The greatest treasure owned by the Holy Church.

A thing that could be said to symbolize the Holy Church itself suddenly had half of it swept away in an instant—what a bizarre situation.

Karon rubbed his eyes and stared again at the well, but nothing had changed.

Half of the Holy Blood from the well was consumed.

All just for that ridiculous reason.

Naturally, Karon’s face twisted in fury like a demon.

The killing intent radiating from him caused his subordinate to tremble and plop down on the floor.

But… Karon took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

He was no fool. If he were that stupid, he wouldn’t have climbed the ranks so swiftly.

It was maddening to think that the strongest asset was half-gone like this.

No matter what, there was nothing he could do now to bring back the Holy Blood that was lost. Therefore… his top priority was to figure out the situation and find a way to deal with it.

First and foremost, he needed to focus on…

‘Why the hell did this much disappear for something like that?’

If what he glimpsed was truly the mental landscape of the Black Fangs’ leader, he might have been shocked but not surprised.

Given the importance of that individual, some amount of Holy Blood consumption was unavoidable when intruding into his psyche.

However, this situation was incredibly strange.

Logically speaking.

There was no way such a guy would require such a heavy cost.

That was an undeniable fact.

That’s why Karon was lost in thought trying to make sense of it… until it suddenly hit him.

‘The images I saw in that guy’s head.’

Disgusting photographs of an old woman, a complete mystery who would even want to see such things, and what kind of lunatic would get aroused by that ghastly nakedness.

And… even more shocking things in a different direction.

No matter how experienced he was at dismembering people, the grotesqueness of those images was beyond what Karon could tolerate.

He had panicked and didn’t confirm properly, but…

‘That was definitely abnormal.’

The bizarre scenes he observed in that mind.

Things like dog-humping, incomprehensible words that didn’t seem to fit into this world.

It didn’t look like something from this era at all.

When he connected that with why the Holy Blood disappeared like this… the answer became clear.

‘A being from another world, a higher dimension, perhaps.’

Now that was understandable.

Interfering with entities from other dimensions was nearly impossible.

Just observing them was practically miraculous, and he’d gone so far as to directly enter the subjective world of a higher-dimensional being.

If the cost for that wasn’t hefty, it would’ve been weirder.

“……”

As Karon was lost in thought and continuing his deductions, his expression soured.

‘Are all higher-dimensional beings like that?’

Getting excited over such an old woman’s photos or being a collection of strange perverts who can’t be satisfied just by releasing sexual urges on beastkin and instead aim to become beastkin themselves.

The average of higher-dimensional beings is like that.

Imagining it alone was so revolting, he felt like he might throw up.

Thus, Karon quickly shoved those thoughts out of his head.

Because there were more important matters at hand.

‘Why the heck is that bizarre furball misunderstood as the leader of the Black Fangs?’

Could it be a scheme by the Empire?

A tactic by the Empire to check the Holy Church?

He briefly entertained that thought, but… it seemed a bit far-fetched.

He still recalled vividly.

The Second Prince.

The madness and obsession in his eyes when he claimed to have figured out the identity of the Black Fangs’ leader.

Absolutely no way it could be an act.

So, the Empire really thought that weird person was the leader of the Black Fangs.

And… there could only be one person to orchestrate such a thing.

‘The Black Fangs…’

It must be them.

They’d tricked everyone with their vile schemes.

Once he thought that, everything clicked into place.

If the goal was to confuse the Empire, they could easily throw anyone else under the bus.

However, they chose to pin their suspicions on a higher-dimensional being for a reason.

Somehow, they’d figured out the existence and mechanism of this well and set a trap for him.

Karon had fallen right into that trap.

‘What is that guy planning?’

Karon couldn’t help but reflect on his past behavior. He knew full well arrogance was the biggest poison.

In his rage at having his plans disrupted, he had made poor judgments.

He even dismissed the possibility that the leader of the Black Fangs was just a lucky guy.

Looking back, it was undeniably humiliating.

