Chapter 17 - The Saintess Sheds Silent Tears (2)
“What do you mean, Heavenly Demon? Where could you possibly be going…!”
Cough! Hack! Gah…!
“Hey, hey! Don’t speak. Looks like your lungs are injured—no need to force yourself. Just listen.”
No! No! Ah, please! Lord Juten, why must you take my voice at this crucial moment?!
“Anyway, I took care of Vertus and his lackeys. That should be enough, right?”
Enough? It’s more than enough. Just as our ancestors feared Vertus’s descent and passed down tales of him for hundreds of years, your deeds will also be told for centuries to come. The only difference is that future generations will sing praises of your greatness instead.
“Uh… About those lackeys, though. Some were wearing golden armor—looked like your Holy Knights—but I cut them down without hesitation. Sorry about that.”
It’s alright. Their mana circuits were already fully corrupted by tainted mana—there was no saving them. The only mercy left was ending their lives as puppets of demons. You did nothing wrong, Heavenly Demon. If anything, I should thank you on their behalf.
“…Tch. What a headache. The Radain Church will be after me with even more fervor now. I’d better get out of here fast.”
No! There’s no need for that. I’ll bear witness to your achievements, and if the Church tries to frame you, I’ll stand as your advocate. And to suggest the Church would pursue you—that’s absurd! If anything, they should be praising your deeds and considering you for sainthood…
“That’s why I wanted to say goodbye to you before leaving.”
So where exactly are you planning to go?!
Hic… hic…
The Saintess cursed her own vocal cords with all her heart, biting her lower lip in frustration at being unable to even utter a single plea for him to stay.
“Uh… Miss. What am I supposed to say here? Awkward situations like this are the worst.”
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon was too busy feeling embarrassed to even notice her expression.
“…Well, the start was rough, but… traveling with you wasn’t all bad. I’ve been through a lot, so I might’ve been a bit prickly.”
No. I’m the one who should apologize. There are too many things I owe you apologies for—and gratitude. So please, just a few more minutes…
“Ah, whatever! Just… be happy. From what I’ve seen, the Radain Church is pretty uptight, so don’t push yourself too hard playing Saintess.”
…
He unbuckled the sword at his waist—sheath and all—and placed it neatly beside her.
“This sword you gave me—I used it well. I’ll leave it here.”
…!
“Take care.”
And with that, the Heavenly Demon turned his back and left.
…Don’t go…
“Ugh… Hah.”
Barkus woke up, disoriented, frantically scanning his surroundings before he could even gather himself.
“Vertus? The Saintess? It’s… eerily quiet. Vertus’s domain is gone too… Where did his underlings go? What the hell happened?”
Before long, his gaze fell upon the collapsed figure of the Saintess.
Barkus rushed to her side.
“Auriel! Are you alright? What in the world—”
His words died in his throat when he saw her expression—one he had never witnessed before.
The Saintess was crying. Sobbing like a child, fat tears streaming down her face without end.
“Tch. Things just keep getting messier.”
Over two weeks after the Saintess’s return, late one night…
Cardinal Birka paced in his office before finally snapping in frustration.
“So we’ve lost the Heavenly Demon after all.”
But that wasn’t what bothered him most.
“Not only that, but according to the Saintess’s testimony, Vertus returned and corrupted the Heavenly Demon subjugation force? And then this ‘Heavenly Demon’ defeated Vertus, purified his domain, and left without even asking for a reward?”
Taken at face value, the Saintess’s account was beyond absurd.
Yet Barkus and his team of Inquisitors corroborated her story, lending it increasing credibility within the Church.
Investigators dispatched per her claims reported:
Based on these three points, the Church’s investigative committee concluded that the Saintess’s claims were likely true.
As a result, the Papal Court was thrown into chaos.
Vertus’s return after centuries, an unknown figure called the ‘Heavenly Demon’ who effortlessly vanquished him while wielding demonic mana at will, and the relationship between this Heavenly Demon and the Saintess…
Faced with these near-impossible questions all at once, the Radain Church’s upper echelons were still locked in debate over how to classify the Heavenly Demon doctrinally and what to do about the Saintess.
“Damnable nonsense!”
But the facts didn’t matter to Birka.
‘The Heavenly Demon is a demon—or an equally evil entity—and the Saintess willingly followed him into corruption.’
Birka had consistently maintained this stance.
Not because he truly believed it, but because he had to.
“Auriel, that meddlesome brat…! This was the perfect chance to be rid of her…!”
The Saintess had two primary roles.
One was, of course, as a prophetess receiving divine revelations—the face of the Radain Church, spreading its doctrine to the world.
The other, lesser-known role… was that of a watcher.
Not just promoting the Church externally, but rooting out corruption within.
As an independent entity answering only to the Pope, the Saintess was perfectly suited for this role.
‘And because she kept poking her nose where it didn’t belong, my position became precarious.’
The Saintess, barely past twenty, was hopelessly naive about the ways of the world.
