“Don’t make me say it twice. Where are you going, Second Priest?”

Kylian’s warning tone made Phileal tilt his head slightly, puzzled.

Anais, fearing Kylian might recognize her, kept her head down. Fortunately, the hood covered her face up to her mouth, preventing Kylian from seeing it. Additionally, her hair appeared jet black, as if some magic had been cast on the clothing.

“God has given me a decree.”

“Who’s that beside you? And why are they wearing the First Priest’s clothes?”

“We cooperate with the imperial palace; we don’t work for the imperial palace.”

Phileal spoke, his tone carrying a warning.

Kylian drew his sword. He pointed the massive zweihander at Phileal’s neck with a threatening glare.

“Show me the face of the person next to you.”

“That’s not possible.”

“And why is that?”

“This body is chosen by the God of Death.”

Kylian frowned, not understanding the meaning behind those words. Phileal wasn’t particularly fond of lying, but he wasn’t bad at it either. He spoke smoothly.

“Aren’t you curious why I disappeared and came back?”

Phileal asked with a playful smile. Kylian found his face irritating and involuntarily scowled.

“You came back because the Saint is here.”

Kylian was unaware of the specifics of what had transpired between the High Priest, Phileal, and others. Only three people knew the full story: High Priest Mephist, Leviathan, and Phileal.

The priests of death could only speculate that the High Priest’s plan had failed, but they knew nothing else. Leviathan would ignore such a question, and the High Priest was in a deep, almost comatose sleep, occasionally waking only to be in too much pain to speak properly.

“Explain.”

“I’m too busy for that.”

“If you don’t explain, I’ll kill her.”

“And why are you out here, Your Majesty?”

Kylian was always irked by Phileal, but today, he was more annoyed.

“Show your face.”

Kylian’s sword tip pointed towards Anais. She remained still, trying not to react. Phileal, seeing the blade approach her, hurriedly continued.

“The God of Death intends to manifest.”

“What?”

“Don’t use the Saint as a sacrifice. That’s what I was told. So, I’m taking the body chosen by the God of Death with me. If the God of Death manifests here, I might be able to use the power for a few hours.”

“Is that possible? I’ve heard gods manifest only once in a hundred years.”

“The God of Death has only manifested once in thousands of years.”

The notion of a god borrowing a human body was rare. The divine realm had its order, making it difficult for gods to descend at will.

Moreover, the God of Death, aligned with chaos against the order, would find descending into a world of order no simple feat. Plus, the God of Death was a god who was torn and sealed.

“That should be impossible.”

“Even if it’s impossible, we must try. We need to survive in the palace, don’t we?”

Kylian glared at Phileal, who returned the look with a relaxed smile.

“And why are you here, Your Majesty?”

Kylian didn’t answer, but his wife’s words came to mind.

“Prevent anyone from leaving the palace.”

“Why, wife?”

“Just do as I say. I can… see the future.”

Kylian, guessing her abilities from her past actions, respected her wishes. All the palace gates were closed, except for this one that was used by the priests of death. That’s why he came personally.

“Swear to your god.”

“I swear to God Decarve that I am doing this task for God and for Your Majesty. I stake my life on it.”

As if to prove his words true, a black pentagram symbol appeared on the back of his hand before vanishing. Kylian sighed and sheathed his sword.

“Get lost.”

“Yes.”

Phileal grinned again, taking Anais’s hand, and they left.

As they crossed the gate, Anais slightly lifted her hood and glanced back.

“You!”

As soon as he saw the purple eyes, Kylian immediately knew who she was. However, without a relic, he couldn’t follow them through the gate used by the priests.

“Open the gate! Now!”

Phileal had just closed the gate behind them.

“Let’s go, Anais.”

Anais was taken aback as she recalled the moment her eyes met with Kylian’s. Her heart throbbed.

“Let’s go.”

“…huh.”

She decided to follow Phileal, who was urging her to move forward with a pleasant smile while stretching out his hand. Anais shook her head.

“I can walk on my own.”

“Then you’re too slow.”

“Oh, right.”

Anais took Phileal’s hand, and he began to lead the way with a broad smile. Despite feeling too weak to walk, Anais found herself able to keep up as he pulled her along.

“Where are we?”

As Anais looked around, Phileal glanced back at her and started walking slowly.

“This place used to be the temple of the goddess Meviar.”

“What?”

“The temple of the goddess of flower where you saved me before.”

“I remember that. But how did we get here?”

“There’s a way.”

Phileal seemed to want to hint to her about his capability, which prompted Anais to relax and ask.

“How?”

“Would you pat me on the head if I tell you?”

“No. You’re not a dog, why would I pat you?”

“What if I bark like one? Will you pat me then?”

