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Chapter 265

These days, the Holy Kingdom’s affairs kept him so busy he barely had time to breathe.

High Priest Diablo let out a sigh, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose.

“I knew I shouldn’t have interfered…”

“High Priest, here are the documents requiring your approval.”

“Leave them there.”

Even at a glance, the exhaustion in his eyes was evident.

Alone in the now quiet office, he let out another short sigh.

“I just want to drop everything and rest.”

But with the Saintess so actively engaged in her work, he couldn’t exactly just walk away from it all.

If only something would happen—some kind of incident—maybe he could use it as an excuse to escape.

He chuckled bitterly at the kind of thought he normally wouldn’t even entertain.

And then—

Whoooosh…

A faint breeze brushed in from beyond the window.

At the same time, he sprang to his feet.

“What was that just now…?”

That shouldn’t be possible.

He shouldn’t be able to feel that.

It had only lasted for a brief moment—he could’ve mistaken it for a hallucination.

But the sensation from earlier was far too clear.

“That can’t be. Remiel should still be sealed. Why do I feel her power…?”

Wait a moment—wasn’t the temple she was sealed in located near Coral?

And currently in Coral were… Leon Cascadia.

And Luna Basilin Raphaelia.

“This is far too perfectly timed… it's almost chilling.”

He immediately threw on his ceremonial robe and placed a fedora on his head.

“High Priest?”

“There’s somewhere I must go.”

With another sigh, he stepped out of his office.

If Archangel Remiel had truly broken free from her seal, he had to confirm her condition.

Unlike the other archangels, Remiel was born with empathy.

There was no telling what kind of trouble she might cause.

As soon as he stepped outside and took a single step forward, the scenery around him began to shift.

* * *

She had been staring blankly at her surroundings, but now slowly turned her gaze toward me.

Then she looked over at Luna and widened her eyes in surprise.

But there was a strange, subdued air about her.

“That really is Luna Basilin…”

“It’s been a while.”

“Is this the first time since I disappeared?”

“Probably.”

Her calm response seemed to surprise Remiel, who opened her eyes wider.

“Luna, you’ve changed a lot.”

“What of it? I’m just a fallen being who defied the will of God.”

At that, Remiel’s eyes widened even more.

“My goodness… One of the three most devout archangels turning against God…”

She seemed slightly shaken and nodded her head slowly.

Then she glanced briefly at me.

“By the way, Adam? No… something’s different…”

She looked me over, as if inspecting me.

“This is strange. Your appearance and aura are the same, but…”

“What do you mean?”

As I raised an eyebrow in confusion, Luna suddenly grabbed Remiel’s arm.

“That’s enough.”

“…I don’t know why, but fine. Could you let go of me now?”

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Luna, startled by the tension, stepped back, and Remiel lowered her gaze slightly.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never had a good impression of archangels. I understand you’ve changed, but I’ll need time to accept it.”

Luna likely shared the same sentiments about archangels—but something about Remiel felt more distant, more alien.

“I see. You’re similar, but fundamentally different. What should I call you?”

“Call me Leon.”

“I see. Leon. I’m grateful you released me from my seal. If you’ll allow it, I’d like to stay by your side and repay the favor.”

As she gave me a sweet smile, I narrowed my eyes.

…Did I make a mistake letting her out?

I looked to the Librarian, hoping for confirmation, but even the Librarian wouldn’t know everything.

As that uncertainty lingered, I felt a new presence.

“…Oh dear. I was afraid this would happen.”

A hulking priest dressed in pristine white robes and wearing a fedora appeared in my vision.

At the same time, Luna leapt forward like a cannonball and rushed toward him.

BOOM!!!

Her overwhelming blow landed squarely on him.

“Gahk!”

“You bastard—what did you plant in my body?!”

“Guh… Still, I arrived quickly, didn’t I?”

“Do you want to die?”

“I merely placed a tracking spell, just in case you caused trouble.”

What kind of freak does something like that?

Even as Diablo coughed up a mouthful of blood, he didn’t lose his smile.

Though he had sometimes spoken to Luna informally, he now seemed to return to his original demeanor, maintaining a composed appearance.

In an instant, he healed himself and rose to his feet slowly.

Then, as if he hadn’t just been attacked, he looked calmly at Remiel.

“I detected a massive surge of holy power. It didn’t take long to recognize it as Archangel Remiel’s. And it didn’t take much longer to figure out who had broken her seal.”

He slowly approached Remiel.

She tilted her head and looked up at him.

“Demon Diablo?”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Please refer to me as High Priest Dibl in this place.”

"Wow. I’ve thought this before, but your decisiveness really is something else, Diablo."

"I’d rather not hear that from you."

As he said that, Diablo suddenly reached out and grabbed both of Remiel’s cheeks, holding her in place.

