Chapter 32: BWCGD

Chapter 32

Kallian rode a consecrated horse through the streets, flanked by his knights on both sides, as the people cheered for him.

Ordinarily, this was a place that should have been shared with the Saintess.

However, the Saintess, who had manifested three years ago, had never once appeared in public.

As if filling her empty place, the High Priest and dozens of priests came out to welcome the Empire's Guardian.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the crowd, Evelyn quietly blended in with the trainee priests who had been mobilized to control the people.

Soon, they would withdraw as well, so getting inside the temple shouldn't be too difficult.

Even so, she couldn't relax. Clutching the ring Kallian had put on her finger as though it were a protective charm, she tried to calm her anxiety.

He said this isn't an ordinary ring.

The ring had been enchanted with various spells that would protect her if she found herself in danger.

Knowing Kallian had prepared it out of concern for her having to enter the temple alone gave her even more courage.

Just then—

"...!"

Her eyes met those of a priest standing across the street, welcoming the Emperor's procession.

The priest glared sharply at her.

Why is he looking at me like that?

Thinking she had been exposed, she carefully watched his lips.

Instead, he seemed to be scolding her, asking why she was dawdling over there.

Don't tell me... he mistook me for another priest?

A chill ran down her spine.

But it was too late to pretend she hadn't noticed.

Keeping her composure, Evelyn crossed the street.

As she passed the long line of knights and approached the priest, he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the temple.

Then he immediately pointed a finger at her and began scolding her.

"If I send you on an errand, come back quickly! Why are you dragging your feet? Even a snail would be faster than you!"

An errand?

Apparently there really was another priest with a similar build.

Since Evelyn couldn't answer, the priest looked at her empty hands and let out a deep sigh.

"Mikael, you completely useless fool! Get back to your assigned area. His Majesty the Emperor has arrived, so make sure those things don't cause any trouble."

The air suddenly felt icy, and Evelyn's heart began pounding uneasily.

Those things? And what does he mean by my assigned area?

If this happens, the plan will fall apart.

After confirming the Empress's voice, she was supposed to escape immediately through the temple's rear grounds.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that those things were hiding some terrible secret.

At that moment—

"You there, Priest."

Just as planned, Kallian called out to her.

She cautiously approached him, and Kallian glanced toward the Empress's long trailing dress.

"Would you assist Her Majesty the Empress by arranging her dress until we reach the underground prison? The other priests are rather tall, and I imagine it would inconvenience her."

Just as Kallian had expected, the Empress had arrived without a single maid, dressed in a crimson ceremonial gown overflowing with layers of lace.

Her elaborate headdress was so extravagant that, from a distance, it looked as though a magnificent peacock were perched atop her head.

She must have wanted to demonstrate that she remained as powerful as ever, contrary to everyone's expectation that she would appear subdued because of the Crown Prince's troubles.

What she had overlooked, however, was that without a maid to hold her dress, descending the stairs would be difficult.

"Yes, then..."

Evelyn stepped forward.

Immediately, the priest who had called her Mikael blocked her with one arm and bowed.

"My apologies, Your Highness. This child is still only a trainee, so entrusting such an honorable duty to him would be—"

"That makes him perfect for the task. Surely we can't ask a respected priest to perform such a menial service."

The Emperor himself spoke.

With that, no one could object to Evelyn attending the Empress.

"Yes... as you command, Your Majesty."

The priest smiled and stepped back, then jabbed Evelyn lightly in the side with his elbow.

"Once you're done, head straight to the Processing Room. No one's likely to approach those things, but it's better to stay cautious."

Evelyn asked carefully,

"The Processing Room...?"

The ring she wore carried an illusion spell.

To everyone else's eyes, she now appeared as an ordinary young man with the continent's most common brown eyes and a gentle masculine voice.

"Sigh..."

Fortunately, it seemed the real Mikael was known for making frequent mistakes.

After receiving directions to the Processing Room from the exasperated priest, Evelyn skillfully gathered up the Empress's trailing skirt and followed her.

"Please watch your step."

The High Priest, dressed in white ceremonial robes, led the way.

Descending a deep circular marble staircase, they passed through several corridors before turning a corner.

Beyond it lay an incredibly luxurious chamber—hardly something one would ever mistake for a prison.

When they reached the enormous doors, the Empress turned to Evelyn.

