“What is this…? Wait, Priest Ciero?”

Devan’s initial delight at seeing the Kran royal heirs quickly turned to shock when he saw who had come with them. The key was to bring the children without Isaac or Ciero knowing, but Ciero had ended up coming along. One of the men who led the abduction hurriedly explained the situation to Devan.

Devan’s expression shifted from surprise to one of disdain.

“Of course. This is exactly the kind of person you are. I thought you might have changed after running away and coming back, but… ha.”

Ciero, ashamed, kept his head down. He knew that whatever was said, staying near these children was the most important thing. However, Devan still did not trust him and ordered a search of Ciero’s belongings. Finding nothing that could reveal their location, Devan clicked his tongue.

“If we run into church officials after we get out, it might be useful to have a priest around. As long as he doesn’t get in the way, bring him along.”

“Thank you, thank you!”

Ciero expressed his gratitude, bowing down at Devan’s feet. Devan kicked at Ciero’s hands with disdain still painted on his face.

“Let’s go.”

“We should at least tie his hands, just in case…”

“If we run into zombies outside, even a fool like him might be useful. He’ll work hard to survive.”

Devan trusted what he had seen of Ciero’s character.

Selfish and desperate for self-preservation—that was Ciero.

Ciero didn’t bother to deny it. He simply kept his head down, nervously rubbing his ears.

Devan led the group toward a stairway leading down to the fortress’s inner well.

There was only one secret passage connecting Kran Fortress to the outside. However, there were multiple paths branching off from that single passage. Even if Isaac guarded the entrance, it was just one of many.

The well, one of the few not contaminated, was directly connected to the secret passage.

The aqueduct created alongside the secret passage was dark and damp. Every time groundwater dripped, Devan shuddered from an eerie sensation. His mind was as dark and murky as the tunnel around him.

As he had expected, the secret passage eventually led to the region where the undead army was stationed. Until they could negotiate with a sentient undead, they would have to fend off the zombies by themselves. Negotiating with zombies was not an option.

Even if they managed to move to a safe location and escape, what then?

Joining up with the main Dawn Army at the Holy See was impossible. The Holy Grail Knight had already seen him. Though Isaac was currently trapped in Kran Fortress, based on the knight’s earlier display of strength, Devan doubted Isaac would be easily defeated.

They would have to flee to a place far from the church’s reach. Above all, Devan was sick and tired of the Dawn Army.

‘…Is becoming a barbarian the only option?’

A heretic who betrayed his faith finds no sanctuary. To survive where no one knew him, Devan would have to become a barbarian. Ironically, the region most friendly to barbarians in the empire was Isaacrea, ruled by the Holy Grail Knight.

From the inner circle of Ciero’s Dawn Army to a barbarian in one fell swoop.

It was a catastrophic fall.

But Devan soon realized that he could sink even lower.

***

*Swish…*

After walking for some time, Devan noticed that it had become unusually dark. The damp walls that had glistened in the torchlight now reflected nothing, and even the man holding the torch ahead of them was obscured by shadows.

It wasn’t just darker.

The sounds of crackling flames, running water, and the faint whimpers of the children were muted, hidden in the darkness. In their place, strange, profane whispers filled the air. A chill ran down Devan’s spine, and goosebumps prickled his skin.

“What the hell is this…?”

Sensing something wrong, Devan drew his sword. It was an instinctive move that showed his sharp senses, but it was completely pointless in this situation.

“Put the sword down.”

Devan felt a sharp pain in the back of his hand and dropped the sword. It clattered loudly as it fell into the aqueduct. His hand bore marks as if it had been bitten by a large beast.

It was as if the darkness itself had bitten him.

*Step, step.*

Footsteps echoed loudly, unnaturally so, in the absence of all other sounds but the eerie whispers. Devan’s heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t need to see the figure to know who it was. Only one person in this city could command such a presence.

A pale face emerged from the darkness, its violet eyes burning.

Isaac appeared before Devan and his followers.

Instinctively, Devan’s men drew their weapons—swords, axes—only to drop them with cries of pain, their hands bitten or even partially severed.

“I said, put the weapons away in front of the kids.”

After disarming every weapon that could be used for intimidation, Isaac began to approach.

As faith in Isaac and his abilities grew stronger, so too did the power he could imbue into the Colors Beyond. For ordinary people without holy power, even being surrounded by the colors was enough to shred them like a blender, especially in such a confined space.

Devan had no idea how Isaac had tracked them down. His eyes belatedly fell on Ciero, who, despite being caught in a dire situation, looked ecstatic.

Realizing that Ciero had done something, Devan lunged desperately at Lehena Kran.

“Holy Grail Knight!”

Devan seized Lehena by the jaw, and Isaac stopped in his tracks.

“I might not have a weapon, but I can still twist this brat’s neck! Back off, now!”

Isaac grinned from the shadows. Instead of retreating, he motioned with his chin as if daring Devan.

“Go ahead.”

“What did you just say?”

“I told you clearly. I don’t care if you live or die. So go set yourselves on fire or throw yourselves into the well. And now, you’ve conveniently gathered in this well to die?”

“Are… are you saying you don’t care if the child dies?”

“If the eldest of the Kran family dies, then the fortress loses its rightful heir. Hmm, how tragic that the legitimate successors and the scoundrels occupying the fortress would disappear together. So, who would be responsible for our fortress now? Oh, look, the Holy Grail Knight happens to be passing by to save us! Holy Grail Knight, please, have mercy on us…”

Isaac mocked them, pretending to beg for mercy in a mocking tone before wiping the smirk from his face and glaring at Devan.

