“Don’t tell me…all this recklessness was over a single ve?”


    “Partly that, and partly to take care of an Evil God’s Apostle. Two birds, one stone.”


    I shrugged, but all I got in return were stares that suggested I wasn’t in my right mind.


    Even among lunatics, being looked at as though I were unhinged felt unfair.


    I’m innocent…!


    But no one took my side. Everyone was more curious about the part where it was “for Ca.”


    Elisha brushed back her borate, drill-shaped hair and asked,


    “You? For Ca? What do you mean by that?”


    “It’s nothing. Just that Ca became a ve under circumstances simr to yours.”


    “Mine? You mean… through spirit summoning?”


    “…No, that was Iris. You just got caught up in the schemes of the Boiling Silence Church while tagging along.”


    “Oh.”


    At that, Iris, who had been standing behind, flinched at the mention of her spirit-summoning attempt. Not a false usation, so she had nothing to say in defense.


    Anyway, the fact that Ca became a ve due to a false charge also meant that her father, Theodore Lindelheit, was falsely used of being a cultist.


    The most shocked by this revtion was Havel, who had personally led Theodore to the execution tform.


    “What… what do you mean? Theodore was innocent?”


    “Yes. All the so-called evidence of his cultist activity was fabricated by the Boiling Silence Church. The head butler of the Lindelheit family, Servis, was a spy.”


    “I… I…”


    Havel stood frozen in shock. Wasn’t this supposed to be a Swordmaster? Shouldn’t his mental fortitude be stronger than this?


    Then again, considering the recent turmoil, it was possible he was already mentally exhausted.


    After all, Fiona’s scheming didn’t stop at the Lindelheit family—it extended to Havel himself.


    “Sir Havel, you’re no exception. Every time you tried to buy Ca to fulfill her father’sst wish, something just happened to go wrong at the pce. Don’t you think it’s an awfully convenient coincidence? And what about how a Swordmaster of your caliber ended up so impotently cooped up?”


    “……”


    Havel remained silent, his head hung low.


    Ordinary poisons don’t affect a Swordmaster’s body. But poisons of the mind are a different story.


    Repeated failures. The powerlessness of being unable to act. Endless terror. And yet, the unyielding loyalty he was bound to maintain.


    What happens when someone who has risen to superhuman status through conviction starts doubting and regretting their path?


    Even if they seem fine at first, over time, the de that is Havel would have dulled and rusted.


    Because the most dangerous poison is the poison of the mind.


    Perhaps that’s why he ultimately failed tond even a single meaningful blow on an Apostle like Fiona in H&A and died.


    Of course, this was only spection.


    As Havel mulled over my words, he raised his head again, his eyes a storm of anger and killing intent.


    The moment Havel took a step forward, I immediately blocked his path.


    “I told you. Someone else will kill Fiona.”


    “……”


    Havel stared at me without a word. But soon enough, the sharp intensity in his gaze subsided, and his grip on the sword loosened.


    “…You’re right. That’s not my role, at least not now.”


    Havel muttered in a low voice and stepped back.


    Fiona, having watched this entire exchange, looked at me incredulously.


    “How… how do you know all this? There shouldn’t have been any evidence. And that form of yours…”


    “Who knows?”


    I smirked and gave Ca a gentle push forward.


    “Do you think you need to know?”


    You’re about to die, after all.


    Fiona bit her lip, seemingly grasping the unspoken message.


    Ca, now stepping forward, raised her staff.


    “Fiona de Levantin. It’s time to pay the price.”


    “‘Pay the price.’ You say that as if you’re the one enacting vengeance. Did you know? You were originally supposed to be sold to the eunuch Count Kipros. At least, that’s the setup we prepared.”


    “???”


    “He was an impotent man but also a sadistic and perverse yboy. If you had fallen into his hands, would you even be capable of seeking revenge like this? Would you have learned the truth?”


    “……”


    Fiona sneered at Ca, who couldn’t muster a response.


    “No! You’re just lucky! Lucky to have a master who couldn’t feel mana! Lucky that master uncovered the truth! Lucky to have strong allies who cornered me! You’ve done nothing! It’s all your master’s work! Even if you kill me, this isn’t Ca Lindelheit’s revenge!”


    Fiona’s smile was a blend of glee and mockery.


    Even in her final moments, she was determined to poison the air with venomous words.


    Thinking about it, every cultist I’ve encountered has been like this.


    Cursing the world and their enemies with their dying breaths, wishing for everything to copse.


    Is this because of the Evil God’s mental corruption? Or do only those already predisposed to such darkness rise to the ranks of cult leaders?


