Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Episode 79
The gazes of both women simultaneously turned toward Aiden. One was piercingly cold, while the other burned with unyielding resolve.
Instinctively, Aiden knew.
There was no room for him to intervene between them.
Gritting his teeth, Aiden spoke firmly.
"Saya, if the Saintess gets hurt or dies, I will never see you again. I mean it."
Saya's face darkened with betrayal. A frigid voice slipped from her lips.
"I don't care. I really hate you right now. Don't expect me to forgive you anytime soon."
With those words, Saya shot up into the night sky.
For a long moment, Aiden stared blankly into the void, his expression hollow. The exhaustion that settled over him was far heavier than anything he'd felt after slaying demons or fighting wars.
Of course, he couldn't complain to anyone. He was the one who had created this mess. In a way, both Saya and Yuriel were victims.
Aiden let out a deep sigh.
Siron, who had been watching him, slowly approached and bowed her head deeply.
"My lord, I apologize."
There was no reason for her to apologize. Aiden tapped her shoulder lightly.
"You did what you had to do. If anything, I'm the one who should apologize. I dragged you into this mess unintentionally. I'm sorry."
What thoughts ran through Siron's mind as she watched this disaster unfold? For the first time in a long while, Aiden felt ashamed.
Siron shook her head.
"As a sword, I do not see, hear, or judge. However... my blade was duller than my lord's woman. I will reflect deeply on this."
It seemed Siron had been thoroughly intimidated by Saya's overwhelming strength.
Aiden shook his head.
"You stood your ground against a spirit beast. That's something to be proud of. You've done more than enough, so don't dwell on it."
Siron blinked at him in confusion. She had completely forgotten about the existence of the nine-tailed fox.
"T-Then...?"
"It was a nine-tailed fox."
Only then did Siron understand the terror that had gripped her. But that realization didn't excuse her weakness.
Her head drooped in self-reproach. Watching her, Aiden suddenly recalled Saya's words—"That little girl, what's going on in her head?" He spoke up.
"Siron, look at me for a moment."
She raised her face. Their eyes met, and Aiden infused his fingertip with divine energy.
He brought it close to her eyes, but nothing appeared.
"...W-What are you doing?"
Aiden sensed something odd in her tone—something hidden, a demeanor Siron would never normally display.
"Siron, is there something you're not telling me?"
Her pupils trembled slightly.
A blue mist streaked across the lakeshore, finally stopping at the foot of a densely wooded mountain slope.
The sound of crushed leaves was followed by a dull thud—then a pained groan.
Yuriel, thrown to the ground, glared up at Saya, her body covered in scattered leaves.
Saya strode toward her, lips curled in a mocking smile.
"What's that look supposed to accomplish?"
"At least... some courtesy—"
Before she could finish, Saya seized Yuriel by the hair and yanked her upright, dragging her close until their noses nearly touched.
"Courtesy? You're the one who crossed the line. Don't make demands of me unless you want your face ripped off."
Her voice was so cold it froze Yuriel's heart. Every word dripped with Saya's fury, leaving Yuriel paralyzed with fear.
Saya was a predator—a spirit beast. Her very nature was fundamentally different from humans.
Yet Yuriel didn't avert her gaze. Trembling, she forced out words.
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
"But... I have the right too."
Saya scoffed and tightened her grip on Yuriel's hair.
Yuriel whimpered in pain.
"...L-Let go."
Ignoring her, Saya clenched harder. Honestly, she wanted to peel the skin from Yuriel's face right then and there. But she couldn't. Aiden's words kept flashing in her mind—"If the Saintess gets hurt or dies, I will never see you again."
That was no empty threat. She'd been given one chance—there wouldn't be a second. Saya understood Aiden completely now.
His razor-sharp resolve stung. The way he protected this woman infuriated her.
All her resentment toward Aiden was redirected at Yuriel.
Her blue eyes gleamed fiercely.
"Because of you—"
Yuriel let out a frail whimper, but Saya showed no sign of releasing her. Slowly, Yuriel's gaze sharpened.
Tears welling, she glared at Saya and drew a dagger from her robes.
Snip.
She severed her own hair.
Yuriel collapsed to the ground. Saya snorted and tossed the severed locks aside.
Under the moonlight, strands of platinum blonde fluttered down like snow.
Yuriel looked up at Saya. She was beautiful—but even that thought was crushed under overwhelming terror.
Had she not steeled herself for death, she might have dropped to her knees and begged for her life.
Swallowing her fear, Yuriel spoke.
"...We can still talk, can't we? My life is in your hands regardless. Just give me one chance."
Saya's expression hardened. She lifted her foot and pressed it against Yuriel's face, shoving her onto her back.
Yuriel lay there like a puppy exposing its belly to its master.
Saya smirked coldly.
"This is how we talk. Got a problem with that?"
