Holy Kingdom – Transaction (2)

The path Ian walked to meet Lena was by no means smooth.

Even that required considerable effort and time.

This was entirely because Lena wasn’t in her original designated location.

-Annie, do you at least know where Lena is?

-Hmm… Lena should be in the underground prison right now. Jade said she’d be locked up there until the appointment ceremony.

-Then I’ll go there immediately. Wait here.

-R-right now?!

Ian headed straight to the underground prison for a swift resolution, but…

‘…She’s really not here.’

He couldn’t find any trace of Lena anywhere in the prison.

The plan was already going awry from the start.

Ultimately, Ian had no choice but to return to Annie.

-Huh? You’re back already? Did you meet her?

-Lena isn’t in the underground prison now. Haven’t you heard any other news?

-W-what?! Then did those bastards move her somewhere? Or could it be that…

-Calm down. I’ll search the Grand Temple myself first.

They had no solid leads regarding Lena’s whereabouts.

The only remaining method was for Ian to personally comb through every corner of the Grand Temple.

While asking people inside the Grand Temple was technically possible…

‘No need to take unnecessary risks.’

The danger of exposing their plans and intentions to the Pope’s faction was too great.

As he searched the Grand Temple alone, two worst-case scenarios surfaced in Ian’s mind.

The first was that Lena had been transferred somewhere outside the Grand Temple.

This would require searching the entire Holy Kingdom – difficult even with magic.

The second was that Lena had already been “disposed of.”

There’s one truth everyone knows:

[Dead men tell no tales.]

The incident had already been concluded as Lena’s betrayal through collusion with demons.

If they silenced Lena’s mouth here, the truth would be lost forever.

Fortunately, Ian’s fears didn’t materialize.

While roaming the Grand Temple,

He accidentally overheard Holy Knights having a secretive conversation.

-Hey, wanna hit the welfare facility right after duty?

-Sure. I’ve got a lot built up too. Need to blow off some steam.

‘…Welfare facility?’

The Grand Temple housed various welfare facilities – lounges, training rooms – but they were never collectively called “welfare facilities.”

Moreover, the strange expression about “blowing off steam” at a welfare facility was suspicious.

‘There’s something here.’

His instincts alerted, Ian tailed the Holy Knights

and finally discovered the hidden location where Lena was being held.

**

“It was nice meeting you today.”

Lena waved her hand playfully.

‘Ha… This is maddening.’

Ian facepalmed as he watched her.

Earlier, he’d spoken as if everything was in his hands.

But that had been slightly emotional posturing.

The time and effort spent finding Lena had been enormous – especially considering the benefits the Magic Tower could gain from this incident.

Most importantly, there was his promise to his sister.

Having declared to Annie that he’d meet Lena, he couldn’t return empty-handed.

To others, Ian always appeared self-centered and arrogant.

But with his sister Annie, he was different.

Calming his turbulent emotions, Ian slowly scrutinized Lena’s face.

At first, he thought her attitude was just a negotiating bluff.

‘Even so… I can’t understand this attitude.’

Lena showed no hint of regret about Ian leaving.

Objectively, Lena’s situation was nearly hopeless.

Yet she was kicking away the lifeline from heaven.

This was only possible if she was absolutely certain Ian wouldn’t abandon her.

‘…A slut who has sex outdoors couldn’t possibly be that calculating.’

She must just be this brazen because she lacks critical thinking.

Shaking his head, Ian returned to stand before Lena.

“Huu…”

“Oh? Why did you come back?”

Lena tilted her head in apparent confusion.

“Did you change your mind?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you why I came. You sent Annie a letter asking for help, right?”

“…Yes. But how do you know that?”

“Annie is my sister.”

“Uh…”

Lena froze with her mouth hanging open.

“Annie thought helping you alone would be impossible, so she asked me – who happened to be staying at the Grand Temple – for cooperation. And I used my ‘precious’ time to find you imprisoned here.”

‘Now I wonder how she’ll respond.’

I don’t believe you. Show proof. Prove it.

These were the reactions Ian anticipated from Lena.

Naturally, he had prepared answers for all possible questions.

“I can’t believe-“

“…Now I understand why you’re acting like this here. You’ve been obviously showing your disgust toward me.”

But Lena surprisingly accepted Ian’s words without suspicion.

