The Pope’s words hung in the air, and I weighed them carefully.

He intended to save the Grand Duke. Of that, I was certain. He, too, would have no desire to continue walking the tightrope between the first and second princes.

However… I didn’t like the way he used a man’s life as a bargaining chip.

A man of the cloth, bartering with a soul? It was the sort of proposal that ought to have the Goddess herself descend to crack his skull.

I understood his position, certainly, but I had no intention of being played by his rules.

“Ahem.” I cleared my throat and met the Pope’s gaze. “I will accept Your Holiness’s proposal.”

“Then—!”

“However.”

Clink. I lifted the glass of water before me, took a sip, and set it down quietly.

“This will all happen after His Grace the Grand Duke has been healed.”

“That is…”

“You will surely agree. That is, if Your Holiness is genuinely concerned for the faithful of the Holy Kingdom, and not merely holding a man’s life hostage for a political deal.”

I let the words land, my eyes fixed on him.

The Pope gnawed on his lip, his gaze flickering between me and Lea before he finally spoke.

“…If I heal the Grand Duke, I will be unable to use my divine power for some time. You would be surrendering your most valuable leverage. Are you truly willing to do that?”

A dry laugh escaped me.

So this was the famed political battleground of the Holy Kingdom. It was on a level far cruder than any secular court.

No Imperial noble would have let such raw emotion bleed onto his face.

And he called it “leverage.” His search for an excuse told me everything I needed to know: he had no other cards to play.

It made sense. How many people brimming with true malice could a man like him have ever faced? The schemers in his own midst were rivals, not assassins; they were patiently waiting their turn, not trying to kill him.

For a man who had lived such a sheltered life, this clumsy desperation was almost to be expected.

This would be easier than I thought.

I maintained a placid expression. “I am fine with it. Exposing the cardinals’ corruption will be child’s play regardless. Besides, if our lives were ever in real danger, those men would protect us, would they not?”

“…You knew?”

“If you mean the men on the ceiling, I noticed them the moment I walked in.” My eyes flicked upward.

Ten men. No, eleven.

They were acting like assassins but were, in fact, Templars—the sworn protectors of the Pope and the cardinals. They were knights unique to the Holy Kingdom, wielding divine power instead of Aura.

Nine peak-level Experts, one Master, and… a Grand Master?

I was frankly astonished. So there were four Grand Masters on the continent, not three.

I knew the Templars were a clandestine order, so secret that not even the Al Fortia intelligence network had a file on them, but this… this I had not expected.

Of course, once Lea and I ascended to that rank, the official count would soon be five. But setting that aside, the existence of a hidden Grand Master within the Holy Kingdom was a stunning revelation.

Still, there was no need to reveal what I knew.

Secret information is twice as valuable.

I pressed my lips together and continued, “As long as they are here, my party will not perish in the Holy Kingdom. Unless, of course, Your Holiness were to command it.”

“Hmph… You drive a hard bargain, as befits the heir of a great house. I am outmatched.”

The Pope shook his head, finally relenting. “Very well. I shall heal His Grace the Grand Duke at once. I trust you will resolve the matter I have asked of you.”

“Do not worry. I will honor our agreement,” I said with a nod.

Just as I thought the matter concluded, a new voice cut in.

“In that case, might I have a word?” My master, who had been sipping his wine in silence, spoke in a low, resonant tone.

He shot me a sidelong glance before fixing his gaze on the Pope. “This old man came all this way for more than just that ice brat.”

“And what might that be?”

“That sharp-tongued runt who was just speaking is my disciple. The thing is, he was once consumed by demonic energy.”

The words were casual, but they made the Pope’s expression snap into a mask of alarm. “…By demonic energy, you say?”

“That’s right.”

“…I fail to see how a human could survive being consumed by demonic energy. Unless he has become a pawn of the Demonkin—”

A strange light glinted in the Pope’s eyes. If I were not the heir of House Berg, not the disciple of the Divine Archer, he would have summoned the inquisitors on the spot.

As if reading his mind, my master shook his head. “My disciple is human.”

“How can you be so certain? At the very least, it must be confirmed.”

“‘Confirmed,’ you say?” My master tasted the word, then slowly began to loosen the front of his robes.

The Pope was momentarily flustered, but his surprise curdled into horror.

Etched into my master’s skin were the telltale marks of demonic corruption.

“…What is this?”

“Demonic energy. More precisely, the final stage of Demonic Corruption in a human. Three years, at most. It’s a curse that grants one only that much time to live.” My master’s tone was impassive.

“…How are you still alive?”

“I thought you suspected me of being a servant of the Demonkin.”

