Chapter 47: I Kill Myself
Early morning brought Charlotte to their door, clutching Cynthia’s fanny pack.
She’d found it in the laundry basket but held off delivering it last night due to the late hour.
Ina answered, yawning, eyes bleary.
“Little Ina, you look exhausted,” Charlotte noted.
“Yeah… something kept me up,” Ina mumbled, scratching her head.
“Something?”
Charlotte didn’t pry—private matters weren’t her business.
“The lord’s people are coming soon. Get ready.”
“Ready?”
Ina glanced back at Cynthia, already awake, sitting elegantly on the sofa in her ruby dress, staring out the window.
The culprit behind Ina’s sleepless night—that incident—had left her rattled.
Charlotte sighed, eyeing Cynthia.
“Didn’t expect her to look that stunning in the dress…”
“Hehe, right? I helped her get ready this morning~”
Ina beamed with pride, as if she’d crafted Cynthia’s look herself.
Cynthia overheard but stayed silent, too drained to respond.
Ina’s early-morning makeup session had worn her out, vampire or not.
Plus, that moment last night—Ina catching her mid-bite—left her in a state of surrender.
Let her do what she wants.
Cynthia’s entrance into the Guild hall turned heads.
Her silver hair, red eyes, and ruby dress made her a vision, silencing the adventurers.
A few sharp-eyed ones seemed to recognize her, but she ignored them, focusing on their escort.
Lorena stood before them, not in Paladin armor but a ranger’s outfit—golden ponytail, green eyes, and a sword at her hip.
She looked more lone wanderer than holy knight.
“Lorena, changing careers?” Ina teased, peeking from behind Cynthia.
“Haha… something like that,” Lorena replied, a hint of sorrow in her bright tone.
“If you’re ready, let’s talk in the carriage.”
“Fine.”
Cynthia, curt as ever, followed Lorena to the prepared carriage, unconcerned with her plans.
Inside, Lorena hesitated, then spoke softly.
“Senior… Miss Ina… if I said Barov acted under orders from the Saint and the Barlia Cathedral’s Bishop, would you believe me?”
“Huh?”
Ina blinked, confused.
“What’s that mean?”
“Lord Zekas—our lord—told me,” Lorena continued.
“If he’s right, the kingdom’s capital is compromised by an unknown enemy.”
“What’s their goal?”
Cynthia’s voice was calm, her mind already on the Scarlet Blood Crown, hidden beneath Barlia’s capital.
Why does the Church love underground lairs?
“Zekas doesn’t know much, only that the capital’s planning something big, possibly tied to your homeland.”
“I see.”
Cynthia’s expression didn’t shift, unnerving Lorena.
“Senior, do you know something?”
“Of course. Didn’t expect the Saint on my purge list, though.”
“Ack!”
Ina choked, and Lorena’s face twisted in shock.
“What’s with you two?”
“Just… surprised?” Lorena ventured, earning Ina’s frantic nod.
Ina’s mind raced.
I was going to tell Cynthia I’m the Saint!
If she’s on Cynthia’s hit list, she was teetering on a cliff’s edge.
One misstep, and Cynthia might “purge” her.
Calm down, Ina. There’s got to be a way out.
“Why the shock? I’ve never gotten along with the Church,” Cynthia said, staring at Lorena.
“But you’re clean of their filth, so you’re a companion—for now.”
“No need to make the Saint an enemy, right?”
Ina forced a smile, desperate to salvage the Saint’s image.
Cynthia glanced at her.
“You think the Church’s rot doesn’t touch the Saint?”
“Uh… I don’t know?”
“Witches get hunted. The Saint’s no exception.”
No, no, no!
Ina wailed inwardly.
I swear I never did anything bad in Borus!
“Besides,” Cynthia added, patting Ina’s head, “they locked you up so long. For you, I’d take out Borus’s Saint.”
Ina’s heart warmed at Cynthia’s protectiveness.
Cynthia-chan cares…
Then it hit her.
Wait—Borus’s Saint is ME!
Cynthia’s hunger-fueled lapse last night left her vulnerable, but Ina’s teasing turned it into a playful exchange, deepening their bond.
Her fanny pack’s return eased her immediate worry, but the lord’s summons loomed.
Lorena’s revelation about the Saint and Barlia’s corruption aligned with Cynthia’s mission—the Blood Crown was in the capital, and the Church’s rot ran deep.
Ina, secretly the Saint, now faced a perilous truth: Cynthia’s vendetta included her, unaware.
The carriage rolled toward the lord, the Blood Crown, and a tangled web of secrets.