episode_0091

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In the dim light of dawn, three figures were rushing toward the church, yet only the footsteps of two could be heard.

“Oppa, are you cold?”

“No. Not cold… just a little embarrassed.”

“Hold on a bit longer. We’ll be there soon. You were the one who insisted we get there as fast as possible, no matter the method. More importantly, the plan is solid, right?”

“Yeah. As long as you two manage to infiltrate successfully.”

“No need to worry about that. There isn’t a single bold soul in there who’d dare call me out. And I don’t plan on getting caught in the first place anyway.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

“Orabuni, double-check if the magic is foolproof. You’re absolutely, completely sure it won’t affect your body, right? No lingering mental interference later, no damage to your prophetic abilities, nothing like that?”

“No. Nothing like that!”

Even as they went over the plan, staying pressed against Chris was still a little embarrassing. But considering the range of the concealment magic and the most efficient movement speed, this was the only way.

Yet, that didn’t mean all their problems were solved.

“What’s the plan once we reach the church? You must have something in mind, right?”

No matter how much the church was like Cecilia’s home turf, if they couldn’t even get inside, the whole thing would be pointless. Cecilia herself had said there was a secret entrance only she knew, so she wasn’t worried—but as far as I knew, there was no backdoor to the capital’s church.

“I’ll tell you when we get there. It’s a little… awkward to explain in advance. Just hold on a little longer, Eric.”

“Sigh…”

After a few more minutes of obediently clinging to Chris as they ran, Cecilia suddenly stopped in a back alley.

“We’re here. Chris, let Eric down.”

“Got it.”

Nodding at Chris, who gently set me down as though lowering a princess, I glanced around.

“What the—this is the complete opposite direction of the church. Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

No matter where I looked, there were only walls. This place had absolutely no connection to the church. Hell, the church itself was barely visible in the distance.

“Cecilia unnie must have her reasons, but even I’m not sure. Why are we here? I’d normally be all for catching petty thieves, but now isn’t the time.”

“Just wait. This is the right place. I’m sure it was around here… Hmm, where was it?”

As she spoke, Cecilia crouched low to the ground and began crawling carefully, as if searching for a dropped coin.

“What’s she doing?”

“No idea.”

“Not here… hmm, not here either… Oh, found it!”

Fortunately, Cecilia’s odd behavior only lasted about a minute.

“Here. Right here.”

Following her beckoning hand, I stepped forward—

“What’s supposed to be here?”

“It just looks like floor tiles. Is there something invisible to us, unnie?”

Just as Chris said, the spot where Cecilia had stopped us was completely barren. Nothing but identical walls and pavement lay ahead and behind.

“Ah. Seems neither of you can tell. Just a moment.”

Cecilia carefully ran her hands over the ground. With movements as precise as a surgeon locating the exact spot for a needle, her fingers hovered over a specific point.

“Chris, I’ll need a sound barrier. It’s going to be loud.”

“Huh? Sure.”

Once the barrier was in place, Cecilia flashed a satisfied smile—

“Hup.”

—and without hesitation, smashed her fist down.

BOOM!

CRACKLE—

Even if she wasn’t a physical fighter, a fist charged with holy power packed an excessive amount of force. If not for the sound barrier, the explosive noise would’ve reached not only the nearby residents but likely the church itself, making them think something had detonated.

“Have you lost your mind?!”

“Don’t worry. The barrier’s up, and I wasn’t even breaking the actual pavement.”

“Not the pavement… then what—? Huh?”

Only then did I realize what Cecilia had shattered. The pavement itself was unharmed—but where her fist had struck yawned a hole large enough to fit a person comfortably.

“A sewer?”

“Close. More accurately, it’s one of the capital’s underground facilities built by Ellia.”

“So this is where all that money unnie rakes in goes?”

“Yep. Though, this is a secret known only to a select few in the Imperial household and the higher-ups in the church. Being a Saintess candidate, I just happened to hear bits and pieces.”

“This is the Empire’s sewage system?”

Peering into the hole, I could see an unusually wide tunnel stretching far below, easily several times broader than a typical sewer pipe.

“Both drinking water and wastewater flow through here. Of course, the pipes and schedules are strictly separated, so there’s no risk of cross-contamination.”

“And why are we here again?”

“To go in, obviously.”

“What?”

“Chris, undo the barrier and fix this up, would you?”

“Sigh, always leaving the annoying work to me.”

“Right person for the right job.”

Without hesitation, Cecilia slid straight inside.

“Huh?”

“What are you waiting for, oppa? Get in. I still have to undo the barrier, patch this up, and reapply the concealment magic. I’ve got a lot to do.”

“Wait, at least explain a li—WOAH-!”

Evidently deciding I didn’t need explanations, Chris kicked me straight into the hole.

“Come on down.”

The moment I landed, I saw Cecilia crouched a short distance ahead in the tunnel. While the passage was spacious, it wasn’t roomy enough to turn around comfortably, so I couldn’t see her face.

“You do realize how dangerous what we’re doing is, right?”

Wastewater was unpleasant enough on its own, but one wrong move and poisonous gases from it could suffocate us. Even prisoners knew better than to ever escape through sewage ducts.

Yet Cecilia answered calmly.

“It’s fine. Almost no one uses water at this hour. Even if they do, I can block it easily.”

“You did say there was a backdoor. That’s why I followed you.”

“My goodness, a backdoor is a backdoor, isn’t it? This is the best way to avoid detection. No matter what door you use, there’s bound to be guards—so the only option is entering where there is no door, right? I’m just choosing the method with the highest success rate and least collateral damage.”

Plop—

A light thud came from behind as Chris landed.

“We can move now. I’ve undone the barrier and fixed the hole.”

“Thanks, Chris.”

“Hold on a second. Why break the damn thing anyway? If you knew the sewer entrance, we could’ve just gone straight in. Why go through all that trouble?”

“Do you think unnie’s an idiot? Of course, security for something like this would be top-notch. Imagine some psycho dumping black magic or poison in here. It’s only natural to hide it as much as possible.”

“Chris is right.”

Crawling forward, Cecilia added,

“Eric, your mana sensitivity is low, so you wouldn’t notice, but if you examine the surroundings closely, you’ll see this facility is designed to minimize interference with the capital’s environment. That makes it inherently closed off—anyone attempting to damage it or even use mana carelessly could cause irreversible harm. There’s a reason Ellia prioritizes secrecy. Even Chris had no clue until I pointed it out earlier.”

“Yeah. I only sensed it after unnie broke the pavement.”

“You’re telling me this pipeline spans the entire Imperial capital? Designed for an area that large?”

I wasn’t exactly an expert on the Empire, but this was a massive city housing hundreds of thousands. Keeping something like this entirely secret—even for someone like Ellia—was absurd.

“Of course not. Ellia doesn’t have the time, budget, or manpower to extend this to commonfolk districts. That’s something only possible if she becomes Empress. For now, it’s limited to the Imperial Palace and high-ranking nobles’ mansions—easier to expand later with less backlash.”

Smooth talk coming from someone who already knows exactly how it’ll play out.

“Then let me rephrase the question—we did just punch a hole to get in, right?”

“Yes. Officially, the only repair access points are in the Imperial Palace. I only broke through because this was the shallowest segment. Ellia shared quite a few handy secrets during our chats.”

“So let me guess—we’re also punching our way out when we leave?”

“Yes.”

“Through the church floor?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Haha, sure.”

I gave up questioning further. After all this, what couldn’t we do?

At worst, punching a hole or two through the church floor was hardly the most outrageous thing anymore.