Reversal (3)

“I simply can’t believe it… That Elder Ceres was a divine official of the demon realm. That she had been deceiving all of us…”

Serad kept his mouth shut as he watched Secti, who was deeply discouraged.

Serad, who didn’t place much significance on the Celestine Church, felt strange every time he saw Secti.

“Well, there’s nothing more certain than hearing it directly from her, right?”

“But we can’t do that. The Saintess said we absolutely can’t go in.”

“Heh, since when did you start saying ‘Saintess’ this and ‘Saintess’ that?”

Secti closed her mouth at Serad’s words.

He had a point. Secti and Yona couldn’t be close, and until now, the two had implicitly treated each other as if the other didn’t exist. Yona had saved Secti’s life, and Secti had unintentionally saved Yona during the battle with Damian, so they were somewhat indebted to each other. That’s all there was to it.

“…Because she’s also the Saintess of the demon realm.”

Moreover, since she had planted demonic energy in Secti’s body, it’s true that she was someone who couldn’t be treated carelessly.

“Then why don’t we get permission from Mr. Alevian? It seemed like Mr. Alevian could come and go without getting separate permission from the Saintess.”

“……”

Secti kept her mouth shut.

But now Serad knew.

When Secti kept her mouth shut like this, it was her reaction when she was interested but a bit hesitant to act directly.

“Then let’s wait a bit. I’ll talk to Mr. Alevian.”

Secti didn’t stop Serad.

In a corner of her heart, she even hoped that Serad would get permission from Alevian.

“There’s no way.”

However, as expected, permission was not granted. Since deciding to part ways with Ceres, Alevian had stood on Yona’s side until now, and knowing that the consciousness of the False Celestial Deity now resided in Yona, he absolutely wouldn’t do anything to antagonize her. So, there was no way he would accept Serad’s request to let him and Secti visit Ceres together.

“Absolutely not. Only the Saintess can enter that place.”

There was no particular reason for Serad to try to persuade Alevian like this. Far from having a reason, Serad was starting to think it might be better to leave this group soon. However, the reason he hadn’t done so yet was because he felt somewhat sorry for Secti, who couldn’t quite blend in with the group and remained an outsider — such a trivial reason.

Secti, who followed Alec around calling him senior, but couldn’t even get a glance from Alec, who showed incomprehensible behavior like suddenly shaving his head at some point.

Serad had heard Alec say quite a while ago that he wouldn’t give her a glance even if she followed him around, but he hadn’t realized he would treat her so harshly. But really, truly, Alec didn’t even give her a glance, and Secti just kept looking at such an Alec hopelessly.

Even the faith that was Secti’s only support, with Elder Ceres being dragged in such a state by Yona, and the revelation that she was actually a divine official of the demon realm — and the fact that she was the one who made Yona fall like that, Serad could clearly see Secti collapsing rapidly.

So, wouldn’t it be okay to let her meet her just once, somehow?

Couldn’t that much mercy be shown?

“You’re also a knight dedicated to the Celestine Church. Wouldn’t it be possible for you to meet the Elder?”

“This isn’t a matter involving the Celestine Church. The Saintess…”

“I’m also a Saintess, so how about if I take them in?”

Alevian and Serad turned simultaneously towards the voice that came from the side.

Bigrand, who looked noticeably gaunt, and Rudvik were approaching them.

There are things that can be understood intellectually but not emotionally.

Even though she already knew that Ceres was such a being, Bigrand wasn’t quite at ease seeing her being dragged in like an animal.

“I’ll talk to Yona properly. Lady Scarlet must be feeling similar to me… I think there won’t be a problem if we let her meet for a short while.”

“But Saintess, if Saintess Yona finds out, I…”

“I’ll take responsibility. I’ll take responsibility and make sure there’s no problem for Sir Alevian.”

“But…”

Alevian hesitated, unable to decide either way. Yona had ordered that no one should enter or leave without his permission, and Alevian had to keep that. Moreover, Alevian had played a significant role in capturing Ceres like this, and he thought he had gained quite a bit of Yona’s trust, so he couldn’t ruin that hard-earned trust now.

“I’ll take responsibility. No, rather, wouldn’t it be fine if Sir Alevian came in with us? What Yona is worried about is probably that we might unknowingly release El… no, Ceres.”

It would be nice if Yona appeared as if on cue at times like this.

Alevian felt somewhat resentful towards Yona.

He had no choice. Alevian couldn’t ignore the Saintess of the Celestine Church, but he also couldn’t leave to ask Yona. If in the meantime, they entered the room where Ceres was imprisoned on their own, that would also be a big problem, and anyway, Alevian thought there wouldn’t be much trouble if Bigrand went along.

