The temple was instantly thrown into chaos. Startled people staggered but tried to flee the temple. However, none of them could get out.
“The door won’t open!”
“The hinges are twisted!”
At the same time, cracks rapidly spread across the white walls. White powder fell down on the frightened people.
“Ah!”
But that wasn’t the end. Numerous tree trunks penetrated the walls and began to wrap around. It looked as though a demonic hand was devouring the temple. The hell continued. A statue of the goddess swayed violently and then shattered into pieces as it fell forward. People narrowly avoided being crushed.
“Save us!”
Terror engulfed the entire temple. Even the priests, who had been doubting Leticia just moments before, were not spared.
“Saintess! Please save us!”
“I don’t want to die!”
“An earthquake striking the temple? Impossible!”
“The goddess must be abandoning us!”
The priests were particularly desperate because, since the empire was established, the goddess’s representative had prevented all natural disasters with the power of her nine wings. This was the first time an earthquake had struck the temple. Cries of terror filled the air. Some people cracked or fainted.
Calisto coldly observed the scene and then stood up. Although he wished to crush them all as a real disaster, he restrained himself.
It was Leticia’s first appearance. She could not be flawed in any way. While instilling fear in the people, he also adjusted his strength to ensure that no one died.
“Injuring the corrupt priests is acceptable.”
He ignored the priests who were crying out in pain.
“You were known as the Wing of the Earth, Your Highness.”
Calisto responded indifferently.
“So it seems. I didn’t know until now.”
“You didn’t know?”
“I had been sealing the goddess’s power all this time. This was the first time I used it properly.”
“Ah… I see.”
Leticia looked up at the ceiling as she blinked. Numerous tree roots were entangled like a net over the ceiling, which despite being severely cracked, maintained its form.
It was a magnificent sight but also worrisome. If the ceiling collapsed, everyone here would die. Leticia spoke cautiously.
“Your Highness, perhaps it’s time to stop?”
“Is that an order?”
“More of a request than an order…”
Calisto had sworn loyalty to her, but issuing orders was still unfamiliar to him.
“Please, I ask of you.”
“I’m not sure if it’s right to honor that request.”
“What?”
“You didn’t honor my request. You promised you wouldn’t engage in dangerous activities.”
“That was as I said earlier…”
“To protect the people important to you, you had no choice.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I hope Noel Armos agrees with that statement as well.”
Calisto said with an expressionless face. Leticia flinched.
“Are you planning to tell Noel about this incident?”
“Of course, that’s necessary.”
Calisto spoke and made a sign with his hands. While keeping the tree trunks supporting the collapsing temple in place, he stopped the shaking that had been disturbing the temple.
“Your Highness, you can’t tell Noel.”
“Then we shall inform the Second Wing.”
“Of course, Ahwin can’t know either!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to worry them. Both of them have been through a lot.”
Calisto snapped back with rising frustration.
“Do you think it’s something the Wings shouldn’t worry about? Then you must understand how I felt earlier.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Leticia glanced at him and shrank her shoulders. Calisto, who was about to scold her again, hesitated as he saw her apologetic expression. The rebuke that had risen to his throat subsided on its own. The anxiety and agitation he had felt earlier seemed to melt away.
‘This is absurd.’
He was astonished at his own state but eventually changed the subject.
“Keeping my mouth shut won’t keep it a secret. Sooner or later, the whole empire will find out anyway.”
“Mother will control access to the capital.”
“That won’t be of much use. I’ll use a communication artifact to announce everything that happened today. With cities connected, the news will spread across the empire in two days.”
A bold declaration to spread the news of Leticia’s appearance throughout the empire in just two days. Other magicians would think him mad.
The use of communication magic required tremendous magical power. Regardless, Calisto was determined to carry out this insane act. To ensure that no impostor roamed freely and that his new mistress was safe.
* * *
Even after Calisto had withdrawn his power, people struggled to recover from the shock. Among them, the priests in the temple were undoubtedly the worst off.
“This can’t be…”
The priests, forgetting even Josephina who was right beside them, said with trembling voices.
“Really, a new representative of the goddess has appeared?”
“Is this truly the power of the Wing?”
“What happens to us now?”
Understandably, Josephina could not just stand by and watch.
“Don’t be deceived! This is the trickery of an evil dragon!”
She shook off the hands of the priests supporting her and exclaimed.
“A dragon is behind this mischief to ruin our empire!”
At her words, the people who had been in shock came to their senses.
“A dragon’s trickery?”
“Saintess, is that true?”
“Yes!”
Josephina straightened her back and glared at Calisto and Leticia with fiery eyes.
“As the oracle has told me, evil threatens our empire! She is that very evil!”
“What? Evil?”
Calisto grimaced. He could overlook many things, but not an insult to Leticia. He muttered ominously.
