Chapter 43: Preparation

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As soon as she opened her eyes, Sugar was startled by the sight of a bird-like mask.

“Huh…”

Regardless of Sugar’s reaction, Claude pointed the wand at her head and began reciting an incantation. Of course, the incantation was spoken by the crow perched on his shoulder. Its voice was rough, mixed with a metallic tone.

[Dispel Magic.]

“…What did you just do?”

Even when asked, there was no answer. Claude simply scanned Sugar up and down. Even though his face was hidden behind the mask, his persistent gaze was palpable.

“What did you do? Can’t you speak?”

Still, no response.

Instead, he grabbed Sugar’s cheeks and turned her face this way and that. With his gloved hand, he lifted her eyelids and opened her mouth. Like a doctor examining a patient, he silently continued his observation.

Even if she tried to resist, she was tied to the chair from her shoulders down to her ankles, unable to move.

“You’re such a jerk, really…”

Sugar rarely used foul language but being tied up in a dark room with no windows, under the faint glow of a magical light being observed like a lab animal, it was hard not to curse.

Who was this person? The one who had directly shattered her senses, her perception of the world.

“Claude. That’s enough.”

A familiar voice stopped him. Without turning his head, Claude spoke through the crow.

[There was a tracking spell on this girl’s hair accessory. You should have noticed it. Why didn’t you dispel it earlier?]

“Didn’t it occur to you that I might have been too preoccupied? Because of you trying to frame me as a traitor?”

[Louveci. You know the judgment against you was paused because something more important came up… And it’s also a way of acknowledging your contribution in finding this girl.]

“Judging by your tone, you’re acting like my superior.”

[Given my current standing in the church, yes. So, I expect you to be more careful with your words from now on.]

“Ah, so you’ve already announced that you were the one who decisively brought Sugar here, huh?”

[Yes. If I hadn’t intervened, you would have hesitated indefinitely, wouldn’t you? Still, I was surprised. To make such a decisive move as soon as you realized the girl’s abilities… I thought you were just a useless old woman who had lost her edge… But I’ll keep my expectations up.]

Louveci, who had been expressionless the entire time, finally smiled faintly.

“…When did you become so bold? It feels like just yesterday you were following me around, calling me ‘Older Sister.’”

Claude finally turned his head toward her.

“You were so cute back then. Following me around, even calling me things like ‘Big Sis’ too”

[Shut up.]

“Why? Are you embarrassed to talk about the past? Lately, I’ve been reminiscing a lot.”

[…I’ll see you at the baptism.]

As if he didn’t want to hear any more, he turned and left the room.

The crow’s metallic voice fell silent.

In the dark cell, only Sugar and Louveci remained.

As Sugar glared silently, the blind apostle approached gently.

“Sugar. How are you feeling?”

“…Are you in any position to worry about me?”

Trust. The resolve to fight. All of it had been trampled on by you.

All the efforts to escape the church’s grasp flashed through her mind. The plan to use magic to escape from the church’s kidnappers. But before she could even act, she ended up like this.

All because of a simple sleep spell.

Louveci probably didn’t want to hurt her, but Sugar just felt ignored. As if she wasn’t even worth fighting.

It was so absurd that she almost laughed.

“Just leave.”

“…Sigh. Sugar, don’t be angry. I mean, what were you thinking, showing off that kind of power in front of us?”

“What?”

After saving her from the evil god’s magic, this is how they treat her? Sugar frowned and looked at her, prompting Louveci to continue.

“That friend of mine is the biggest gossip in the church. You saw how the crows kept talking, right? Because of that, all the apostles now know about your charm. You’ll be showered with love and attention from everyone! How enviable.”

“…”

Louveci clapped her hands and exaggerated her words.

The content was chilling. The way she spoke was twisted in some way.

‘What’s wrong with this woman?’ Sugar thought as she watched her. Louveci began to untie the ropes.

“Sugar. Let me tell you this much. Now that things have come to this, I’ll serve you for the rest of my life. Your life will be different from now on, but… I’ll do my best to ensure you have as much freedom as possible within the church. Even so, are you still scared and unwilling to be with us?”

“Don’t even talk. I absolutely don’t want to be with you.”

“…I figured.”

