“We’ll have a lot to talk about.”

“……Did you find out something too, Mr. Lemon?”

“I wasn’t without results.”

A confident smile spread across Lemon’s lips.

As we conversed, a faint light began to seep in from beyond.

The exit was starting to appear.

My and Lemon’s steps quickened.

As we went outside, our field of vision suddenly widened.

At the same time, an enormous tree filled our view.

“This tree……”

Where are we?

I blankly looked up at the tree.

The tree was incredibly huge, but it looked bare without a single leaf, as if it had met winter.

Of course, it’s not strange for a tree to be bare since the current weather is early winter, but the problem is that this tree is planted inside the temple.

As I was looking up at the tree, Lemon approached and said.

“It’s the Sacred Tree.”

“The Sacred Tree?”

Was there such a species?

As I showed interest in this unfamiliar name, Lemon looked at the tree with a strange gaze and moved his lips.

“I only learned about this tree after infiltrating this place. They say it’s a sacred tree bestowed upon the Lagranacia Empire by the goddess Thelia. They built the temple centered around this tree, which is why it stands tall in the middle of the building like this.”

“A sacred tree…… bestowed by the goddess?”

This?

As I looked back at the tree with an ambiguous expression, Lemon added, as if reading my thoughts, with a low laugh.

“For a tree bestowed by a goddess…… it looks quite pitiful, doesn’t it?”

“……”

Although it was an irreverent thought, honestly, it did.

To my eyes, it just looked like an unsightly dying tree.

Lemon shrugged and mused.

“Honestly, I don’t think this tree was bestowed by a goddess either. In the past, when religious unity was difficult, they probably created a special religious symbol like the Sacred Tree to seek unity.”

I quietly nodded.

“Besides, with this appearance, it would be difficult to show it off anywhere.”

“……”

Lemon spoke in a rather amused tone, but somehow the withering tree bothered me.

Whether this was really a tree bestowed by a god, or a tree forcibly given meaning by humans, its slow death seemed like me.

I placed my palm on the dry surface.

“Ms. Livia, let’s move on now.”

At Lemon’s urging, I removed my hand and started walking.

Lemon and I crossed the empty corridor and slipped out through a side door.

We immediately boarded a waiting carriage.

It wasn’t Mercedes’ carriage, but one that Lemon seemed to have prepared in advance.

‘He’s really thorough with his preparations.’

I asked, newly impressed.

“Is it alright to leave like this?”

I was worried about arousing unnecessary suspicion, but Lemon answered with a face that said not to worry.

“Many nobles have already left. We’ll naturally join them, so don’t worry. I’ve already sent Mercedes’ carriage back to the mansion.”

“……I see.”

I looked at Cardien, who was lying straight on the seat, with a somewhat troubled face.

“Will His Grace…… be alright?”

“I briefly checked his condition and there were no injuries. Rather, if we’re just talking about physical condition, Ms. Livia’s state is more serious.”

“I’m fine.”

I was sincere.

I’m just torn on the outside, my internal injuries aren’t that severe.

‘But Cardien absorbed magic again.’

It bothered me more because such a case didn’t exist even in the original work.

Meanwhile, the carriage passed through the temple gates and sped quickly down the street.

I looked at the receding temple and carefully asked Lemon.

“Um, what happened to that man……”

“……? Ah.”

He looked puzzled for a moment but soon nodded as if he understood and said.

“At first, it seemed quite challenging, but I subdued him quickly. I heard that the temple side retrieved the body for examination. His identity will probably be announced soon.”

“……So it ended up like that.”

“It seems something is bothering you.”

Startled by Lemon’s words, I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Actually, I saw that man’s memories.”

“Memories? Ah, you’re talking about that ability. Ms. Livia’s special ability.”

“Yes.”

“What did you see?”

Lemon asks in a gentle tone.

His lemon-colored eyes gleamed peculiarly in the darkness.

“……The process of that man becoming a monster.”

“Hooh……”

Lemon’s eyes flashed.

Recalling the memory, I slowly continued.

“I couldn’t see exactly what happened. It was as if someone had deliberately cut that part, the memory was cut off right there.”

“Interesting. Was there any useful clue from the remaining memories?”

