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* * *

“Bael!”

Axel shouted Bael’s name as he caught Reshia, who suddenly began bleeding from her nose and collapsed. Their coordination, honed over countless battles against the Mad Dragon, kicked in immediately. Bael rushed over and began channeling divine power into Reshia without hesitation.

‘I knew something was wrong!’ 

Reshia, unaccustomed to handling divine power, must have overexerted herself, draining her life force completely. Without life force, a human couldn’t survive—that was the law of nature. But despite Bael’s swift actions, Reshia’s condition showed no signs of improvement. As Bael poured his divine power into her, Axel, who had been monitoring her condition, spoke with a grave expression.

“She’s not breathing…”

In a situation where breathing had already stopped, even divine power was useless. Bael knew this, but still, he continued, gritting his teeth as he desperately channeled more energy into Reshia. Seeing this, Axel grabbed Bael’s arm to stop him.

“I said, she’s not breathing!”

Bael paused, his face blank with shock, and looked at Axel.

“But we can’t just… do nothing…”

“Calm down. This isn’t the first time she’s stopped breathing.”

Axel recalled the time of the carriage accident and glanced down at Reshia. Though he spoke with a calm demeanor, Axel’s hands, which still held onto Bael’s arm, were trembling.

“She told me before it happened that her lifespan was fine.”

“So… what do we do… just wait?”

“The last time, she started breathing again after a few hours. The doctor said it was an incredible miracle, something beyond explanation.”

Axel murmured to himself, as if trying to convince himself, before looking back at Bael.

“So let’s just wait and not cause a panic.”

Bael, who was struggling to maintain his composure, couldn’t bring himself to ask, ‘What if she doesn’t start breathing after a few hours?’ 

When Greslin died and disappeared, it was Axel who was hit the hardest. If anyone asked who took the loss of their companion the worst, the answer would be Axel without a doubt. He threw everything away, becoming almost a shell of himself as he searched for any trace of Greslin, his eyes bloodshot. Given how the two of them bickered like enemies throughout their journey to defeat the Mad Dragon, it was a surprising reaction.

Bael clenched his fists tightly and nodded. All he could do now was hope that Reshia would start breathing again within those crucial hours.

* * *

“Is anyone out there?”

I yelled, hoping someone might hear me as I kicked against the wall blocking my way. Each time my foot struck, a loud ‘thud’ echoed. If anyone was nearby, they would have heard it, but after kicking for what felt like an eternity, the silence remained unbroken.

Exhausted, I eventually slumped to the ground. I strained my ears, but only perfect, overwhelming silence surrounded me.

‘Am I really inside a coffin?’ 

Had they already held my funeral?

‘The worst-case scenario would be if I’ve already been buried…’

The faint ‘thunk’ of my kicks suggested I hadn’t been buried yet, which was a small relief, but the situation was still frustrating, and I couldn’t help but sigh in despair.

‘How long has it been, anyway?’

Bael and Axel weren’t the type to hold a funeral if I were unconscious for just a day or two.

If that was the case, it meant a much longer time had passed—long enough that Axel and Bael couldn’t prevent my funeral.

‘What do I do now?’

The coffin(?) I was in was made of an incredibly sturdy material. No matter how hard I kicked or how loudly I shouted, it didn’t budge, and no sound escaped. It seemed like physical strength wouldn’t be enough to get me out of here.

‘Using divine power won’t break or push this thing away, will it?’

That left only black magic. But I was still under the accusation of being a murderer who killed my own disciple. People were terrified that a powerful black mage, once hailed as a hero, was now on the run after committing murder. They feared that if I wasn’t caught soon, I might use my power to kill again.

‘Axel mentioned that there are still groups actively tracking down the black mage Greslin.’

In this situation, using black magic powerful enough to break this coffin(?) could alert those tracking me.

‘But I can’t just stay here and wither away.’

Escaping from here was the priority.

‘I’ll deal with whatever comes after that when the time comes.’

I needed to make this quick and effective—just a brief moment, so those hunting Greslin wouldn’t notice. I gathered the mana around me, condensed it into a powerful burst, and released it all at once. It was like a mana bomb. I also had to shield myself to avoid taking damage from the blast, making this a rather complex spell.

**Boom!**

With a tremendous sound, the sturdy wall blocking me was obliterated. Bright light poured onto my face as I squinted and slowly sat up.

‘Ugh!’

I stretched out with a big yawn. My body felt stiff from lying in the same position for so long, making my movements awkward and rigid. Despite the loud explosion that had just occurred, the surroundings were still eerily silent.

‘Where on earth was I lying that it’s so quiet around here?’

As I looked around, I suddenly locked eyes with a group of priests, their faces frozen in shock.

‘Gah!’

The priests were kneeling in a circle around the altar, hands clasped in prayer. It seemed they had been praying.

‘So there were people around after all!’

A cold sweat ran down my back.

‘That coffin must have been incredibly soundproof…’

I gulped and glanced around, only to spot the coffin lid I had blasted off embedded in the ornate wall, which was covered in elegant decorations and beautiful murals.

‘Oh no!’

The giant lid was now lodged firmly in the wall—something no ordinary human could have done.

‘They’re going to think I’m possessed by an evil spirit!’

I quickly forced a gentle, harmless smile and bowed my head toward the priests, who were still standing there with their mouths agape.

“Hello, um… I…”

“Ahhhhh!”

But before I could even finish my greeting, a scream erupted from among the priests.

It was as if that was a signal—suddenly, the priests who had been frozen in place all sprang to their feet and began to flee rapidly. 

Left alone in an instant, I let out a hollow laugh and scratched my head. 

‘This doesn’t seem like the Elpinard estate…’ 

Was it a temple? 

Could it be Kydsha? 

Carefully, I climbed out of the coffin and lightly jumped down from the altar. 

‘First, let’s figure out what’s going on!’ 

* * * 

“The Saintess has opened her eyes!” 

“It’s a resurrection!” 

“It’s a miracle!” 

The priests burst out of the prayer room, shouting loudly as they ran down the hallway. 

The commotion was so great that the other priests began to murmur. 

“What on earth are they talking about?” 

“Resurrection? What do they mean?” 

It was only a fortnight ago that the Saintess had been urgently transported to Kydsha’s temple after her breath had ceased. 

Despite being in a state where her breath had stopped, her complexion was so healthy that everyone doubted, ‘Is she really dead?’ 

Amid the noisy uproar, the door to the prayer room opened once more. 

Everyone craned their necks, expecting another priest to emerge, but it was the Saintess who appeared through the open door. 

The priests, who were bewildered at the sight of the Saintess walking out on her own two feet, were so shocked that their legs gave way, and they collapsed to their knees. 

Some made the sign of the cross and began to pray, while others stared blankly at the Saintess. 

As she walked, sunlight streamed in from behind her, making it seem as though a halo was glowing around her, further enhancing the divine scene. 

“A m-miracle!” 

“Dear God!” 

Amid the gasps of awe from everyone, the Saintess walked down the hallway with an air of dignity. 

As she passed by, the priests fell prostrate on the floor in succession. 

All their reverence was directed toward the Saintess. 

But Reshia, who had no idea that she had been dead for a full fortnight… 

‘What’s going on? Why is everyone prostrating themselves like this? I can’t even ask them anything…’ 

She was thinking that while cold sweat trickled down her back.