“How was it?”

 

There seemed to be a strange anticipation in his red eyes as he said that.

 

Even though the man, who had a stern expression on his face, seemed indifferent, his eyes were sparkling. Anticipation and interest… these were things that Arkan didn’t have for others. Because of this, Bronn, his aide, noticed it.

 

“Nothing happened. It didn’t seem like she was talking to anyone.”

 

“Hmm. Is that so? Watch her for a few days.”

 

He pretended to be indifferent though his eyes widened slightly as his rough hand grabbed the glass.

 

“All right.”

 

Clenching his chin, Arkan didn’t say anything.

 

Either she noticed that he had attached someone to her, or she was really trying to keep her oath. When strange anticipations and expectations were met, the lips curled up without filtration, revealing his satisfaction.

 

He remembered the woman he had met yesterday.

 

With untidy dark brown hair, a white, small face, and elegant features nestled in it. She was as soft as a herbivore, but there was definitely something in those eyes that faced him.

 

‘She didn’t seem too afraid to die.’

 

Had she screamed or made a futile attempt to escape, she’d have been killed immediately. Nonetheless, she stood still and looked at him with her sullen eyes and dissuaded him.

 

…Did such a calm person exist under death?

 

When he put the sword to her neck, it didn’t even seem like she was being posed with a threat, but the woman in front of him was quiet, as if she was immersed in a calm lake. Her stillness and deadly quietness made Arkan feel a sense of alienation and interest. It was much more worth seeing than the struggle before the death of his brothers, who were running and crawling like that.

 

Compared to them, she had a distribution.

 

Why were her pale green eyes gazing straight into his eyes so sweet?

 

No one could meet his eyes except his mother. It was because all the Nicaeans wouldn’t look into his eyes, saying that they were all disgusted. Not only the father whom he killed, but even his nanny wouldn’t make eye contact with him properly.

 

There was something he thought about when he was young, quietly getting sick from the neglect and rejection.

 

…If there were a person who looked into his own eyes without fear, if there were someone who did that to him on their first meeting, he’d definitely keep them by his side. With such a feeble oath, he clenched his teeth to the point of bleeding… It was the desperate vow of a weak, foolish boy.

 

As he grew older, he realized that there was no such person.

 

Even the people who called themselves his close friend and his subordinates also stared at him with eyes showing disgust and fear. Still, he didn’t expect someone like that to be here in the temple.

 

Arkan burst out laughing in absurdity.

 

 

“I swear by your eyes.”

 

 

Who swears by the eyes of others at will?

 

Recalling her eyes and that woman’s voice, he wanted to burst into laughter. She knew that he was a Normaty (though he was of descent, to be exact), and she knew how important her promise by his eyes was to the Normatian.

 

“However, Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be better to kill her?”

 

“No, wait.”

 

“Still, it’s dangerous. When the secret is revealed…”

 

“She’ll be revealing herself someday because of the stupid things she’s doing, anyway. For example, High Priest Erich…”

 

Recalling the beautiful High Priest with dark blue hair, he was the one Arkan hated the most. When Liliana declared she was the Saint, it was a fact that Arkan knew well that Erich was the most thorough in the verification. He knew that she was having fun with the paladin in the prayer room, thinking Erich didn’t know.

 

While others may not know, Erich knew and tolerated it.

 

“Though not now?”

 

“If we reveal it now, we’d have no choice but to cut off the tail. Besides, would ‘the Pope’ throw her away even if the truth about her is revealed?”

 

Arkan smiled slyly.

 

He recalled the Pope, who looked at his red eyes with disgust and fear, before eventually canceling the dinner.

 

What a pathetic person. He expected him to be a pope, yet he wasn’t even as good as the woman he met yesterday. Knowing the infidelity of the Saint, they didn’t reveal it because of the face of her temple. They even sat on the sideline, ignoring it.

 

Even though he knew it, Arkan clenched his teeth as he recalled the horrid temple.

 

“Even if it’s revealed, there’s no harm. I’ve already succeeded.”

 

Was there anything more damaging to her temple than bringing in the fake saint? Now, there were people who doubted the authenticity of the temple.

 

Arkan smirked.

 

Nicaean, where God had descended, where the divines who worshiped and always believed God was right… However, what if the correctness was false? Regardless, they took the poisoned bait. Even if you spit out the bait quickly, the poison would still remain and would sting them again and again.

 

Now, the mouth of those abominable things would no longer be believed to be the words of truth.

 

 

゚・ : * ✧ * :・ ゚

 

 

“I’ve come to rescue you, Saint.”

 

Erich, dressed in pure white, looked like a saint.

 

Elena gazed at him blankly.

 

She was a pure white saint defiled by the Black Emperor…

 

Because of that, she thought the temple had abandoned her, but Erich didn’t abandon her. Unlike her ‘indecent’ dress, his clothes were noble white. What surprised Elena, however, were the flowers that had blossomed on the white garments. Was this a new uniform? Eventually, she found out that the flower she thought of was actually ‘blood.’

 

Erich’s face was dripping red with blood.

 

As Elena flinched her body, he tilted his head. The priest, who was a faithful servant of God, took the life given by God… That was the trace.

 

So, the person who said he wouldn’t send her to her temple right now… 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Erich.”

 

“Say it.”

 

“Arkan… What happened to the Emperor?”

 

Erich smiled at Elena’s words.

 

 

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