“I, Geril Lylester, will propose to the Saintess again in this place.”

It was the crucial moment when Geril, looking at Bellota with eyes full of certainty, was about to kneel. Bellota grabbed Geril’s arm to stop his action. At that moment, feeling an ominous premonition, Geril looked at her as Bellota opened her mouth with a calm face.

“Duke, please show everyone the power of the rockdragon’s heart again.”

At those words, Geril’s eyebrows rose quizzically.

“I want to confirm that power once more.”

Bellota’s gaze was resolute as she quietly made her request. Although Geril was somewhat disappointed that his planned proposal scene was ruined, he withdrew his attempt to kneel and nodded. What could be difficult about that?

After all, for Bellota, confirming the power of the rockdragon’s heart would be most important. Geril recalled the contents of the message Bellota had sent the previous night.

[I want to repay the trust you have shown me, Duke. My curse can be alleviated by the holy power of the holy relic you possess.

Please understand that I couldn’t accept your proposal before because I couldn’t dare pass my burden to you, kind Duke.]

That message contained all the truth she had been hiding. In other words, Bellota had rejected his proposal because she couldn’t marry while hiding her cursed body. Thinking of it that way, Geril felt even his old anger towards Bellota melting away.

Of course, it must have been difficult for Bellota to admit with her own mouth that she was cursed. She must not have known that he was a man broad-minded enough to embrace all her flaws.

[I confirmed your sincerity towards me at the last banquet, and I will accept your proposal.

However, the rumors covering the empire will become uncontrollable if not for tomorrow’s banquet. So please hold the banquet as planned. There, please propose to me again with the holy relic.

Then, I will await your answer.]

Although Bellota didn’t explain what her curse was, she humbly admitted that she was cursed. At the same time, she confirmed that the holy relic Geril possessed could alleviate her curse. So obtaining this holy relic had truly been a divine move.

Geril was very curious about what curse Bellota had fallen under, but learning about that after claiming Bellota wouldn’t be too late. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter as long as it wasn’t a curse that turned her into a monster. Surely the empire’s Saintess couldn’t be under a curse of lust.

Moreover, if he threw gold coins at those powerful dark mages, they would find a way to solve whatever curse it was. So now all that remained for him was to claim Bellota Rosebeth from head to toe.

“I will show you. The power I dedicate to you, Saintess.”

Geril whispered sweetly as he raised high the hand holding the holy relic, just as he had done before.

Watching this, Felton closed his eyes tightly with a devastated face. In his heart, reverence for the holy relic imbued with holy power mixed chaotically with despair that such a relic had fallen into the hands of such a person and met this tragedy.

Most people in the banquet hall, who hadn’t directly witnessed Geril’s first proposal, stood on their tiptoes in great excitement to see this magnificent sight.

However, something was strange. Although everyone in the banquet hall held their breath and looked outside, it remained dark. There was no sign of the sun rising at all. After several minutes passed in this state, Geril too soon realized something was wrong.

Flustered, Geril lowered his raised hand and checked what he held. Although it seemed somewhat faded, he confirmed the magic stone was still emitting a mysterious light, and Geril frowned quizzically. Geril shook it violently, but the sky remained covered in pitch-black darkness.

“What’s this? How much longer do we have to wait? I thought it would rise right away?”

“It should rise immediately. I saw it clearly with my own eyes that day. It didn’t take this long.”

“Well, let’s wait a bit longer. How could making the sun rise be so easy?”

“No, I’m telling you we didn’t have to wait before!”

The clamor of those who couldn’t wait any longer began to burst forth from the deathly quiet banquet hall. At the commotion, blood gradually rushed to Geril’s face. No matter how much he gripped, shook, or rolled the magic stone, the sun wouldn’t rise. Outside the window, there wasn’t even a sign of a torch’s thin light, let alone the sun.

It was then. A cold premonition brushed the top of Geril’s head as he swallowed dry saliva in confusion. A very ominous and chilling premonition.

As Geril stopped breathing and slowly raised his head, he saw the beautiful face of Bellota, who, unlike him, was looking at him with a calm and cold expression without the slightest movement.

