Resolve
Resolve
The suggestion to abandon one’s humanity for the sake of a daughter was not something easily accepted by anyone.
After a long hesitation, Gaf finally opened his mouth.
“I…”
Johan raised his hand, stopping him from speaking further.
“There’s no need to answer immediately. I will give you time. On the night of the operation, if you choose to accept my proposal, stand before the castle gates. If you do not appear, I will assume you have abandoned Illea.”
Johan turned away.
“Whatever you choose, I will respect you. I hope you make a wise decision.”
Leaving only those words, he left the room.
Johan immediately headed to the Forbidden Archive of the Abyss.
There were many items he needed to prepare for the coming operation.
***
In the guest room of the lord’s castle, a sharp, cutting voice rang through the door.
“What! You’re releasing a heretic?! Who gave you the authority to do such a thing!”
The voice, cracking from rage, belonged to none other than Archbishop Hiles. The usual gentle smile was nowhere to be seen, replaced only by extreme hysteria.
“The girl named Illea was not a heretic. Let alone a demon, I could not sense even the faintest trace of Miasma.”
Even if a demon noticed something amiss and fled, a faint trace of Miasma would usually remain within the host’s body.
But Illea was clean.
There was not the slightest impurity within her.
Shaferia had no choice but to admit her mistake.
“She was innocent. It was an incident caused by my misjudgment, and I wished to correct it.”
Archbishop Hiles let out a shrill scream.
“You foolish girl!”
A sharp slapping sound echoed.
The archbishop had struck Shaferia across the face.
“The Order does not make mistakes! Even if there was an error, it must never be revealed! Our honor is directly tied to the authority of the Great Saint! You have committed a heinous blasphemy! Making a mistake wasn’t enough—you’ve tarnished the name of the Great Saint!”
Cover up mistakes and maintain appearances.
That was the method of the Order.
Shaferia should have denied her mistake and forced her way through.
She held her flushed cheek.
“Admit your mistake and correct it. Did the Great Saint not always emphasize this?”
The archbishop’s face twisted grotesquely.
“I took in a vagrant and raised her like a human, and now you dare crawl up to me openly! You dare to teach me?!”
All kinds of books and documents flew at Shaferia.
“Get out! Disappear from my sight!”
Even as books struck her, Shaferia calmly made the sign of the cross.
“…I will take my leave now.”
She turned and left the office.
Even as she walked down the corridor, screams and curses followed her.
Ignoring the insults with effort, Shaferia fell into thought.
‘Should I have covered up the mistake?’
Maintaining authority by strapping an innocent person to the rack.
It was a repulsive and vile method, impossible for her to accept.
‘That’s just the archbishop’s way of thinking. The Order will be different.’
Was the Order not always the one to sing of justice? Even if there were some rotten parts, the core would be pure.
The archbishop’s values could not possibly apply to the entire Order.
She had to believe that.
As Shaferia was about to make the sign of the cross again, someone called out to her.
“Because of me, you have incurred the archbishop’s wrath.”
A beautiful silver-haired girl was waiting for Shaferia at the end of the corridor.
“You are…”
“My name is Illea. Until just a few hours ago, I was a suspect of heresy.”
A trace of self-loathing crossed Shaferia’s expression. She slightly bowed her head.
“I am truly sorry. I made a mistake that should never happen again.”
Illea shook her head.
“You overturned your judgment for me. For someone as lowly as I am, such mercy is rarely granted. Thank you for your courage.”
“There is no need to thank me. I only did what was right.”
“Do others think the same way?”
“…Anyone in the Order would have done as I did.”
“I see.”
Shaferia’s expression darkened.
Illea smiled brightly, changing the subject.
“That was a needless question, wasn’t it? I had a different reason for coming.”
“Please, speak. If it is resentment, I will accept it.”
“I have no complaints, and how could I possibly dare to challenge a Holy Knight?”
“I am not yet a Holy Knight. Nor am I of noble birth. You may speak comfortably with me.”
Illea had already guessed Shaferia’s status.
Most commoners, no matter how hard they tried, could not conceal the raw scent they carried.
Their gait, table manners, pronunciation, choice of words, and more. Unlike nobles who maintained a veneer of refinement even in daily life, commoners pursued only survival and convenience, making the difference clear.
The environment they had lived in seeped into them like a scent.
Shaferia was no different. She carried the scent of a commoner.
Though it seemed well hidden, anyone with a sharp sense could easily notice it.
Illea spoke.
“If you are not of noble birth, then those eyes of yours must be a power granted directly by the Great Saint.”
“That is correct. It is not a power inherited from my parents.”
Shaferia possessed the Judgment Eyes, capable of detecting demons.
The optimal authority for dealing with demons. Such power was usually passed down through blood, and those with the right to inherit it were respected by all.
In other words, if one possessed the Judgment Eyes, they were noble.
If a commoner possessed them, then that person was a messenger personally chosen by the Great Saint.
Illea nodded, murmuring softly.
“Now I understand.”
She had memorized all the authorities and families that could pose a threat to her identity.
The Valderian family’s Demon Detection Magic, the Aeris family’s Spirit Killer Soul, the Theon family’s Mad Demon Physique, the Tarun family’s Demon Exorcism Ritual, and so on. Among them, the power Shaferia possessed did not exist.
