Chapter 492 - 491 - A Flawed Plan!
The little wooden hut gradually returned to silence after the two guards stepped outside, leaving behind only the quiet crackling of the fireplace and the gentle whisper of the night breeze brushing against the weathered walls. The warm glow of the dancing flames illuminated the modest room with a comforting amber light, softening the sharp edges of the simple wooden furniture while long shadows swayed lazily across the floor. Beyond the shuttered windows, the town had finally begun falling asleep, and the cheerful voices that had filled the streets earlier had faded into a distant murmur, allowing the peaceful rhythm of the night to envelop everything.
For several long moments...
Neither Luca nor the Saintess spoke.
The silence between them was neither awkward nor uncomfortable.
It simply existed.
As though both of them understood that the conversation about to begin carried far more weight than either wished to admit.
Then...
Without the slightest warning...
The Saintess moved.
Her figure blurred across the short distance separating them with surprising speed.
Before Luca could even process what had happened...
She had already stepped directly into him.
Her arms gently wrapped around his back.
Her forehead rested quietly against his chest.
Luca froze.
His crimson eyes widened ever so slightly as his mind momentarily failed to catch up with reality.
"...Your Holiness?"
The words escaped him almost instinctively.
Instinct immediately urged him to create some distance.
Carefully, so as not to appear disrespectful, he lightly placed his hands upon her shoulders, intending to gently separate himself from the unexpected embrace.
Before he could move...
A quiet voice reached his ears.
"Please..."
The Saintess spoke so softly that her words were almost lost beneath the crackling of the fire.
"...just let me stay like this..."
A brief silence followed.
"...for a little while."
Luca’s hands stopped.
He looked down at the woman quietly standing against him.
There was no embarrassment upon her face.
No hesitation.
Nor anything resembling impropriety.
Instead...
There was only exhaustion.
A deep exhaustion that seemed to have accumulated over countless sleepless nights.
Luca remained silent.
After several moments...
A quiet sigh escaped his lips.
The hands resting upon her shoulders slowly relaxed.
He no longer attempted to step away.
Instead...
He simply stood there.
Allowing her to remain exactly where she wished.
The room once again became perfectly quiet.
The fire continued burning peacefully.
The night breeze gently stirred the curtains.
Outside, somewhere in the distance, the sound of a horse-drawn carriage rolled briefly along the stone streets before disappearing once more into the sleeping town.
Neither of them counted the passing minutes.
Whether it was several moments...
Or much longer...
Neither could have said.
Time itself seemed strangely unimportant.
Eventually...
The Saintess slowly stepped back.
The exhaustion that had quietly lingered upon her expression had softened considerably.
A bright smile gradually bloomed across her beautiful face, gentle enough to rival the warm light of the fireplace itself.
"Thank you."
Her voice had regained much of its usual warmth.
Luca simply looked at her for a moment before slowly shaking his head with quiet resignation.
"I feel..."
A helpless smile appeared upon his own face.
"...that I have acquired the habit of being caught completely off guard whenever I’m around you."
A soft laugh escaped the Saintess.
"I’m afraid I cannot deny that."
Luca rubbed the back of his neck before releasing another quiet sigh.
"Now..."
His expression gradually became more serious.
"...would you finally tell me..."
His crimson eyes met hers steadily.
"...what exactly is happening?"
The smile upon the Saintess’s face slowly faded.
Not into sadness.
But into solemnity.
She gave a gentle nod.
The atmosphere inside the small hut quietly changed.
The warmth remained.
The fire still crackled peacefully.
Yet an unmistakable gravity settled between them as the conversation finally turned toward the truth that had remained hidden until now.
The Saintess slowly walked toward the wooden table before taking a seat.
Luca quietly did the same.
For several moments, she simply looked into the dancing flames before finally speaking.
"After the execution of Bishop..."
Her voice remained calm, though a trace of weariness could now be heard beneath it.
"...we believed the greatest threat within the Holy Kingdom had finally been removed."
She smiled bitterly.
"It was a comforting belief."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"It was also completely wrong."
Luca listened without interrupting.
The Saintess continued.
"The bishop was never acting alone."
Her fingers gently intertwined upon her lap.
"He was merely the most visible piece upon a board that had already been arranged long before either of us were born."
She released a slow breath.
"Following his death, the Holy Kingdom initiated the largest internal investigation in its history."
"Every cathedral was examined."
"Every branch of the Church came under scrutiny."
"The archives were reopened."
"The movements of high-ranking clergy, nobles, merchants, and military officers were investigated one by one."
A shadow crossed her beautiful face.
"And with every passing day..."
Her voice became quieter.
"...the truth became more horrifying."
Luca’s expression gradually hardened.
The Saintess slowly looked toward him.
"It wasn’t one bishop."
"It wasn’t one church."
"It wasn’t even one generation."
Her violet eyes reflected the flickering firelight.
"The deeper we investigated..."
"The more names emerged."
"Priests."
"Cardinals."
"Nobles."
"Merchants."
"Scholars."
"Knights."
She slowly shook her head.
"There were people hidden everywhere."
"They had lived ordinary lives."
"They had raised families."
"They had earned trust."
"Some had even died respected by the very kingdom they had spent their entire lives betraying."
The room fell silent.
Luca’s brows slowly furrowed.
The Saintess continued speaking.
"It eventually became impossible to deny the conclusion."
Her voice carried a quiet heaviness.
"The Cult was never infiltrating the Holy Kingdom."
She paused.
"It had already been part of it."