“You believe me just like that?”

“Of course, it seems strange that a brother and sister would coincidentally be at the Grand Temple. But your rotten personality and old-man-like speech patterns confirm you’re Annie’s brother. Annie told me a lot about you.”

“…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my personality. I simply treat people according to their worth.”

“Think what you want. This probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard this, right?”

“No one has dared say such things to my face.”

“They must have been afraid of the consequences. Whatever, I’ll generously consider it part of your personality… I’ll drop formal speech now.”

Lena shrugged lightly.

“That’s okay, right? You won’t get angry over something like this?”

“You, you…”

Ian nearly showed another emotional outburst.

Lena’s skill at needling his temper since their meeting was extraordinary.

‘Right. Ignoring this crazy bitch’s nonsense is the best policy.’

Fortunately, he maintained his composure this time.

“Huu… Whether you use informal or formal speech doesn’t matter to me. Do as you please.”

“Hehe. Then I’ll keep speaking comfortably.”

“Anyway, I’ve told you what you wanted to know. Now it’s your turn to explain everything you know.”

“Sorry… One last thing – can you clean me up with magic?”

“What?”

“My body feels too sticky…”

“Ha…”

Even the usually bold Lena fidgeted awkwardly, seemingly embarrassed.

Her body remained covered in the priests’ semen from earlier.

‘Rather than wasting time arguing… It’s better to just do as she asks.’

Too tired to argue, Ian lightly waved his hand.

-Swoosh.

Instantly, the filth covering Lena’s body vanished.

The vivid marks remained, but she looked much better than before.

Lena smiled brightly, satisfied with her clean body.

“Thanks!”

“…”

But Ian stood frozen in place.

“Ian?”

“…Ahem!”

Only when Lena called his name did Ian snap back to reality with a cough.

“You zoned out suddenly. Something wrong?”

“I was momentarily distracted.”

Ian pretended nonchalance, but…

‘This can’t be.’

Internally, he was in turmoil.

Until now, he’d felt nothing seeing Lena naked.

But when he first saw her clean, nude body and bright smile,

[She’s beautiful.]

The thought struck him like lightning as his body clearly reacted.

‘…I felt desire for a woman like her?’

Ian couldn’t even dismiss it as a mistake.

A high-level mage couldn’t possibly miss such bodily changes.

Every man has instincts that react to a woman’s body.

Ian’s pride was wounded precisely because he felt this toward Lena, whom he’d looked down upon.

‘I must be really stressed from these past few days. I should rest when I return.’

Ultimately rationalizing, Ian subtly averted his gaze.

“Just explain quickly.”

“Hmm… Where should I start?”

Fortunately, Lena didn’t seem to notice his odd behavior.

“We have enough time. Explain everything from the beginning. I’ll handle anyone who comes.”

“Alright. First, when I initially came to the Holy Kingdom…”

Lena told Ian everything – from her first meeting with the Pope

“I was careless then. Never dreamed the Pope would suddenly try to eliminate me. And the Pope has an artifact…”

to being hypnotized by the artifact and everything she’d done under its influence.

“That’s all I know. Whether you believe it or not is your choice.”

“I’ll consider it. Wait a moment.”

After hearing everything, Ian crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

To him, Lena’s claims held sufficient credibility.

Brainwashing through artifacts.

The Hero Party’s fragmentation.

Ambitions for war.

None were simple matters.

‘The Pope is no pushover.’

Ian completely revised his assessment of the Pope.

Outwardly, the Pope appeared as a money-grubbing, greedy, stupid pig.

But the hidden truth revealed him as a dangerous “villain” with ambitions and meticulous planning.

The conflict with the Magic Tower over potions clearly prepared for war.

“I’ll understand if you say you can’t believe me. All evidence points to me. All of this… is my fault for making a fatal mistake.”

“Hmm… The overall story seems consistent. Your contradictory behavior – confessing to the Hero then claiming innocence – also makes sense now.”

“R-really?”

Color returned to Lena’s face at Ian’s positive response.

But it quickly faded with his next words.

“Nevertheless, your words alone still aren’t enough for complete trust.”

“Ugh… But I have nothing more to show here. If you help me escape, I can-“

“Unnecessary. I have a better method.”

“…What is it?”

Ian extended his hand toward Lena.

“Simple. Make a contract with me.”