“Saintess, surely……”

Just as Geril called out to Bellota in a horrified voice.

“That holy relic is fake.”

A loud voice that suppressed the quiet stirring rang out from somewhere. What? When the confused Geril turned toward the source of the sound, he saw a man standing at a distance. The gazes of those gathered also turned to him at once. It was Van, the butler of House Cadlack.

Although the blood had drained from Van’s face, he still faced Geril with a determined expression.

“What do you mean fake? What are you saying?”

When someone couldn’t hold back and demanded an answer, Van moved his trembling lips, pale white again.

“The holy relic the Duke possesses is a replica that our Viscount made out of concern for theft.”

This was a completely new allegation, so the banquet hall began to stir chaotically again.

“Viscount? Wait, isn’t that man Lady Margaret’s butler?”

When someone recognized Van’s identity, the whispers surrounding him grew even stronger.

“Wasn’t Lady Margaret in seclusion due to illness?”

“Explain properly what you mean! A fake holy relic?”

“Come on! You need to make sense! Are you mad?”

Voices mixed with disbelief, doubt, and dissatisfaction burst forth competitively, making the banquet hall noisy again. However, Geril remained frozen, unable to question Van even once. His heart was pounding at an intensity incomparable to before.

Suppressing his surging emotions, Geril slowly turned to look at Bellota with bloodshot eyes. Then Bellota, who had been silently watching the whole situation, stepped forward and finally opened her mouth. Now, it was time for the truth to be revealed.

“The holy relic Duke Lylester possesses is a sun-calling holy relic, a family heirloom of House Cadlack.”

When Bellota finally intervened, those who had been stirring closed their mouths as if by agreement and urgently listened. House Cadlack was a viscount family with no remaining members except Lady Margaret.

“More precisely, as Butler Van said, it will be a replica of that holy relic.”

Each time Bellota’s calm voice continued, blood rushed to and cooled on Geril’s face repeatedly. What on earth…?

“Saintess, stop…… It would be better to stop.”

Though Geril, too shocked to even speak properly, squeezed out his last patience to make a premature threat, such things couldn’t even touch one of Bellota’s eyebrows.

“Viscount Cadlack, worried about the theft of the holy relic, didn’t reveal the location of the genuine article even to his daughter Lady Margaret, and passed down a replica made using the power of the genuine holy relic.”

A breathtaking shock descended on the banquet hall. Even Bellota, who had maintained a composed appearance throughout, quietly swallowed a trembling breath.

As Bellota said, what Geril had brought was Viscount Cadlack’s holy relic. The devout Viscount Cadlack, worried that the great god’s holy relic would be used carelessly, had hidden it away thoroughly, planning to bring it out when the Demon God revived and the world became dangerous.

Thus, he attempted dangerous replication magic, sacrificing most of his family’s wealth and his remaining short life. Surprisingly, the magic succeeded, and to prevent the story from leaking out, Viscount Cadlack didn’t reveal the truth even to his daughter Lady Margaret.

It was so thorough that no one knew where the genuine article was hidden, and only a hint indicating the location of the holy relic was written behind Viscount Cadlack’s portrait. However, because even the place where the holy relic was buried was set to open only with the Pope’s holy power, no one but the Pope could know where the genuine article was buried.

In other words, the holy relic passed down to Lady Margaret was fake, and the holy relic in Geril’s hands was likewise.

“However, naturally, the replica’s function is far inferior to the genuine article’s function and can only be activated twice.”

Bellota looked at Geril with emotionless eyes. Geril was frozen in shock at the truth about the holy relic that even he hadn’t known.

Geril had probably used up both chances—once to confirm the function after obtaining the replica, and once more to propose to Bellota. Therefore, the replica, depleted of magical power, no longer functioned.

While some people frowned, not understanding Bellota’s words, those quick to catch on grasped everything at once.

“So the holy relic you brought, Duke, is merely a replica of House Cadlack’s holy relic,”

Bellota’s quiet voice, finally ending the whole situation, rang throughout the banquet hall.

“And has nothing to do with the rockdragon’s heart.”