Chapter 141
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Chapter 141
The final prayer day of the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony concluded in utter chaos.
The participants squandered their last opportunity to showcase their devotion.
Yet few harbored regrets.
They had witnessed a spectacle worth far more than any price from the front row seats.
Hailon, the Holy Knight who wielded the sacred relic Chains of Condemnation, was revealed to be the true leader of the Heresy Inquisitors.
Cardinal Milliod, who had basked in the Holy King's singular trust, was the architect behind the horrific incident that allowed demons to run rampant through Hilderd.
And it was Chesa Basilian whose testimony proved decisive in exposing this sordid truth.
Beyond her brilliant display of repelling demons with sacred, beautiful petals of light, she had now uncovered the mastermind behind it all.
The child once merely called "the adopted daughter of House Basilian" was now making her name known across the continent.
The Pure Child Prayer Ceremony had only the selection of a champion remaining.
Yet even if a champion were crowned, they would not capture as much attention as Chesa Basilian.
And Milliod, who had been used as kindling to illuminate Chesa Basilian, now languished in the Underground Dungeon of the Holy Empire.
Precisely the solitary cell where Kieran Basilian had once been imprisoned alongside his daughter.
Thanks to his cardinal's rank, he had been remanded here initially, but once Count Basilian submitted the evidence, his cardinal title would be stripped and he would be dragged before the Heretic Inquisition.
"Damn it, cursed...."
Milliod paced his cell, spewing vulgar oaths with each breath.
Until the moment he had fabricated a false father for the adopted child, Milliod had believed himself the architect of a magnificent scheme.
He had thought he manipulated everyone like pieces on a chessboard.
But facing reality now, he realized he had been nothing but a plaything in Count Basilian's palm from beginning to end.
"Because I'm the Master."
Count Basilian's words still echoed in his ears like a phantom sound.
Milliod shook his head violently.
'No. It could be a lie. It makes no sense for the Underworld Master to join hands with Heresy Inquisitors.'
It was merely a careless remark thrown without proper evidence.
Dismissing it as falsehood would be the reasonable choice, but....
If Count Basilian truly were the Master, every circumstance fell perfectly into place.
'His declaration of non-participation was certainly a mockery of me.'
Because House Basilian had announced their non-participation in the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony, Milliod had frantically contacted the Underworld to fabricate a false Master.
If the Count were truly the Master, framing Milliod's actions as contact with the Black Mage Impostor would be child's play.
Looking back now, Count Basilian had subtly orchestrated every step of the way.
Milliod had walked into the gaping maw of a serpent without realizing it, gleefully darting about of his own volition.
'Did Knight Hailon join hands knowing he was the Master? Or.... But what became of Norman? Since the Holy King blessed him directly, it should be difficult to pin guilt on me.'
Milliod, his mind on the verge of shattering, finally could not contain his anguish and groaned.
"Uuugh...!"
His sigh echoed alone through the empty prison before fading away.
In the final moment, the Holy King had abandoned Milliod.
He had heaped all their shared sins upon me alone.
No matter how I might find a way to escape....
The Holy King would personally see to my disposal.
Miliod's life was over.
He had been clutching his head in despair.
Light footsteps approached from somewhere.
The gentle sounds belonged to two people.
"...?"
Miliod doubted his own eyes.
Beyond the iron bars stood two young boys.
They were the twin sons of Count Basilian, the man who had cast Miliod into this abyss.
How had they penetrated this place when guards and knights were stationed everywhere?
Their unnervingly bright, carefree faces seemed surreal.
The twins stood before the iron bars, staring intently at Miliod.
It was a gaze as humiliating as one might cast upon a caged animal.
Yet Miliod could not bring himself to rage at these young boys.
"Old man."
One boy, standing with a casual tilt, tilted his head as he spoke.
"Shall we let you out?"
Gulp.
Miliod swallowed hard without thinking.
Then the other boy furrowed his brow slightly and spoke.
"Did torture sever your tongue? Why won't you answer?"
The boy, beautiful enough that one might question his gender, surveyed the gloomy interior of the prison with obvious distaste.
As though unwilling to linger even a moment longer in this place, he spoke with irritation.
"Decide quickly. We don't have time."
He could not fathom why they had sought him out and offered to free him.
He knew better than to trust the Basilian family.
'But it's better than dying under torture in the Heretic Inquisition Chamber.'