Her gaze became distant.
"For centuries."
The words settled heavily within the little hut.
"They had prepared patiently."
"They had never rushed."
"They never sought immediate victory."
"They simply continued planting seeds..."
Her eyes slowly closed.
"...generation after generation."
"When one operative died..."
"Another quietly took their place."
"When one plan failed..."
"They simply waited for the next opportunity."
She slowly opened her eyes once more.
"By the time we finally realised the extent of their influence..."
A faint bitterness entered her smile.
"...we no longer knew whom we could trust."
Luca remained completely silent.
Even he had underestimated the scale of what she was describing.
The Saintess continued after another quiet breath.
"And then..."
Her expression gradually became more complicated.
"...they turned their attention toward me."
Luca instinctively looked up.
Her silver eyes met his.
"After you departed from the Holy Kingdom..."
She spoke with remarkable calm despite the subject.
"...there were no fewer than twenty assassination attempts made against my life."
The words caused the room itself to feel colder.
"They came in different forms."
"Some attacked openly."
"Others relied upon poison."
"There were hidden blades."
"Cursed relics."
"Explosive formations concealed beneath ceremonial halls."
"Even trusted servants..."
Her voice became almost inaudible.
"...were not always who they claimed to be."
Luca’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
The Saintess slowly lowered her gaze.
"At first..."
"We believed they simply sought revenge for the bishop’s death."
She quietly shook her head.
"But each failed attempt only revealed another piece of the truth."
Her fingers unconsciously tightened together.
"They were not merely trying to eliminate the Saintess."
Her eyes slowly lifted once more.
"They were trying to gain favor..."
She paused.
"...by getting the key for the complete unsealing of the Devil Emperor."
Luca remained silent.
His crimson eyes never left the Saintess as he carefully pieced together everything she had told him.
The infiltration of the Holy Kingdom.
The centuries-long preparations of the Cult.
The repeated assassination attempts.
The secrecy surrounding her identity.
The reason for disguising her movements.
None of it existed independently.
Every piece connected naturally with the next until a single picture slowly emerged before him.
He leaned back slightly in his chair before releasing a slow breath.
"I think..."
His voice remained calm, though considerably more serious than before.
"...I’ve understood the general idea."
The Saintess quietly nodded, allowing him to continue.
Luca folded his hands together as his thoughts rapidly organized themselves.
"The Holy Kingdom has become too dangerous for you to remain there."
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"At least..."
He quietly corrected himself.
"...it has become too dangerous for you to remain there openly."
The Saintess offered another small nod.
Luca continued speaking without interruption.
"The Academy is different."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the flickering flames before returning to her.
"Arcadia gathers students and instructors from every major kingdom, empire, and noble family across the continent."
"From the outside..."
He spoke thoughtfully.
"...your return to the Academy can easily be justified as continuing diplomatic studies or strengthening relations between the Holy Kingdom and the younger generation."
"There would be nothing particularly unusual about it."
The Saintess smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
Luca slowly exhaled.
"But..."
His expression became noticeably more solemn.
"The journey itself..."
His fingers unconsciously tapped the wooden table once.
"...is the true purpose."
The Saintess quietly watched him.
Luca’s voice remained steady.
"Your identity is intentionally being concealed."
"The escort has been deliberately kept insignificant in the eyes of the world."
"The route has almost certainly been prepared to appear vulnerable."
He paused briefly.
"And because the Cult has already demonstrated that they consider you indispensable to the Devil Emperor’s resurrection..."
His crimson eyes sharpened.
"...they cannot possibly ignore this opportunity."
Silence settled naturally between them.
Luca finally looked directly into the Saintess’s violet eyes.
"So..."
His expression carried complete certainty now.
"...this journey is not merely about escorting you safely back to Arcadia Academy."
A quiet breath escaped him.
"It is also about drawing every hidden blade into the open."
His gaze became even more focused.
"The Holy Kingdom can no longer afford to continue hunting enemies one by one."
"So instead..."
He slowly shook his head.
"...it has chosen to become the bait."
The Saintess remained silent.
Her gentle smile slowly returned.
It was not the smile of someone amused.
Rather...
It was the expression of someone quietly acknowledging that he had reached the correct conclusion.
Luca continued.
"You intend to allow everyone who has been hiding in the shadows to believe they have finally found the perfect opportunity."
"They will gather."
"They will reveal themselves."
"And once enough of them have moved..."
His voice became almost a whisper.
"...they will all be eliminated in one decisive strike."
The room fell completely silent.
The Saintess slowly inclined her head.
"That..."
She said softly.
"...is the plan."
There was neither pride nor satisfaction within her voice.
Only quiet acceptance.
Luca stared at her for several long moments.
The expression upon his face gradually became more complicated.
His brows slowly drew together.
The fingers resting upon the table unconsciously tightened.
A faint crease appeared between his brows as countless possibilities began unfolding within his mind.
One after another.
Every route.
Every ambush.
Every unexpected variable.
Every point where such a carefully prepared plan could collapse.
His expression grew increasingly unpleasant.
Finally...
He let out a slow breath.
"...This..."
The single word lingered quietly within the room.
He slowly lowered his gaze before shaking his head.
"No..."
When he raised his eyes once again, the calm certainty that had accompanied his deductions had disappeared entirely.
In its place...
Was unmistakable concern.
He looked directly at the Saintess.
His voice remained composed.
Yet it carried a weight that caused even the atmosphere within the hut to become noticeably heavier.
"It’s not good."