IBWMD 139

~Chapter 139~

Clatter, clatter.

We moved quickly through the underground halls of the Grand Temple, half-running.

Before long, Karl whispered:
“This is strange.”

“It is.”

I nodded at his words.

It made sense that there were fewer people than usual.
The New Year’s Festival had passed, and the city was restless because of the cultist hunts.
On top of that, Reina had thrown an enormous banquet.

“Well… when the Empire’s greatest lady, the Rose of the Social World, holds a ball to find a fiancé, of course everyone will go watch.”

Karl raised a brow as he ran.
“Fiancé?”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t you say your sister was already engaged?”

“Ah, that.”

Reina had made a huge decision.

“I’m planning to break it off. I already sent a letter to the South.”

I’d been shocked when she told me. My jaw had dropped, and she only shrugged like it was nothing.

“You remember what you once told me… about that arranged fiancé, the naval secretary I’ve never even met? I’ve been thinking of it a lot lately.”

“So it’s my fault?!”

“When I saw you find real love, I decided too.”

“…You’re breaking it off just for that?”

“Half an excuse, really. But think—if the Rose of the Social World breaks her engagement and holds a ball to choose a new fiancé, won’t every noble in the capital come?”

She was right. It would draw all attention away, leaving me the chance to slip into the Temple.

“Does Father know?”

“Everyone but Father. It’s a surprise.”

Reina had patted my shoulder again and again.
“Leave this to me. You just come back safe, little sister. Don’t you dare get hurt.”

“…Alright. Because Reina’s doing this much for me.”

All the capital’s eyes would be on the Marquisate.
And yet…

“Still too quiet, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“It was too easy.”

“You’re right.”

Normally, the Temple’s defenses were tight. The Holy Knights guarded it strictly.
But tonight, not even half the usual number were here.

It was as if they had cleared the path for us.
As if they’d rolled out a red carpet.

“Think it’s a trap?”

“Could be.”

“What do you think?”

I tapped the bag holding the Eyeball. The thing shivered. That was probably agreement.

“We should be ready, at least.”

“Even if we’re ready, it won’t stop it.”

“Knowing is better than not knowing.”

I took the Eyeball out. It blinked at Karl and me, then pointed with a glance down one of the halls.

“At least we’ve got a guide.”

We turned the corner—

Bang! Bang!

Something slammed hard against metal.

“…Karl!”

We froze. The echo told us where it came from.

“That’s the underground prison.”

“The Temple has a prison?”

“Yes. A real one, not like the village holding cells. They keep heretics and cultists there. But it hasn’t been used in years.”

Bang! Bang!

Then came a cry.

“Ugh!”

“…Captain!”

It was Ista’s voice.

The Eyeball, meanwhile, kept pointing insistently in the opposite direction.

I sighed and handed it to Karl.
“You go ahead! If this is a trap—”

“No.”

“Karl!”

“I told you. I won’t go unless it’s with you.”

“You stubborn man!”

Bang! Bang!

The banging grew louder.

Without hesitation, I ran toward the underground prison.

“Captain!”

“…Elaine?”

I quickly found his cell.
Everywhere else was empty. Only this one was occupied.

I checked the surroundings—no hidden traps, no ambush.
But in some of the empty cells, strange magic circles were drawn. Dark, cultist symbols.

“So the Temple really is using black magic…”

It was too cliché. Of course the Pope was the villain.
And all that “cultist crackdown” had just been an excuse.
They hadn’t even searched the abandoned houses where cultists would really hide—that’s why Karl and I hadn’t been caught sooner.

Likely those “cultists” had been working for the Pope all along.

“Done!”

“I erased these too.”

As I rubbed away the circles, I thought grimly:
‘But what benefit does the Emperor get, siding with the Pope?’

Even the imperial knights and guards were mixed in with the soldiers patrolling the city.
And the treason letters too.

“Are they working together?”

But why would the Emperor ally with the Pope? He had nothing to gain.

“Elaine!”

Ista’s voice pulled me back.

I tore off my helmet and rushed to his cell.
Through the small barred window, only his eyes were visible.

“It really is you.”

He sounded confused.
“Did you get caught too?”

“…Normally, wouldn’t you ask if I came to rescue you?”

“With you, there’s a chance you’d say, ‘Actually, I got caught too.’”

“You used to praise me!”

“You’re a good lieutenant. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t get jailed for trouble.”

“Too harsh… but fair!”

Even while bickering, I raised my musket and smashed the lock.

Clang! Clang!

After several heavy strikes, the door broke open.

I rushed in.
“Captain, let’s go. Do you know where the Pope is—”

“Wait. It’s not just me. We need to take her too.”

“Her?”

Puzzled, I turned my head—

Rustle.

A long-haired, silver-haired woman slowly lifted her tear-stained face.
Sharp nose, small red lips, sorrowful blue eyes that shimmered.

The moment our eyes met, my body froze as if struck by lightning.

“Elaine?”

“….”

“Wait…”

I knew her. I had never seen her face before, but I knew.

How?

Then it struck me.

A line from the original story I had once read flashed through my mind:

[After Reina left for Saint Portu, Ista buried himself in missions—extra shifts, endless work.
There, he met her.
A woman caring for the poor in an abandoned temple, exploited by priests.
He punished their corruption and helped her on a whim.
She had begged him for a name, but he left without a word.
She—Saint Mariana—came to the capital, searching for him…]

“That he would one day be bound to her—he never imagined.”

I murmured the line aloud without realizing.

“Elaine? Bound to her?”

Karl’s eyes narrowed.
“…Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for that woman?”

I couldn’t even retort this time.

Because when I called her name—

“Mariana?”

The silver-haired woman’s eyes trembled as she met my gaze.