“Idledra, I never expected you to be hiding such terrifying Black Magic. I knew it! When the Pope took you in, it was nothing but a disaster!”
Hydra clutched his heavily wounded chest.
The dark Mana from moments ago had not only eroded his Holy Magic but was now devouring his very life force.
Despite this, he glared at the two people before him with pure venom.
Even though they had never offended him, he hated them simply because they existed.
“Grand Priest Hydra, it really has been a long time… I thought you had finally settled down all those years ago.”
Idledra looked down at Hydra, who was now like a stray dog.
There was no pity in her eyes, only the contempt and disdain one would have for filth.
From the first time Hailey came to her side, from his desperate opposition to her becoming the Saintess, and even earlier… had this old man always been such an eyesore?
She walked to Hydra’s side and lightly raised her hand.
As if he were being crushed by a weight of 1,000 pounds, the man fell straight to his knees before Idledra.
“Keeping you alive will only continue to hinder the life Hailey and I share. Especially since you actually dared to strike at Hailey… You are beyond forgiveness. There is no point in letting you live.”
The Altar here had long since been abandoned, and the surrounding residents rarely visited.
Moreover, the sun had already set behind the mountains.
No one would find them.
The darkness in her mind continued to entice her, urging her to quickly kill the loathsome person before her.
He was currently defenseless.
‘Finish him. He made your life so miserable. Don’t let him go again…’
‘Is this the Black Magic tempting my ear? Has it started to affect my consciousness? This Black Magic is so strong… and why does that voice sound so beautiful…?’
‘Scum like this are still scum when they get old. Dealing with him quickly would even be a contribution to the city’s greenery.’
‘It’s like an angel’s whisper… Evil Black Magic, why can’t I resist its temptation at all? Am I destined to lose to it?’
Even though the old man deserved to die, would killing him like this stain her hands?
Damn it, why did that voice sound more and more beautiful?
“No, I will not yield! Not to this charming voice!”
“Hey, stop spacing out. I’m talking to you.”
Hailey had no idea how long she had been muttering beside her.
Was this girl’s head broken?
Why was she constantly mumbling about allure and temptation?
‘Am I some kind of powerful Twilight Trial? I already told you to hurry up and do it. Are you keeping this old man around to weed the Altar? Though that does sound okay.’
“Ah, it was just Hailey… I thought I was hallucinating.”
‘I was wondering why that voice felt so familiar and sounded so good. It turns out an angel was right by my side. Hailey’s body is so warm…’
“Kill me, you evil Witch! Even if you do, the Pope and the rest of the Holy See will never let a freak like you — someone abandoned by the world — get away with this!”
Hydra was at a dead end, yet he still foolishly provoked her.
In the next second, the darkness dragged his entire body into an underground abyss.
As the abyss dissipated, only a robe symbolizing his status as a Priest remained on the ground.
However, it soon turned to ash and drifted into the air, leaving nothing behind.
After forcibly reclaiming the Black Magic, Idledra leaned back into Hailey’s arms with exhaustion.
She felt a bit guilty and didn’t dare look Hailey in the eye.
Even though she had dealt with the old man Hydra, she wondered if that Magic would make Hailey afraid of her.
After all, it was Black Magic…
Under the influence of the Holy See and the Empire’s high-ranking officials, Black Magic had long since become a forbidden term among the people.
Even the slightest hint of it was enough to make people keep their distance.
“Hailey, am I very bad? My body is full of Black Magic, and I just used it to kill someone…”
‘I’ll do anything. Just don’t hate me, don’t despise me, and don’t leave my side…’
Idledra’s eyes held a humble plea, but her hand gripping Hailey’s was trembling uncontrollably because she lacked confidence.
Hailey was like the sun she had craved in her dreams countless times — warm and bright.
She wanted to touch it even if it burned her feathers.
Seeing her expression grow more and more dejected, Hailey suddenly flicked her on the forehead.
She looked at Idledra with an expression that said she was hopeless.
“Dummy. Idiot. Moron. You’re really beyond help.”
Sometimes Hailey really didn’t know what to do with this Saintess.
Sometimes she was as cunning as a little Demon, pinning her down in the bedroom to get handsy.
Other times, she was like a playful young girl, clinging to her and acting spoiled, or liking to change clothes and dress up like a normal girl.
And now, she was like a child who hadn’t grown up, worrying about being hated by her playmate…
“You dummy, why would I hate you because of a scumbag who deserves to die 10,000 deaths? I couldn’t wait for you to finish him off. Why else do you think I was poking you?”
“But I…”
Although she felt some comfort, Idledra was still brooding.
She lowered her head and stammered, unwilling to speak, remaining in a daze.
‘Tsk, why is she so hard to coax?’
Hailey really didn’t know how to comfort girls, whether in her past life or this one.
Though in this life, it seemed she was usually the one being comforted…
She cupped Idledra’s face in both hands and brought their faces so close that their noses almost touched, forcing Idledra to look at her properly.
“Do you see it? What’s on my face?”
Beside Hailey’s eyes, faint golden patterns flickered vaguely.
They were the traces left behind by the Holy Magic Idledra had gifted her before it dissipated.
Hailey wanted her to see the golden Mana still lingering on her body.
It was because of this power that she hadn’t been harmed by Hydra and his men.
“Your eyelashes are long, your eyes are beautiful, and your face is very red…”
“Who told you to look at that… Look here!”
Hailey was pushed to her limit.
She grabbed Idledra’s hand and pressed it against the corner of her own eye, letting her feel the flow of that golden Mana.
Idledra gradually calmed down.
Even if having her face touched like this with one hand was a bit…
‘Ah, I don’t care anymore.’
“Listen closely. If it weren’t for you, I would have died long ago. If you aren’t by my side, what will I do if something happens to me again? I can’t live without… your Magic.”
‘I can’t live without you… I can’t live without you… without you…’
Idledra snuggled into Hailey’s arms, enjoying her tenderness and warmth.
She felt like she was going to die — die of happiness.