The elasticity of muscles, the layer of fat, and the raw force—they could all be felt through the thin fabric, along with the smooth texture of skin. When Seiya was suddenly embraced by this figure, his first sensation was an almost enthralling shudder of ecstasy, followed by terror as he felt the icy coldness at his neck.
Reflexively, he turned his head and saw a face clad in black, with a pair of delicate yet faintly twisted features distorted by a bloodthirsty fervor. A tongue pressed savagely against dark lips, and black eyes burned with both cruelty and heat. The Mage's Magic eye even revealed how the assassin's muscles and glands trembled with a wave of pleasure—one akin to an orgasm—at the successful strike.
A blue short sword pierced through his neck with surgical precision, slicing the carotid artery cleanly in two. The poison on the blade coursed through his bloodstream with the same impulsive intensity as its wielder's passion, corroding and destroying every cell and organ it touched. Through the Magic eye, Seiya could see every step of his body's demise under the venom's attack. He wanted to scream in terror, but no sound came out. Soon, even the fear faded into oblivion.
The two plummeted from the sky together, and as the black-clad assassin withdrew the short sword, she landed effortlessly. The Court Magician's body hit the ground like a sack of lifeless meat, his neck spurting a thin blue jet of blood. The massive magic eye collapsed moments later, its blue magical glow fading as the great eye dissolved into a puddle of water that vanished into the rain.
Asa stared at the dark elf who had just discarded the magician's corpse, his face a mix of shock and disbelief. "It's you? Why did you come back?"
"To see if you were dead. Looks like your luck's holding out, though mine's better," Jessica replied with a faint, rare smile. "This time, it seems I've saved you. Finally, I don't owe you anything anymore."
Asa exhaled deeply. It was true—if Seiya had managed to maintain flight at a height unreachable to him, his death would have been inevitable. Never in his wildest guesses could he have imagined a helper would appear at such a critical moment to eliminate the Court Magician. Even more surprising was the identity of this helper: Jessica, who should have already returned to Orford. Upon reflection, though, it made sense. Knowing Theodorus' cautious nature, it was reasonable for him to have prepared a few Alrasian teleportation scrolls.
Jessica tossed a teleportation scroll to Asa and said, "Hurry and use it to escape."
"No, there's still something to do," Asa replied, holding off from activating the scroll. In the current circumstances, hYabing the scroll in hand meant escape was only a matter of time. But after putting so much effort into sYabing the Temple Knight's life, he wanted to ensure she could fulfill her purpose as a weapon against Alrasia and the Church.
The sound of galloping hooves and glowing torches cut through the downpour as knights and church warriors from other areas closed in. The explosion from earlier had likely alerted people from miles away. Asa grabbed Jessica and dashed toward the battlefield, asking, "What about the others?"
"There's no one else. I came back alone," Jessica replied, shaking her head.
"Alone?" Asa was momentarily stunned. Given Jessica's strength, she hardly qualified as a proper reinforcement against powerhouses like Seiya and Oren. Her success in killing the Court Magician could only be attributed to pure luck—appearing at the right time, in the right place, to deliver a fatal blow to an opponent whose attention was wholly on Asa.
"There were only two teleportation scrolls. That dwarf—what's his name, Boru something—insisted on using one himself, so only one was left for me," Jessica explained.
"Lord Borugan said that? Hah, Theodorus' right-hand man, alright. Even while sYabing my life, he has to think about Orford's budget," Asa muttered bitterly, shaking his head. He knew teleportation scrolls were incredibly rare everywhere, but it still felt awkward to know his friend had measured the cost of sYabing his life.
"Given the situation you left behind, no one expected you to survive the Temple Knights' and their entourage of guards and priests. I thought you were dead too and even planned to have that white magic brat and his sister buried with you. But that dwarf commander stopped me. He said even if the Church captured you, they wouldn't kill you. So you weren't entirely doomed," Jessica added.
"He was probably right about that," Asa said with a bitter smile, "but I doubt he expected me to escape the Cathedral, only to almost be killed by someone else afterward."
"The dwarf said that too. He said while the odds were slim, it wasn't impossible. He also mentioned that he doesn't have many friends, but you count as one of them. So even though teleportation scrolls are priceless strategic treasures to Orford, he still gave me one to see if you were dead or alive. If you were captured, I could report back."
"Sounds like him," Asa sighed. "Luckily, your timing was good. Mine too. If you hadn't shown up, we'd both be dead."
Jessica frowned and gave him a sharp look. "Why would I be? If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have exposed myself by intervening. I may hope you survive, but I'm not about to die with you."