The memory of Claude’s ominous gaze still made her shiver. Even if Louveci said she’d be by her side, Sugar couldn’t trust her. She had already betrayed her once; doing it again wouldn’t be hard.

Sugar had a place to return to. A future she wanted to paint under the bright sky, not within the dark church. With that in mind, she spoke firmly, and Louveci smiled bitterly.

“Still, think about it. I’ve even prepared a gift for your initiation. Aren’t you curious what it is?”

“I don’t need–”

In an instant Louveci was in front of her, cutting her off.

“Keep it hidden until the baptism.”

She poked Sugar’s chest with her finger.

The words were so soft and quick that Sugar wondered if she had misheard.

“Say that again? You want me to keep it a secret until the baptism is over?”

“…”

Louveci smiled brightly and began untying the ropes again.

“Claude, really. Even though I told him not to tie her up so tightly… As if I’d let her escape…”

Muttering loud enough for Sugar to hear, she finished untying the ropes. Sugar stood up, her expression suspicious.

“What’s your intention?”

“What do you mean? I’m just going to show you around. We’re going to be family now… Oh, but if you cause any trouble, I’ll put you to sleep immediately, so behave.”

Louveci led the way out of the cell, and Sugar followed. It was suspicious, but she couldn’t just stay locked up.

Then, as if it had been there all along, a crow followed them out of the cell and perched on Louveci’s shoulder.

As if to say it would watch them wherever they went.

.

.

.

The high ceiling.

Torches placed here and there illuminated the darkness, yet the area remained cloaked in a persistent shadow.

In the center stood a towering altar.

People in black robes bustled around it carrying large oil vessels and ritualistic decorations, fully occupied with preparations for the baptism. Their eyes were all empty, sending chills down Sugar’s spine. Unlike Louveci, they seemed devoid of self as if they were dolls.

“This is…”

“Yes. The altar. Remember? I told you I originally came here to set up the altar.”

“…”

“We’ll hold a simple baptism here, and then we’ll go to the main base to present you to the entire congregation. You’ll also have the honor of meeting ‘that person.’ How does that sound? Amazing, right?”

“…”

Not wanting to engage, Sugar remained silent, and Louveci continued to chatter on her own.

“The baptism is important, very important. The moment you receive it, you become one of ‘that person’s’ people. Those who haven’t received it are never treated as true members. Even your magical nature changes slightly, allowing you to wield a fraction of ‘that person’s’ power. Not that it matters to you, Sugar. Oh! It also makes you more detectable to those disgusting, unholy paladins, but you’ll be under the protection of the apostles, so…”

“…”

Responding with silence, Sugar focused on the mana flowing through her body. From her head to her right shoulder, down to her wrist, then back to her chest, and down to her lower body.

As she concentrated on the circulation, she noticed something.

She had felt something was off as soon as she woke up. Something foreign was lingering inside her. This had never happened before.

A dark magical energy, isolated in the center of her chest, not yet absorbed.

Surrounded by layers of pure magic it was slowly, very slowly, becoming part of her. It seemed to have accumulated in her body due to the recent events.

‘Stop. Don’t let it touch.’

She visualized a thin wall separating the two energies and reorganized the flow. The absorption had stopped for now.

Now, how to use this? That damned evil god’s magic, but for now, it was her lifeline.

Release it all at once? Use it on Louveci and escape immediately?

As she pondered, Louveci’s earlier words came to mind.

-Keep it hidden until the baptism.

Poking her chest. As if she had already seen through the magic Sugar was harboring.

She couldn’t figure out her intentions.

If Louveci knew, she wouldn’t have left her like this. She would have completely neutralized her. They wouldn’t let a walking magical bomb, dangerous even to them, roam free.

She had looked so calm when she kidnapped her.

Frowning, Sugar glanced at Louveci’s face. She looked the same as always, smiling faintly as she rambled on about the church.

“Oh, are you afraid of heights? The altar is so high, I was worried you might be scared during the baptism.”

“…”

“Well, for Sugar, that height should be nothing, right? Even if an accident happens, she’ll be fine. And… that’s the exit. It’s so small, you probably didn’t notice it, did you?”

“…!”

Following Louveci’s gesture, Sugar narrowed her eyes and saw a door high up, attached to the wall with a staircase. The lack of security was almost laughable.