It was the submission shown by pack animals to their superiors.
Yuriel had never been treated this way in her life. Born a noblewoman and raised to sainthood, she had always been the one in control.
She had no resistance to this. The shame, the humiliation—it was unbearable. Tears streamed down her face.
Saya looked down at her.
"I'll lift my foot. If you want to talk, show me your belly."
The pressure on her face vanished. But Yuriel couldn't bring herself to move. The status society had given her meant nothing here.
Only the hierarchy of species remained.
Saya crouched and studied her.
"Stop crying. You have no right to be sad. For human females, rank is determined by male affection. For us, it's strength. Either way, this is your place."
With that, Saya slipped a hand beneath Yuriel's dress, fingers grazing the soft skin of her abdomen—the delicate flesh that protected her most vulnerable parts.
So easily torn apart, if Saya chose.
Tension flooded Yuriel's body. She trembled intermittently, muscles locked rigid.
The only lifeline she had was Aiden's warning—that he would never see Saya again.
But Yuriel didn't know how much weight those words carried for the beast before her. She didn't understand the depth of Saya's love.
She had no choice but to stake her life on it.
And to her, Aiden was worth that gamble.
He was—
More than love.
A deity.
A light to pierce the darkness, a savior to end suffering.
If she lost even her connection to him, death would be preferable.
Yuriel spoke in a hushed voice.
"...I don't dare covet his side. If I can merely be the soil that nurtures and spreads his will, that's enough. Please... allow me that much."
Yuriel, too, longed to share affection with Aiden. But she couldn't have everything. Above all, she had to convince the woman before her.
Saya shook her head.
"Don't lie. You love him, don't you? Any creature becomes deceitful before that emotion. Unless you rip it out by the roots, you'll lurk like a hyena, waiting to sink your teeth in."
Saya trailed her fingers along Yuriel's soft skin and continued.
"Besides, you abandoned Vacheksar. You might dress it up with ideals and convictions, but it all stemmed from love, didn't it? I can see it in your eyes. And now you claim you'll deny those feelings? Impossible."
The insult was unbearable. Defying her fear, Yuriel glared.
"You're completely mistaken. I doubted the Gospel long before meeting Aiden. I was just... dishonest. He acted where I hesitated. Yes, he hastened my apostasy and offered a new faith—but my standards were never swayed by anyone."
It was true. Even without Aiden, Yuriel would have lost her faith eventually.
A fallen saint. Aiden had merely twisted an inevitable fate.
Saya smirked coldly.
"Sounds like sophistry, but fine. Faith is just a tool for justification anyway. Starting with contradictions and ending with rationalizations—nothing strange about that. Twist it however you like. But I'm talking about your feelings. You love him, don't you? Let's cut through the complexity—here's the verdict. Unless you excise that emotion, you can't be with him. If it's really faith you care about, go hole up in some backwater village and write scriptures for him. Satisfied?"
Yuriel met her gaze firmly.
"That's impossible. You know what kind of man Aiden is, don't you? He'd tear off his own arm, gut himself, and throw his body into fire. No matter how strong you are, can you restore his melted eyes? Reattach his arm? None of that is within your power. Just as you've declared, I'll say the same. Saints, priests—bring them all, and none can replace my role."
It wasn't arrogance. Yuriel's divine energy was unmatched in history.
Saya grinned as if she'd been waiting for this.
"Good. Then your role is exactly as you've stated—a medical tool. Don't dare reach for more. Of course, this isn't a pact. Collateral is necessary. I'll place a curse on you."
Truthfully, Saya couldn't break or kill her. Aiden's warning terrified her too much.
She had flown here to establish hierarchy and shackle Yuriel.
The former was roughly settled. The latter required indirect consent.
Saya withdrew her hand from Yuriel's dress. Blue energy flickered at her fingertips.
"Prove your faith. Understood?"
Pale mist, serpentine, slithered forth and coiled around Yuriel's upper body.
Panicked, Yuriel twisted her head, following the blue light.
A moment later, it burrowed into her hips. There was no pain—just a bizarre, invasive sensation flooding her abdomen. Yuriel screamed.
Saya smirked and stroked her hair.
"That child hates mating. Normally gentle, but provoke her, and she'll bite."
Yuriel stared up, frozen.
"Why? You said it yourself. Stand by your words. In a way, I've perfected your faith. Let's get along from now on."
Just as Yuriel tried to speak—
A deafening explosion erupted in the distance.
From the lakeshore.
Divine energy surged, splitting the night sky as it roared upward—tainted with demonic miasma.
Both Yuriel and Saya's expressions stiffened.
Saya turned to leave.
In that instant, Yuriel mustered every ounce of strength and seized Saya's hair.
Saya's face twisted in shock—but there was no time to struggle.
They shot into the air. Yuriel tightened her grip deliberately.