his one-and-only wife who would always support and love him by his side. She was shaking his life that would surely have been happier than anyone else’s, more than abundant like others, with just her meager feelings.

Yet her face showed no regret. She was prepared to embrace even that regret. That fact made Seiden’s already swollen heart overflow even more. This most selfish confession from a woman who could never be selfish was indescribably precious. The determination that he must return painfully stabbed his heart.

Bellota opened her mouth again.

“So promise me just one thing.”

Unlike before, her voice was urgent.

“Please don’t think about going to the Forbidden Land for my sake.”

After finishing her words, Bellota now looked at Seiden with eyes full of fear. With pleading, frightened eyes. At that gaze, his heart, which had risen to his throat, painfully plummeted. He couldn’t grant that request. Today, when he had finally received words of confession from her, he had to betray that desperate plea.