“Not there yet. The baptism comes first.”

Louveci spoke firmly as Sugar anxiously looked up.

However Sugar wasn’t one to sit quietly and listen.

It felt like now was the time.

If she could neutralize Louveci with the evil god’s magic and make a run for it…

She had already been betrayed once. Could she really trust the words of someone who had broken that trust? “Keep it hidden until the baptism”—was that something she should even listen to?

Or was it another trick? Like how she had been deceived with the words, “The will of children is the most important.”

Sugar immediately began transferring a small amount of the evil god’s magic. This was her chance. She repeated to herself that she wouldn’t trust Louveci again, carefully wrapping the magic with her own to avoid damaging her magical pathways and internal organs, and swiftly moved it to her hand.

Just as she was about to release it—

“Sleep.”

Not this again!

The sleep spell was infuriating.

In the heavy haze of consciousness, she thought she heard Louveci sigh.

“I told you to stay still…”

[…What’s going on?]

“It’s nothing. Just… she seemed to get excited when she found out where the exit was, so I put her to sleep just in case. I’ll wake her up for the baptism.”

[Then why did you untie her?]

“I felt sorry for her.”

[Louveci. I know you care deeply for her. But you need to separate personal feelings from duty—]

“Of course. I’m as sharp as they come. You saw that yesterday, didn’t you?”

[…Alright.]

The crow fell silent, ending the conversation.

Louveci carefully carried Sugar back to the cell.

About an hour remained until the baptism.

‘Something should be happening soon…’

As she listened closely, she heard the crows bustling about.

She immediately asked the crow on her shoulder.

“Claude. Did something happen?”

[No. Just giving out orders.]

“Hmm.”

They’re hiding something.

Though they had united under the common goal of “Sugar,” it was unlikely they had fully opened their hearts to each other. That was only natural.

‘Not that I have any right to say that.’

With a meaningful smile, Louveci laid Sugar down in the cell and left.

She then grabbed her staff and headed up the stairs toward the exit. As she undid the barrier and stepped outside, the cold winter mountain air hit her cheeks.

Listening closely, she could faintly hear the sound of explosions carried by the wind.

‘Well, he should be on time.’

*******************************

The man with the bird-like mask felt uneasy.

Today was supposed to be a turning point for the church. The beginning of a plan to step out of the shadows and embrace the continent. Unintentionally, thanks to this girl, they were about to take that first step. So, he should be happy.

‘Something feels off…’

He couldn’t shake the strange discomfort.

First, Louveci was being too friendly.

He had confirmed her decisiveness and love for the church however something about it felt off.

‘Am I just feeling this way because I want to antagonize her?’

They had been close for so long. Though they had drifted apart at some point, she had always been friendly toward him so it wasn’t strange.

Maybe he just wanted to reject her deep down, so he was overthinking.

He knew he was being overly sensitive. He decided to dismiss it as paranoia.

Next were the guards outside.

The communication with the guards stationed around the mountain had started to drop one by one. With only an hour left until the baptism, it was suspicious. He had sent crows to investigate, but the cause wasn’t clear.

‘…I should move up the timeline.’

Things had already been chaotic yesterday. With the Advent festival, the paladins might be looking for an excuse to cause trouble.

Claude put down the scalpel he had been cleaning and looked around.

He had prepared everything so that the surgery could be done immediately after the baptism, but it seemed he would have to postpone it.

Even though Louveci had shown decisiveness, if she found out about this surgical plan, she would surely raise hell.

It was a shame, but there was no other choice. He had used up a lot of reserve bodies manifesting a portion of the evil god’s power to deal with Louveci yesterday. He needed to be cautious for a while.

Greed would only lead to losing everything. He should be grateful just for bringing back the girl who could calm the evil god.

‘Speaking of which, what about the boy…’

If the girl Louveci had her eye on had such power, what about the boy?

The child who had supposedly wiped out the fusion creature in the underground waterways in an instant.

Once this was over, he would have to deal with that boy too. No matter how clever he was, he was still just a child. Everything was within his grasp.

Leaving his private room, Claude surveyed the altar where preparations for the baptism were underway. He stood there for a long time, satisfied with everything.