For Illea, there was no way to prepare for it.
She spoke.
“If it’s not rude, could you tell me exactly what your power does?”
Johan had told her it was simply eyes that detected demons, but there might be another ability.
A hint of confusion crossed Shaferia’s expression.
Illea responded with a harmless smile.
“It’s just a simple curiosity. Feel free to refuse.”
After some hesitation, Shaferia spoke.
“It is the power to find hidden demons.”
“So you saw a demon in me.”
“As I said, it was a mistake. I am sorry.”
“Is that really so? Look again.”
Illea stepped closer to Shaferia, close enough for her breath to be felt.
“Look again, I said…”
“Come on, now.”
Illea clapped softly.
At the same time, a small calculation formula appeared above Shaferia’s head.
She did not notice it.
“What do you see now?”
Illea’s clear blue eyes filled Shaferia’s vision.
“I…I don’t know.”
“Let me help you.”
A transparent, clear sea began to ripple.
As if a volcano had erupted in the deep sea, the surface began to shake violently.
“Does it look different now?”
Ash rising from the depths began to cloud the sea.
Illea’s eyes were no longer blue.
They were murky and heavy, like an abyss filled with malice.
Fear and disgust struck Shaferia like a storm.
She shuddered, letting out a groan.
“You can see my true nature now, can’t you?”
Illea had fully revealed her Spirit of the Witch, the Guihon.
It was impossible to identify the Guihon with ordinary eyes.
Shaferia was different.
“W-What is this…”
The silver-haired girl before her was not a demon. Similar, but distinctly different.
“You are looking at a witch.”
“What are you saying…”
“Now I see. Everyone underestimated you. Your ability is not mere detection. It is beyond that—you see the essence of your target. Not even fairies, witches, or dragons disguised as humans can escape those eyes of yours.”
Illea chuckled softly.
“But to think you believed it was just demon detection. It’s fortunate for me that you are so ignorant.”
Shaferia could not understand what Illea was saying.
She simply moved on instinct.
She had to eliminate the malice before her.
The moment she reached for her sword hilt, Illea clapped her hands again.
“That’s enough.”
The calculation formula above Shaferia’s head vanished.
Illea spoke.
“What do you see now?”
Shaferia shook her head.
“As I said before, it was my mistake. You are more innocent than anyone.”
“That’s a relief. This was an interesting conversation.”
Shaferia looked at Illea with a puzzled expression.
“Didn’t you say you had another reason for coming?”
Illea smiled brightly.
“I just finished it.”
Shaferia remembered nothing.
A minute’s worth of memory had vanished.
A short-term memory erasure formula. It was a high-level spell, but for a witch, it was easily usable.
Illea gave a slight bow.
“See you again someday.”
Shaferia scratched her head awkwardly with a slightly guilty look.
“…Yes. I hope we can meet for a happier reason next time.”
“That would be difficult.”
Illea murmured softly as she turned away.
With each step, the smile faded from her face.
Her white face hardened like wax.
‘A troublesome power.’
Eyes that saw through the essence. Though her usage was still immature, with time, Shaferia would be able to utilize them properly.
Even if Illea did not reveal her Guihon, Shaferia would eventually detect it on her own.
She was too deadly a natural enemy.
***
Time passed quickly.
As the autumn leaves scattered, a chill settled over the domain.
Winter was approaching.
It was a season in which farming and hunting were impossible. The peasants had to endure several months with their stored food, but their granaries were empty.
This was because the Pilgrimage Group, staying in the domain for several weeks, had consumed vast amounts of grain.
On top of that, they had demanded massive donations.
They were no different from bandits, only carrying Bibles instead of swords.
Annoyingly, as winter drew near, the Pilgrimage Group began preparing to leave. They intended to spend the harsh winter comfortably in the royal capital.
The afternoon before their departure, Johan left the castle ahead of them.
He looked at the knight Rail standing at the castle gate.
“Do you think Gaf will come?”
There was no response. The blond knight on horseback only looked down at Johan with dead eyes.
A puppet with no will. Rail was not suitable as a conversation partner.
Johan clicked his tongue and rummaged through his bag.
‘Let’s check my belongings one more time.’
The bag was filled with holy relics taken from the Forbidden Archive of the Abyss.
‘Nothing left behind.’
He would use every means to kill Krill and Shaferia and steal the fragment of the Great Saint’s corpse.
It would be a difficult process. He could not even hope for Illea’s help, so there could be no mistakes.
Depending on the situation, he might have to give up on the Great Saint’s corpse.
Johan swallowed his resolve.
“It’s time. Let’s go.”
He climbed onto the horse Rail was riding.
Having never learned horseback riding, he had no choice but to ride with Rail.
‘I was thinking of learning horseback riding from Gaf while traveling, but that’s not happening now.’
Just as they were about to depart, the sound of hooves approached from behind.
“You act like you’re good at everything, but it seems you can’t even ride a horse.”
Gaf, wearing a black hood, approached with the sound of hooves clopping.
Johan let out a small laugh.
“So you have decided to abandon your humanity?”
Gaf did not answer. He simply looked at Johan with a sunken expression.
“Take this.”
Johan tossed a black mask to Gaf.
Receiving it, Gaf slowly spoke.
“Illea is the only humanity I have left.”
Johan shrugged.
“Let’s go.”