QHIM chapter 30- Fake Justice

“Sir Luke, you must still be unwell…”

“No, I’m fine.”

Luke passed by the Abeloss, who looked at him with a worried expression.

A temple knight carrying boxes in both hands followed behind Luke.

As they walked down the monastery corridor, Luke spoke.

“I heard there’s a child of the Aileen tribe who was rescued from the slave market. How is their condition?”

“Well… It’s not as good as we hoped. They are currently being treated in the special care room.”

“It’s good that I came.”

At Luke’s words, the Abeloss shuddered.

Luke was the most esteemed healer in the empire, but having watched over Luke since he was a child, the Abeloss was more concerned.

Luke always sacrificed himself for others. Some people called him a true ‘saint’ with a selfless heart.

HoweBer, having watched over Luke for a long time, the Abeloss thought differently.

Luke’s self-sacrifice was ultimately akin to self-harm.

Even on days when he suffered from a severe fever or was seriously injured, Luke invariably used his healing magic to save injured soldiers and citizens of the empire.

As if he could not forgive his useless self.

The Abeloss, watching Luke’s mood, spoke cautiously.

“Sir Luke, are you really okay? You only recently returned from a monster expedition… If you keep using your holy power without any recovery period, it will surely strain your body.”

“Abeloss.”

Luke stopped walking and turned to look at the Abeloss.

The Abeloss, seeing the look in Luke’s eyes, quickly bowed her head.

Staring at the Abeloss for a moment, Luke finally spoke.

“I am still grateful for you taking me in as a child and sending me to be adopted, but that doesn’t mean you are my parent. Please don’t doubt my judgment.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

As the tense atmosphere continued, children playing on the lawn spotted Luke and shouted.

“Luke hyung!”

“It’s Luke oppa!”

The children who had been running towards Luke froze as soon as they saw the temple knight.

Luke, understanding the situation, lightly elbowed the temple knight in the side.

“When entering the monastery, please leave your sword behind.”

“I’m sorry.”

“……Why does everyone keep apologizing? I told you, there’s no need to be sorry.”

The Abeloss and the temple knight both began sweating nervously.

Clearly, Luke was the only one unaware of why everyone kept apologizing.

Luke clicked his tongue softly and slowly walked toward the children.

With a cool expression, Luke looked at the children, then knelt down and spread his arms.

Only then did the children’s faces brighten as they rushed to Luke and hugged him.

Luke smiled brightly as he embraced the children.

“You little rascals, have you been well?”

“Of course! But, bro, what happened to your neck? Are you hurt?”

A boy in his arms asked with a worried expression.

It was a wound from Jerome’s sword a few days ago.

Luke hesitated for a moment but answered as if it was nothing.

“It’s nothing serious. Just a scratch.”

“We can heal it with magic.”

Luke reached out and gently patted the boy’s head.

“If we use magic to heal me, we won’t have the strength left for someone who really needs it.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

Luke placed a hand over his aching neck.

Despite his words, the children began to whimper, clearly still worried.

Seeing their concern, Luke put on a playful tone.

“Alright, whoever touches that tree first will get a really great prize. Ready… go!”

At Luke’s words, the children immediately forgot their worries and sprinted toward the tree.

Their laughter echoed across the vast lawn, and Luke watched them warmly.

But a shadow fell over his head.

“Excuse me, are you Sir Luke by any chance?”

Luke looked up, his expression blank.

A noblewoman, holding a parasol, was looking down at him.

Upon recognizing Luke, her face lit up with joy.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve heard so much about you from my husband. He also works at the temple, you see. He always speaks so highly of you…”

“Oh… I see. But what brings you here?”

“I have a great interest in the refugee children from Aileen as well. It’s such a tragic situation… It’s heartbreaking to see such young children lose their homeland and be separated from their parents.”

The noblewoman closed her parasol and sat down next to Luke.

Luke cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable.

Seeing his reaction, the noblewoman smiled faintly and spoke again.

“By the way, I’ve heard a lot of talk about the Saintess of Maya lately. Have you heard about it too?”

“Yes, well, more or less.”

“Oh, then you must know that she’s from Sacre, right?”

Luke clenched his fists.

A vision of Jeanne standing defiantly in front of the heretic flashed through his mind.

Even Carlisle’s stiff expression as he watched her.

It was an unfamiliar expression, one he had never shown even to his childhood friend, Luke.

‘But it’s certain. That woman is the Saintess of Maya.’

Jerome was beyond purification even by Luke, who possessed great holy power.

