Though his voice carried a note of reproach, the arms holding me were locked tightly around my body.
“Still,” I said with a grin, “I caught him, didn’t I?”
I draped an arm over Damian’s shoulder.
Whether it was because the tension had finally left my body or because the borrowed holy power had completely run dry, all strength suddenly drained from my limbs.
The world spun.
Instinctively, I buried my face against Damian’s chest.
“Sir... my battery’s dead...”
“...What?”
“Need... a recharge... just one more time...”
Before I could finish speaking, my consciousness faded.
The last thing I remembered was the frantic pounding of Damian’s heart—
And his voice desperately calling my name as darkness swallowed me whole.
The next morning.
When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me.
Instead of the sharp scent of disinfectant, a faint herbal fragrance lingered in the air.
The sound of a book closing came from nearby.
“You’re awake.”
I turned my head.
Damian sat in a chair beside the bed, a book resting on his lap.
The tailcoat from the previous night was gone, replaced once more by his immaculate paladin uniform.
But his expression wasn't as cold as usual.
“Where am I...?”
“My residence.”
He closed the book completely.
“The Inquisition dormitory is temporarily unusable.”
His gaze shifted toward me.
“You destroyed most of it.”
Ah.
Right.
I'd been busy chasing assassins and had apparently demolished several walls and windows in the process.
“Oops.”
Scratching my head awkwardly, I sat up.
Thankfully, my body felt refreshed.
Not a trace of fatigue remained.
Judging by the lingering warmth inside me, Damian had probably healed me with holy power while I slept.
“Thanks, Sir. That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages.”
“...No need for thanks.”
He coughed lightly and looked away.
The tips of his ears were faintly red.
“More importantly...”
“Hm?”
“About last night at the banquet...”
His voice became increasingly stiff.
“That... incident.”
“What incident?”
“The kiss.”
The word came out as though it physically pained him.
“Was that truly... a tactical maneuver?”
The moment he asked, memories from the previous night flashed through my head like a movie reel.
Dragging him into a kiss in front of an army of undead.
Calling him my love.
Demanding a recharge.
Acting with the confidence of someone who had completely abandoned shame.
Oh no.
My face instantly grew hot.
Back then I'd been operating purely on survival instinct.
Now that I was sober?
I wanted to die.
But showing embarrassment here meant losing.
And I refused to lose.
I pulled the blanket up casually and shrugged.
“Of course it was.”
“Didn't you see the results?”
“One kiss and your weapon got buffed.”
“...”
“Why?”
I narrowed my eyes mischievously.
“Wait.”
“Sir Commander...”
“Don’t tell me that was your first kiss?”
THUD.
The massive theology book slipped from Damian’s hands and hit the floor.
His face turned bright red in an instant.
“N-No!”
“Of course not!”
“I have experience with relationships too!”
“Uh-huh.”
I smirked.
“That reaction says otherwise.”
“Honestly, Sir Paladin.”
“You’re adorable.”
I couldn't stop laughing.
Who would have thought teasing the Empire’s feared chief inquisitor could be so entertaining?
At that moment—
Knock knock knock!
Urgent pounding came from outside the room.
The door burst open.
Damian’s adjutant rushed inside.
“Commander! We have a problem!”
Then he froze.
His eyes darted between me sitting in bed and Damian standing beside it with a crimson face.
After an awkward pause, he immediately looked away.
“Ahem.”
“A royal messenger has arrived.”
“The Imperial Palace has issued an urgent summons for Lady Violetta.”
“The Emperor?”
“Yes.”
The adjutant nodded.
“It appears last night’s Nocturne incident has already been reported.”
“His Majesty wishes to meet Lady Violetta personally.”
His expression became strange.
“She is being recognized as a Saintess.”
Silence filled the room.
Damian and I exchanged looks.
A Saintess?
Me?
The woman who had smashed a groom’s skull and beaten demons to death with a baton?
“Well.”
I climbed out of bed and stretched.
“This is getting interesting.”
My spiritual sight flickered.
The feeling was familiar.
The scent of another hunt.
“Come on, partner.”
I grinned at Damian.
“This time we’re cleaning the Imperial Palace.”
Inside the carriage heading toward the palace, Damian looked like a prisoner being dragged to his execution.
Meanwhile, he was reciting royal etiquette at machine-gun speed.
“Lady Violetta, listen carefully.”