“…Alright. Then let’s do that. So, the ones who will visit Ceres are Saintess Bigrand and Secti… miss?”

“Yes.”

“To think there’s a space that goes down so deep, what purpose was this guesthouse built for?”

Bigrand’s voice echoed faintly between the winding stairs as they descended.

In the heavy silence, as if trying to change the atmosphere, Alevian remained silent in response to Bigrand’s question.

She too didn’t know all the knowledge of the world, so it was equally curious to her.

“What… does Yona intend to do?”

She ultimately failed to change the heavy atmosphere.

In Bigrand’s mumbling, there was a mix of regret — how did things end up like this?

“I sent a letter to the church territory.”

“What?”

Alevian reacted to those words.

Alevian couldn’t grasp what Bigrand meant by that word, letter.

He hadn’t heard anything about this from Yona either.

“I sent a letter to the church territory, detailing Ceres’s matter.”

“Th-that… what do you mean…”

Alevian stopped descending the stairs and turned to look at Bigrand.

Bigrand, who had been following behind her, also stopped and looked at Alevian with a puzzled expression.

“Whether Yona takes Ceres to the church territory or kills her here, the church territory will react saying they can’t believe it. Because Yona is an apostate, whatever evidence an apostate presents, the church territory won’t believe it.”

If it became known that someone who had even been an elder of the Celestine Church was actually a divine official of the demon realm, and had plotted to resurrect the False Celestial Deity who impersonated the Celestial Deity, and even caused a nun of the Celestine Church to apostatize — it was clear that the Celestine Church would suffer a tremendous blow if this fact became known.

Unless the Celestial Deity directly descended and revealed that it was true, but now even the Celestial Deity said it wasn’t in a situation to do so, so Bigrand thought it would be better to convey that fact to the church territory from her position as a Saintess.

“Wh-when… when did you send that letter?”

“The night Ceres was brought in. I asked His Majesty the Emperor to send an express messenger, so it should be on a ship by now.”

Alevian let out a long sigh.

It was hasty.

It would have been better to take Ceres to the church territory and have the Saintess and the Hero testify directly there.

If they just send a letter like this, the reaction from the church territory was within the range Alevian could easily predict.

— The corruption of the Saintess.

Letting out a long sigh, Alevian organized his thoughts that were becoming complicated.

It was already too late to retrieve the letter.

Alevian felt his head throbbing as the number of people he had to protect directly suddenly increased in the current situation.

‘What should I do? How should I handle this? How…’

Alevian started descending the stairs again while pondering.

Secti also followed quietly behind such an Alevian, keeping her mouth shut.

“Please open the door.”

The guards opened the iron door with still expressionless faces.

As soon as the iron door opened, Bigrand and Secti involuntarily frowned at the smell of blood that wafted in, and they were at a loss for words at the horrific scene that appeared as soon as they entered.

“…Ceres.”

Trying hard to compose her expression, Bigrand slowly approached Ceres.

Ceres, who had been hanging her head low, slowly raised her head to look up at Bigrand at the sound of her voice.

“Isn’t it the Saintess. How did you come to such a place? Did you come to see me? Did you come to see me, who was an elder of the Celestine Church, a divine official of the demon realm, and who corrupted the Saintess’s friend?”

Her words were mixed with terrible self-deprecation.

Bigrand was irritated by every single word Ceres uttered. Perhaps she was deliberately trying to grate on her nerves, but Bigrand took a small breath.

“…Why did you do it? Did the Celestial Deity seem so ridiculous to you?”

Ceres’s gaze turned to behind Bigrand.

That voice, trying to maintain boldness but trembling slightly.

“I was originally a divine official of the demon realm. To ask why I did it, you’re asking a strange question.”

Secti trembled at Ceres’s answer.

The Celestine Church, and the Celestial Deity.

That which was like a sacred realm to Secti.

After losing Alec — at least in Secti’s perception, losing Alec and the one sacred realm that remained.

“What do you know? Shouldn’t you rather laugh at me for being caught like this? As a divine official of the False Celestial Deity you so hate and a being of the demon realm, Lady Scarlet, am I not your clear enemy? Or do you still want to call me Elder?”

“Shut up.”

“This is how it ends up. This is how it always ends up. A being that only brings such trials to the followers who simply believed and followed, isn’t that the Celestial Deity? That’s why the entire church is shaken by one divine official of this False Celestial Deity—”

“That’s enough.”

Bigrand stepped between Ceres and Secti.

Although she had disappeared from view, it felt as if Secti’s hot breath could still be felt.

“Let’s leave now. Lady Scarlet, it seems you’ve heard the answer you wanted.”

Secti didn’t answer.

A deep darkness was once again creeping over her.