Chapter 117
Come to think of it, the man had been silent since earlier.
At departure, he’d been chattering needlessly with apologies and such, but had fallen quiet at some point.
Too late to notice while thinking about Alice. Kylus stopped walking and called the man.
“Hey, hey.”
Shaking his shoulder while calling, but no response still.
Did he really lose consciousness? What nonsense.
Kylus didn’t hide his annoyance as he dropped the man to the ground.
Then examining the man, Kylus’s face hardened.
“What… is this?”
The man’s mouth gaped open, showing only whites of his eyes. No pupils. Didn’t look human death.
At the bizarre sight, just as Kylus stepped closer, the man’s mouth moved with only whites showing.
“…Ma, gic… master… sir.”
Spouting incomprehensible words, the man’s body convulsed before beginning to disappear.
Like sand blown by wind, his body turned to ash and scattered. A chillingly grotesque scene.
And Kylus recognized this grotesquerie.
“…Dark magic.”
A doll made of dark magic. This man wasn’t human from the start.
Creating dolls with dark magic required considerable upper-class abilities.
So this man being a dark magic doll meant… could it be?
Alice.
She flashed through his mind.
Kylus immediately turned and sprinted toward where Alice had been.
How frantically did he run? Kylus reached her location in less than half the time he’d left.
And he found her. Alice, collapsed.
“Alice!!”
Kylus rushed to her side.
Kneeling, he carefully lifted Alice’s unconscious upper body.
Blood around her mouth showed she’d vomited blood.
Additionally, blood continued flowing from her shoulder.
A sword wound. Rage at her battered state surged but lasted only momentarily.
Kylus’s heart dropped at her cooling body.
“…No. No, Alice. Please…”
Extreme terror never felt before.
Shouldn’t have left. Even if you wanted, should’ve stayed. All my fault. My foolishness…
Kylus wasn’t himself, drowning in fear for Alice and overwhelming regret.
But he couldn’t remain stunned.
Gripping his fragile rational thread, Kylus first checked Alice’s pulse. His trembling hands didn’t feel like his own.
Thump— thump—
Faint but definitely beating, he felt her pulse at his fingertips.
Only then did Kylus exhale and look at Alice’s face.
“Sigh.”
Who dared do this? Murderous intent flashed in his black eyes.
Drawing out a handkerchief to bandage Alice’s shoulder, Kylus raised his head. There he saw another collapsed person.
Only now focused on Alice, he hadn’t noticed the surroundings.
Kylus frowned at the fallen figure. The very noblewoman Alice had followed.
Could this lady have attacked Alice…?
Kylus briefly considered but dismissed it. No swords or weapons besides a bow were near the lady.
Besides, Alice’s gaze toward the lady hadn’t been hostile.
So someone else attacked both women?
Kylus scanned the area sharply, but only the two collapsed figures remained.
Abandoning hope, he returned his gaze to Alice.
Then laid her carefully on the ground to fire the flare bracelet.
Carrying injured Alice wasn’t ideal. He needed to call clergy and stretchers for treatment before moving her.
Just as he was about to break the bracelet, he sensed presence.
Rapid approaching footsteps.
The attacker returning?
Kylus silently placed his hand on his sword hilt.
When the approaching footsteps finally entered view, Kylus drew his sword while standing.
Pure white priest robes visible.
His fierce gaze ready to slash quickly subsided.
“…High Priest Prion?”
Indeed. The appearing person was no enemy.
High Priest Prion exhaled roughly as if having run hastily.
Having instinctively halted from Kylus’s chilling murderous aura, Prion discovered the two collapsed people.
After brief contemplation, Prion approached the more critically wounded Alice.
“What… happened here?”
Kylus sheathed his sword while speaking to Prion.
“Please treat my wife first.”
Though suspicious how High Priest Prion knew to run here, Alice’s treatment took priority.
High Priest called next Pope. He could properly heal Alice’s injuries.
Seeing unusual anxiety in Kylus’s eyes, Prion quietly knelt beside Alice.
Shoulder wound and internal injuries evidenced by blood at her mouth. Understandable the Duke’s concern.
Prion immediately used holy power. Bright light burst from his hands placed on Alice.
Minutes passed before light faded and Prion withdrew his hands.
“Sigh.”
Prion exhaled heavily after using considerable holy power.
Kylus first rechecked Alice’s condition.
Stronger pulse than before. Shoulder wound perfectly healed.
Feeling warmth return to her cold body, Kylus sighed in relief.
He raised his head to Prion.
“High Priest. How did you come here?”
Though improper questioning someone who’d just healed Alice, he had to remain vigilant given the circumstances.
Prion’s sudden appearance was strange. Perhaps a smokescreen hiding an attacker.
Prion’s face hardened at Kylus’s sharp gaze as he answered.
“I sensed tremendous holy power waves suddenly and rushed here following the force. Duke, I’m unrelated to this incident.”
“…My apologies if I offended. The situation forced my suspicion. But holy power… are you certain?”
“Absolutely. Power waves I’d never felt before. Far stronger than mine even. …What exactly happened here?”
“I don’t know precisely either.”
Kylus frowned while speaking.
“I discovered a dark magic doll, sensed danger to my wife, and rushed here finding everything already concluded. Couldn’t locate any attacker either.”
“…Dark magic. So that tremendous holy power clash with dark magic caused the waves…”
Prion muttered lowly before viewing still unconscious Alice despite complete healing.
She should’ve regained consciousness by now… Still unconscious meant injury alone hadn’t caused her condition.
Something latent draining left her mentally as well as physically exhausted.
Perhaps… Prion cautiously spoke.
“…Duke, was that immense power I felt the Duchess’s holy power?”
“…That is.”
Kylus couldn’t immediately deny. No use denying anyway.
Prion had followed holy power waves here, knew Alice could use it.
Only Alice and the unknown lady remained collapsed at the scene.
So essentially exposed.
Suddenly claiming it was the lady’s power wouldn’t be believed anyway. Even he wouldn’t buy such flimsy lies.
Furthermore proving it, Prion’s blue eyes already held certainty.
“I was right. Who knew the Duchess’s holy power was this strong…”
Though Kylus didn’t definitively answer, silence equated confirmation. The Duke knew about Alice’s power as expected.
Likely… it was the Duchess’s holy power that saved the doomed Duke.
Prion looked amazed at Alice before telling Kylus.
“Duke, I’ll claim today’s powerful holy waves were mine.”
“What do you mean?”
“The power was so strong all participating priests, not just me, felt it. Surely speculation about this tremendous force will circulate. If revealed as the Duchess’s power…”
“She’d become the temple’s target.”
Kylus immediately grasped Prion’s meaning. This was precisely why he’d hidden Alice’s power until now.
Temple power struggles. Though unobservable, no different from imperial politics.
“Yes.”
“But why? Why help?”
“The Duchess hasn’t chosen a priest’s life. Such powerful abilities become poison, not blessing for her. So as the deity’s servant, I’ll bear this burden.”
Prion spoke with unwavering eyes.
Upright faith. And favoritism toward Alice.
Too deep to be mere favoritism. Though he seemed unaware.
Kylus disliked Prion for this, but now he was right.
He needed his help. For Alice.
Kylus nodded, ignoring personal feelings.
“Let’s do that.”
As Prion headed to the collapsed lady elsewhere, Kylus immediately broke his bracelet.
The flare shot from shattered bracelet tinted the sky red.
Marking the hunting competition’s end.