‘If I hadn’t noticed the odd signs and tried to destroy that freak’s psyche…’

Half of the Holy Blood was already wasted just from peeking at the higher-dimensional being’s mind. How much would it take to collapse that psyche?

It was clear that with what he currently had, it would be grossly insufficient.

Karon would likely be eternally trapped in that pervert’s brain.

Human transformation.

Photos of an old woman.

The bizarre sight of releasing sexual urges on beasts.

Forever confined in such a twisted mental space, he would suffer endlessly.

Cold sweat naturally trickled down Karon’s back.

‘To toy with me like this.’

It was his first experience.

A feeling of helplessness that seems to engulf you, as if he were nothing but a puppet dancing on someone else’s palm despite all his struggles.

That was truly a terrifying scheme.

What kind of mindset does it take to come up with and actually succeed in such plans?

The insight of the Black Fangs’ leader was nothing short of astounding.

But…

‘I can’t step back.’

It was wise not to confront an opponent like that.

Even knowing that, he couldn’t stop attacking.

Perhaps it was only natural.

With the certainty that the leader of the Black Fangs knew about the well of miracles, he would definitely be aware of other secrets too.

If that got out……

It would be the end.

Everything he had built up, all his reputation, all his future would be shattered.

The moment that guy spoke, Karon’s life would be over.

There’s no way he could allow such an opponent to live.

Thus… he had to eliminate him.

By any means necessary.

No matter the risk involved.

“……Bring me the contents of the Holy Grail. Everything you have.”

That’s why Karon instructed.

Originally intended to deal with the bizarrely elusive potion merchant, the plan had changed.

It was not the time to hold back.

His life was on the line, so he needed to wager everything he could.

Of course, it wouldn’t compare to the Holy Blood.

But it would certainly be better than nothing.

‘Black Fangs… I won’t apologize for underestimating you.’

However, they weren’t going to take this lying down either.

Karon had a vague idea of the leader’s identity.

The Empire wouldn’t mistakenly think that bizarre being was the leader of the Black Fangs. There had to be a connection between the leader of the Black Fangs and that weirdo.

For instance…….

Maybe he came down from the same higher dimension for amusement.

No, his instincts told him.

It was a certainty.

Then what he needed to do was obvious.

He had to find a soul not belonging to this world and invade that being’s mind.

Definitely.

Using up all the Holy Blood he had left would be risky enough, and combining all the divine power he had stored up would put him on the edge.

But despite that, it was worth the challenge.

With a determined expression, Karon submerged himself in the well again.

……It was the hour of reckoning.

The calm before the storm.

Whether Karon’s choice was right or wrong would only be revealed by the results.

*

I woke up from bed with irritation.

Was my healthy body staging a strike lately?

The area around my shoulder blade ached, making it impossible to sleep.

Clearly, this was not a day for a good night’s rest. I stared blankly at the wall and soon fell deep into thought.

Perhaps it was only natural.

So peaceful to an alarming degree that it felt unreal.

After all, I had just declared a full-on war against the Holy Church in the name of the Black Fangs. In retrospect, I was in a ridiculously dangerous situation.

If I wasn’t worried about what was to come, that itself would have been odd.

‘……Maybe I should have been a bit more cautious.’

Lately, I felt like I was a bit careless.

Especially with these earrings I’ve been wearing, which were supposed to enhance my intuition.

But instead, they felt counterproductive.

Whenever I tried to think about the identity of the Black Fangs’ leader or reflect on my actions, it was strange how I couldn’t concentrate at all.

Occasionally, I was overwhelmed by inexplicable confidence and certainty.

Even now, that instinct creeping over me…
‘Should I just toss these out?’

It was so ridiculous that I genuinely began to consider getting rid of the artifact.

There’s a limit to nonsense.

Shouldn’t I feel at ease considering the Holy Church is busy self-destructing on its own?

The Holy Church isn’t filled with idiots.

Such foolishness couldn’t possibly happen, right?