“In the Emperor’s presence, you must never raise your head above a forty-five-degree angle.”
“You may not speak unless spoken to.”
“And most importantly—”
His gaze shifted to my sleeve.
Specifically, the sleeve hiding my collapsible baton.
“Please.”
His voice carried genuine desperation.
“Do not draw your weapon.”
“If violence occurs within the Imperial Hall, it is considered treason and punishable by immediate execution.”
“Relax.”
I waved him off.
“I do have some common sense.”
My attention drifted outside the window.
The Imperial Palace towered before us.
Golden rooftops glittered beneath the sunlight.
To ordinary citizens, it was the heart of the Empire.
A sacred symbol worthy of reverence.
To me?
It looked like the largest haunted house in existence.
Hundreds of evil spirits crawled across the palace walls.
Ghosts hung from every tree in the gardens like grotesque fruit.
The magnificent fountains didn't appear to spray water.
In my eyes, dark red blood poured endlessly from them.
Compared to the Inquisition headquarters—
This place was somehow even worse.
“Wow.”
I clicked my tongue.
“The feng shui here is absolutely catastrophic.”
“...Are you hearing strange things again?”
Damian asked cautiously.
“Strange things?”
I snorted.
“No.”
“It’s a full-scale supernatural riot.”
Honestly, anyone living in a place like this was bound to lose their mind eventually.
No wonder the Emperor wasn't well.
A herald's voice thundered through the corridor.
“His Imperial Majesty will receive the audience!”
The enormous golden doors swung open.
We entered the throne room.
At the end of a long red carpet sat the Sun of the Empire—
Emperor Ludwig III.
Beside him stood a man dressed in white ceremonial robes.
His eyes resembled those of a snake.
The Archbishop of the Holy Church of Helios.
Cassius.
Bingo.
My eyes narrowed.
The Emperor appeared dignified at first glance.
But dark circles lingered beneath his eyes.
His complexion was gray and unhealthy.
There was a reason for that.
Wrapped tightly around his neck—
Was a gigantic purple centipede.
Its countless legs pierced into the flesh around his spine and neck, manipulating his nervous system.
Every time the Emperor opened his mouth to speak, the centipede clicked its mandibles and blew black energy into his throat.
And its tail...
Its tail stretched all the way into the shadow of Archbishop Cassius.
So he's the mastermind.
The creature behind Lady Laura had been a Demon of Greed.
This one?
A Demon of Domination.
A monster that controlled people like puppets.
The Emperor spoke weakly.
“Raise your heads.”
Damian and I obeyed.
I noticed his fists clench nervously.
“So...”
The Emperor's tired eyes settled on me.
“You are the young lady who defeated the demons last night?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I lowered my gaze respectfully.
“I am Violetta Eberhardt.”
Before the Emperor could continue, Archbishop Cassius stepped forward with a sinister smile.
“Your Majesty.”
“That woman is dangerous.”
His voice dripped with false concern.
“I have heard she committed acts of violence within a sacred ballroom.”
“She has spoken blasphemous words.”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“Who is to say she defeated demons?”
“Perhaps she herself has been possessed by one.”
As Cassius spoke, the Emperor’s gaze became increasingly unfocused.
The centipede tightened its grip.
The Emperor winced in pain.
“...Perhaps.”
He nodded slowly.
“The Archbishop makes a reasonable point.”
His gaze shifted toward Damian.
“Sir Riot.”
“Why do you defend such a witch?”
“Your Majesty!”
Damian immediately stepped forward.
“Lady Violetta is not a witch! She is—”
BANG!
Cassius slammed his staff against the floor.
“Silence!”
His voice echoed through the hall.
“You have clearly fallen under the witch’s dark influence as well!”
He pointed directly at me.
“Guards!”
“Seize her at once!”
“Throw her into the underground dungeons!”
“I shall personally oversee her purification.”
The room exploded into motion.
Imperial guards surrounded us, leveling their spears.
Damian instantly moved in front of me.
One hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
But we both knew the truth.
If he drew that blade inside the Imperial Palace—
We were finished.
Classic.
A fabricated accusation.
A public purge.
The oldest trick in the book.
I let out a long sigh.
These people weren't interested in listening.
Especially not Cassius.
The bastard had clearly decided to eliminate me after I ruined his plans.
“Wait.”
I placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder and stepped forward.