When those eyes, soft to a fault, looked at him with such tenderness, he had no way of resisting falling in love.
He still remembered his mother’s final request.
—Hold on tight to what is truly precious. Don’t let go, even if it breaks, so that no one can take it from you.
To do that, one needed the power to keep what was in their hands.
He had reflected on those words since childhood, but now, he understood his mother better than ever.
He could finally comprehend the heart that would throw away everything for love.
If he failed in all his endeavors—if he couldn’t seize power and protect Ranshel—he was more than willing to make the same choice.
He would cross borders and rugged mountain ranges as many times as it took to lead him to a land of warm sanctuary.
There, in a place where nothing in the world could harm him, they would live a single day that felt like an eternity.
Of course, Zavad was successfully carrying out his plans step by step.
If things continued this way, he wouldn’t need to take Ranshel’s hand and flee the Empire.
Everything was smooth, like a ship sailing on calm waves.
Nothing seemed capable of opposing him. Or so it appeared.
The day of the oracle predicted by the Saintess was approaching.
On that day, he was to lead the Imperial Knights, alongside the agents following God’s will, to raid the Resurrection Prayer Society occupying the Temple’s basement, stop the Demon King’s resurrection, and dismantle the Archbishop’s forces.
His current work was preliminary preparation for that moment.
He was scouting the Great Temple grounds with the knights, searching for paths that led underground.
He couldn’t enter the interior areas reserved for Temple officials, but today’s goal was focused on external scouting.
Danie had secured the passage primarily used by the faithful, but the two who had attended the prayer meeting said the crowd was large enough to fill a grand hall.
For such a crowd to gather in the basement, there had to be a path open to ordinary believers as well.
If the paths were split into many branches, there was a risk the Archbishop and his followers might escape, or they could be ambushed by those hiding in the passages.
He had to keep every possibility open and stay ahead of the enemy’s judgment.
“Commander, could you come this way for a moment?”
While continuing the search, some knights discovered another passage.
It was a path in the corridor leading to the chapel, an area accessible to ordinary believers.
Though he had no way of knowing, it was the same path Ranshel had taken with Kon before encountering Baha.
“It might be dark ahead, so prepare the luminous stones.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Imperial Knights followed their commander down the stairs leading to the basement.
There were guards at the entrance who questioned their identity, but when Zavad ordered them to open the way for the safety of the Empire, they couldn’t stand in his way and obediently stepped aside.
A common soldier was no match for a group that boasted the most overwhelming military might in the Empire.
Zavad followed the exact path Ranshel had taken before and naturally encountered the Holy Legion guarding the area.
They were lined up on the left and right along the corridor in a state of alert, while the armed Imperial Knights followed their commander like shadows.
And at the end of the corridor, by a massive door in the distance, Baha—wearing the silver badge engraved with the Temple’s crest—was seen tilting his head.
Zavad twisted his lips and slowly looked around.
Compared to the narrow and secret entrance, the interior was strangely bright, lit by artificial minerals.
The walls were neatly finished, and a well-maintained path stretched out straight so that people could pass at any time.
‘It’s just as I heard.’
Even if the entrance was different, there was no doubt that the assembly hall Ranshel and Danie had previously infiltrated lay behind those doors.
Zavad stepped toward the massive doors with slow, controlled movements.
When he was halfway across the corridor, the Holy Legion members lined up along the sides slammed their spears against the floor.
Thump.
It was a clear warning, but Zavad took another step.
Thump, thump.
At the rhythmic sound, the knights following Zavad all placed their hands on their waists, ready to draw their swords at any moment.
Soon, Baha stepped forward and stood in the center of the corridor to block them.
“……I don’t believe this is where you should be, my lords.”
“I believe those are my words. I don’t know what the Holy Legion, who should be busy defending the blessed sanctuary, is doing hiding down here in the basement.”
“Regrettably, your lordship does not hold a position that requires us to report our assigned duties.”
“I’m not here to listen to excuses, so don’t worry about it—just step aside from where you’re standing.”
“That would be a bit difficult. Likewise, your lordship does not have the authority to give me orders.”
After a brief silence, a short, mocking laugh escaped Zavad’s lips.
“In that case, should I return with the Saintess? Will you open the doors wide of your own accord then?”
“……Unfortunately, that would also be problematic.”
The cracks began to show on Baha’s calm, expressionless face.
His tightly shut lips slowly curled up, and a strange madness flickered in his cynical, pitch-black eyes.
“On the surface, perhaps. but down here, there are duties that take priority over the Saintess’s will.”
“……Are you saying you dare to act in violation of the Temple’s regulations?”
“It seems you still don’t quite understand…….”
Baha’s face was now etched with clear mockery, and his voice carried undisguised ridicule.
“I mean this place does not belong to the Temple’s domain.”
“You’re clearly sitting inside the Great Temple’s territory, and you think claiming otherwise makes it so?”
“Of course. For soon, the Saintess, who has lost her qualification, will leave the Temple, and the Great King shall descend once more upon this polluted land.”
“……Fine. Now that you’re being honest, it’s easier to listen.”
Zavad drew the sword at his waist.
His vivid red eyes were reflected in the blade held toward the ceiling.
“The Holy Legion has violated the sacred regulations of the Great Temple, mocked the Pope and the Saintess—the highest-ranking clerics—and abandoned their holy duty to fall into a petty criminal group surrendering to mere power. In the honor of the Imperial Knights who protect the Empire, I declare from this moment that all members belonging to the Holy Legion are condemned as criminals.”
As soon as his solemn declaration ended, the Holy Legion readjusted their grip on their spears, and the Imperial Knights drew their swords.
It was a hair-trigger situation, but Zavad actually had a satisfied smile on his face.
He had waited for this moment, swallowing the rage that had been boiling inside him.
Part of it was his distaste for allowing the Holy Legion—now reduced to the Archbishop’s private army—to roam free due to a lack of public justification.
But drawing his sword here was clearly personal.
He would gouge out the eyes that dared to cast filthy gazes at Ranshel and cut off the hands that had insulted him.
That was the driving force moving him now.
However, this couldn’t be considered the perfect timing.
While news that the Archbishop was a heretic dreaming of the Demon King’s resurrection had been secretly passed to the Pope, the Saintess had not yet stood at the official altar to announce the oracle.
This meant it was premature for the Imperial Knights to engage in a violent struggle with the Holy Legion in the Temple basement.
But since he had come wearing his mantle and leading his knights, he had no intention of letting this situation work against the order.
He planned to use today as an opportunity to drag the one who wore the golden crown and sought only safety out from behind the round table.
‘You’ll have to use some of your power now, Her Majesty the Empress.’
