Chapter 9: The daily routine falls apart

Since that incident, I’ve been haunted by an unease from some unseen place.

I wasn’t ignorant of its cause. It clearly began after that man, Tolpen, came.

The problem lay in the sensation it brought.

The feeling of being watched from beyond the trees.

It was so blatant it made focusing on anything difficult, pressing down on me.

Naturally, Thea felt it too.

Watching her grow sharper with each passing day was far from pleasant.

“Hoo…”

I gritted my teeth against the sticky, clinging energy on my skin.

There were moments when we had to go outside, so we were constantly exposed to it.

Even returning home, the intensity of those gazes only grew stronger, never weaker.

No matter how we covered ourselves with blankets and cloth, the unpleasant feeling wouldn’t fade.

It took just three days for Thea to suggest erecting a barrier.

“If we use the veil that kept the dead at bay on the battlefield, it should work.”

“Won’t their miracles pierce through a wall of holy power? Even if they’re doing something shameless, it’s still the forest kin’s miracles…”

Tolpen and those he brought had malicious intent.

Pressuring Thea against her will like this was wrong.

But I had no power to stop them from misusing holy power.

Even if they used it wrongly, the will to wield it was theirs.

All I could do was hold onto the belief that God was watching over this.

“If we imbue the veil with our energy, I think it’s possible.”

Unlike me, who leaned on God, she grabbed my hand with eyes full of resolve.

What Thea proposed clearly defied God’s will.

Unless there was a just reason.

“That’s—”

“They’re the ones using sacred miracles for vile purposes, Evan…!”

Before I could speak, she cut me off.

And I realized.

My will was far weaker than hers.

She had no compromise in upholding her resolve.

Unlike me, there was no hesitation in her decisions.

Unlike me, she clearly expressed her will.

“I endured, endured, and ended up cornered like this.”

“The thought that I let that despicable man look at you with those eyes drives me mad.”

“If I don’t correct this mistake now, are you saying I shouldn’t?”

She began squeezing my clasped hand.

It didn’t hurt, but it was enough to make me wince.

And through the pain, my vision was filled with her clouded eyes.

Disappointment in herself, hatred for those outside, and worry for the man before her.

All those emotions merged into a murky, opaque darkness in her gaze.

“Thea, okay, I understand!”

If the church found out, it would warrant severe investigation.

I’d once assisted masked inquisitors who burned an entire village fallen to darkness.

I’d felt fear watching them mercilessly punish sinners.

I sincerely hoped that fate wouldn’t befall us, and now that hope felt even more desperate.

“God, please forgive us for having no choice.”

With trembling hands, I stood and decided to help her.

There was never really a choice.

For her, who gave up so much to love me, I too had to give up something.

I couldn’t let her be the only one sacrificing.

…The despair of having to abandon my cherished faith overwhelmed me.

“Why do You give us such trials…”

My pained words made her ear twitch slightly, but as she wrote incantations on the ground, only her breathing could be heard.

What she was about to do.

Altering a miracle has only two purposes.

First, to block holy power.

This alone makes it a grave sin, needing no explanation.

Using a miracle to block one meant to save or protect is to defy God’s will, forbidden without just cause.

Only inquisitors were permitted to use it sparingly to restrain suspected priests.

Second, to clearly show the will of the one wielding it.

Holy power doesn’t clash with holy power; it simply passes through.

Naturally, since it stems from the same source, there’s no reason for it to collide or break.

But when holy powers imbued with different wills clash, it’s different.

Being distinct, they collide fiercely and shatter.

If only one side carries intent, only that power remains, while the other is blocked and fades.

That’s why it’s forbidden.

Questioning the will of those enacting God’s purpose is arrogant.

Yet, sometimes, it’s deemed necessary.

Learning of cases where such actions saved lives showed that.

Even recalling all this, I felt a lingering hesitation.

Her intent was clear.

To proclaim that our hearts were united.

The problem was the scale of it.

Should I tell her to stop now?

Or smile at her willingness to embrace this, knowing full well what it meant?

“Come on, hurry.”

Having written the prayer, she stepped aside, pulling me to sit.

Her furrowed brow and bitten lip showed her distress without needing words.

But the moment she reached out to perform the miracle, I cast aside all doubts.

…Performing a miracle with intent isn’t difficult.

It’s not about “bestowing” power with God’s will…

But “using” power with my own.

The prayer is merely a description of the power to be used.

Who imbues it with will, and how it’s enacted—that’s what differs.

There’s a clear difference between miracles bestowed from the heavens…

And using power imbued with will on earth.

So, in that moment, I poured my desires into the circle she drew.

The strength to protect her from external malice…

And the courage to meet her wish to have only me…

I saw streams of light spread to form the veil.

Born noble from birth.

Raised with everyone revering him.

Now, only one final step remained.

With a worthy partner by his side, everything would be perfect.

Thus, the woman to be with him had to be perfect.

Untainted by others’ filth…

Yet desired by all, like a holy grail.

That’s why Thea caught his eye.

But she rejected him once, then humiliated him twice like this.

Fine, that was acceptable.

Her cute attempts to shame him could be endured.

It was just a small rebellion.

A charming resistance born of ignorance, unaware of greater purpose.

If he showed her his value, what he could offer, she’d crumble easily.

But this was unacceptable.

“How dare… how dare…!”

At first, when the light bloomed, he laughed.

As always, she rejected him.

That was fine. A woman who rejected so thoroughly must know her own worth.

Plucking a flower atop a cliff no one else could reach would surely earn everyone’s envy.

Each act of defiance only raised her value.

The barrier blocking her from view didn’t anger him.

He’d simply open the door boldly, break her cute rebellion born of foolishness, and show her.

But seeing a wall of pure golden light would not have made his body tremble like this.

He saw milky vines wrapping around stems of that golden hue he coveted.

Holy power was pure white, transparent.

But this was not.

Slightly murky yet vivid, those threads, still white, climbed the golden light.

Then they split into strands, spreading across the golden veil.

Like milk mixed into water, slowly, cloudily blending.

It was intolerable.

It was supposed to be his golden light alone.

A foreign substance had mixed in.

This was an outrage.

How dare a lowly creature’s energy mingle with his when he was present? It was a profound insult.

“How dare you touch what’s mine? Not a chance. With filthy hands… how dare… how dare…!”

Seeing the pathetic fools before him lost in the sight, he “awakened” them with his hands, making them groan in pain.

“Don’t you see what’s happening? Can’t you tell?”

This had to be corrected immediately.

The scene before him needed to be set right.

“Prepare to bring Thea back, now!!”

She was his to conquer alone.

No one else could stand atop that cliff.

Never.