    I don’t know.


    What I do know is that leaving Fiona’s rambling unchecked will lead to nothing good.


    As I was about to intervene—


    <em>Grip.</em>


    Ca suddenly grasped my hand tightly, intertwining her fingers to ensure I couldn’t pull away.


    It was an unmistakable gesture: “Leave this to me.”


    Ca, who usually followed my lead andughed whenever asked what she wanted, saying, “Whatever you want to do,” had stepped forward for once.


    I stared nkly at her side profile for a moment. Before long, a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.


    It was a smile that seemed mocking, condescending, and yet strangely indulgent.


    Annoyingly enough, it looked exactly like the expression others had told me I asionally wore.


    “You really don’t know even the basics, do you?”


    “Wh-what don’t I know?”


    As if she had been waiting, Ca straightened her back and dered boldly in a loud voice.


    “Everything about a ve belongs to their master! My body, my mind, my past vengeance, and my dreams for the future! All of it belongs to my master, not to me! So what does it matter if it’s not my revenge?”


    “…What?”


    Fiona said in a daze, as if she couldn’tprehend what she just heard.


    Honestly, I felt the same.


    What are you even saying, Ca…? That’s way too much responsibility… My head feels like it’s going to explode…


    Words I wanted to say swirled in my mind, but I couldn’t bring myself to voice any of them.


    How could I, when Ca looked up at me with her ruby-red eyes sparkling so brightly?


    The words that had reached the tip of my throat were swallowed back down.


    “Master! Master! I was thinking—how about we finish this together?”


    “Uh…?”


    “Since we started this as a joint effort, I thought it’d be nice to finish it together, too!”


    “Hmm…”


    “Besides, Master is part of ‘Lindelheit’ now, right?”


    She ced a hand lightly on my chest and smiled slyly.


    Men are truly simple creatures. A light touch and a coy smile are enough topletely overturn their thoughts.


    Just like now.


    “Ah, yeah. If that’s what you want, Ca.”


    “Yay!”


    Ca raised her sped hands and pointed them toward Fiona with a bright smile.


    Fiona, unable to process the sudden change in circumstances, could only roll her eyes, while Ca aimed her trademark mischievous grin at her.


    “I’ll show you Lindelheit magic, feared even by Evil Gods.”


    “What? Have you gone mad? Or could it be…?!”


    Fiona looked at me with an expression of disbelief.


    I wish she wouldn’t look at me like that, as if I had trained Ca in something unspeakable.


    But once again, I wasn’t given a chance to exin myself. Before I could open my mouth, Ca’s mana began to flow.


    If this continued, Ca would end up casting magic on her own. I sealed my lips and focused on drawing out my mana.


    “—————.”


    “—————.”


    We began casting together, hands intertwined.


    Perhaps because I had learned magic from Ca, our chants, which should have been unique to each of us, synchronized perfectly.


    The same words. Different voices. Yet the rhythm was harmoniously blended.


    As if we had been one from the very beginning, our chants merged seamlessly.


    And it wasn’t just the chants.


    Our mana resonated as well.


    My core, which should have been resonating with the ambient mana, instead synchronized with Ca’s core.


    The ovepping wavelengths collided, cracked, and eventually fused into something far greater.


    <em>Whooong.</em>


    Perhaps because I hadn’t undone my dragonized form, the moment our cores connected, I could sense everything about Ca, just as she could sense everything about me.


    It felt as if I had be Ca, and Ca had be me.


    This unprecedented sense of unity exhrated me.@@novelbin@@


    Following that exhration, our mana surged in unison.


    <em>sh!</em>


    A small me formed in front of our sped hands, drawing in an immense amount of mana.


    The experience was both thrilling and new, but all things muste to an end.


    Even what feels eternal is ultimately just a fleeting moment.


    Before I realized it, our chanting had finished, leaving only a single trigger word.


    Fiona, foreseeing her demise, shook her head frantically.


    Ca and I exchanged a nce and nodded.


    And then, the final word.


    “Incinerate!”


    The ultra-high heat me that could burn even bched onto Fiona’s body.


    <em>Whoosh!</em>


    That was it.


    Before she could even scream, Fiona’s body was reduced to a handful of ash.


    The ash scattered in the wind, blowing through the broken windows. Ca, who had been watching it drift away, turned to me and smiled brightly.


    A radiant smile, like a flower in full bloom.


    “Shall we go now, Master?”


    Her smile reminded me of the blue flower ornament said to symbolize the Lindelheit family.


    And that shimmer—surely, it was like dew reflecting the morning sunlight.