"That will do. You're only a clergyman, but for a man, you're surprisingly good at handling a lady's dress."

At last.

Evelyn had heard the Empress's voice.

Her face turned pale.

She lowered her gaze, doing everything she could to hide her reaction.

That alone was enough.

A nasal tone slightly lower than most women's.

A languid manner of speaking with the ends of her sentences gently rising.

Even the peculiar way she rolled certain words.

It's the voice I've been searching for...!

The moment she backed away from the prison entrance, Evelyn turned and ran back the way she had come.

"Haa... haa..."

Perhaps because she had run too hard, her heart pounded violently as the Empress's voice echoed repeatedly in her ears.

The Empress... was really Louise's mastermind?

But why? What connection could the temple possibly have with the Empress?

Everyone knew the Imperial Family and the temple were bitter enemies.

The Emperor had massacred his former Empress and all her children in his struggle for the throne.

The High Priest had survived that bloodbath only by abandoning his identity as the Fourth Prince and placing himself under the temple's protection.

There's no way they could be on good terms. Then why...?

Moreover, the Empress was obsessed with strengthening imperial authority.

Everything she did was meant to secure the future reign of the Crown Prince.

Although the Crown Prince's repeated crimes had placed the Empire in an unstable situation, it made no sense for the Empress to involve herself with a temple that opposed the Emperor.

What in the world is really going on?

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make sense of it.

The more she thought, the more questions filled her mind.

Just then, the corridor came to an end.

This should be the Processing Room...

At the very least, I need to find out what "those things" are.

Having made up her mind, Evelyn opened the door.

The moment she saw what lay beyond it—

She gasped sharply.

A prison...?

The room, barely half the size of the underground prison beneath the Count's estate, was packed with people.

But that wasn't what shocked her.

Every single prisoner was a woman with silver hair and emerald-green eyes.

Among them were even young girls who hadn't yet reached adulthood.

What is this...?

Cold sweat ran down her back.

The fists she had clenched began trembling uncontrollably.

She had expected something unimaginable to be happening inside the temple.

But she had believed it concerned only her mother and herself.

What are they trying to do? Silver hair and green eyes aren't common...

Suppressing both her fury and unease, Evelyn stepped inside.

The floor and walls were dark, damp, and covered with moss where they met.

One glance was enough to tell that this place had been neglected for a very long time.

As she frowned and turned her head, she spotted a small altar.

Upon it rested a small wooden box beside a rusted candlestick.

Inside the box was a key made entirely of pure gold.

A strange symbol had been engraved into it.

A large circle overlaid with the mark of a cross.

The exact same ominous symbol had been engraved on the glass bottle the Countess had used to store the potion.

This confirms it. The temple is involved in the purification ritual.

Looking away from the altar, Evelyn slowly surveyed the prison.

The women all lowered their heads.

It was as if they desperately wanted to avoid making eye contact with her.

Even from a distance, she could see their faces were deathly pale with fear.

These are the signs of people who have suffered abuse... Their bodies are covered with scars.

She searched carefully, clenching her jaw.

But among the ten or so imprisoned women, she couldn't find her mother.

A complicated feeling—neither relief nor despair—struck her heart, and an involuntary sigh escaped her lips.

"Haa..."

What should I do now?

Her chest ached.

But her purpose here was to find her mother.

Besides, the real priest named Mikael might already have returned.

The priests could already have realized she was an impostor and be desperately searching for her.

She wanted nothing more than to expose the temple's crimes.

But she couldn't recklessly cause chaos and drag Kallian into danger.

Not yet.

Just as she steeled herself and turned to leave—

"Um... Priest..."

A weak, trembling voice, like the last flicker of a dying candle, stopped her in her tracks.

Looking down, she saw a young girl gripping the iron bars.

Behind the kneeling girl lay an unconscious woman.

Evelyn slowly approached the cell.

The girl, who had been looking at her with desperate eyes, immediately lowered her head.

"Today... it's my sister's turn to offer the blood consecration. Please... let me do it in her place."

"...Blood consecration?"

"Yes... My sister is sick. She can't eat... she can't even drink... At this rate..."

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes.

"She won't survive today."

Why?

Why did the girl's tear-filled eyes remind Evelyn so painfully of her own past?

'Please save my mother. I don't care what happens to me... Please, have mercy.'