“Priest Hydra, what are you doing? This is a major taboo in the Holy See; it is a capital offense!”
In the evening, the soldiers responsible for guarding the outer perimeter of the Altar once again drove away the surrounding residents.
Just as they were preparing to change shifts, Hydra returned, leading a strange man with him.
A Temple Knight looked in horror at Hydra, who had entered the Altar at some unknown point, followed by an ominous figure.
As a power under the Goddess’s name, the Holy See was responsible for showing the Goddess’s mercy to the world and was also tasked with purging her enemies.
As the greatest enemies of Holy Magic, those who used Black Magic naturally became primary targets for the Holy See’s pursuit.
However, what greatly puzzled this Temple Knight, who had personally participated in such manhunts, was this mysterious person who had suddenly appeared.
This was a Black Magician the knights had captured not long ago.
By all accounts, he should have been executed long ago.
According to the regulations of the Holy See, as long as he used Black Magic to threaten others, he was a target to be hunted.
“But why did he suddenly appear here?”
“And why was he with the Grand Priest?”
“Grand Priest Hydra, should this fellow… be purged immediately?”
As the most rigid and caustic of the Grand Priests, Hydra’s adherence to the regulations of the Holy See had reached the level of absolute faith.
He would not hesitate to kill even those poor souls born with Black Magic who had never committed a crime.
‘Black Magic is an elongated heresy that should not exist in this world, regardless of the reason.’
And now, this Grand Priest, who could not tolerate a single speck of Black Magic in his sight, was actually leading a Black Magician inside so brazenly?
“Enough. I have my own arrangements. For the great cause of the Holy See, this tiny sacrifice is not worth mentioning.”
Facing the obstruction of his subordinate knights, Hydra stopped them with a look and led the terrified Black Magician forward.
“Hey, old man, do you really plan to release me? The Holy See has been hunting me this whole time.”
The Black Magician found it somewhat hard to believe.
Had this old man actually fished him out of prison?
One had to realize that he had killed several of their Holy See soldiers not long ago.
“Was he truly being this merciful now, or was he dreaming?”
“If you do not do as I say, I guarantee you will suffer more pain than an execution.”
Hydra looked at this overconfident scum with contempt.
If he didn’t need to use him, he would have executed the fellow long ago.
He was merely letting him live a little longer…
Under his threat, the Black Magician slowly approached Hailey, who was being guarded by the knights.
She was forcibly confined by stone pillars and iron chains.
“Heh, such powerful Holy Magic. Old man, is she really not your master? Her Mana is at a higher level than everyone else present.”
“She is nothing more than a fame-stealing Forbidden Creation. She is not worthy of being recognized by our holy church. Move quickly.”
‘Bah, bah, bah! You old geezer, as if anyone wants to be your Saintess. Idledra had such a miserable life before she met me…’
‘She couldn’t eat her fill or wear warm clothes, and she was locked up in a lonely place all day by people like you under the excuse that “the world must not approach the Saintess.”‘
‘God loves the world… You can’t even manage to love a single little girl. A selfish Holy See like this should go preach in some remote corner!’
Under the pressure of Hydra’s gaze and the threat of the Temple Knights’ force, the Black Magician had no choice but to bring his black-stained palm close to Hailey.
His hand was pitch black, mixed with some turbid color.
But the moment it approached Hailey, the Black Magician let out a scream.
“Ah—my hand! What—what on earth is this thing?!”
When the large black hand touched—or rather, before it even touched—it was violently repelled by a golden light.
By the time he regained his senses, his hand had turned the color of charcoal.
Hydra and the Temple Knights were also greatly shocked.
They had not expected what appeared to be a simple defensive spell to possess such power!
However, Hydra noticed that faint cracks had actually appeared on the transparent shield where it had been touched.
As expected, Black Magic was its nemesis!
“Continue. A crack has appeared. As long as you go one step further…”
“No! I won’t do it even if you kill me! Didn’t you see that thing almost killed me just now?”
The burning sensation in his arm still lingered, and the Black Magician showed a terrified expression as he tried to flee.
However, two silver swords blocked his path.
The Temple Knights coldly drove him back.
Looking at Hydra’s emotionless eyes, the Black Magician understood that no matter what he did, only a path to death remained.
The only way to redeem himself through service was to find a way to break the deadly shield before him…
‘There’s no other way, I’m going for broke!’
The Black Magician simply released all of his Black Magic, and a sky full of darkness rushed toward Hailey.
As the Black Magic continued to spread, the cracks on the shield became visible to the naked eye, though it still remained as solid as a fortress.
“Look, everyone, I have succeed—”
Seeing that progress was being made, the Black Magician prepared to claim credit.
But before he could even turn his head, a silver sword pierced through his chest.
Even Hailey could not believe that this group of sanctimonious fellows could be so cruel!
“Naturally, I trust that all your sins will be forgiven by the Holy See after your death.”
Hydra expressionlessly withdrew the silver sword from the man’s chest.
The faint golden Mana on it was stained with bright red blood.
‘Humph, a Black Magician who violated the order of the Holy See, yet you still want to be exonerated? Squeezing out your last drop of value is your best destiny.’
“Grand Priest, what should we do next?”
Although the Black Magician had already fallen to the ground as a corpse, the shield on Hailey’s body had still not been destroyed.
“No matter. it won’t last much longer. Away from its master, it is but a spent arrow.”
Indeed, as the cracks gradually widened, the original shield began to look shaky.
The Black Magic had still managed to corrode it.
Hailey went from being completely unbothered to forcing a smile.
Having spent the most time with Idledra and being the most intimate with her, she clearly sensed that the Mana was constantly dissipating.
‘Please, Mana lords, don’t run away! Your master and I are already in “that” kind of relationship.’
‘Stay a little longer for her sake. If you leave, my life will be forfeit…’
‘Idledra, oh Idledra, I really have a love-hate relationship with you sometimes…’
Hydra’s sinister laughter seemed to be right at hand, and the Temple Knights’ weapons were swinging toward her.
“A bunch of scum. Why haven’t you gotten lost yet?”
Blackness—a pitch blackness like a moonless night—instantly enveloped the entire Altar.
All the knights collapsed to the ground, weak and powerless.
Idledra slowly walked toward the Altar, her eyes flickering with a dark red killing intent.
“You finally came! I’ve been waiting for you for so long, I was almost—Mmph!!”
Hailey was just about to complain when the person in front of her suddenly grabbed her in an embrace.
She bit down hard on Hailey’s lips, “devouring” them fiercely.