Chapter 17 Part 1
Xenoph revealed his face and took something from his pocket, holding it out to me.
It looked like a pure white, round stone, quite sizeable.
“What is this?”
“A spirit stone containing my divine power. I’ve condensed all the power I’ve been gathering, so if you consume this, your heart will be purified at once.”
“Please, don’t hesitate,” his gentle words softly penetrated my ears.
But simultaneously, a familiar scent brushed my nose.
That familiar rose fragrance… Isn’t this the same subtle scent that used to surround Abel?
Why is this scent coming from Xenoph too?
Just as this question arose, I felt my consciousness becoming distant.
It was the same phenomenon as before. Without realizing it, my hand reached for the spirit stone Xenoph offered.
“This contains your divine power?”
“Yes, that’s right. I should have given it to you earlier, but I missed the timing…”
A straightforward answer came in response to my subtle question.
Suddenly, something Hyle had once told me flashed through my mind.
Spirit stones can only be made with pure divine power. Otherwise, they won’t take proper form.
The spirit stone in my hand looked, outwardly, no different from ordinary spirit stones.
Of course, I might not be discerning enough about divine power to tell, but visually it appeared like a normal spirit stone.
But if Xenoph didn’t have the pure divine power to create a spirit stone as I’d been told… then whose power was used to make this?
As I was lost in thought, a heavy rose scent that numbed my sense of smell swirled dizzily around me.
Soon, my hand holding the stone moved toward my mouth of its own accord, regardless of my will.
The faint toxic scent stimulating my nostrils was unbearably chilling.
Seeing the spirit stone approaching Rosiel’s lips, Xenoph twisted the corner of his mouth slightly.
If things didn’t go according to plan, he had been prepared to force the stone into Rosiel’s mouth, but fortunately, that wouldn’t be necessary.
“Ugh.”
Soon after, Rosiel’s pink eyes lost their vitality as she let out a short groan.
Rosiel, who had belatedly realized she’d fallen victim to a trick and glared at Xenoph, finally collapsed to the floor after a brief struggle.
“Haha, I didn’t expect it to be this easy. Quite quick, considering how the Crown Prince struggled.”
Xenoph, who had been quietly looking down at the unconscious Rosiel, let out a bizarre laugh that sounded like metal scraping against his throat.
Approaching the fallen Rosiel, Xenoph slowly bent down.
Then he languidly ran his fingers through her peach-colored hair that was scattered across the floor.
“I’ve made my own investments, so I can’t just withdraw. I’ll reclaim the divine power I’ve given you. That much power should be sufficient for me to become Pope.”
Just as Xenoph’s sinister eyes and outstretched hand moved toward Rosiel—
“…Hmm?”
For some reason, his hand wouldn’t move any further.
No matter how much force he applied, it was as if someone were holding his arm; there wasn’t even the slightest tremor.
It felt completely frozen in place.
“Xenoph, I arrest you on charges of kidnapping, imprisonment, and attempted murder.”
Xenoph’s brown pupils froze as a voice came from behind him.
He had thoroughly checked that there was no one else in this room, in this mansion, before entering…
How could there be another person?
Suddenly, with an enormous explosive sound, black smoke floated through the air like clouds.
It was because Xenoph, sensing danger, had used a technique to escape.
Having successfully obscured everyone’s vision, Xenoph ran quickly toward the window.
All while carrying Rosiel in his arms.
Since Rosiel was so light, running with her wasn’t difficult.
But before he could fully cross the window, Xenoph collided with something large, blocking his path.
“Ugh!”
“Where are you rushing to? And with the Holy Maiden, no less.”
When Xenoph frowned and raised his head fiercely, what he saw was none other than Hyle Feros, the assistant chosen directly by the goddess Renesia for the Holy Maiden.
He seemed to have a deep connection with Rosiel, so perhaps by using her as leverage, he might give way.
“Marquis Feros, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I’m merely trying to provide the Holy Maiden with special power. As her assistant, you must understand what I mean.”
With a shameless expression and a smooth smile, Xenoph tightened his grip on Rosiel.
It was an action that revealed his strong determination not to surrender her willingly.
“You are no longer a Cardinal. You were just dismissed, moments ago.”
Regardless of that, Hyle spoke chilling words with a gentle face.
Yet his green pupils lingered intensely on Xenoph’s rude hands that had arbitrarily grabbed Rosiel.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I’ve merely temporarily left my post to make a pilgrimage to the outskirts; I’ve never stepped down from my duties.”
“How long do you plan to listen to this nonsense?”
Hyle’s casually thrown words were not directed at Xenoph.
In Hyle’s line of sight was Rosiel, held in Xenoph’s arms.
“Ah, I was just about to wake up.”
“Come to me now, Rosiel. This is quite painful to watch.”
Despite having collapsed after consuming the poisoned spirit stone, Rosiel suddenly raised her head, her pink pupils sparkling, somehow completely fine.
In an instant, she slipped out of Xenoph’s arms and quickly approached Hyle’s side, as if nothing had happened.
“What is… this…?”
Having lost Rosiel from his arms in just the blink of an eye, Xenoph still seemed unable to grasp the situation, staring ahead with vacant eyes.
“Let’s end this game here. Arrest the criminal.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The knights positioned behind moved toward Xenoph at Hyle’s command, as if they had been waiting, and restrained him in an instant.
Firmly captured with no chance of escape this time, Xenoph let out a bitter laugh, followed by a sharp burst of laughter.
Once again, the rose scent from earlier began to fill the space.
It was Xenoph’s final struggle.
Rosiel, who had almost been entranced by the scent earlier, reflexively frowned at the oncoming dizziness.
“Stay focused, Rosiel. Look at me.”
As Hyle’s clear voice came through the haziness, Rosiel’s increasingly dazed head tilted to the side.
Hyle quickly covered Rosiel’s nose and mouth with his own sleeve.
“As you’ve probably guessed, that’s magic that enchants others using corrupt divine power. This is commonly referred to as ‘black magic.'”
“I thought it was strange… I was wondering why I couldn’t detect it. So it was divine power? Black magic using divine power rather than magical power feels twice as repulsive…”
Even if corrupted, divine power was still divine power. Rosiel’s fine brow immediately furrowed at this.
She had been curious about the identity of this inexplicable rose scent until now, and this was finally the moment of truth.
“Come to think of it, Abel had the same scent. So it was all that bastard’s doing?”
There was no longer any reason to use honorifics with Xenoph.
Thanks to this, harsh words flowed freely from Rosiel’s pretty lips.
“The Crown Prince was likely enchanted by that rose scent too. Corrupted divine power is usually more potent than magical power.”
“Then why are you and the knights unaffected?”
“Well, that’s because we possess pure divine power.”
Despite Rosiel’s sharp question, which somehow seemed resentful, Hyle smiled kindly and slowly brushed her disheveled hair.
It meant that Crown Prince Abel was corrupted, and since Rosiel had both magical and divine power coexisting within her, she was susceptible.
“Your Grace, we’ll send him directly to the Imperial Court.”
“Hand over all the prepared materials too. The verdict will likely come before the day is out. I’ll organize things here and follow; everyone else should withdraw.”
“By your command.”
As Xenoph was taken away and all the knights who had been in hiding returned, the case was concluded, and a long sigh of relief flowed from between Rosiel’s teeth.
The few remaining servants in the mansion were busy repairing the areas Xenoph had damaged during his rampage.
