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When I didn’t immediately deny or react to what Lily had said, Axel and Bael seemed to sense that something was off.

“Calm down, Sister,” Bael quickly stepped forward, gently reassuring Lily as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. With the warmth and kindness typical of a Cardinal, he led her out of the room. Once they were gone, Axel wasted no time in questioning me.

“You’ve got a hunch about this, don’t you?”

“Well… uh…” I scratched my cheek and smiled awkwardly, the kind of smile people have when they’re trying to cover up something they’ve done wrong. Axel narrowed his eyes at me, and though he didn’t say a word, it was as if I could hear him asking, *”You messed up, didn’t you?”*

I hurriedly started explaining the situation. “Well, when I woke up, it was pitch black. I realized I was in a coffin, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t open the lid… I couldn’t just stay trapped in there with no other options…”

“So you used black magic,” Axel concluded swiftly, cutting off my long-winded explanation.

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

I didn’t try to make any more excuses and admitted it plainly. Axel let out a deep sigh. He had warned me multiple times not to use black magic until my name was cleared, but I had broken that promise. I braced myself for the scolding I was sure would follow, or perhaps even a flick to the forehead, but surprisingly, Axel didn’t lecture me. Instead, he simply stroked his chin, lost in thought.

‘What’s going on?’ I wondered, staring up at him in curiosity. He seemed to notice the question in my eyes and clicked his tongue.

“Do you think all I ever do is scold you?”

“Yep.”

I nodded without a second’s hesitation, and sure enough, I was rewarded with a flick to the forehead.

“Ouch!” I yelped, rubbing my forehead and pouting. Axel just smirked at me.

“Don’t make me out to be some nagging old man. You just get into trouble way too often.”

“So let’s just admit it—I’m a troublemaker, and you’re a nag,” I retorted.

“Hah.” Axel waved his hand dismissively, as if too tired to continue the argument. It was his way of saying we didn’t have time for this childish back-and-forth and that we needed to focus on finding a solution.

“Since you used magic at the temple in Kydsha, it’ll be hard to argue that it was someone else’s spell,” Axel noted.

There were already very few black mages to begin with. Given that they were openly persecuted, it was rare for them to make their presence known. Although some regions had at least one notable black mage, Kydsha was an exception. It was a city of clergy dedicated to serving the gods. The idea of a mage, especially a black mage suspected of curses, operating out of a temple there was almost unthinkable.

“Hmm,” I murmured, quickly sorting through my thoughts before suddenly standing up.

“Let’s go.”

I grabbed Axel’s arm, pulling him along as he furrowed his brow. “Do you have a plan?”

“A plan? Of course I do.”

I grinned and pointed at Axel with a tilt of my chin. “You’re the plan, Axel.”

* * *

I led Axel and Bael to the entrance of the estate, where the commotion caused by the arrival of the hunters was unfolding. The usually peaceful entrance of the Elpinard estate was now in chaos, with the Duke’s knights standing firm against the hunters in a tense standoff. At the forefront of the Elpinard knights was…

“This is the Elpinard Duchy. What gives you the confidence to barge in uninvited?”  

The Duke stood there, exuding a chilling aura. His presence as a Sword Master was enough to keep the hunters from pushing their demands too aggressively. Though they hadn’t retreated, my father’s presence alone was incredibly reassuring.

“Father!”  

I hurriedly ran over to him, a smile on my face, and linked my arm with his.

“Reshia,”  

The Duke hesitated for a moment before gently patting my head. The fierce, almost murderous aura he had been projecting dissipated in an instant. The knights behind him and even the hunters looked on in shock, their mouths agape.

“…Am I seeing things?”  

I heard one of the knights mutter in disbelief behind me.

Ignoring the murmurs, I smiled up at the Duke and spoke, “I heard from Lily. These people are accusing me of being a murderer?”

“Yes, it’s a ridiculous accusation. In the Empire, the punishment for slanderous nonsense is to have one’s tongue removed…”  

The Duke didn’t finish his sentence, but the sharp look he gave the hunters made it clear he was contemplating it. The unsaid threat was more terrifying because it left room for the imagination, making the situation even more chilling.

‘No wonder people misunderstand him…’  

As a child, I used to be terrified of the Duke’s icy gaze. Now, of course, I knew he wasn’t as cold and heartless as he appeared, so I wasn’t scared at all anymore. But I could see how others might misinterpret his demeanor.

The Duke’s naturally stoic expression, combined with his icy voice and piercing gaze, made him an easy target for such misunderstandings. However, in this situation, that misunderstanding was working in our favor, so there was no need to correct it.

Most of the hunters had already been cowed by the Duke’s overwhelming presence, their shoulders hunched in fear. But the man leading them remained unmoved, standing tall and unshaken. Clearly, he wasn’t an ordinary person, but someone with the resolve and strength to lead others.

As I looked at the man in the lead, our eyes met. He stared at me with a gaze as cold as the Duke’s. However, after being accustomed to the Duke’s intimidating stare, I found this man’s attempt to be far less frightening.

After a moment, the man turned his attention back to the Duke.  

“This is not nonsense. Have you not noticed the Saintess behaving differently lately?”

Behaving differently?  

Well, I *had* started calling the Duke “Father” affectionately after being moved by his ritual for the departed… Perhaps that’s what he was referring to. The Duke seemed to remember this as well, as he raised an eyebrow slightly.

The man, as if expecting this reaction, sighed and pointed at me with his finger.  

“That ‘thing’ may look like the Saintess on the outside, but inside, it’s nothing more than the vile murderer, the black mage Greslin. A distinct magical pattern associated with that black mage was detected at the Kydsha temple.”

‘Oh…’  

The idea that inside me was the black mage Greslin wasn’t entirely wrong.  

‘But Saintess Reshia is also a part of who I am.’  

In that sense, I felt no guilt or shame.

The man continued his argument.  

“I’ve also heard that the Saintess recently died and came back to life. That’s a common side effect of possession. It often happens when the soul inhabiting a body struggles to adapt to its new vessel.”

“The Saintess’s death was explained as part of the ‘divine trial,’ as you were already informed.”  

Bael, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward, pointing out the absurdity of the man’s claim. The man responded by bowing respectfully to Bael.

“I understand that you, Cardinal, were the one who first claimed it was a ‘divine trial.’ I also heard you were once a companion of the black mage Greslin.”

“Are you implying that I falsely proclaimed the will of the gods to protect an old comrade?”  

Bael, who was usually mild-mannered, spoke with a sharp edge, surprising the man, whose eyes widened slightly.

“It’s even more suspicious to see the gentle Cardinal so defensive. If there’s nothing to hide, hand over the Saintess to us. We’ll conduct a simple interrogation, and if she’s innocent, we’ll return her to you.”

A *simple* interrogation? The hunters were convinced that Greslin was a vicious murderer and a master of black magic. They would do whatever it took to prove their suspicions were correct.

“I’m tired of listening to this nonsense,”  

the Duke said, tilting his head slightly, as if bored.

“This girl is the ‘Lady of Elpinard.’ If you want to take her, you’ll need my permission first. Are you daring to disregard the Elpinard name?”

“Ugh!”  

The hunters began to drop to their knees one by one. The Duke must have unleashed a tremendous aura on them.

‘Strange, I don’t feel a thing.’  

Puzzled, I looked around. The knights behind the Duke, Bael, and even Axel were all frowning slightly, their expressions strained. It was clear the Duke had deliberately controlled his aura so that it didn’t affect me, while still overwhelming everyone else.