Chapter 81

Vincent breathed divine power into her, watching closely to see what kind of result would appear.

But the soul revealed after the demonic energy peeled away was nothing like what he expected.

A soul this pure was something he had only ever seen in a handful of high priests of the holy city, or in those favored directly by the god.

Even Vincent himself doubted his own soul was this flawless and clear.

Even Matteo and Judith, who had naturally settled near the governor’s residence while following him, had been left speechless the moment they faced Elicia.

‘The duchess is definitely human. And not just human, but an exceptionally good one who has committed no sin.’

‘But that cat makes no sense. How can a great demon protect an ordinary human like that? It’s even pretending to be some ridiculous pet.’

‘Maybe the duke is the source of it all. If that’s the case, isn’t the duchess in danger?’

‘No. The duke is human too. At least for now.’

Matteo and Judith lacked the insight to see the truth, but Vincent understood.

That was a human soul.

The problem was that calling it ordinary was impossible. It was twisted and defiled beyond recognition, like a doll trampled into the mud until its original shape could no longer be made out.

It was a completely different case from the duchess, who had been wrapped in demonic energy.

The duke’s soul in its current state was his true, original form.

“What happened to him? No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out.”

How could a human possibly live in such a way that their soul ended up so thoroughly ruined?

It looked as if it bore every original sin in the world.

For a fleeting moment, Vincent imagined that if the soft hearted Holy Father were to face the duke, he might shed tears over his inability to grant him salvation.

Of course, Vincent himself wasn’t that kind of man.

“What is it that you wish to show us, God…”

Annoyance crept in as Vincent clicked his tongue low.

The moon was already tilting toward its descent.

* * *

Time flowed on like the wind, and soon the day came when the ducal couple would leave Bellamare.

Edwin looked down at the first floor entrance from above, watching servants bustle about with luggage.

The people had gathered in clouds to see off the duchess, and Elicia was meeting each of their eyes, offering her farewells one by one.

‘A lot really happened.’

Above all else, the biggest issue had been the abolition of the governor system.

The people overwhelmingly supported making the duchess’s territory a direct domain, but after Elicia firmly refused, they ultimately agreed on placing it under direct lordly rule instead.

In return, they agreed to install someone suitable to act as Elicia’s proxy in a key position.

That was how Gibson became the chief secretary.

Being a native of Bellamare, well versed in its affairs and close to the duchess herself, the result satisfied everyone.

Naturally, aside from a select few deemed useful, the bureaucrats were all replaced.

“So… did you get the answer you wanted?”

Sensing an unfamiliar presence, Edwin casually turned his gaze.

Beyond the open doors where servants were carrying luggage, Vincent appeared with a faint smile.

Behind him, two inquisitors stood with sharp light gleaming in their eyes.

“You stopped by Lombard and met me, so I suppose your purpose is fulfilled. Are you returning to the holy city now?”

“How could we possibly know the future? We merely follow the will of God.”

Vincent’s answer was ambiguous.

Edwin felt a strong premonition that they would cross paths again soon. Especially those gleaming eyes looked just like a predator that had found its prey.

‘Even so, you won’t find anything.’

Scoffing quietly, Edwin walked past them and headed downstairs.

Elicia was still exchanging what felt like the very last of last farewells with the people.

The elderly village chief wiped at his wet eyes with a trembling hand.

“I don’t know if I’ll live long enough to see you again, Madam.”

“I’ll be back before long. So don’t say things like that. Take care of your health and live a long life. You should see Bellamare flourish with your own eyes.”

“Please have a safe journey, Madam.”

“May God protect your travels.”

After greeting each of them, Elicia finally faced Gibson and Greta together.

Even though Gibson had become chief secretary, their clothes hadn’t changed much from before.

Only their expressions were different. Unlike the days spent in caves, their faces now shone clearly with visions of Bellamare’s revival.

“If you ever need anything, contact me anytime.”

“We’ll never forget your kindness, Madam. Not even in death.”

“I mean… it’s not like I did nothing, but it’s not that much.”

“My husband truly means every word. Ah, and this is a small gift we all prepared together. May God’s blessing be with you.”

With a gentle smile, Greta offered a wooden box.

It wasn’t as ornate as the ones seen in the castle, but the densely carved raised patterns showed just how much care everyone had put into it.

Elicia accepted the box with a deeply moved expression.

It was truly time to leave.

Edwin boarded the carriage with Elicia.

“Long live Lombard. Long live our lord. Long live the duchess.”

The people’s cheers didn’t stop until the Bellamare gate faded into a distant dot.

After waving out the window for a long time, Elicia finally sat back down.

“You worked hard, Eli.”

“Oh, no…”

An awkward silence settled inside the carriage.

After the night Elicia had gotten thoroughly drunk and caused a small incident, Edwin had hoped she wouldn’t remember what happened.

Elicia seemed to have sensed that much.

Unfortunately, by the next morning, her memory was perfectly intact.

She’d spent quite a while kicking an innocent blanket in frustration, but Edwin’s calm, nothing happened attitude had finally begun to ease her heart.

Even so, whenever they were alone, the awkwardness lingered.

“Oh, right. We should open the gift Greta gave us.”

“I’m curious what’s inside.”

“She said the villagers made it themselves for the two of us. She even told me to open it together with you since you’d like it too.”

With a face full of anticipation, Elicia opened the box.

Inside was a piece of luxurious silk.

Clearly embroidered with great care, the long cloth was densely filled with prayers asking for divine grace and sacred images depicting the return of angels.

“They must’ve all been busy. When did they even make this…”

Elicia’s eyes softened with emotion.

Meanwhile, as Edwin read through the prayer, his shoulders suddenly stiffened.

Before he could stop her, Elicia pulled out a letter tucked beneath the cloth.

[It’s a belt meant to pray for the mother’s safety and peace.

The final line of the prayer was personally embroidered by the eldest elder of our village, who bore six sons and seven daughters. Of course, it was also consecrated by priests.

They say the effect is very powerful, so you’ll surely hear good news before long.

All of us will pray with one heart.

May God’s blessing be with you both.]

“…!”

Elicia’s face turned bright red the moment she finished reading.

Even Edwin blanked out for a second at the part about six sons and seven daughters, before quickly regaining his composure.

“I-I see. It’s a very thoughtful gift. It’d be best to put it back in the box so it doesn’t get damaged.”

“Y-Yes. That would be best.”

Elicia rolled up the long silk cloth and tossed it back into the box, snapping the lid shut as if sealing it.

In truth, her hands tangled so badly she fumbled for quite a while.

At this rate, she looked ready to lock herself away in the inner chambers the moment they reached the castle, so Edwin tried to lighten the mood.

“Still, having it consecrated means they put quite a lot of effort into it.”

Then a realization struck him.

Who exactly had performed the consecration on that belt?

Bellamare was a small border city. It had no regional diocese, and no high ranking priest from the holy city had ever been stationed there.

Even the lower priests present lacked the authority to perform consecration.

‘She said priests. Plural.’

As if Elicia had reached the same thought, her face flushed red enough to make one worry her blood vessels might burst.