“Perhaps I’ve been too lenient. I should have killed them all.”
“Saintess! How can you speak of evil dragons! Are you suggesting that my brother has fallen under a dragon’s spell? That the royalty has succumbed to a dragon?”
Just as Calisto was about to lose his sanity and massacre everyone, a small figure hurriedly ran and blocked his path. It was Princess Dana.
“This is an insult to the royal family! As an heir to the Holy Empire, I cannot allow this. Retract your statement immediately! Now!”
Dana raised her voice. Josephina, unable to contain her anger, stamped her foot.
“What are you doing, Princess! Are you siding with this demon?”
“She’s not a wicked demon but a new representative of the goddess! My brother said so!”
“There can be only one saintess! If she’s real, does that make me a fake?”
“That remains unknown!”
The princess stood her ground. Josephina grew even more furious. Finally, Calisto stepped in front of the princess and said,
“Sister, don’t bother, she won’t understand. I’ll handle this.”
“No, let me handle it this time.”
The princess quickly stopped Calisto.
“This is a temple. The temple belongs to Josephina. Let’s just think about safely getting out of here. The royal knights alone can’t handle the paladins and priests.”
“Don’t worry. I have the ability to get out safely, even without the knights’ help.”
“By killing everyone?”
Instead of answering, Calisto just looked down at the princess with an expressionless face. The princess was taken aback.
“Has the new representative of the goddess also commanded you to kill everyone here?”
“Not yet. I was just about to ask for permission.”
“I doubt she would grant it.”
The princess quickly turned and looked at Leticia, then smiled awkwardly.
“There’s a better way than killing everyone. May I handle it?”
Leticia, looking troubled as she alternated her gaze between the two, nodded slightly. She too did not desire needless slaughter.
“Please do.”
At this, Calisto scowled fiercely. His face was a mess, but his aggression swiftly diminished. The princess, with a single phrase, had grasped control over her brother, causing Leticia to shake her head in amazement. She then declared,
“Whether the Queen Consort is the true saintess or not! Since this involves the royalty, I will take custody for the time being. If you do not wish to wage war with the royal family, let this be the end of it!”
* * *
Although they managed to escape the temple, they were still in deep trouble. The princess touched her throbbing forehead as she looked out the window.
“How on earth do we sneak the Queen Consort out of the capital?”
They were currently in a manor owned by the royalty. Outside the manor, knights sent by Josephina were everywhere.
“If even a finger on the Queen Consort’s hand is harmed, it would be a disaster.”
Above all, her brother would certainly not sit idly by. The princess chewed her lip anxiously. Just then,
“Huh?”
Something pale tapped on the window. Calisto glanced and his eyes widened. He quickly stood and opened the window. Whoosh! A gust of wind rushed in, and a pale mass lunged at Calisto. The princess screamed and stood up.
“Hyaa!”
Unlike the flustered princess, Calisto was not surprised. He stepped back a few steps and set the grey mass down. The princess blinked in confusion.
“Cal, what is that?”
“Ah, you can’t see it, sister?”
“I can see something, but…”
She was at a loss for words. It looked like a clump of dust. Calisto glanced at the princess before taking something from the mass.
“It’s a wind spirit, in the shape of a wolf. You probably can’t see it yet, sister.”
“You can see it?”
“It’s clearer to me than to you. I have divine power, after all.”
Calisto seemed to be having a conversation with the spirit, though it was too quiet to hear clearly. Especially, the spirit’s voice was barely audible.
“You’ve done well. I’ll take care of things here, you return to the two Wings.”
Whether the spirit responded or not, the wind blew again. Shortly after, Calisto closed the window and unfolded something.
“What’s that?”
“A note.”
“A note?”
“It’s from Noel Armos. She’s asked me to interpret some symbols for her…”
As he looked at the note, Calisto’s eyes narrowed, and he clicked his tongue.
“It’s complicated. It’s in an ancient language.”
“Ancient language?”
“It’s like a curse. It will take some time to understand the target or the type of the curse. Well, it won’t take too long.”
Calisto chanted a spell. Moments later, the note burst into flames.
* * *
At the same time.
“I can’t forgive.”
Josephina’s eyes were red as she stared into the void. A bizarrely twisted purple symbol floated in the air.
“Leticia was chosen by the goddess?”
That wretched woman received the goddess’s choice. She’s trying to take everything from me!
“I will never forgive.”
I will make her regret appearing before me until she dies, Josephina swore.
“Her life is in my hands.”
Whether Leticia was chosen by the goddess or not, the curse clutching her heart was still there. She would trigger the curse right now.
“Backlash be damned…!”
Even if it meant coughing up blood, she would end Leticia’s life. With that thought, Josephina manifested the curse.
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