Not only did Jeanne stop Jerome’s rampage, but she also prevented the heresy.

He definitely had some inexplicable, transcendent power.

‘I feel like throwing up.’

Luke covered his mouth with a pale face.

The man from Sacre who had set fire to his father’s corpse also had dark brown hair.

Just seeing Jeanne’s dark brown hair made Luke feel nauseous.

The noblewoman, observing Luke’s complexion, continued in a calm voice.

“If a Saintess from Sacre appears… the reputation of the Sacreans will improve, and their brutal nature will be forgotten in no time.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Despite Luke’s wary tone, the noblewoman answered serenely.

“Sir Luke, my parents were killed by the Sacreans. Compared to the Aileenians, they are inherently cruel. Perhaps due to their aggressive nature, they always find a way to get what they want.”

Luke’s eyes widened.

On closer inspection, the noblewoman also bore the symbol of the Aileenian tribe on her neck.

He muttered with a voice filled with anger.

“The moment the Sacreans gain attention, it will certainly affect the Aileenian children here. The Empire’s support will diminish, and they could be sent back to the island at any moment. After all, the Empire only took in the Aileenian refugees for political reasons, right?”

“…”

“Whether Sacre or Aileen, the Kaisar Empire doesn’t care. All they want is a convenient puppet to display. At this rate… Sir Luke, your position will certainly weaken.”

Luke already knew this.

The Kaisar Empire supported the Aileenian refugees in exchange for using Luke.

It was also why Luke pushed himself to the limits to become a saint.

Luke chuckled cynically and spoke mockingly.

“That’s quite a stretch. Even if a Saintess of Maya appears, my position won’t be weakened. I’m not interested in power or wealth anyway.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“…”

“I heard the royal family is also keeping a close eye on that woman. How can you be so sure that the Kaisar Empire won’t abandon Aileen and choose Sacre instead?”

Luke’s eyes wavered. He recalled Carlisle walking toward Jeanne without even sparing him a glance.

His long eyelashes trembled as he lowered his head.

The reason he wanted Carlisle to be emperor was not just because of unrequited love.

After making Carlisle emperor, Luke intended to use the Kaisa Empire’s army to completely destroy Sacre.

But if Carlisle abandoned him and chose Jeanne instead…

‘I can’t protect anything, not a single thing.’

Luke’s face turned white. The noblewoman chuckled lightly, resting her chin on her hand.

“How naive. You need power to gain strength, and with strength, you can protect the people dear to you, Sir Luke.”

“What do you want me to do?”

Luke asked in a subdued voice.

The noblewoman, who had been smiling, whispered softly.

“It’s simple. Turn that filthy woman into a witch instead of a saint. Crush her completely, along with the vile soul of Sacre.”

“…”

“Of course, the choice is yours, Sir Luke.”

With that, the noblewoman stood up. She opened her parasol and gave a short nod.

“Well then, it was a pleasure meeting you, Sir Luke.”

“May I know your name?”

The noblewoman’s crimson eyes sparkled.

Luke felt a chilling sensation and held his breath.

After a moment of silence, the noblewoman spoke in a gentle voice.

“My name is Lilith Catrier. Feel free to call me whatever you like.”

“…I see. I’ll visit you sometime.”

“Yes, anytime. I’ll be waiting.”

The noblewoman turned and walked away.

An owl perched on a tree watched Luke, its red eyes gleaming.

Luke let out a hollow laugh with vacant eyes.

‘Maya, you truly are a cruel god. You’ve never saved me, not even once.’

Warm sunlight shone on Luke.

His light brown hair, pale from the sun, fluttered in the breeze.

Staring blankly at the blue sky, Luke stood up.

Gritting his teeth, the veins on his pale neck stood out.

‘I resent you.’

✽ ✽ ✽

As soon as I got home, I explained to Ber everything that had happened with Jerome.

From stopping Jerome’s heresy to the weakening influence of Mephisto within him.

Ber, in the form of a baby dragon, listened with his tail puffed up and shouted.

“Did you really summon Maya’s Bow, master?!”

“Keep your voice down.”

I sighed, holding my throbbing forehead. I asked Ber, who had quickly shut his mouth.

“Isn’t it strange? You saw it too, so you should know. Even though I look like this, I’m still a man. A man can’t possibly be the Saintess of Maya.”

Ber rolled his eyes and scratched his head with his short paw.

“Well, it’s not exactly unusual…”

“Not unusual?”

Ber climbed onto my lap and coiled into a ball.