Thus, she had thoroughly investigated even Birka’s ‘minor’ entanglements with influential figures and the ‘slight’ misappropriation of tithes—things that posed no real obstacle to serving Juten’s will—gathering irrefutable evidence against him.
By sheer luck, her kidnapping bought him some time before his crimes could be brought to trial.
But his plan to use the opportunity to permanently discredit her had failed.
“What now…? Hire assassins from another nation? Rumor has it the Saintess has been weakened, confined to her quarters… An assassination wouldn’t be impossible…”
But Birka wasn’t giving up—even now, he schemed to bury his misdeeds.
“—You’re that Birka bastard, right?”
So distracted was he that he failed to notice the stranger standing behind him.
Not that it would have mattered even if he’d been alert.
Who could possibly detect the Heavenly Demon’s peerless Qinggong and footwork?
“Who—”
Thud!
Before Birka could shout, the Heavenly Demon clamped a hand over his mouth, silencing him.
“Actually, I already knew—just wanted to confirm. Phew… Must be because we’re deep in Radain Church territory—staying hidden is a pain.”
A conveniently cast shadow obscured most of the assassin’s face.
But his violet eyes gleamed ominously even in the dark.
“Mmph! Mmph!!”
“I was planning to leave after a proper farewell to Auriel, but something felt off. To mobilize such a large force to arrest a Saintess, someone powerful must’ve been pulling strings.”
Who are you?! How dare you commit such sacrilege on Radain holy ground—!
“Ggrk! Mmph!”
But Birka’s righteous outburst was reduced to pathetic gurgles against the Heavenly Demon’s palm.
“After infiltrating the Papal Court these past few days and digging around… turns out you were the one who gave the order. And when I rifled through some Inquisitor’s office, I found documents about a trial connected to you—with the Saintess as the plaintiff.”
Birka stared in terror as ominous energy gathered in the intruder’s right hand.
“I’d love to take your head, but that might cause problems for the Saintess’s position.”
Hummm—
A dark sphere formed at the tip of the Heavenly Demon’s finger.
“So I’ll settle for an equivalent price.”
He pressed his finger to Birka’s forehead and fired.
Pit—
The condensed bullet of Demonic Qi pierced straight into Birka’s brain.
“Ggrk! Gah… Aaagh…!”
Thud.
Birka collapsed to his knees, eyes rolling back as convulsions wracked his body.
“Ugh… Uuugh…”
“I won’t kill you. Not quite. Just spend the rest of your life bedridden in a sanatorium with a ruined mind.”
After dealing with Birka, the Heavenly Demon moved swiftly and precisely—as if following a prearranged plan.
“Let’s see… This bastard’s hidden vault…”
Using information gathered during days of surveillance, he located the concealed vault behind the study, entered the combination, and emptied its contents onto the desk.
Emergency funds in gems, incriminating letters exchanged with accomplices—all evidence of his crimes.
“Okay. That’s really it. I’m finally done with this damn Radain Church.”
With those final words, he leapt out the window.
Tap, tap, tap!
His light steps left no trace in the snow as he departed with eerie ease.
Everything was settled now.
He had already shaken off the Church’s pursuit, and with Cardinal Birka—who had vehemently insisted on hunting the Heavenly Demon and punishing the Saintess—now dealt with, the Church’s stance would shift. They might even officially abandon chasing him.
“Time to move on.”
The Heavenly Demon set off toward his next destination.
A place where he could live an ordinary life—a peaceful land of rest.
“Auriel.”
“…”
“Ugh… Seriously. This is driving me crazy.”
Emily sighed deeply as she flopped into the chair beside the Saintess’s bed.
She visited Auriel’s chambers daily but failed to lift her spirits.
The Saintess had returned to the Church in critical condition.
After a week of treatment, her body recovered fully, yet she refused proper meals and remained shut in her room.
“Auriel! I get how you feel, but moping won’t change anything! You need to snap out of it! Go meet new people, huh? That’s how you’ll forget the Heavenly Demon and find new love. Oh—speaking of which, that new Inquisitor replacing Erdan is quite handsome. Interested?”
“…”
Sigh…
But the Saintess was just as frustrated.
Guilt, longing, gratitude… Even she couldn’t define these tangled emotions—how could she possibly express them to others?
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.
Bang!
“Ah!”
“Saintess!”
“Have you lost your mind?! Who barges into the Saintess’s chambers like that?!”
“That—that’s not important right now! Cardinal Birka, he’s—!”
The scene was horrific.
Birka sat slumped in his office, his mind shattered by an unknown assailant, blankly staring into space.
Spread across his desk were the damning secrets he had tried so hard to hide.
“Who could have—?! Summon the guards at once!”
As Church members scrambled to find the culprit, the Saintess alone remained calm, gazing steadily at Birka.
She already knew who was responsible.
“Auriel… Don’t tell me.”
“…Yes. It must have been him.”
“Wow. Bold move. Even in parting, he left you this gift. Maybe he really did care about you?”
“Emily.”
“Yeah?”
“…Will you help me?”
“Of course—I’m always on your side. So? What do you need?”
“I’m going to find the Heavenly Demon.”