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Chapter 320 [Illustration]

“Indeed...” Harriet murmured quietly in response to Riana’s irritated question.

All the contestants were students, but they were all exceptionally good-looking, and if they lacked in appearance, they made up for it with impressive talents.

Ellen was the ninth contestant. Contestant number seven had just finished, and it would soon be Ellen’s turn.

All their classmates, including Connor Lint, were present, but Reinhart was nowhere to be seen.

What was he doing?

Harriet felt conflicted. She didn’t know what Reinhart was up to, but she had assumed he would come. Yet, he hadn’t shown up.

According to Riana, that fifth-year senior hadn’t appeared in the waiting room either, for whatever reason.

What was going on?

‘He should be here, so why isn’t he coming?’

Harriet felt a mix of relief and disappointment at Reinhart’s absence. She knew it was cowardly to hope he wouldn’t come, but she was also afraid to see how Ellen would look that day.

Everyone was puzzled by Reinhart’s absence.

Harriet watched the situation unfold, feeling anxious and uneasy, without even knowing why she was so nervous.

Contestant number seven, who had been trembling slightly, managed to finish their dance number and went backstage. It was now time for contestant number eight.

That person finished, and Harriet’s anxiousness grew.

It was time for contestant number nine.

—Now, we have a contestant from the Royal Class. As you all know, in the Royal Class, their class numbers indicate their skill level. This contestant is from the first-year Class A, and she’s number 2. Please welcome Ellen!

Ellen walked onto the stage, accompanied by the audience’s applause.

“...”

Harriet had known it all along, of course. Although Ellen always wore either her school uniform or her training clothes, Harriet was well aware that Ellen had a striking appearance.

However, seeing Ellen properly dressed up left Harriet in awe. Her mouth fell slightly agape without her realizing it.

Riana seemed to have spent all this time searching for the color that suited Ellen best.

Ellen was wearing a pure white dress, and her hair was tied up with a ribbon as an accent. With her white heels, Ellen stood out so much that even Harriet thought she overshadowed the other contestants.

Riana looked at Ellen with satisfaction, and Ellen’s classmates, as well as the rest of the audience who didn’t know Ellen, stared at her in a daze.

Ellen had diligently practiced smiling, and so the smile she had on was rather convincing.

Looking the way she did, she could stand shoulder to shoulder with Olivia without any shame, Harriet thought.

Ellen stood there with her smile, disregarding the audience’s reaction, peering at the audience as if searching for something. As if searching for someone.

Ellen’s gaze eventually met Harriet’s. She scanned the area around Harriet, as if looking for someone who wasn’t there.

Her gaze returned to Harriet, a questioning look in her eyes.

It seemed she hadn’t found the one she was looking for.

Harriet felt her heart tighten, even though she wasn’t the one on stage.

Ellen’s eyes held a question for Harriet. ‘Isn’t Reinhart here?’

Harriet didn’t know how to respond to that gaze. She couldn’t smile, nor could she cry. She must have made a very strange expression.

Ellen lowered her eyes, as if Harriet’s troubled expression was already an answer.

—Ms. Ellen, do you have a special reason for participating in Miss Temple?

—Oh...

Ellen’s lips trembled. She seemed to want to say something.

Harriet watched as Ellen stood there, trembling slightly, her head lowered.

—Is there someone special you wanted to show this look to today?

There was silence on stage.

Ellen couldn’t answer the host’s question. The question pierced directly into Ellen’s heart.

She needed to say something, but she didn’t know how to say anything to someone who wasn’t there. Harriet gritted her teeth as she watched Ellen struggle.

Just a moment ago, Harriet had thought it was a relief that Reinhart hadn’t come. Seeing Ellen in such a pitiful state, though, Harriet had only one thought in her mind.

Ellen looked like she was about to break.

No matter what, Harriet didn’t want that to happen.

‘Where are you...?’’ Harriet thought as she clenched her fists unconsciously. ‘Where are you and what are you doing...?’

She felt a surge of resentment towards Reinhart for not being there.

***

Sarkegar observed the situation from just outside the abandoned monastery. The monastery, which hadn’t been used in a long time, was massive, and an eerie atmosphere had settled upon it due to its prolonged abandonment.

