Chapter 66
“I haven’t forgotten. But aren’t you the one who might be forgetting?”
“I haven’t forgotten either. I can prove it anytime.”
Burt knelt before Irene. It might have been a shocking sight to others, but he remained unfazed.
“Then that’s good. I heard Noah is learning new things quickly?”
“Lani must have told you. She is indeed a diligent maid.”
“As long as I’m the saint, Lani has no choice but to be diligent.”
Is that really so? Looking at Lani these days, she seemed different. There were parts that couldn’t be explained by simply saying she had become a fanatic.
But if Irene didn’t realize it, he had no intention of explaining.
The fewer people she relied on, the better.
‘That way, she’ll lean on me.’
He wondered what it would feel like when she eventually collapsed and entrusted everything to him.
Burt’s lips curled into a faint smile.
The pilgrimage group finished their preparations quickly.
The knights of the East led the way, followed by the paladins. In the middle was the carriage carrying Irene.
As the saint prepared to leave the village, people ran out to bid her farewell.
Among them, they noticed a familiar yet unrecognizable boy.
The boy who always hunched his back and wandered around in dirty clothes was now dressed neatly, sitting upright at the back of the carriage.
With his disheveled wheat-colored hair tidied up, he looked like a completely different person. If not for his red eyes, they wouldn’t have recognized him.
“That’s a lie.”
Someone muttered under their breath.
Though they quickly covered their mouth in surprise, other villagers felt the same way.
‘That’s a lie.’
The boy they had treated like a slave had joined the saint’s entourage.
Nothing had happened yet, but what if something occurred later?
A creeping sense of unease slithered into their hearts. Still, there was nothing they could do now.
Noah waved at the villagers with a significant smile, his gesture meant to heighten their anxiety.
And so, the pilgrimage group left the village. Only then did the village chief lift his head and sigh deeply.
“What is happening to the world? What is the goddess’s intention?”
A saint with an ominous symbol. She had performed the greatest miracle in history, but the future of the world felt uncertain and unsettling.
‘One thing is certain: we can no longer mistreat those with the ominous symbol.’
That much was clear.
“By the way, what’s wrong with that boy, hiding in his room and not coming out even on a day like this?”
Thinking about his son, who had been told to come out but was still holed up in his room, the village chief sighed again.
Ever since returning from a night out, his son seemed terrified, staying in his room and drinking all the time.
He must have done something wrong to the saint’s group.
Yet, nothing had happened, so maybe that wasn’t the case. It was a mystery.
* * *
The man with fiery red hair and green eyes was gazing into the distance. He was Luciel, the man whom Adlen called Lucy.
“The saint will arrive here in half a day.”
“Is everything ready?”
“Of course.”
“Have we received any information from those guys?”
“No, not yet.”
“Hmm.”
Luciel tapped his chin with his fingers. They had complied for a while in exchange for food, but now this.
“Those wild foals won’t follow orders easily. But send another message anyway. Mention how many allies we have on our side.”
“Yes.”
Giving compensation for labor. Luciel couldn’t believe in this simple principle.
Killing the saint and opening a new world was such an important mission.
So they had taken hostages, including some of Adlen and Eugene’s family members.
Of course, they weren’t foolish enough to just hold them and provide meals. They were subtly brainwashing them as well.
Although they weren’t aware yet, the effects had started to show recently.
“Greg’s mixture works wonders.”
Luciel muttered with a sly smile, then inspected the traps again.
Everything was perfect. They had blocked off other routes in case the group didn’t use this path.
It was an overly common method, but an effective one nonetheless.
Knowing that the King of the North and the King of the East were among the group, causing a landslide was necessary, but it was an effective strategy.
No matter how powerful they were, they wouldn’t pass through a path blocked by a landslide.
“It takes too long to clear.”
Now, all that was left was to wait. Luciel spun in place, waving his arms gracefully.
He looked every bit like a madman, but none of his subordinates said a word.
They knew how truly cruel Luciel was, despite his loose and eccentric appearance.
“Welcome, Saint.”
Luciel concluded his dance with a bow towards the distant figures of the saintess’s group.
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