“Even less likely. If you’re going to bark, you should be seen by a doctor.”

“Wahaha.”

Phileal laughed out loud without realizing it. He was pleased to see Anais joking and seemingly regaining some energy. He had hoped leaving the stifling palace would improve her spirits.

Indeed, her expression seemed much lighter.

“Remember I told you I sacrificed the high priest here before?”

“Yes.”

“At that time, the God of Death granted me some of the powers of the high priest of flowers.”

With his free hand, Phileal snapped his fingers, and pink flower petals began to fall from the sky.

“I can do things like this.”

“It’s such a useless but pretty power.”

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing Anais crack a smile, Phileal wished he could see her smile more.

“Having the powers of the high priest of flowers allows me to move to places like this. We often receive the abilities of those we sacrifice.”

“Will they not chase us through the gate?”

“It’s closed for now, so it’ll be difficult for a while.”

Phileal deliberately chose the temple of Meviar in the capital for their escape. It was a shift in thinking. If one were to flee through a gate, the assumption might be to go as far as possible.

No one would expect them to come so close to the capital. Additionally, the gate used by the priests of death operated on divine power, not magic. To investigate it without Leviathan’s direct involvement or the High Priest’s recovery is challenging.

“Phileal?”

“Yeah?”

“Though I know it’s not entirely safe yet, thank you.”

Anais felt grateful and guilty that he seemed to have come out for her.

Being in the imperial palace, she had wished for death, but stepping outside made her feel slightly alive. Within the palace walls, she constantly wished for death, but now, she wanted to do something with whatever life remained.

“I was the one who suggested we leave, remember?”

“Come with me, Anais Percival.”

Recalling that moment made Anais feel genuinely at ease seeing his smiling face.

“Ah.”

“What’s wrong?”

Suddenly remembering something, Anais looked at Phileal.

“My Dad is…”

“If you’re worried about Duke Percival, don’t be. He won’t be dying anytime soon.”

“Why?”

“Because they need the bloodline of a direct lineage. To keep the Empress alive.”

“Oh, right.”

Leaving Duke Percival behind had been weighing on Anais, but hearing this was somewhat relieving.

“Where are we heading now?”

“To a place I’ve always wanted to go when I retire.”

“Where’s that?”

Phileal’s smile was genuine. Ever since they left, he had been so buoyant, he kept laughing and smiling without realizing it, until his cheeks began to ache.

Then he said,

“To Ensest Island.”

“That’s quite far, isn’t it?”

“Yes, my mother’s grave is there.”

“Go to my mother’s grave for me.”

The promise she had made to Phileal when he restored her hair came to mind.

“I remember you made that promise.”

“Yes. I really wanted to go with you.”

Phileal had said that about a place he thought he could never visit. His duties as the second priest had been heavy, and visiting his mother’s grave was something he had been afraid to do. Yet, with Anais by his side, he felt he could make the journey.

“Why do you want to go with me?”

“I’m still… scared of my mother’s death.”

Anais had found it uncomfortable at first that Phileal was opening up to her about everything. But she had gradually become more comfortable listening to him.

She realized he no longer saw her as just a sacrifice. Though he seemed unaware of it himself.

“Do you think you’ll be okay if you go with me?”

“Yeah.”

His assurance made Anais feel relieved that she could be of help to him before she died. She tried to suppress the rising longing for Kylian.

Thus, they set off for Ensest Island.

* * *

“Where is my daughter?”

It was when Kylian had come to fetch Raviel from prison. Leviathan, the chief priest, had been somewhat lacking in administrative duties and temple management compared to Phileal, the second priest. Therefore, he had not been seen much since taking over Phileal’s duties.

It was also dangerous to bring Raviel to the Empress’s side with the intermediate priests. The gods of death and life were opposing forces, and if the high priest aggressively attempted purification, it could be hazardous.

Therefore, Kylian himself had come to stop whatever the high priest of life might attempt. He had considered sending Lacey, the captain of the guards. But after the recent events, Kylian could not hide his turmoil and wanted to be active.

The saint had left him. He wanted to move to clear his thoughts.

That’s when the imprisoned Duke Percival spoke to the emperor.

“What are you talking about, Duke?”

“My daughter, why are you roaming around by yourself, damn Your Majesty.”

“My wife is in my room. So, spare me the unnecessary comments.”

Duke Percival murmured lowly in response.

“Where is my daughter?”

Duke Percival asked because the second priest who used to come looking for the priest of life was nowhere to be seen. Duke Percival was now certain that it was Anais residing within Lillith Isadora’s body.

The second priest had always shared stories about Anais with Duke Percival on his visits.

“As I’ve just mentioned, in my room…”

“My daughter. I’m asking about my daughter, Anais Percival, who is now in Lillith Isadora’s body.”

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