“How could I suspect the Divine Archer, when he is so clearly fighting it?” the Pope replied with a sigh, shaking his head. “Is it not painful?”

“It is agony. Every day, I am crushed by the desire to die. Every night, I see her die in my dreams. But even so, I cannot die. Not yet.”

“…Why not?”

“Revenge. I have to scour the Demonkin from this world, every last one. Only then can she rest in peace. Is that not reason enough?” For an instant, a murderous glint flashed in my master’s eyes.

So that was it.

I had suspected my master had his reasons, but I had never imagined they ran this deep.

Revenge, yes, I knew that was his goal. But I had assumed it was something like Roxen’s story—a family lost.

I came to that conclusion only after experiencing Demonic Corruption myself. 

Judging by his expression, this wasn’t just about family. This woman he was referring to… it must have been a lover.

No wonder he never treated me with contempt in my past life. In my desperate service to House Artezia, all for a woman, he must have seen a shadow of himself.

But still… he was dying? This was the first I had heard of it. Three years, he’d said. 

In my previous life, that would have been right after we parted ways. I’d heard no news and assumed he was living in peaceful seclusion.

It seemed he had already passed on. He was a man who would sooner die than speak of his own pain.

“Are you all right?” I asked, my voice tight with concern.

My master glanced at me, then scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t you worry about me. I have, after all, found someone to carry on my revenge for me.” 

His eyes were on me as he spoke, but he immediately shook his head and turned back to the Pope.

“At any rate, to get to the point, I developed a new Aura cultivation technique to overcome this demonic curse. And my disciple possesses it as well.”

“…Does that mean Baron Louis suffers from the same affliction?”

“No. This brat has suppressed the demonic energy far more perfectly than I.” My master glanced at me again. “He has purified it. My disciple has purified demonic energy.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“It is astonishing, but it is the truth. That a human could wield demonic energy is surprising enough. For that energy to manifest in a purified state is… unprecedented. I can only assume his genius evolved my technique.”

At my master’s words, the Pope stared at me, his expression utterly blank. He looked at me as if I were some impossible creature, a paradox made flesh.

“How can such a thing…”

“Perhaps it is the providence of the Goddess you revere. However, as you said, he is still human. It seems to be taking a toll on his body.”

“A toll?”

“His flesh cannot contain his talent. He was coughing up blood on our way here.”

…That’s not what happened.

I wanted to rush to deny it, but the wheels were already in motion. It was too late to correct him; they would never believe me.

All I could do was keep my mouth shut and listen.

Just then, my master looked at the Pope and delivered his request.

“Therefore, I am asking—staking the name of the Divine Archer—for the use of the Holy Grail, one of the Holy Kingdom’s sacred artifacts.”

* * *

He’s insane.

One of the Templars on the ceiling clicked his tongue as he glared down at the Divine Archer.

How dare this unbeliever demand a sacred artifact? And not just any artifact, but the Holy Grail, whose use was forbidden to all but a select few of the faithful.

It was the arrogance of ignorance, an insult of the highest order. To demand it from the Pope himself, inside a holy sanctuary?

Blasphemous wretches.

The Divine Archer, they called him.

He’d heard of the energy these outsiders used—Aura. As far as he was concerned, it was dross compared to the purity of divine power.

It was absurd to hear them boast of being the strongest on the continent while wielding such a pathetic force.

That Grand Duke was a Grand Master, was he not? And a single Demonkin had crippled him. That alone was proof that divine power was infinitely superior to the parlor trick they called Aura.

Their confidence was born of ignorance. They knew nothing of the Commander.

The Templar glanced at the Commander of the Divine Knights, who stood beside him, his power contained.

A swell of pride rose in his chest. If the Commander’s existence were known, there would only be one hailed as the continent’s strongest, not three. These outsiders probably hadn’t even sensed his presence.

Of course. That had to be it. The Templar nodded to himself.

It was then that the Commander spoke.

“…That one has noticed me,” the Commander murmured. “He’s an interesting one.”

“He noticed you, Commander?”

“Yes. A very interesting fellow.”

The Commander’s gaze drifted to the floor below. The Templar, a look of disbelief on his face, followed his line of sight.

There, with an impassive expression, stood the raven-haired man. The one who sought to use the Holy Grail.

Baron Louis Berg.

The Commander was showing interest in that unbeliever.

…Impossible.

The Templar ground his teeth, his glare fixing on Louis. An unbeliever could not be allowed to draw the Commander’s interest. It would be a perversion of the Goddess’s will.

This matter had to be resolved before it could fester.

He would have to be removed.

The Templar clenched his fists, his eyes flashing. He would commit any sin for the sake of the Goddess’s will.

Even if it meant eliminating an Imperial noble.

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