Miliod cried out desperately to the twins.
"Let me out...!"
The corners of both twins' mouths curved upward in identical grins.
One boy reached out and grasped Miliod.
His vision warped instantly.
They had cast a teleportation spell.
And when his vision cleared once more.
Count Basilian stood before Miliod's eyes.
Before a great window, silhouetted against the moon, he gazed at a silver pocket watch.
The tick-tick-tick of the watch's mechanism echoed with unusual clarity in his ears.
The landscape visible through the window was not the Holy Empire, but an ordinary street.
As Miliod's eyes darted about, taking in his surroundings, the Count slipped the pocket watch back into his pocket and smiled.
Confronted with a handsomeness so striking it sent shivers down his spine, Miliod posed a question.
"Are you... going to kill me?"
"That's impossible."
The Count's eyes widened as if to say what nonsense was this, and he broke into a soft chuckle.
"There are so many uses for someone like you."
His crimson eyes shimmered with an otherworldly light.
Count Basilian brought his fingertip to his teeth, then slowly peeled away his black leather gloves.
His fingers, revealed pale in the moonlight, were long and perfectly straight.
Count Basilian spoke in a gentle voice, as if coaxing an innocent child.
"You're someone who listens well, aren't you?"
The Twin Brothers' giggling echoed through the space.
Yet Cardinal Milliod couldn't turn around.
As if forcibly anchored in place, his gaze remained fixed upon Count Basilian.
Snap—his fingers collided with a crisp, cheerful sound.
Upon hearing the finger snap, Cardinal Milliod's mouth fell open vacantly.
The focus drained from his eyes.
He slowly sank to his knees.
And he bowed his head respectfully before his new master.
"...Yes, Count."
***
All the men of House Basilian had vacated their posts.
The major incident of denouncing Cardinal Milliod as a heretic had left them frantically occupied.
Chesa seized the opportunity while they were away to venture out.
There had been that one time she'd slipped out without a word and returned cradled in Hailon's arms, causing quite the commotion.
But this time it wasn't an illegal outing—it was perfectly legitimate.
She was taking Theo to meet Princess Aran.
'I already got permission from Kieran beforehand to go meet a friend!'
Of course, the permission hadn't been free; she'd promised to 'spend the whole day playing with Father later' and had even given him a few kisses as collateral.
Chesa packed her belongings efficiently and settled herself atop Theo's broad shoulders.
"Let's go!"
"Yes, Miss Chesa."
The bear-like servant moved with practiced efficiency at her command.
Sitting comfortably on his expansive shoulders as they headed toward their destination, Chesa glanced sideways at Theo.
"...."
Normally he would have initiated some cheerful conversation by now.
But today Theo kept his mouth shut, walking forward in silence.
'Something's wrong with the bear.'
Examining his face more closely out of curiosity, she noticed his eyebrows drooping—a telltale sign of melancholy.
'Did someone bully him?'
She was just tensing her eyes, wondering who could have mistreated her beloved bear, when—
"Young Miss!"
A group of Holy Knights who happened to be passing by came rushing over in a flurry.
They were the same Holy Knights I had seen at the Training Grounds when searching for Hailon.
Chesa pretended to recognize them.
"Hello there!"
"Ugh."
The Holy Knight who received the greeting clutched his chest and staggered dramatically.
They surrounded Chesa and made a fuss, begging her to greet them as well.
"I don't have flowers today... Would you like to eat this instead, young lady?"
One of them even pulled out a bag of cookies from his pocket and offered it to her.
Chesa accepted the tribute with satisfaction and tucked it away.
"Thank you very much."
After spending a moment with them.
Once Chesa was alone again with Theo, she tore open the cookie bag.
She pulled out a cookie and pressed it gently against Theo's cheek.
Theo, who had been looking straight ahead, flinched in surprise.
His large frame trembled, and Chesa nearly slipped.
He startled twice and quickly steadied her in his arms.
"...Lady Chesa?"
Descending from his broad shoulders to sit on his thick forearms, Chesa offered him another cookie.
"You eat it too."
Theo stared at the cookie for a moment, then suddenly contorted his face.
As if holding something back, he scrunched his nose and spoke.
"I have a request, Lady Chesa. When we return to the Palen Empire..."
Theo drew in a breath with a soft sound and continued.
"Would it be possible for you to visit the Nemea Marquis Family?"
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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