“Why would I refuse that? If there’s a reason, please enlighten me.”

Devan’s teeth clattered. It was a response he never expected from the Holy Grail Knight.

But to Isaac, it was nothing new. The method he used to seize control of the Isaacrea estate wasn’t too different.

The royal bloodline of Kran was murdered by ruffians, and those ruffians were defeated by the righteous Holy Grail Knight. The land, left without a ruler, and the residents, left without their lord, turned to the knight for protection with tears in their eyes, and everyone lived happily ever after. Perfect, isn’t it?

It was only then that Devan realized they had been played. Perhaps Isaac had come alone for this exact reason. Without cursing or shouting, Devan grabbed Lehena Kran and immediately turned, trying to flee. His movements were so swift that even his own companions didn’t immediately realize his intentions.

‘There’s only one way out!’

To survive against a mad Holy Grail Knight who would kill a child to take Kran Fortress, Devan would have to turn to the Immortal Order. He thought he might have a better chance of survival if he presented Lehena Kran to King Batenna and begged for mercy.

However, his escape did not last long.

“You bastard!”

Bang! Devan slipped and fell backward as a hand grabbed him suddenly from behind. His head hit the stone floor hard, and Lehena managed to break free from his grasp.

“You damned fool, you won’t escape!”

The one who had grabbed Devan was none other than Ciero. With a grip on Devan’s neck, Ciero began to siphon off his power with a miracle, stealing the heat of Urvansus—a miracle he could use somewhat effectively.

“Aaaaagh!”

Unable to endure the unbearable pain, Devan screamed and thrashed about. Instinctively trying to escape the agony, he jumped into the water-filled channel. But Ciero held on tightly, dragging Devan into the water with him. Even submerged, Ciero’s hands continued to burn with bright heat.

At some point, Ciero saw a strange hallucination. It felt as though someone gently clasped his hands, interlocking their fingers with his. At that moment, the heat intensified even further.

Devan’s mouth opened and closed as if shouting something, but Ciero couldn’t hear a word.

The water in the channel bubbled and boiled, evaporating into steam. Within the cloud of vapor, Devan’s body slowly cooked like a pig in a stew.

***

*Fsssshh…*

Ciero finally stood up from the channel after some time, his entire body burning and aching.

The area was filled with steam, so thick it was difficult to even breathe. At his feet, Devan’s thoroughly cooked corpse sank into the water.

Remembering the Kran siblings belatedly, Ciero looked around in a panic. He worried they might have been scalded by the steam, but fortunately, the two children were safe, standing beside Isaac.

“Th-thank goodness. I thought someone might have kidnapped them…”

Ciero had been so focused on capturing Devan that he had gotten carried away. Isaac said something to him, but Ciero couldn’t make out the words.

“What did you say?”

Isaac tilted his head, then tapped his ear as if realizing something and spoke louder.

“It’s the heat. Your ears are gone. Without your outer ears, it seems the sound doesn’t gather properly.”

In fact, Ciero had a safety feature of sorts courtesy of Isaac. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to call it a surveillance device.

Since Ciero’s miracles weren’t particularly strong, he couldn’t regenerate his lost ears. Instead, Isaac had given him something—the Parasite from Beyond.

Utilizing his “Rat in the Wall” ability, Isaac could create bodily organs on his followers. He had used this to give Ciero new ears. They didn’t replace his actual ears but acted as a shell that could help capture sound.

Naturally, whatever Ciero heard and said could be monitored by Isaac whenever he wanted. This allowed Isaac to keep an eye on Ciero, even when he was leading Devan’s group toward the secret passage.

But it seemed that the boiling water had cooked the Parasite from Beyond, killing it.

Ciero knew the miracle was not from the Codex of Light, but he said nothing. His own status as a Nephilim meant he couldn’t question it too deeply. Just as his bloodline tied him to the Codex of Light, he assumed Isaac was connected to some other faith.

What concerned Ciero more were the children standing next to Isaac.

Ciero hesitated, thinking it couldn’t be true, but cautiously asked anyway.

“Are you… going to kill them?”

Isaac looked at him with incredulity.

“Do you really believe that nonsense I just spouted? Even the kids didn’t buy it. I’m busy enough managing my own estate. I don’t have the time or resources to expand my reach into this distant wilderness.”

Frankly, Isaac would gladly accept treasure, but the thought of managing new territory and its people was exhausting. Keeping the residents of Isaacrea fed and secure was already taking a toll on him.

“More importantly, what’s happened to your hands?”

“Huh…? Oh.”

Ciero finally noticed his own hands, now scorched black as if they had been dipped into a furnace, with veins and nerves glowing like embers.

Alarmed, Ciero moved his hands, but fortunately, they still functioned without issue.

When he raised his hands, the light emanated softly, spreading around him.

“I… I’m not sure. Miracles seem easier to perform, but…”

‘Did Ciero have this kind of feature? It’s like… the Eucharist.’

Even Isaac was baffled by what he was seeing. In all his eight paths to victory, Ciero had never displayed such an ability.

While it was common for devout followers to undergo intense religious experiences that led to miracles or awakenings, Ciero was a Nephilim—not a true believer—making this transformation difficult to explain.

‘Could it be that an angel has intervened?’