Everything happened in a flash.
The ceiling caved in, and from the debris, a masked person dropped down. His face was entirely covered, except for two eye holes in the black mask.
Without hesitation, he pulled sothing from his pockets and hurled it at .
A smoke screen.
Thick smoke engulfed the entire room, making it impossible to see the intruder. That's when I heard the Priestess scream—then silence.
"Hey... Priestess! You okay?!" I shouted, moving blindly through the smoke.
"H-Help!" Her voice trembled from the doorway.
I sprinted toward the sound, fumbling for the door. When I yanked it open, my heart clenched. Two n outside in the passage-way were running—one of them had the Priestess slung over his shoulder.
"Damn it! Bring her back, you idiots! I have a quest to complete with her!" I bellowed.
They ignored , of course. I took off after them at full speed, and thanks to the training I'd been getting from the system, I was faster—closing the distance fast.
Just as I was about to grab them, they made a sharp turn toward the church sanctuary. One of them yanked a cross on the wall.
The wall parted, revealing a secret passage.
I pushed myself harder, watching helplessly as they dragged Seraphina inside.
The wall began closing. By the ti I reached it, it was completely shut.
"Shit!" I gritted my teeth, yanking the cross as they did. It didn't budge.
Out of frustration, I kicked the wall.
Then—I heard heavy footsteps approaching.
Spinning around, I found myself surrounded by the holy knights of our kingdom.
"Thank God you guys are here! The Priestess—she was kidnapped by—"
Steel rang as every knight unsheathed their swords and pointed them at .
A cold chill ran down my spine.
Then, the sound of tal scraping against stone reached my ears.
I lifted my head and my worst nightmare was walking toward .
Liloth Alvado.
Her expression was twisted with fury.
"Where's the Priestess, devil boy?" she demanded, stopping inches away.
I forced a smile. Careful words were necessary when dealing with this beast.
"Madam Guildmaster," I said, keeping my voice calm. "I'm sorry. I failed to protect her. Two n ca out of nowhere and took her."
She raised a brow, clearly not believing a word l said.
Then, the nun I t when I first arrived—the one who gave a garnt to pray—stepped forward.
At least she'd vouch for .
Or at least thats what l thought, but I was wrong.
"I saw him, Guildmaster!" she declared. "He was working with those n. They called themselves Revolutionaries!"
"What?!" My mouth fell open. "The hell are you talking about?!"
Liloth's eyes burned with rage. Before I could react, her gorilla-like hands wrapped around my throat.
"I should've known, you bastard!"
She slamd to the ground. Pain exploded in my back as I gasped.
"Now you're gonna tell us where your hideout is, brat!" she growled. "Where did your guys take the Priestess?"
"They're not my guys! I don't even—"
Boom!
She swung the flat side of her massive sword into my chin. My skull rattled from the impact as blood dripped from my nose, making feel dizzy.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, she hoisted into the air by my throat. I kicked and struggled, gasping for air.
"I hate stubborn little cockroaches," she sneered. "But you know what I love? Torturing them."
She threw down again.
"Guards!" she barked. "Take this demonic brat to the torture chamber! He dies tonight!"
"Wait! You're making a mistake!" I pleaded.
My gaze darted to the nun.
She was smirking.
The realization hit like a punch to the gut.
"Liloth, listen!" I pointed at her. "She's the one working with the Revolutionaries!"
Liloth's glare deepened.
"How dare you accuse Lady Mariah of such blasphemy?!" she spat. "Your punishnt just got worse, brat!"
"I'm telling the truth! You're making a huge mistake!"
But there was no reasoning with Liloth. Her thick skull believed what it wanted.
The knights grabbed , dragging across the floor.
mories of my last ti in Liloth's hands resurfaced.
Starvation. Torture.
I wasn't going through that again.
I had no choice.
"I'm sorry, guys," I muttered. "But I'm getting out of here."
Before they could react, I unleashed a powerful wind gale, blasting them back.
Then, I bolted toward the sealed passage.
The cross still wasn't working, so I summoned a jagged rock spike and hurled it at the wall. It shattered, revealing the path inside.
The knights scrambled after , but I hit them with another gust of wind before diving into the passage.
Behind , Liloth roared.
"Catch that bastard! NOW!"
I clenched my fists.
From this point on, being caught wasn't an option.
They wouldn't listen. They wouldn't reason.
They'd skin alive.
So I ran.
For the Priestess.
She was the only one who could clear my na.
And I'd do whatever it took to complete my quest with her—
Even if it ant fighting the demon-powered Revolutionaries.
Tbc
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