Sarkegar still didn’t fully understand the situation. He had followed orders and hastened over because there was a need for force, but he still did not understand the full picture. He only knew there were people to rescue and enemies to eliminate.

He didn’t know why, but this mission required them to reveal their existence.

At the moment, though, the objective, as always, was infiltration. This time, it was a rescue mission, not a kidnapping.

Sarkegar transformed into a sparrow and flew over the monastery’s outer wall, entering the monastery with ease. While the security wasn’t tight, there were still guards stationed at various points.

Among them were about twenty elite guards who posed a real threat.

His lord had ordered him to rescue two women: one trapped inside the monastery and another who had just rushed into the monastery.

There were likely more armed personnel capable of using Divine Power within the monastery.

Sarkegar was a demon. While not as vulnerable to Divine Power as the undead Eleris, he still didn’t fare well against it. Infiltrating a place teeming with high-ranking holy knights wasn’t exactly pleasant.

But did he have a choice when it came to carrying out orders?

Sarkegar flew carefully inside the monastery, sensing the presence of others.

He did not need to search meticulously; he could hear an agitated voice coming from a courtyard.

—Where is Adriana?

It was the woman who had just arrived at the monastery.

—That will depend on your answer.

—You already know what my answer will be.

—Then you also know what will happen.

—What do you want?

Sarkegar moved closer to the voices.

A middle-aged man sat on an old chair by a campfire in one of the monastery’s courtyards, flanked by several holy knights. Opposite him stood a young blonde woman in a Temple uniform.

Sarkegar recognized the middle-aged man as Leverier Lanche.

“Return to Ouen. Retract all your previous testimonies and publicly declare your regret.”

“...”

“After which, the Church of the Five Gods, led by the Order of the Holy Knights, will break away from the empire and establish an independent Holy Empire. You will be the first Holy Emperor of that empire.”

“T-that’s... absurd...”

Olivia stared at Leverier Lanche in disbelief.

Holy Emperor... Independence...

Just hearing those words made Olivia feel like she was suffocating.

“... And if I can’t do that?”

“Then things will start happening that you’ll regret.”

“Are you saying you’ll kill Adriana? That young girl who hasn’t even fully become a nun yet?”

“Let’s call it an unavoidable sacrifice. The gods will understand.”

Olivia glared at Leverier Lanche, who was using the name of God as a shield for his evil deeds, with undisguised contempt and disgust.

“... Is this your way, Father? Was losing power so unbearable, so infuriating and so unjust, that you’ve abandoned not just your faith but your humanity as well?”

“This is a necessary step in order to counter the threat against the Church of the Five Great Gods. As you well know, no one will be harmed if you promise to return to the fold.”

“I won’t go back.”

“Even if something happens to the child who saved you?”

“...”

Despair and anger flashed across Olivia’s face.

Leverier Lanche was presenting the vision of making Olivia the Holy Emperor, but in reality, he wanted Olivia to retract her previous statements about him in order to clear his name and redeem himself.

“Why me? Why does it have to be me? You can go ahead and do whatever it is you want. I don’t understand why you have to use me as a front. I don’t understand why you’re threatening me with other people’s lives...”

“As I’ve always said, there’s no one as qualified as you.”

“Don’t try to justify it that way, please...”

Overwhelmed by sorrow, Olivia finally broke down and began to cry.

“You just want power. You want to use me to fulfill your own desires. That’s why you created this strange group. You want to restore your honor by making me retract my statements and regain your power...”

Leverier Lanche’s was unrelenting. “Olivia, I don’t expect you to understand my intentions. But everyone has roles and destinies that they have a duty to fulfill. That is what I live for. My role was to lead humanity to victory in the Great War, and now, it is to protect the Order of the Holy Knights, the pride of the Church of the Five Great Gods, from the clutches of the empire.”

Leverier Lanche was unmoved in the face of the sobbing Olivia.

“And you are next in line,” he continued. “I decided that, and I raised you for that. If it doesn’t happen naturally, I will make it happen.”

“Why...? Just... why...?”

“If you refuse me, do you think it will end with just Adriana?”

Olivia’s eyes widened.

“Do you think Reinhart is untouchable?”

“W-what...? What are you... saying...?”

At the mention of Reinhart’s name, Sarkegar, who had been observing the situation, focused his attention on Leverier Lanche.

Sarkegar understood, if not fully, that Leverier Lanche needed to be eliminated.