“……Jeffrey. Jeffrey Cuspert was there.”

“If you’re talking about Jeffrey Cuspert, you mean the missing theology professor, right?”

He’s also the one who kidnapped Ms. Livia.

Lemon kindly added.

I nodded briefly.

Although it was a short scene in the fragmented memory, it was undoubtedly Jeffrey Cuspert.

“Mr. Lemon, do you perhaps remember? The author of <The Other Side of the Temple> that I asked you to investigate, and the former professor of theology.”

“You’re talking about Celebel Nadil.”

A deep smile formed on Lemon’s lips.

He seemed to already predict what I was going to say.

‘It wasn’t just Jeffrey who suddenly quit.’

Celebel Nadil, the professor before Jeffrey, also suddenly submitted his resignation and left the academy one day.

‘And the one who succeeded the professor position was Jeffrey.’

After that, no one knew Celebel Nadil’s whereabouts.

“But isn’t it insufficient evidence just because Jeffrey Cuspert appeared in the memory?”

“……The man in the memory was writing a book. And he put that book in the library.”

“Aha……”

Lemon’s expression was meaningful.

Then he nodded and said.

“That’s enough to be suspicious. Alright. I’ll investigate more about Celebel Nadil.”

“Thank you.”

“Then it’s my turn now. But……”

It was the moment he started speaking.

Clunk.

The carriage came to a stop.

I looked out the window in surprise.

A familiar building came into view.

“We’ve arrived.”

Lemon said lightly as he got up.

“Let’s save my story for next time.”

I hurriedly spoke.

“But you’re not here, Mr. Lemon. Can I meet you if I go to the rune shop?”

This is because Lemon is currently on leave.

In response to my question, Lemon smiled triumphantly and said.

“That, I don’t think you need to worry about.”

“What?”

What does this mean?

As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, the carriage door opened.

Immediately after, there was a gasp, followed by an urgent voice.

“Ah, no, what is this……!”

I turned my head.

Winston was looking this way with shocked eyes.

Chelsea was next to him, and she too was looking with uncharacteristically shaky eyes.

The moment I saw those two, I felt all the strength leave my body.

My tension had suddenly been released.

“Ah……”

“Tu, Tutor!!”

Winston’s urgent cry echoed in my ears.

‘……Cardien.’

With the image of Cardien’s tightly closed eyes as my last sight, I lost consciousness.

***

A dimly moonlit corridor in the temple.

A man and a woman were crossing the corridor.

“That person was to be the last sacrifice to our god in this place. Who would have thought he’d escape.”

The deep voice of the man resonated softly.

His gaze briefly turned to the white-haired woman walking beside him.

He hesitated, then continued.

“It’s my fault for not managing the sacrifice properly.”

“It’s not your fault, Grand Priest.”

A gentle voice, like warm spring sunshine, softly dispersed.

The moment that voice touched his ears, Kalbinur shuddered slightly.

A faint smile formed on Celestina’s lips.

“Rather, I think we’ve discovered something interesting.”

“Something interesting……”

Just as Kalbinur was about to ask, Celestina’s steps suddenly halted.

Consequently, Kalbinur also stopped.

Celestina was staring intently at something.

As Kalbinur turned his head following Celestina’s gaze, his eyes soon widened in shock.

His brown eyes filled with silver light.

“This, can’t be……”

A shocked voice flowed from his slightly parted lips.

“The tree of Thelia……”

The Sacred Tree that the goddess Thelia was said to have gifted to the Lagranacia Empire.

The tree that had been withering and almost dead…… had blossomed in silver.

Kalbinur’s eyes shook violently.

In contrast, Celestina’s smile deepened.

“It seems, that has passed by.”

“By that, you mean……?”

Kalbinur asked cautiously, but instead of answering, Celestina gently approached the Sacred Tree.

As she placed her hand on the tree, the silver light slowly began to fade.

“The one we’ve been looking for.”

“……”

Kalbinur’s expression froze coldly.

Stroking the tree as if patting a child’s head, Celestina murmured softly.

“We’ve finally found it.”

Then, turning around gracefully, she said to Kalbinur.

“We’ve found a use for him.”

“By him, you mean……”

“My precious doll.”

As Celestina said this, her face was more lovely than ever before.