180 – 184
Looking at the rosary the nun brought, I ask.
“Sister, is it correct to place my hand here?”
With a puzzled expression, the nun replies to me.
“Excuse me? This rosary responds only to pure individuals. It does not respond to His Grace, who is already married.”
Ignoring her words, I raise my hand…
The transparent rosary emits a blue light.
*Gulp…*
What? Did I just hear a swallowing sound for a moment?
Not sure where the sound came from, I look at Theodora as the rosary shines blue.
A slightly blushing cheek.
What’s this?
I can’t understand why my cheek is blushing as I look at the pure rosary.
Thinking this, I ask Theodora.
“Is it done?”
“hehehehe…”
*Swoosh…*
I sigh as I see her leaving the spot.
“Ah…”
Now Theodora is taken care of.
Carefully breaking the seal of the Pope’s letter in my arms, I ponder its contents.
What kind of letter could it be?
“What… What is this?”
“Sister? How can someone who is married be considered pure?”
“Exactly… I’ve never encountered such a situation before…”
Leaving the two flustered nuns behind, I open the letter.
Hmmm…
The main content acknowledges the well-being and the activities of the demon worshipers, promising full support, but…
“Hmm?”
I find myself lost in thought as I read the passage promising political support behind it.
Currently, when considering my relationship with the Papacy externally, it’s nothing short of the worst.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t hinder my rule over the empire.
If he declares his support, it would indeed make ruling smoother.
However…
There is a significant concern about wiping out the demon worshipers.
Fundamentally, the demon worshipers fear the Papacy.
If I were to form an alliance with the Papacy, I worry they might become more cautious in their activities, making it hard for me to make a hasty decision.
If things don’t go well, I have been contemplating directly contacting the demon worshipers like Valoran to eradicate them…
At the very least, I must kill the stable king of locusts for stability.
If the high-ranking demons die, they won’t be able to establish the crown of the Demon King.
As I organize these thoughts, I look at the nuns and say, “Your Holiness, it seems I should send a reply to the letter, could you wait for a moment?”
The nun nods in response, “Yes, I will wait.”
Upon her reply, I take out a white paper from the drawer and begin writing.
***
“Ugh…”
When Devian placed his hand on the purity orb, the transparent orb turned blue.
It signifies Devian’s purity.
I thought he had experience…
Honestly, when I saw how coldly he treated women.
I thought he might have done it countless times and stopped.
But it’s not that…
“Ah…”
Purity…
-Bang, bang.
Realizing he is pure makes my heart race like crazy.
To think he’s pure with such a handsome face.
Could it be his first kiss? He seemed too skilled for that.
The exhilarating kiss he gave me, making me flutter.
How excited I was each time his lips and tongue touched mine?
Even now, I struggle to fall asleep as memories of those kisses haunt me every night.
Is it because of indecent thoughts?
I feel my body heating up again.
“Ha… Devian.”
My body is too hot.
Feeling a burning sensation in my chest, my breathing becomes rough.
“Ugh…”
Something that tormented me every night since the improvement ceremony.
It felt like a large stone was placed on my chest, driving me insane.
“Ah…!”
At that moment,
I remember doubting if Devian had betrayed me.
What should I do… Was I angry?
The excitement subsides at the thought of unfairly blaming him for something unreasonable.
Honestly, I might have misunderstood, but I also believe he was wrong to give such a pretext.
Two grown adults spending the night under one roof.
Even though Senna’s parents were there, it didn’t erase what happened.
“Sigh… But this is my fault.”
It is undoubtedly wrong to accuse someone who did not betray you of betrayal.
However… apologizing first feels a bit humiliating.
“No… Why didn’t I trust him from the start?”
If we were a normal couple, maybe I wouldn’t have had doubts.
It wasn’t like that when we first got married, but… I trusted him until then.
Maybe there was something I didn’t know about, or maybe he checked if she had family at her house before confronting her.
I accused him without evidence like a fool, but he was innocent.
It’s like… the incident with Hans from before.
“Phew… I haven’t changed at all.”
Since the moment I stopped believing in him, I made a great effort.
I met many sages seeking wisdom and advice, but…
I still feel like I lack a lot.
