Chapter 23

Just before Leo swung the sword at Heath, I pushed Leo away with divine magic and ran to Heath. And I blocked Leo with the most pitiful and sad expression. It was my only idea to avoid the other knights somehow.

“Stop it, Sir Leo.”

Then Leo straightened his sword again and shrugged.

“This man tried to use Lady Julia as a resurrection sacrifice. Do you still side with him?”

Heath clenched his jaw. It was a sharp reaction. But it can’t be. I said, shaking my head.

“Heath can’t do that. Heath didn’t know anything. Isn’t that right?”

“The tears of the goddess and the reincarnation of the golden goddess. Didn’t you know that these two things were needed to completely unseal the Demon King?”

When my trembling eyes turned to Heath, Heath barely opened his mouth. However, what flowed out through the gap in his lips was a word that went against my expectation.

“It is true that Gremia said that.”

My heart was pounding.

“Did you know… that?”

“…….”

“Answer me, Heath. Did you know?”

“……Yes.”

“……!”

I thought it was strange.

They only slept once, yet he asked me to marry him, and he was so kind to me given that I am a saint of the temple. Also, he seemed to have forgotten about finding the “reincarnation of the golden goddess”.

What if it was all a lie? What if he was just using me, waiting for the right time to use me as an offering? This side was more realistic than the ridiculous story of him falling in love with me at first sight.

I thought Heath’s behavior was strange, but I didn’t think deeply about it. I didn’t want to think. Because I was pleased at his behavior.

“Julia! That’s not it. That’s what Gremia told me, but to sacrifice Julia, that’s…….”

“Don’t come near me!”

Heath reached out, but I edged back away from his hand. Behind me was a lake with warm heat. Just a few days ago, I met Heath here…….

Heath washed my body with warm hot spring water as if I was something very precious. It was only a few days ago yet it felt very far away.

My goal was to get 100,000 gold in ransom and go south. But when Heath was being friendly, I thought maybe it would be okay to stay in the Demon realm. Whenever I saw Heath’s amethyst-colored eyes, I felt a warm breeze in my heart. His gaze was better than a good meal or a comfortable life.

But Heath needed a temple saint, not me. I felt sick and tired of the sacred power in my body.

If I could, I’d like to take this power off and give it back to the goddess Gremia. Then I wouldn’t have to taste this terrible feeling.

“Keep away from Julia.”

Fortunately, Heath’s face was invisible because Leo blocked Heath with a sword. I couldn’t stand his purple eyes now. For the first time, I thanked this honest knight.

I saw the diamond bracelet that Heath gave me. It was very beautiful and expensive, but I was always wearing it because I was happy when Heath said it looked good on me. But it was a bracelet with a tracking spell. Yeah, he couldn’t let the sacrifice run away. It was ridiculous to be happy without knowing it.

I took off my bracelet and held it in my hand and asked.

“Did you give this to keep an eye on me, too? In case the sacrifice runs away?”

“That’s not it. Julia, please listen to me.”

Heath overtook Leo and approached me. I ignored him and gathered divine power in my hands. I was about to break the bracelet with divine magic.

But at that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. I stiffened myself as I felt the pain in my chest, as if something was digging my chest with a knife.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“Julia!”

When I fell to the floor with my hands shaking, Heath, who was surprised, removed his magic and ran to me. But Leo was faster. Leo, who hugged my shoulder and supported me, didn’t look surprised at all. On the contrary, he felt cold instead of calm.

No way.

“If you rest for a while, we’ll take you to a safe place.”

“Don’t tell me, ugh, the medicine…….”

When was it? As I remembered, I was drinking the soup Leo had served me a while ago. Did he put some medicine in the soup? But what about Leo, the captain of the Order of the Holy Father?

“Why, heuk… What did you…”

My voice didn’t come out properly. My remaining words were almost swallowed up by my wheezing breath. Heath, who was about to run to me, stopped at Leo’s restraint. Heath’s face was seen tingling with anxiety.

“It’s just a medicine to make you fall asleep for a while. When you open your eyes, you would have arrived in a safe place.”

However, instead of sleeping, my mind only became clear. The pain that began in my chest soon spread throughout my body. Now, it was so hard to move a finger because of the pain.

“Ugh, Ugh…”

Leo’s complexion changed as I continued to suffer. The situation seemed contrary to his plan. Far from sleeping, I gasped in pain.

“Well, what the hell…. W, what medicine?”

Normal medicine doesn’t work for me. This is because the latent sacred power in my body neutralizes the toxicity of a drug. The same is true of Leo, a holy knight. So he would have to use some special medicine.

For example, the medicine made by the demons.

“It’s too late.”

Unfortunately, my prediction was exactly right. A person suddenly appeared in front of me with a flash of light. It was Grand Duke Keith. Twisting his lips, Keith looked down at me.

“It’s a poison that spreads to the heart in 10 minutes. Stop the pointless struggle.”

“………Grand Duke Keith!”

Leo put me down and got up. And with the sword in his hand, he attacked Keith straight away. The blade flew in in a large arc, but Archduke Keith avoided it leisurely. Leo chewed his lips and shouted.

“It’s not what you told me, isn’t it? Didn’t you say it was a medicine that will make her fall asleep?”

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