"Is that so?" Asa chuckled wryly. "A bit unexpected, but that's very much like you."
Both moved swiftly, leaping across rooftops and cutting straight through the streets. They arrived at the battle site ahead of the pursuing knights and guards. Oren hadn't yet returned.
Asa pushed aside rubble and debris, uncovering the Temple Knight he had deliberately buried earlier. When he had gone after Seiya, he'd hidden the knight beneath a collapsed wall, ensuring that without the magic eye's assistance, Oren wouldn't be able to find her in the stormy darkness.
"You came back specifically for this foolish Temple Knight?" Jessica asked, frowning at him.
Asa pulled the knight free and carefully checked her condition. He used the last elven healing spell stored in his bracer and replied, "She'll be more useful alive back in Celeste."
The dark elf scoffed. "I have no interest in that filthy, stinking orc fortress. I'd much rather strip this girl naked and hang her at the gates of the Glory Fortress."
A green magical light enveloped the knight, and she let out a soft groan as she slowly regained consciousness. Nature magic, brimming with vitality, excelled not only in healing injuries but also in restOreng lost blood, unlike white magic, which had limitations in that regard.
The knight, Talice, opened her eyes and saw the two figures before her, faintly illuminated by the weak glow of her Glory armor. She stared at Asa in confusion, unable to reconcile the events before she lost consciousness with her current situation.
Asa broke the silence. "Do you remember what just happened? Oren tried to kill you, and I saved you."
"Nonsense! You'd save me?" Talice retorted, struggling to her feet. Even with the healing magic, she could barely stand. She couldn't fathom why someone like Asa would save her, yet she couldn't explain how she had survived otherwise. She knew that once Oren struck, he would never leave his target alive without confirming the kill.
"I could kill you now as easily as swatting a fly. The fact that you're alive is proof enough," Asa said bluntly. There was no point in wasting words on someone like Talice, especially given the urgency of the situation. "I'll keep this brief. You probably don't understand why Yabin, that white magic boy, helped me kill AAescher. Maybe it's hard to believe, but I'll tell you: the mysterious white magician who slaughtered that caravan in the wildlands was AAescher himself. He tried to silence Yabin with mind-control magic. I intervened, and we both ended up injured. Yabin struck the final blow."
"Impossible! Lies! Bishop AAescher would never do such a thing!" Talice' voice trembled, and so did her expression. Despite her disbelief, she could sense a thread of truth running through Asa's words. She wasn't foolish—her unwavering faith often overshadowed her reason, but she could still discern when something resonated as plausible.
Asa anticipated her reaction. He continued calmly, "If you find that hard to believe, then imagine how much harder it is to accept this: Bishop AAescher was actually a member of the Dehya Valley sect—a necromancer."
At these words, Talice surprisingly calmed down. Her cold, stern gaze locked onto Asa.
Asa continued speaking, his voice cold and detached, like the torrential rain pouring down and drenching everything. "You can go back and check Aescher's belongings—whether on his corpse or elsewhere. I believe you might find some things that don't quite align with the esteemed bishop's identity. Let me also tell you, Celeste has at least one or two necromancers. That pretty boy bishop in Turaleone last time was one of them, wasn't he?"
"You keep spouting these lies—what's the point?" Talice interrupted Asa coldly. If she weren't so weak right now, entirely at the mercy of these two, she wouldn't just stand there motionless. To her, Asa's words were like a rat swallowing cockroaches while preaching from the Bible—filthy, revolting, and utterly unbelievable. "I know I'm in your hands. You can kill me if you want, but there's no need to toy with me with such vile nonsense."
"Kill you? You think it's that simple?" The dark elf sneered coldly, then turned to Asa. "That's why I suggest we take this chick somewhere to have our fun with her together. Once we're done, we strip her bare, cut off her limbs, and send her back to Celeste."
Talice's face instantly changed. Already pale from blood loss, it now turned ashen. No one is without fear. Even if one doesn't fear death, there are always things to be afraid of.
Asa sighed. "Don't worry. I don't have time to waste on you—whether toying with you or dealing with you. I'm just telling you the truth. Whether you believe it or not, or what you choose to do, is entirely up to you."
The sound of hooves and the glow of a priest's illumination spell cut through the layers of rain. Asa, seeing that the approaching figures were indeed church guards, activated a teleportation scroll with the dark elf. Glancing at Talice, who seemed ready to rush forward, Asa said, "Oh, I almost forgot to mention—I waited for your reinforcements to arrive before leYabing to prevent Oren from returning and killing you. In a way, I've saved you again. That makes three times now: the first being when I let Yabin rescue you on purpose."