Then, as if to check something, he turned her head this way and that, coldly observing her.

And then he spoke in a voice tinged with suspicion.

"Hmm… hmm… Judging by your eyes, you don’t look insane…"

"What are you doing?"

When I asked, Diablo let go of Remiel’s cheeks and turned to look at me.

"I should be the one asking that. Just what exactly does it take to break a seal on an archangel?"

"Is that a problem?"

He shook his head at my question.

"…No. It’s just… To bind an archangel with such a powerful seal… Well, I guess if it’s you and Luna, it kind of makes sense."

Shaking his head, he snapped his fingers, and in an instant, all four of us were enveloped in light.

"Let’s move for now."

"Wait. There’s still something I need to find here."

I stopped Diablo, but Luna took my hand and shook her head.

"The compass has stopped responding. No point looking further."

I thought about continuing the search, but Luna’s expression was so grim that I couldn't say anything else.

Using Diablo’s spatial transference ability, we arrived at what seemed to be an underground altar.

At the far end of the altar stood a giant statue of a god.

Of course, it wasn’t a statue that literally portrayed the true appearance of a deity.

It was an object shaped by human imagination, upon which divine blessings had descended, making it a sacred relic.

Surrounding it, as if to guard the divine statue, were statues of the archangels.

These weren’t just ordinary statues.

Each one was imbued with the power of a specific archangel, and with divine power.

I’d never seen statues infused with such dense divine energy.

This truly was the Holy Kingdom.

"Where are we?"

"This is the Sanctuary of Prayer, located beneath the Grand Temple of the Holy Kingdom. It’s where divine power is most concentrated—"

"The Supreme Deity, Michael, Raguel, Uriel? What the hell is this crap?"

It was then.

With a sudden chill in her voice, Remiel suddenly lunged at the divine statue.

Luna and I were the first to react, followed by Diablo, who summoned a shadow-like force and restrained her instantly.

"Ah, let me go! I just need to smash that shitty thing! Okay?!"

The lively, cute demeanor she had shown earlier now seemed completely false, as she glared with wild eyes and charged toward the divine statue.

Remiel may not be physically stronger than Luna, but she was still an archangel.

The overwhelming energy radiating from her six wings made it feel as if the entire area was being crushed.

Her unexpected rampage continued for quite some time.

As a full-fledged archangel, she wasn’t someone who could be stopped easily.

But then—

Clink-clink-clink-clink-clink!!!

Golden chains suddenly shot out from all directions, binding her tightly like a prisoner, and only then did her power begin to quiet, like it was falling asleep.

"Aww… what a shame."

Her demeanor was now completely different.

Remiel, who had just been snarling like she’d seen her mortal enemy, was so different from her earlier self that Luna looked absolutely shocked.

"Phew… that was close. Good thing I brought her here just in case."

"You knew something?"

"Let’s head outside. I’ll explain everything I know."

Still stunned, Luna stared at Remiel for a long moment, then slowly followed me out.

"Let me go already! Just give me a second!!"

She shouted with fury like a deranged lunatic, a far cry from the image of an archangel who once sang praises of divine blessing, as the saintess Nadia had described.

As soon as we stepped out of the altar, Diablo clapped his hands together with force, summoning a powerful wave of divine energy, and soon a massive sacred magic circle formed around the altar, centered on where Remiel was held.

He let out a sigh of relief.

"That altar is infused with immense divine power. The location itself is practically a sacred relic. It was originally designed to suppress powerful heretics. Though, it’s never actually been used before."

And now, for the first time, the one being restrained wasn’t even a heretic, but an archangel.

It was beyond absurd.

"Let’s clarify a few things. Leon, it’s natural you don’t know. And Luna, it’s also something you wouldn’t be aware of."

He looked exhausted as he guided us just outside the bounds of the suppression circle.

As long as we were outside the range, it wouldn’t be a problem.

"To get the facts straight, Archangel Remiel has a history of annihilating an entire kingdom in the distant past."

He glanced back at Remiel, still chained within the circle and struggling.

"Hey, Diablo, Luna. Can you guys let me go now? I’ve calmed down."

With a bright smile, completely devoid of her earlier rage, Remiel looked at us, and our conversation came to a halt as we stared at her.

Diablo sighed again.

"Can we trust you?"

"Please do. I did get a bit worked up, but I’m totally calm now."

Clink-clink-clink.

Responding to Diablo’s divine power, the chains vanished.

At that exact moment, Remiel’s eyes flew open wide and she charged toward the divine statue with terrifying speed.

Clink-clink-clink!!! CRACK!

Of course, she was instantly restrained again.

"Hey! Let me go! I said let me go!! Damn it! I just want to smash that thing! Seriously!! I won’t touch the other archangel bast—@#%!@#$%—I swear!!"

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