He was a threat to Baalier. Sarkegar clearly saw Olivia’s expression twist at the mention of Reinhart’s name.

This woman was undoubtedly an ally of Reinhart’s. Sarkegar was certain of that.

“If Adriana isn’t enough, I’ll find someone else precious to you, Olivia. I brought you here to show you that this won’t end.”

“...”

“Give up, Olivia, before a small pain turns into a greater one, and you come back to me crying and begging.”

Olivia’s spirit seemed to break, her eyes losing their light.

Adriana’s fate was just the beginning. If Olivia didn’t give in, Leverier Lanche would destroy everything she held dear, bit by bit. He knew that threatening and torturing Olivia herself would yield no results, so he sought to break her by targeting those she cared about.

He knew that Olivia, who was accustomed to sacrifice, would rather sacrifice herself than see her loved ones be hurt. Just as she had forfeited the tournament to prevent Radia Schmidt from destroying herself with Berserk, she would always give in to protect others.

Leverier Lanche knew how to manipulate Olivia.

“... You’re a demon...” Olivia said in a despairing tone. The surrounding holy knights bristled, but Leverier Lanche raised his hand to stop them from speaking.

“Yes. If there’s no escape, then this is the right path.”

A burst of divine light and blue mana began to blaze around Olivia’s body. Using both Divine Power and Mana Reinforcement to enhance her physical abilities, Olivia glared at Leverier Lanche.

“If I die or if you die, this will all end.”

In the face of such forceful coercion, Olivia chose to resist rather than comply or surrender. If she died, no one else would have to suffer. But before that, she intended to kill Leverier Lanche, the mastermind behind this cruel scheme.

However, Leverier Lanche kept his calm in the face of Olivia’s hostility.

“Did you think I wouldn’t anticipate such a choice?”

At his signal, two holy knights emerged from a corridor.

“The moment you try anything foolish, you’ll witness Adriana’s death.”

“Senior...”

The two holy nights dragged a distraught Adriana into the courtyard. Olivia’s eyes widened as she stared at Leverier Lanche.

“This is... monstrous...!”

“Even if you act here, it will only result in a meaningless death for you. And you’ll have to watch Adriana die first.”

Guilt filled Adriana’s face. She understood the role she was being used for. Olivia couldn’t make a move. The moment she tried anything, the sword held against Adriana’s neck would do its job.

“I don’t understand why you think this is a bad thing. This is the first step in protecting the faithful. It’s about saving countless people. If you change your mind, even a little, you can save countless lives.”

Olivia did not respond to Leverier Lanche. She knew he fervently believed what he was saying, which made any argument futile. He believed his path was just, and never doubted himself.

Olivia knew her foster father well. He was the kind of person who always demanded things from others, but was never persuaded by them.

“Senior... Please, don’t worry about me!”

“Adriana...”

Adriana, held captive, cried out to Olivia with a face full of guilt. Her expression was not just one of sorrow, but of utter disillusionment. She had come to realize that everything she had valued came down to this, and had lost the will to live.

“Senior... I’m... I’m fine. I’m fine. Just follow your heart...”

“Adriana! Don’t say anything. I... I...”

Olivia couldn’t finish her sentence.

What could she do to save Adriana?

To save Adriana, she had to stand with them. She had to pursue something she didn’t want, like the formation of this Holy Empire.

She did not know if Leverier Lanche could be reinstated as the Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, but she would have to lie and say that all the harsh things he’d done to her had been fabricated.

Adriana was just the beginning.

Olivia coldly calculated the future. For the time being, she would go along with them. Once she confirmed that Adriana was safely released...

She would die.

If she died, they wouldn’t be able to torment anyone to change her mind, and they wouldn’t be able to torment her anymore either.

Her death would be the greatest revenge against Leverier Lanche. The thing they least wanted was her death.

Olivia decided to accept their proposal for now.

At that moment...

Slash!

“Ugh!”

Swoosh!

“Argh!”

Unexpectedly, the throats of the two holy knights holding onto Adriana were suddenly slit.

Both Oliviat and Leverier Lanche stared open-mouthed at the sudden fountain of blood.

As the two headless bodies flailed about in the darkness, a figure caught Adriana’s falling body.

“Humans.”