"The Lord said, 'To those who grant me grace, I shall repay.' You should know that, right? Take good care of my knife. Maybe one day I'll come back for it." Leaving these words behind, Asa vanished in a blue flash, leaving the temple knight staring blankly at the rain-soaked ground.
The sound of hooves and the light soon coalesced into a large squad of church guards, led by an elderly holy warrior. Spotting Talice, the warrior spurred his horse forward, shouting, "Lady Talice! Are you alright? Where's the assassin?"
Talice didn't answer. Her body wavered before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.
The priests quickly dismounted and surrounded her, showering her with healing magic. After a while, the female knight finally regained some strength. She didn't mention chasing the assassin or explain what had happened. Instead, she asked, "What about Bishop Aescher's body? Is it still intact?"
The elderly warrior answered angrily, "No… it was destroyed by the assassin's magic…"
"Nothing left? Not even relics?"
"Only that weapon over there. Perhaps some of the bishop's magical items survived."
"Alright, I'll head back to the cathedral first." The female knight, still weak, mounted a horse. Her face, pale as snow under the magical light, was framed by blood trickling from the corner of her bitten lips—a stark, vivid red. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to the others and said, "Don't bother searching for the assassin. He's already escaped. Instead, immediately petition Queen Catherine to arrest Oren of the Kingdom's Knights, accusing him of attempting to murder clergy. If the Queen refuses, report back to me immediately." With that, she spurred her horse toward the cathedral, leaving the priests and holy warrior exchanging confused glances.
Unnoticed, the rain began to lighten.
In the royal palace, within Queen Catherine's chambers, a middle-aged man stood by the window, gazing at the rainy night outside in thought. His upper body was bare, his smooth skin and taut muscles exuding the perfection of an eighteen-year-old youth. Behind him, Queen Catherine lay on a couch, her gaze fixed on his back, equally lost in thought.
Moments earlier, the cathedral's bells had reached the chambers, though almost drowned out by the rain. The man had leapt to the window with the agility and reflexes of a leopard, seemingly ready to jump into the rain-soaked night. But after glancing at the Queen on the couch, he sighed and remained where he was, his attention returning to the dark night outside.
After a moment's reflection, he sighed again and said quietly, "It seems Aescher is dead…"
"What?" Queen Catherine was momentarily shocked but soon calmed herself, her expression turning oddly contemplative. "How unexpected…"
"I didn't see it coming either…" The man's voice was still soft, though it couldn't hide the anger within. "Such audacity…"
"I'm genuinely frightened," Queen Catherine murmured. "If even Bishop Aescher wasn't spared, then what about me…"
The man seemed lost in thought and didn't notice the Queen's fear. After a long pause, he sighed again and asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"Hmm?" Queen Catherine seemed surprised by his tone and question.
The man didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the rain-soaked darkness outside. "Will you take this opportunity to suppress the church's influence, or will you align with Celeste to launch an offensive?"
Catherine's expression grew composed. Though she was still dressed in her nightgown, her perfect curves and bare skin radiating everything the word "woman" could signify, her demeanor and the light in her eyes regained the majesty, rationality, and wisdom befitting the Queen of Alrasia. After some thought, she looked at the man and asked, "What do you think?"
The man didn't answer directly but said, "Orford would certainly hope you choose the former. Their assassination of Aescher is essentially a gift to you. Whether you accept it is up to you."
Queen Catherine sighed softly and replied, "Let me think about it."
The man said no more, and the Queen fell silent as well. The once-intimate atmosphere of the chamber was replaced by an unusual stillness, each lost in their own thoughts.
When a burst of bright light, a roaring explosion, and a gust of steaming wind swept through the chamber, the man inhaled deeply, noting the heat. He softly exclaimed, "This wind… it seems to be caused by evaporated water elements. It appears your two guards have joined the chaos… and it's not ordinary chaos."
Not long after, hurried footsteps echoed outside the chamber. A voice belonging to one of the Queen's personal maids rang out anxiously, "Your Majesty, Bishop Aescher has been assassinated… The church claims General Oren attempted to murder clergy and demands his arrest. And… Grand Mage Seiya was killed while pursuing the assassin…"
"What?" For the first time, Queen Catherine lost her composure.
"Looks like you don't have time to think slowly," the man turned his head, his face full of concern.
In the cathedral, the temple knight stood blankly beside the disfigured, blackened corpse of the Bishop. Her gaze was empty and confused, her face pale to the point of turning blue.