As she regained her senses, the Lady Virgin Saint found herself standing in a place she did not recognize.
Her hands were still trembling. The clarity of her mind and her sharp situational awareness meant nothing at all.
The man she loved could be dead.
The moment that thought filled her mind, the Lady Virgin Saint was already losing her sanity. Because of that, she had no time to dig into the details of the circumstances.
Why she had to act in secret.
She hadn’t heard the reasons behind why she shouldn’t seek help from the Holy Kingdom or why she couldn’t even call on her remaining companions at the Academy. Every time she raised a question about it, Yulen’s reactions had been unusually intense.
He lowered his voice and said, “Sister, this is urgent. You need to trust me and come with me for now.”
The man who said this wore a more rigid expression than ever. It was as if he believed that if the details of this secret were revealed, I-an would die immediately.
If it were someone else, she would have laughed it off, but Yulen had grown up with her since childhood. He was the only family the orphaned Lady Virgin Saint had.
Along with that, there was no way to calm the burning anxiety in her heart.
The thought of I-an dying.
Just imagining it made her hands shake. She had never once conceived a future without him.
Well, if it were a future of starting a family and living happily ever after, she could understand that.
Love can sometimes turn even the most intelligent person into a fool.
The Lady Virgin Saint was not free from that ancient curse either. The journey, with no destination in sight, continued for half a day, and eventually, they reached this small cabin.
It was a remote location in the mountains, nowhere that anyone would know.
She could not even understand why a cabin would be located in such an out-of-the-way place. Her first thought was that it might have been prepared as a “hideout.”
But why suddenly it had to be a hideout?
Just as this question crossed her mind, the Lady Virgin Saint slightly furrowed her brows.
“…We have arrived.”
Yulen’s soft voice jolted her back to reality.
There was no time for distractions. First and foremost, saving I-an was the priority.
The rest could be pondered later.
The Lady Virgin Saint carefully lowered her voice and asked, “So, what does this place have to do with I-an?”
“As I mentioned, the Shylock Trading Company was a front for the Dark Cult.”
They had been traveling together for half a day. No matter how much the Lady Virgin Saint had lost her rationality, she had ample time to grasp the overall situation.
It was a vague story that had emerged at that time.
When she remained silent as if urging him to speak, Yulen continued his account without hesitation.
“We tracked them down and discovered their hideout. We were ambushed while trying to raid it.”
“And how did you manage to come back?”
The tone of the Lady Virgin Saint, now reassured that no one else was around, softened a layer.
After all, they had been close friends since childhood. There was no reason to maintain formalities.
Even so, Yulen did not abandon his politeness to the end. Considering the hierarchical relationship between the two, his behavior was indeed the appropriate conduct.
Yulen was merely a bodyguard. He could never claim a status equal to that of the Lady Virgin Saint.
There was a vast difference between a superior treating a subordinate comfortably and a subordinate treating a superior comfortably.
However, Yulen did not display rigid behavior either.
“Of course, I escaped before that… After all, who am I?”
At his playful comment, the Lady Virgin Saint chuckled lightly, a faint smile gracing her lips.
Well, he had always been like that.
Yulen had an uncanny knack for sensing danger since childhood. It could be said that he was born with a survival instinct, and the Lady Virgin Saint had greatly benefited from that.
Perhaps that was why she had appointed him as her “bodyguard.”
Titles could easily be created anew. With such thoughts, the Lady Virgin Saint slowly shook her head.
She seemed to convey that he was incorrigible.
“I’m just relieved that you came back. So, this cabin is that hideout?”
“We suspect it’s a place like a brain prison where I-an and the others are being held.”
Hmm, the Lady Virgin Saint’s eyes narrowed at his strange words.
The cabin appeared to be well-maintained. It was evident that it had not been neglected for a long time; at least it was clear that someone had visited not too long ago.
Seeing the Lady Virgin Saint growing more cautious, Yulen seemed eager to clarify her doubts one by one.
“We were in a situation where we had no idea how far the Dark Cult’s influence extended. If they learned that we requested support from the Holy Kingdom…”
“The hostages could be in danger, right?”
“Moreover, we couldn’t afford to waste any more time. We have no idea what might be happening to the hostages.”
The Lady Virgin Saint nodded silently while listening to his explanation.
This was a reasonable story. In truth, there were points that required further elaboration, but at that moment, the Lady Virgin Saint was extremely anxious.
The hostages could be undergoing who knows what.
Yulen’s statement weighed heavily on her heart. Suppressing the desire to charge into the cabin immediately, she turned to her most trusted aide and asked.