***
“Goodness… Who caught a scent?”
The five worshippers of the demon each have different roles.
Someone has been caught, so Amon thinks it’s clear that the information department and the imperial army were lurking at the secret meeting place.
“It won’t be easy. Or is it strange if it’s easy?”
Resurrecting the demon king is no easy task.
“It’s not the time to be relaxed, Alpha.”
Amon shrugs at Beta’s words.
“I know. Sigh… Everyone except me, go into hiding for the time being.”
Hiding.
Literally meaning to stop most activities and hide discreetly.
“We want to do that too, but wouldn’t the great one disapprove?”
Amon nods at Beta’s tired words.
“I understand the urgency. If this continues, we’ll all die. It’s fortunate there are no paladins. If they were here, we might all be dead.”
After creating a massive explosion and fleeing nearby, they carefully observed the enemy’s movements.
In an instant, they were shocked to see hundreds of troops surrounding the secret meeting place.
Seeing so many soldiers hidden, Amon shivered.
He realized he was sensitive to divine power, but…
If he hadn’t noticed, it wouldn’t have been strange for everyone to be arrested on the spot.
Soldiers who appeared as if they had expected such a thing blocked all paths around the inn and began searching thoroughly.
That’s why Amon felt relieved inside.
‘The Empire… shouldn’t be underestimated.’
It was fortunate that he had prepared for such an event.
“It can’t be helped. If not, the great one might kill us.”
‘Really…’
Amon was annoyed inwardly, but that didn’t mean he could defy the King of Locusts.
After all, he was the one who made the Devil’s Crown.
Moreover, Amon was a worshiper of the “Ma’jok.”
He had sworn to truly worship the Ma’jok, and since he had given Amon magic, he had no choice but to follow the King of Locusts.
However, he didn’t want to act recklessly.
Amon pondered inwardly.
‘Goodness… Baloran acts as if he’s willing to sacrifice his own child.’
If Baloran had been alive alone, Amon thought he might have resurrected the King of Demons long ago.
“First, the Justice Party is establishing roots throughout the Empire. When the protests intensify, there will surely be vulnerabilities. We can wait for that moment to create the Devil’s Crown.”
He hadn’t even made the Devil’s Crown yet.
He thought he had a good catch in Nicaea, but the Empire swiftly moved, so they couldn’t obtain enough “materials.”
“It seems like… Baloran and his son have realized we are behind Baloran.”
If not, it would be impossible for them to react so swiftly.
‘The Information Department is no joke either. They must be watching us from somewhere, right?’
Thinking of the Empire’s Information Department that had found them while they operated clandestinely in the darkness, Amon felt a bit fearful.
‘Could there be a traitor among us?’
It was a rational suspicion, but the initiation ceremony for Ma’jok worshipers was not so easy.
Only those who had overcome the illegal black magic designated by the Empire’s law and the church’s law, and the torment of complex curses, could join.
Thinking about how such curses and black magic prevented Ma’jok worshipers from betraying their comrades, Amon fell into deep thought.
‘Could the tail be caught?’
At the moment, that seemed like the most reasonable suspicion.
“Alpha knows what he’s thinking, but it’s amateurish. If they had deployed Holy Knights, we would have died helplessly there. They probably don’t see them as a significant threat since they are not present there.”
At Setta’s words, Amon nodded slightly.
“Perhaps that’s true. Currently, the Empire and the Papacy are not on good terms.”
For some reason, it’s quite a well-known story that the Emperor and the Pope in the Empire do not see eye to eye.
From Noble mtl dot com
According to the drunken words of the uncles who were interested in politics, the Pope considers the Duke who persecutes the Emperor…
But whatever the case, it had become a glimmer of hope for Amon and the Ma’jok worshipers.
“Well, if that’s the case, it’s fortunate. For now, everyone should go into hiding and wait. Make sure to speak nicely to him.”
They didn’t know where their information was leaking, but the best course of action in the current situation was to cut off the trailing end.
“I will go talk to him first.”
As Beta nodded and spoke, Amon nodded as well.
“To eternal rest in God.”
“To eternal rest in God.”