“Cough, cough, cough! Saintess, this is the Church! Beneath the Statue of the Goddess, how could you — “
Before Ran could finish, Idledra tightened her grip on his neck.
She gave him a cold, indifferent glance.
To Idledra, the struggling Gatekeeper already looked like a corpse.
The only thing remaining in the aura surrounding her was murderous intent.
“Heh, isn’t this thanks to you all? Turning the darkness I couldn’t suppress into my weapon — to kill you.”
Idledra’s ability to stand here looking so “healthy” and “normal” was not due to the last warmth shared between the two of them before Hailey left.
Instead, it was entirely because of Black Magic.
With a pain that felt like needles and knives, and a mind corroded by anger, Idledra barely managed to stand.
‘I’m not here for small talk. Tell me, where did you tie her up?’
‘If not for the sake of finding Hailey, I would really love to destroy everything here…’
But if she killed him now, her information on Hailey would be completely cut off.
‘No, Idledra, pull yourself together!’
The urgency of finding Hailey seemed to barely suppress Idledra’s frayed nerves, allowing the old man before her to breathe.
However, her dark Mana was already like a lethal viper coiled tightly around Ran’s throat, waiting for a single moment to deliver a fatal strike.
Feeling the agony of his body being torn and gnawed, even the Gatekeeper, who had long since become indifferent to life and death, could not endure it.
Under his gaze of fear and surrender, Idledra let go and threw him to the ground, though the piercing pain did not end.
“Your subordinate… no, this sinner really doesn’t know where they went. Please, forgive me…”
Before he could finish, that suffocating sensation wrapped around his neck once more.
He met only those chilling eyes.
“Please, forgive me! I’ll speak! They took that girl… the other Saintess, for a private execution…”
For some reason, Zai’s inner fear was inexplicably magnified.
His psychological defenses, which he had been able to maintain through gritted teeth, collapsed in an instant.
After all, to the Holy Magic of the Holy See, Black Magic was its natural enemy.
Before the enemy of a superior, it was almost complete suppression.
For a retired knight who had been loyal to the Holy See for many years, Holy Magic had long since become part of his body.
It was precisely because of this that when he felt the Black Magic, he felt fear from the depths of his heart and even a physical instinct.
But what terrified him even more was the purest aura of darkness emanating from Idledra.
She was supposed to be the most sacred Saintess of the Holy See, possessing the highest level of Holy Magic, yet now she was no different from a Demon!
“Tsk, useless scum.”
Looking at the old Gatekeeper’s panicked and ugly appearance, Idledra gave him a look of disgust and disdain before turning away.
Of course, she wanted to crush the trash before her into the air, but that would only invite more commotion and obstacles.
Before finding Hailey, she had to rely on this remaining bit of sanity to suppress her desire for destruction.
If Hailey did not come back even after the world was destroyed, then there was no point in her being alive.
‘If Hailey can’t return, then there is no need for a “Demon” like me to live…’
Just then, a bumping sound suddenly came from the bench in the corner.
Little Mary, who had been hiding, poked her head out.
“Secret Sister… where did they, those bad guys, take the Saintess?”
‘This brat… is it that child who’s always clinging to Hailey? Tsk, her voice is so noisy. I want to kill that sound — ‘
Little Mary didn’t seem to know what was happening to the older sister in front of her.
She only knew that this was the only person who could save the Saintess.
As the hand stained with Black Magic rushed toward the little girl, it eventually came to a steady stop on top of her head.
The black mist vanished.
‘No… this child, she had fun playing with Hailey. You, quickly…’
Her mind was filled with Hailey again — how Hailey would look at the flowers in a vase with a face full of disdain while carefully pruning the leaves.
“Sister, I heard them. Those bad people said they were going to take the Saintess into the Altar…”
She liked the Saintess who was usually gentle to her, even if that mean old man said the Saintess was a fake.
But an older sister was an older sister.
The warmth of her hands wouldn’t change, just like the Secret Sister now.
Although the Gatekeeper also became very strange, the Secret Sister was still like before, patting her head.
Idledra gently comforted Little Mary while thinking about her words.
“The Altar?”
It certainly sounded like something that old fossil Hydra would do.
Even if he were to make a move, he’d want a sense of ritualistic garbage.
There were more than a dozen Altars in the Empire, and even more if you counted the abandoned ones.
‘That old piece of trash… if I had known, I would have…’
The resentment and murderous intent toward Hydra in her heart made Mary, who was standing by her side, a bit afraid.
Still, the girl held Idledra’s hand.
“Sister, can you bring the Saintess back? I still have so many things I want to give her…”
Looking at the teary-eyed Little Mary, Idledra actually felt a sliver of peace.
“Was it because Hailey was mentioned?”
This time, she didn’t need to deliberately suppress her impulse for destruction.
She very calmly gave Little Mary a gentle smile.
“I will. I will definitely save the Saintess. I promise.”
As if receiving a definite answer, the little girl’s eyes lit up.
Idledra gently covered her eyes.
“Alright, Little Mary, don’t tell anyone about today, okay? Not even your mom and dad.”
“Mm! When you save the Saintess, I’ll give both of you lots of flowers!”
Smiling as she sent Little Mary away, Idledra slowly closed the doors of the Church.
Finally, there were no more annoying obstacles…
The Black Magic on her body was like a pack of starved wolves, suddenly dragging back the Gatekeeper who was about to escape.
“Everything that happened today, including what you saw… if you dare to leak it, you know what the outcome will be…”
A small black snake burrowed into the Gatekeeper’s body, and the piercing pain returned.
As a member of the Holy See, Ran subconsciously tried to touch the most sacred Statue of the Goddess, attempting to gain a sliver of salvation.
If only, if only he could reach that place…
In the next second, his palm was coldly stepped on by Idledra.
She looked at him like he was a dying ant.
“You, and the Holy See behind you, don’t deserve the Goddess’s salvation. You only deserve Hell.”
Idledra looked somewhat helplessly at the Statue of the Goddess that was still smiling at her.
It was as if she had returned to being that initial Saintess.
She stood piously before the Statue of the Goddess, her hands clasped as she whispered her prayer.
“May you forgive my wings stained with the blood of sinners. I must find my only light.”
‘My Hailey, my light…’