episode_0064

“We’ve successfully infiltrated. You do have a plan, right?”

“Nope, not really.”

While Eric and the others were investigating Priest Gillis’s corruption from the outside, Christine and Cecilia were quietly conversing inside the church.

“Hasn’t infiltrating this secret space of the church already accomplished most of the plan?”

“I’m not the only one who knows about this place. The high-ranking priests, and especially the inquisitors—they all know about this passageway.”

Though the two had infiltrated a place ordinary people wouldn’t dare approach, there wasn’t a trace of unease in their demeanor.

“Relax. Even without a plan, the two of us are more than enough for today.”

“No plan at all?”

“Don’t overthink it, unnie. We just smash or disable everything in our way and escape. Simple, right?”

“If everything went as smoothly as Chris says, the word ‘plan’ wouldn’t even need to exist.”

“And this isn’t a plan?”

Christine looked at Cecilia as if to ask what she was talking about.

“Unnie. Think about it. At this point, is there anyone in the Empire who can stand against us and win?”

“Elia and Lucilla. Eric too, I suppose.”

“Oppa?”

“So, Chris, if Eric came to kill us, could you even resist?”

“…Excluding those three.”

“Then no.”

Though Christine and Cecilia were still students, their combat experience and knowledge were already that of seasoned warriors. Having fought on the frontlines against the Demon King’s army, they could easily overpower those softened by the current peace.

No matter how intense one’s training or how great their power, will and experience can never be replaced.

“That’s what I’m saying. Right now, we don’t need to worry about being caught. Let’s just hurry.”

“Oh?”

“Even if there’s no one who can beat us in a fight, running into dawdling priests or inquisitors would still be a hassle. And unnie, you haven’t finished filtering the people in the church yet, have you?”

“Filtering? I would never do something so arrogant—”

“Then let’s call it weeding out the trash that could get in Oppa’s way. Even I’m not cruel enough to make you deal with all the fence-sitters.”

Even if it wasn’t Eric’s plan, unifying the human forces was a necessity, not a choice, in preparation for the coming war. Thus, cleaning up the church—the easiest center of power to control—was the most crucial first step.

“Chris. What if, by any chance, we—”

“Even if we fail, Oppa must have his own backup plans. He always plans in layers—double, triple contingencies. Though we’re the ones who ignored all of them.”

Eric, who always assumed the worst, would undoubtedly have prepared alternatives even if one plan failed.

But those alternatives always came at the cost of him moving more and sacrificing more.

“We can’t let Eric suffer like that again.”

“Agreed. Let’s get moving. We can have this pointless talk anytime later.”

Chris kicked off the ground and dashed ahead, with Cecilia following close behind.

“How far are we investigating today?”

“Just confirming Fairchild’s location and existence. Taking it down now would be too much for us in our current state.”

“True. Even at full strength, it’d be a close call…”

“Personally, I’d love to have Lucilla with us, but that would raise the risks too much.”

“Huh? I get Elia unnie, but why Lucilla unnie?”

“It’s not us who’d be in danger—it’s Lucilla. Until she draws the Holy Sword, she must appear as nothing more than an ordinary student.”

A prodigy destined for success from the start becoming the Hero is one thing, but a merely talented ordinary girl becoming the Hero garners far more support from everyone.

“Do you think Lucilla just swings her sword quietly even though she’s in the student council? You’ve handled the paperwork for recruiting new members in her place every day, too.”

“No, I just thought she was upset a commoner took a noble’s spot—wait, hold on.”

Christine was impressed.

“So Lucilla unnie has been moving with that in mind since the regression? Because it makes it easier for Oppa to act?”

“Elia may be the most knowledgeable among us, but Lucilla is the wisest.”

“Honestly, not a single one of us can let our guard down—Stop!”

Christine’s sharp voice cut through the air.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something’s triggered.”

Though Christine had been called overly cautious by Lucilla, she wasn’t all that different herself.

Never knowing when or where something might happen, she always kept her self-developed mana-detection spell active in all directions. And after infiltrating the church’s secret passage, she had cranked its sensitivity to the maximum.

“An artifact, perhaps? This passage connects not just to Fairchild but also to the treasury. If we search carefully, we might even find holy relics, no?”

“Should we grab a few?”

“If we do, knocking out a few guards won’t be the end of it. Anyway, what’s this suspicious mana you’re sensing?”

“No. The opposite. There’s already more than enough suspicious mana here. What’s strange is… here.”

Christine pointed not down the straight path but at the wall right beside her.

“What about this wall?”

“I can’t sense any mana at all. My detection spell picks up specific mana or distinguishes foreign mana, but here… it’s not foreign. It’s like there’s just a hole from the start.”

“The mana’s being blocked?”

“Yeah. In a place overflowing with mana, this is the only spot where it’s blocked. Get the picture?”

“So it’s inside there. Think you can open it?”

“Easy.”

Christine pressed her hand against the wall, fiddled with a few bricks, then crouched and forcefully pushed one at the bottom.

Kugugung—

With a loud sound, the wall rolled inward like a door opening.

“Shall we go in?”

Cecilia answered by stepping forward.

After walking for a few minutes, a completely different mana from the earlier void registered in Christine’s senses again.

“You felt that too, right?”

“Yes… It seems the church isn’t that foolish after all.”

“Aren’t they being too careless? Stationing guards here, knowing full well what could happen to them.”

“They must be people they can afford to send despite that. They’re coming. Get ready. You’re the only one who can fight right now.”

Cecilia had trained in basic combat and magic, but against opponents clearly beyond ordinary humans, roles had to be divided.

“I wasn’t a frontline fighter either, you know… I’ll make sure to collect this debt later.”

As she spoke, Christine recalled their past selves.

A formation with only Lucilla at the front, stubbornly breaking through.

A grotesquely unbalanced method where the collapse of the frontline would wipe out the middle and rear ranks—but they had absolute faith that frontline would never break.

“I’ll say this now: we can’t call Lucilla unnie for Fairchild. You’ve prepared countermeasures, right?”

“Don’t worry. I can block that annoying voice of theirs.”

“Without holy relics or the Saintess’s awakening, are you sure? We can still turn back now if it’s too much.”

“I have no intention of retreating. I’m confident we can win. But I’ll explain the details after we take them down.”

“Huh?”

Three surges of mana rushed toward them at high speed.

Christine quickly assessed their nature and deployed her defensive magic at full power. She judged ordinary barriers or shields would shatter instantly—and her choice proved correct.

Kachang—!

With a clear, ringing sound, the multiple layers of Christine’s defenses shattered in an instant.

“—-!”

Men clad head-to-toe in white, their faces hidden behind blank masks with only eyeholes, lunged at the now-exposed Christine and Cecilia.

“Ghk—?!”

Christine barely blocked the first man’s punch by crossing her arms.

“Chris!”

“I’m fine. Still manageable.”

The moment Christine flicked her hand lightly, Cecilia instantly healed the damage.

“As long as it’s not instant death, I can restore you completely, so attack with confidence. Even if it is instant death, as long as the body’s intact, I can revive you~”

“What a comforting cheer. I’d prefer not getting hurt at all, though…”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course not. Just grumbling. Must be nice being a Saintess, huh? Leaving the frontline to a mage while you relax in the back healing.”

“You know that sarcastic tone makes you sound just like Eric, right?”

“Ugh.”

“……”

Christine sighed at the masked men, who had retreated a few steps to assess the situation.

“Sorry, but I’m not confident I can hold back right now. So brace yourselves.”

“Quite the warrior’s talk for someone who can’t even control their strength.”

“Sh-shut up.”