Episode 113
Damien Portier.
At the sudden mention of the name, Lillian unconsciously took a step back, startled.
Her head felt dizzy, as if she had been hit. She had forgotten for a while, but she hadn’t completely forgotten.
At some point, she had vaguely thought they would meet again. The end with Damien wasn’t just empty words, but not all the time they spent together was bad. There were times when she thought she might see his face again someday.
But what…?
“Why… Damien?”
“Whether you know it or not, Damien Portier was the owner of immense divine power and unusually held an unofficial position as a subdeacon. If it weren’t for his noble status, he probably would have received baptism and entered the temple right away.”
The fact that Damien was an “unofficial” subdeacon meant two things.
First, he hadn’t been baptized yet.
And second, he had been promised baptism in the future.
“Originally, Damien Portier was very favorable to the temple. He had such an exemplary attitude that no one doubted he would become the next pope.”
It was only natural, given his considerable divine power and talent.
The problem arose three years ago.
Despite unusually mastering changing faces through divine power and having high proficiency in divine power, Damien suddenly declared that he wouldn’t receive baptism.
—You helped us even with such deeds because you said you would bring Lady Maynard here, but what’s left now? I won’t cooperate with you anymore. That girl Lillian seems like she’s going to be a real headache for the temple now, so I’d rather do this alone.
This was quite a predicament for the temple.
First of all, the fact that Damien knew a lot about the temple’s internal affairs was a problem. And his divine power was substantial, which was also an issue.
From the temple’s perspective, they couldn’t afford to let him go.
“However, baptism cannot proceed without the consent of the party involved. It was very difficult… We spent a lot of effort, but in the end, there was nothing we could do.”
What “there was nothing we could do” meant was simple.
Ultimately, unable to obtain Damien’s consent, they forcibly absorbed him into the crystal.
Thus, they created perfect silence, perfect secrecy, and even stronger divine power.
Just from this brief story, Lillian felt she understood how the temple had managed to sustain itself until now.
And how the daughters of the moon had been exploited.
“So, until now… if you didn’t receive baptism, you were put into the crystal? Both the daughters of the moon and others? And now, you’re planning to do the same to me?”
“I do not wish for such a situation. It would be a tragic event.”
Although Kaden was turning his words around, there was no denial. Lillian gnawed on the inside of her cheek.
Meanwhile, Kaden’s words continued.
“Lillian Maynard, I understand that you have never lived a smooth life. There are certainly opinions within the temple that we should completely erase you… but I do not wish for such extreme consequences. We can work together in the name of the Lord.”
“It’s because of you that I’ve never lived a smooth life.”
“I regret that. However, if you think about it differently, receiving baptism would mean no more unhappiness, wouldn’t it?”
“…Your words sound nice.”
Lillian’s fingernails dug into her palms. Before she knew it, her palms were sweaty.
“Think carefully. If you receive baptism, Theodor will also be able to avoid punishment for this incident. If you receive the Holy Father’s permission, there will be no difficulty in marrying the person you desire.”
If she wanted, Theodore Keng and her future could be dreamed of too.
The additional words were highly tempting. They were simply saying that if Lillian received baptism and became a servant of the temple, everything would be happy and comfortable.
Even though she knew it was nonsense, Lillian felt confused.
‘I have to make a decision now that I’ve come this far.’
There was no way to escape anymore. The temple was persistent. Lillian already felt this fact through Agnes’s case and her own experiences so far.
‘Even if I try to escape from here, the temple will somehow bring me back.’
And maybe there won’t be another chance. If, for example, they made Lillian lose consciousness and absorbed her into the crystal, wouldn’t there be no way for Lillian to resist?
Moreover, Lillian was no longer alone. The temple already had Theo as a hostage.
Theo also had another hostage, the Maryfield Orphanage, and was even under the temple’s influence.
As long as those constraints were effective, Lillian couldn’t completely escape from the temple.
“’There’s only one answer.’
Submit.
Or end it here.
Lillian discreetly put her hand into her pocket. The dagger slipped into her hand like fate.
‘If I destroy the crystal, the temple won’t be able to chase me anymore.’
But that’s a gamble.
Kaden exuded considerable sanctity, and just from their brief confrontation, Lillian could tell that his skill was not insignificant. Lillian, who could hardly use sanctity except for simple attacks, was an opponent she couldn’t dare to underestimate.
‘But what if I create an opening for just a moment?’
Lillian glanced at the slightly slumped Theo.
If Theo got up, it would be a 2:1 situation. Of course, one was on Lillian’s side.
Since Theo was under the temple’s influence, he couldn’t help Lillian. Now was the time, while Theo was asleep.
‘I have to end it before the situation gets worse.’
Lillian swallowed dryly and spoke up.
“…I’ll take the baptism.”
“Wise decision. Come this way.”
Kaden smiled kindly and gestured towards the crystal.
“The baptism will be over soon. Once this is done, everyone in the temple will adore you.”
To think they’d talk about adoration after chasing her to kill her. Lillian chuckled inwardly.
“What if they don’t adore me?”
“Whether they adore you or not, you’re free to kill or torture as you please.”
It was a sinister statement, but Kaden’s face as he said it was oddly kind.
“Because you deserve that right.”
The fact that there was no pretense in either option made Lillian feel even more torn.
A person who can smile while saying they can kill others. Is this what fanaticism is?
As Lillian slowly approached, Kaden reached out with a gentle face.
“Please, give me your hand. I’ll recite the baptismal rites.”
“…Alright.”
Once she took that hand, the baptism would begin. Lillian slowly raised her hand.
And the moment Lillian’s hand overlapped with Kaden’s palm.
“Ah!”
Kaden screamed in agony, doubling over. The kind smile that had been on his face was now grotesquely twisted in pain. The reason was that the moment Lillian’s hand touched his, she pushed all her strength of sanctity into him.
“You, you damn bitch!”
It worked.
Without looking back, Lillian pulled out the dagger from her pocket. And she struck straight towards the crystal.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
There was a sharp sound, and her wrist tingled, but there wasn’t even a scratch on the crystal.
Because she had pushed all her sanctity into attacking Kaden, the dagger didn’t carry much sanctity. Lillian gritted her teeth and struck the dagger down onto the crystal again.
“Please, please!”
Clang! Clang!
‘Just activate, damn it!’
When she struck for the third time, her wrist twisted and she couldn’t overpower it.
“No!”
Lillian reflexively screamed, but the twisted wrist couldn’t hold onto anything.
With a loud noise, the dagger fell to the corner of the room.
To Theo, who had just regained consciousness and had been lying in the corner the whole time.