“What do you think? Is it safe here?”
Confused eyes were directed at the Lady Virgin Saint. Meeting that gaze, she wore a playful smile.
“Does it look dangerous? As you know, I’m particularly insensitive in this regard.”
“Yes, that was true… But you had a lot of doubts instead.”
With a wry smile, Yulen shook his head vigorously.
“…I think we can go in.”
Only then did the Lady Virgin Saint breathe out a sigh of relief, calming her trembling heart.
To be honest, her combat ability was not high. But darkness could not overcome light; the immense divine power the Lady Virgin Saint possessed would be of great help in fighting the Dark Cult.
Just as the Lady Virgin Saint took a step towards the cabin.
Crack!
A white lightning struck.
Before she could process anything, a dull impact hit the back of her head. Her unfocused pink eyes turned towards the back.
It could even be called a form of instinct.
Wondering why she had lost consciousness and fallen, her gaze landed on one thing.
A sinister green eye was shining in the void.
The Lady Virgin Saint’s thoughts came to a halt in an instant.
Yulen held a sword in his hand. The weapon, whose sheath he had not even removed, struck the back of the Lady Virgin Saint like a blunt instrument.
An invisible quick sword.
It was the skill of the expert known as “Siendel’s Lightning.”
However, the Lady Virgin Saint simply could not comprehend the situation.
Why? She wanted to desperately ask.
“Honestly, you’re so slow.”
That sighed voice was the last thing she heard.
The Lady Virgin Saint lost consciousness just like that.
*
The Lady Virgin Saint suddenly awoke with a start.
It felt like she had just had a nightmare. Yulen hitting her from behind? There was a limit to how unrealistic that scenario could get.
She swallowed a hollow laugh and rubbed her eyes.
Perhaps because she had been lying on something soft, her body felt light. She felt revitalized after resting for a long time.
But even that was brief.
As she yawned and stretched, her arm froze mid-motion. She heard a clanking sound that should not have been present.
The Lady Virgin Saint numbly turned her gaze to her wrist.
There lay a strange ornament. Metal wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet. A twisted iron wire connected to it was firmly secured to the wall.
It was a restraining device, and a rather high-quality one at that.
Only then did the surroundings come into view for the Lady Virgin Saint.
Bright light cascaded down from the lights on the ceiling. A comfortable bed, various pieces of furniture, and a neatly organized room, but this was merely part of the picture.
Beyond that space, which did not even have doors or walls separating it.
The area outside her range of movement while restrained was dyed in a monochrome hue. The empty underground hall gave off a chilling atmosphere.
And most importantly, the smell that brushed against the tip of her nose.
It was the scent of blood. It appeared to have been cleaned up already, but it seemed that not all traces had been completely erased.
A place where a large amount of blood had flowed.
This was no positive location. The Lady Virgin Saint’s fine hairs stood on end as she realized this.
Where in the world is this place?
The answer to that question was not far away.
A languid voice resonated in her ears.
“Are you awake, sister?”
The Lady Virgin Saint hastily turned her gaze toward the source of that voice. Leaning against the wall was a man holding a sheathed sword in his arms.
Or perhaps she should call him a man?
The appearance of the swordsman with jade-colored hair felt strangely unfamiliar. His sharply defined jawline, the contours of his body, and the overall atmosphere were all the same.
Was he a man or a woman?
She could not tell at all. The Lady Virgin Saint widened her eyes at that unfamiliar sensation.
This was someone she had known since childhood. She had thought their gender was clear, but upon facing those enigmatic green eyes, her long-held beliefs felt like they were crumbling.
Her only family, Yulen, wore a gentle smile.
“You will have to stay here for a while. It’s too dangerous outside… I will set you free once everything is resolved.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
However, the Lady Virgin Saint’s shock was brief.
The feelings surging within her were far greater. Being suddenly struck on the back of the head and confined to an unknown place would provoke such a response in anyone.
“And why do you get to decide that it’s too dangerous outside? Also, you said I-an was in danger…!”
“That wasn’t a lie.”
Yulen chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders.
“I-an was defeated during an attack by the Dark Cult. He was dragged away somewhere in a state of near death. I don’t know where, either…”
“Then what about you?”
The question slipped through clenched teeth.
Yulen’s gaze blankly met the Lady Virgin Saint’s. Still, the Lady Virgin Saint did not hide the rising fury in her heart.
“So how did you return? Why didn’t you go for a rescue…?”
“Because I attacked.”
At that, the Lady Virgin Saint’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
