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chapter 31
With a confident expression, Bilrode stretched out his arm, trying to snatch the holy relic from Yurian’s hands. Yurian glared at him sharply—then suddenly opened her mouth and took a deep breath.
“Ha!”
The moment that shout—like a battle cry—burst from Yurian’s lips, stars exploded before Bilrode’s eyes. A thunderous crack, loud enough to make one think something had detonated, swept around the chapel before slamming straight into his ears.
The pain came after.
A sharp agony struck his forehead, dizziness washed over him, and his legs gave out. He collapsed on the spot. His vision blurred, and the last thing he remembered was Yurian looking down at him with cold, indifferent eyes.
Those humiliating memories flooded back all at once.
Bilrode shot upright.
“What the hell is ‘Ha,’ you crazy bitch?!”
Still not fully recovered from the blow, he stormed out of the room in a rage, ignoring Angela’s attempts to stop him.
His destination was obvious.
Yurian’s room.
* * *
“Hohohoho! Finally, that piece-of-shit X-mark is gone!”
After sleeping a full seven uninterrupted hours for the first time in ages, Yurian’s eyes sparkled, and her skin glowed with vitality. The cursed X-shaped mark that had stubbornly marred her face whenever she looked in the mirror was now completely gone—without a trace.
She smiled at her reflection, satisfied, brimming with confidence, and just a little theatrically—like a villain from a novel. Behind her, Sol’s three adjutants applauded in perfect unison.
“Flawless and radiant!”
“This is truly wonderful.”
“Wow! You could overthrow the Holy Kingdom with that beauty alone!”
“Thank you.”
Though Yurian had successfully repented before dozens of witnesses and was no longer a sinner, the temple requested that she remain on-site. Officially, it was for her protection—after all, fanatical believers had attacked her the day before—but everyone knew the real reason was the holy relic she possessed.
Even though their intentions were painfully obvious, Yurian accepted. From the beginning, she had intended to help others repent. And now that she’d acquired this Repentance Rod (Physical), wouldn’t it be better to stay near sinners and work even harder?
In return, she requested that Sol’s three adjutants be allowed to stay as her guards. It was partly for her own safety, but more importantly, she worried about Sol, who couldn’t use aura—and still bore the mark of a sinner.
After yesterday’s incident, the main temple banned all outsiders from entering the annex that included their living quarters. The holy knights protested the idea of outside guards, but who cared? With the High Priest’s approval, a dramatic compromise was reached.
“Kah! Our prodigal son has returned! Lady Yurian, stand where we can see the relic properly—wow, incredible!”
“Sir Roxita, that’s enough.”
“Holding a holy relic after being cleansed of sin—why, you’re practically a saint! No, with a relic of your own, aren’t you higher than the High Priest? Why not conquer the Holy Kingdom while you’re at it?”
“Sir Roxita—.”
That’s enough already.
Listening to Roxita’s nonstop chatter since morning, Yurian seriously questioned why she’d insisted on having three guards. She should’ve just glued Roxita to Sol.
“That’s enough foolishness.”
Sol finally snapped at Roxita, clearly fed up. Unlike when Yurian spoke to him, Roxita instantly snapped to attention and shouted, “Understood!”
Yurian shot him a flat glare.
This bastard, seriously…
Still, rather than scolding him further, she focused on Sol, who looked vaguely uncomfortable. It made sense—while she was acting as if everything had been resolved, he hadn’t even found a clue to his own problem yet.
She cautiously searched for comforting words.
“Um, Sol… don’t rush yourself too much—”
“Even before obtaining the holy relic, Lady Yuri was always perfect. Please don’t trouble her now with obvious reassurances.”
“Understood!”
…Well, so much for comforting him.
Alright then. If he’s not upset, that’s good enough—even if the embarrassment is always mine.
“Ahem! So, Sol—are you okay where you got hit by the stone?”
“Yes. It was just a scratch. I apologize for worrying you.”
“It’s your body—nothing to apologize for. Honestly, I felt so bad that I wished I’d been the one hurt instead. I even lost sleep for days over it… though what does my heart even matter.”
With skin gleaming from sleep and oil, Yurian lied through her teeth without missing a beat.
Of course she was grateful he’d saved her—but that didn’t mean he should’ve taken the hit for her. He’d bled. That alone made her genuinely wish she’d been the one injured instead.
And despite her painfully obvious exaggeration, Sol panicked, not knowing how to respond. Watching him wilt like a scolded puppy made Yurian feel both amused and oddly tender.
Our kid is really… too kind and soft for his own good.
Her hand lifted instinctively toward his head—
Then stopped midair.
She remembered how he’d avoided her before.
“Sol… won’t you explain it now?”
“E-explain what?”
“Why you ran away when I touched your cheek.”
She asked gently, dropping her playful tone. Yurian trusted—without a shred of doubt—that whatever his reason was, it hadn’t come from bad intentions.
But Sol couldn’t answer easily.
Unable to meet her gaze, he looked away, then finally clenched his lips and bowed his head.
“Sol, my sin was sloth. After becoming a sinner, I couldn’t sleep anymore—couldn’t be lazy even if I wanted to. That means the changes after the lightning strike tell us why someone became a sinner. Look at Bilrode—his bullshit is completely transparent.”
“Lady Yuri, I—”
“Bullshit? Excuse me?!”
Just as Sol was about to speak, an uninvited guest barged in.
The door flew open without a knock.
Bilrode.
Every gaze in the room snapped toward him. Startled, he froze mid-step.
“—Let’s talk, Yurian Barf.”
He seemed ready to charge in, but after noticing the number of witnesses, he cleared his throat and straightened up.
So he does care about appearances. Typical minor duke—hard to tell whether that’s honesty or just vulgar pride.
Bilrode stood there deliberately, eyebrows raised into a V-shape, maintaining eye contact with Yurian—as if expecting an invitation and tea.
“‘Yurian Barf’?”
Yurian was not impressed.
She repeated the name with a puzzled look, then got up and walked toward him.
“No one by that name lives here.”
And slammed the door shut right in his face.
The instant humiliation blew Bilrode’s fuse. Enraged, he shoved his way inside without permission.
If he was going to do whatever he wanted anyway, why pretend to wait?
He sprawled onto the only sofa like it was his own room, leaving everyone speechless.
“Let’s talk.”
“Wow. Guess that really is a holy relic. I hit you hard enough to knock you out, yet you’re perfectly fine.”
“You—! That vulgar mouth of yours! Even if you were expelled from Latem, you still carry Barf blood! Have you abandoned even the bare minimum of dignity? How much more are you planning to disgrace me?!”
Disgrace you? Please.
We’re not even family on paper anymore—what exactly is he embarrassed about?
Yurian ignored him entirely and casually picked her ear with her pinky.
Bilrode’s fists trembled with rage—but then he noticed Bartholomew standing silently behind her, eyes gleaming ominously.
Without realizing it, he turned his head away.