A shadowy figure, like a manifestation of darkness, muttered from a red maw within the darkness. “How can they be so wicked?”

The shadowy figure, which looked like a pure manifestation of evil, smiled as it mused about the depths of human wickedness.

Swish!

The dark figure reached out, and shadows enveloped Olivia’s entire body.

“Wh-what is this...!”

“A... a demon...?!”

Olivia was suddenly bound up by the mysterious figure, just like Adriana.

The figure, with wings like shadowy membranes, took to the sky.

Whoosh!

“Ahahahahahaha!”

With a maniacal laugh that ripped through the night, the monster that had snatched Adriana disappeared into the sky. Olivia, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, found herself dangling in midair, caught in the monster’s trap.

—What, what is this?! Let me goooo...!

Her cute and delicate scream didn’t match the serious and ominous atmosphere at all.

“What is that!?” Leverier Lanche exclaimed.

“It seems to be a demon, sir!”

“How... how can there be a demon in the imperial capital...?!”

Leverier Lanche pointed at the mysterious demon that had suddenly taken Olivia and Adriana, but no one could identify it.

However, the confusion over the demon’s appearance didn’t last long, as an even more bewildering situation unfolded.

Rumble... Rumble...!

Dark clouds gathered in the night sky, and lightning crackled within the ominous clouds.

Flash!

In an instant, bolts of lightning began to rain down from the sky.

Harriet de Saint-Ouen had summoned lightning bolts during her battle with Olivia Lanche. Now, dozens of those bolts were pouring down.

Rumble!

“Ugh!”

“It’s magic!”

The holy knights activated their Divine Power to protect themselves, but those who did not manage to react in time were instantly charred and crumbled to ashes.

This was the highest level of destructive magic, Thunderstorm.

“It’s a demon attack!” The holy knights cried out, quickly assessing the situation. However, things were not looking good.

The Thunderstorm was just the beginning.

Zzzzzing!

A strange, tearing sound echoed around the monastery, and massive shockwaves erupted from the north, south, east, and west, punctuated by four massive explosions.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The spell “Explosion” was cast four times in succession, causing the structure of the already-dilapidated monastery to crumble and collapse.

Holy knights, priests, and members of the secret society who did not have access to strong protection spells were immediately blown to pieces.

It was an instantaneous massacre.

The sudden assault by a high-level mage turned the place into a living hell. Lightning rained down on the holy knights as explosions ripped through the monastary.

And then...

Rumble...

The ground shook, and flames began to erupt from the earth.

Lightning rained from the sky while a storm of fire erupted from the ground.

A Firestorm began to sweep across the ground with ferocious intensity.

Leverier Lanche watched as the lightning and flames engulfed the holy knights.

“This is...”

He remembered an incident when a similar firestorm had suddenly erupted in front of the Order of the Holy Knights’ headquarters. A dragon had appeared, while a mysterious lycanthrope had caused chaos.

Leverier Lanche had not been in charge of the caravan of succubi prisoners at that time, but he had heard the reports.

This felt just like that. A mysterious demon attack.

As the flames and lightning raged on, someone emerged from the chaos.

The magic seemed to part for them, as if it was avoiding them. They were unaffected by the pandemonium around them.

A wolf-like demon with silver fur—a lycanthrope.

And beside it, a figure with flaming red hair, a pair of curved horns protruding from their temples, human in appearance but clearly not human.

Rumble!

In the midst of the inferno, a lycanthrope and an unknown demon had appeared.

The demon stepped through the wall of flames, a sword with a milky white blade slung over their shoulder.

“Leverier Lanche.”

It was an unending series of horrors.

“Who... who are you?!” Leverier Lanche cried, eyes wide with disbelief as the heat from the flames and lightning buffeted him.

The demon boy approached him, dragged his sword along the ground.

“Me? My name is Baalier. I am the rightful heir of the Dark Land, the legitimate successor of the Demon Realm.”

The boy pointed his sword, with its milky white blade, at Leverier Lanche. The former Commander’s eyes widened even further as he recognized the sword for what it was.

“How... how is this possible?!”

Leverier Lanche couldn’t make heads or tails of a single aspect of this situation.

“Well... you corrupt priest, it’s time for divine retribution.”

Despite his incomprehension, things were still unfolding.

The Demon King, wielding a sacred sword, was about to kill him.