Flora, who had been staring nkly at Mara, suddenly stood up and ran towards her, passing right through her. “See, it’s just an illusion!”


    “Of course, it’s an illusion. It’s a fake form. That guy in the Holy City is the same—”


    “No, he’s not! I’ve seen him many times holding a letter and a pen,” Flora insisted.


    “I can do it too,” Mara retorted. “It just requires life force and concentration, which is bothersome. Try touching him when he’s off guard. Your hand will pass right through.”


    Flora looked down at her hands in bewilderment. She had never touched Sang-je. Whenever she met him, she always kept a few steps away. The priests and knights did the same. No one approached within a certain distance of Sang-je. It was considered natural to show respect to the representative of God.


    “Want to know something more interesting? Do you know how that guy replenishes the life force he uses?” Mara asked, ignoring Aldrit’s call.


    “Mara!”


    “He devours the Anikas. Those like you who worship him like a god.”


    “Mara, watch yournguage!”“How can you say that? Devours, really?” one of the elders chided.


    “What? Did I say something wrong?” Mara replied defiantly.


    Flora’s eyes wavered. A scene shed through her mind where she had briefly encountered another Anika priest in the Holy City. It was before she attended her first Anika gathering, so she wasn’t sure if that Anika was already a priest or someone new.


    She had tried to greet the Anika, but the Anika avoided eye contact and quickly moved away with the priests nearby. When Flora tried to call out, the surrounding priests stopped her.


    「That Anika priest is in silent meditation.」


    「Is that necessary? I haven’t heard about it from His Holiness.」


    「It’s not mandatory, but you shouldn’t disturb someone who is meditating.」


    After that encounter, Flora never saw or spoke to any other Anika priests. She didn’t even know how many Anikas there were. Flora had assumed the Anika priests would be a close-knit group within the Holy City, so their absence struck her as odd.


    But soon, she forgot about it as she became engrossed in learning divine arts in the sanctuary. She was the only Anika priest there and felt special for being chosen.


    Now that she thought about it, she realized she had never heard any news about Anikas entering the Holy City before she became a priest. It was as if their existence had been erased from the world, and no one knew about them. She had never questioned this before.


    <i>Is it really… as they say? Sang-je, the one everyone reveres… is just a mere monster?</i> Fear or despair, she couldn’t clearly define the emotion that engulfed her. It felt like sinking into a sticky swamp.


    Seeing her staring nkly into space, half-crazed, Aldrit clicked his tongue. <i>Mara, that guy, is really not helpful.</i>


    Aldrit had nned to observe Flora while she spoke with the elders. Since there were many elders and she was alone, he thought there would be a moment when her guard would slip, no matter how resolved she was. He intended to determine whether she truly believed the elders’ stories or was pretending to believe them to gather information for Sang-je.


    But Mara had ruined everything. It seemed Flora would once again shut herself in her house for a while. <i>The queen must be very distressed</i>, Aldrit thought.


    Aldrit felt a pang of guilt, as if the situation were his fault. Determined to resolve the other matter Eugene had asked him to handle, he approached the elders.


    “Elders, I have a question about the spell used to controlrks,” he said.


    “Really? Come, sit. Hey, everyone, gather around. The boy has a question,” one of the elders called out.


    The elders, who were lounging or sitting around, got up and formed a circle around Aldrit. A blond youth, who seemed out of ce among them, also joined the group. Aldrit suppressed the urge to tell Mara to stay out of it and instead ryed Eugene’s question to the elders.


    A robust-looking elder, who usually answered most of Aldrit’s questions about spells due to his extensive knowledge, spoke up. “Ah, so the spell you asked about earlier was that one. A defensive spell that nothing can prate. Fascinating. No matter how much you learn about spells, there’s always more to discover.”


    This elder was the most knowledgeable among them, as the understanding of spells varied greatly within the underground cavemunity. “It’s amazing that onlyrks can pass through that barrier, and we have a spell to controlrks, fitting together as if nned. It’s like an invisible force is guiding us.”


    “Yes, elder. I think so too,” Aldrit replied.


    “But child, for your n to seed, you must address the two issues this spell has,” the elder continued.


    “What issues?” Aldrit asked, leaning in.


    “First, the spell requires an immense amount of energy to maintain. Without a steady source, it will fail quickly. Second, the spell’s range is limited. Extending it would requireplex modifications that couldpromise its integrity,” the elder exined.


    Aldrit nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you, elder. I’ll ry this information to the Queen and see if we can find a solution.”


    The elder patted Aldrit’s shoulder. “Good luck, child. We’re all counting on you.”


    As Aldrit walked away, Mara fell into step beside him. “See? That wasn’t so hard,” Mara said with a smirk.


    Aldrit sighed. “Stay out of trouble, Mara. We have enough to deal with as it is.”