Chapter 171

Chapter 171

“Don’t... don’t go...”

Aria was holding a broken glass in one hand.

The sharp, jagged edge looked like it could cut her at any moment.

In fact, blood was already trickling from her pale hand, likely from the shattered shards.

“Don’t, don’t leave...”

Her trembling eyes reflected her desperation, her posture awkward, making it hard to tell if she intended to stab me or herself.

But her intentions soon became clear.

Aria slowly brought the broken glass toward her opposite wrist.

“I-I’m sorry, Ian. But I... I don’t think I can live without you.”

I had anticipated this.

How much can a person really change?

I never had high expectations of Aria.

Her success always depended on the player’s proper care.

And I knew this as well: she wasn’t the type to be so bold as to truly harm herself. So, I calmly responded to her theatrics.

“Cut.”

“...Huh?”

“Go ahead and cut.”

At my suggestion, Aria’s eyes trembled even more.

Was she shaking from a lack of magnesium?

Of course, this wasn’t the time to recommend supplements, so I stepped closer to her.

“Go on, cut.”

“A...Ah...”

If she couldn’t do it, I’d do it for her.

As I moved forward with that resolve, Aria stumbled backward, step by step.

Thud.

She hit the wall behind her, and the glass shard fell from her grasp.

“...Ugh...”

Tears of despair welled up in her eyes.

But the wound that had been bleeding quickly healed.

The church must have taken precautions against self-harm.

Given her current mental state, it was obvious she would have tried it repeatedly.

There wasn’t a single decent pen in this room, likely for the same reason.

Anything sharp had been removed. Though no one probably anticipated she’d break a glass.

“Sob... Sob...”

Aria cried like her world had shattered.

And it should feel that way.

Ian, her only pillar of support and light, was no longer here.

“Hic...Hic...”

It must feel like someone was choking her, making it hard to breathe.

Like her joints were twisting in agony.

She needed to fall like this.

Only when she hit rock bottom would Aria be able to start again.

Seeing her completely crumble—that’s why I pushed her this far.

“Hic...Hic!”

It seemed my goal had been achieved.

Aria, now utterly broken, crawled across the floor and clung to my pants, begging.

“Don’t go, Ian. I... I have treasures. I’ve also received money. Ian. I have money. Should I give it to you?”

Instead of hurting herself, Aria desperately tried to offer me something.

She’s not entirely clueless, after all.

“I have a lot of money.”

...It was a useless offer for me.

“I-I can’t use it well right now, but I have good divine power... Should I do something for you? Please? Let me? Please?”

“I don’t need it.”

“T-Then...”

I rejected every one of her offers.

Aria started biting her hand anxiously.

There really was nothing more she could offer me.

But still, her eyes darted around, as if refusing to give up.

And then, as if resolving herself, she tugged at her saint robes.

“This is the sacred church and the residence of Lady Aria...!”

The paladin’s face turned red as he shouted in frustration.

I glanced at Aria, who was still lying on the floor, and then turned my attention back to Dave.

“Before that, shouldn’t we first deal with the unresolved issue? Like how you tried to kill me?”

I emphasized the word ‘kill’ so Aria could hear.

As expected, her face turned pale, and she murmured in shock as she looked at Dave.

“Dave, did you really...?”

“No, Lady Saint! It’s a misunderstanding. This b*stard is the one who’s...!”

Dave, who had been muttering defensively, suddenly lashed out.

His anger was directed at me.

— Boom!

I didn’t bother raising my guard. I simply leaned against the wall, watching the fire in his eyes as his punch struck near me.

“Why aren’t you defending yourself?”

I smirked at him.

“You can’t kill me here. Do you know why?”

Just then, Aria, who had staggered over, pushed Dave away.

“Don’t... don’t.”

“Saint candidate?”

As Dave was weakly pushed back, Aria stepped between us, blocking me.

“You... you can’t harm Ian.”

“But I’m doing this for the saint candidate...!”

“Even so, I won’t forgive it.”

Dave’s face crumbled.

After a moment, his expression hardened, and he muttered quietly.

“... An Inquisitor from the Holy Constantine is on their way.”

“Inquisitor?”

An Inquisitor is a title held only by the highest-ranking paladins in Holy Constantine, known for their exceptional skills.

And if someone is simply referred to as the Inquisitor... their power rivals that of dozens of elite warriors.

“Either you’ll be judged, or I will. It’ll be one of us.”

With that, Dave murmured his last words and left the room.

◆

A commotion had stirred in the saint candidate’s quarters.

“By principle, a religious trial should be held immediately.”

This statement came from the highest authority of the Celeste faction of the Deus Church in Lichten.

Archbishop Klaus.

It was no mere coincidence that I found myself meeting this old man again, a man I had once encountered alongside the First Imperial Princess at the Imperial Palace.

“Though the paladin’s sin is far greater than mine.”

“Hahaha! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you.”

In the hierarchy of Holy Constantine’s power within the Deus Church, the order goes like this.

At the top sits the Pope, followed by thirteen archbishops.

In other words, Klaus is one of the top 14 most powerful figures in Holy Constantine.

The fact that he summoned me to his office clearly meant there was a specific reason for this meeting.

I looked around. The office was sparse, almost bare.

‘Is this supposed to be modesty?’

But considering the power he held, I suspected there was more to it than that.

Someone of his stature would not be tied to mere material wealth.

Archbishops are people who have transcended such values.

Even the aura he exuded was extraordinary.

Such individuals cannot be understood with conventional judgments.

You never know what they’re thinking or what they’re seeing.

So, I chose to approach directly, asking him without preamble.

“Why did you call me here?”

He responded first with a benevolent smile before finally speaking.

“I want to tell you an old story.”

“...An old story?”

“Yes, you could even call it a myth.”

After a brief pause, he continued.

“In this world, there exist beings who have crossed over from another dimension.”