Chapter 67: Goddess: Huh? Such a strange request?

“What’s wrong, Cynthia-chan?”

Cynthia’s sudden halt made Ina think something was amiss, and she stopped too.
“What happened?”

“Hmm… I’m a bit behind schedule. I need to fly over with Black Wings.”

After her exchange with the Blood Demon, Cynthia realized her earlier actions had wasted time.
Not entirely wasted—she had saved Ina, after all.
Though it felt like a fluke, without that tunnel, Ina might still be trapped underground when this was all over.

“You’re going to fly…?”

Ina’s slender eyebrows arched slightly at the words.
“Take me… uh…”

She swallowed the rest of her sentence.
Fear of heights aside, her limited magic power made her hesitate.
After escaping the dungeon, her control over her magic had improved, but it was still far from normal.
Even if she tagged along, she’d likely just be a burden to Cynthia.

Ina’s mind flashed back to the Bazerol sewers, facing the Holy Slaughter Canon’s assassin.
Cynthia had protected her while fighting.

“Forget it. I wouldn’t be much help if I went with you.”

Ina glanced at Prim and Rustia, who had paused nearby, looking back with confusion, and sighed helplessly.
“I’ll stick with them and meet you on the ground.”

“Support?”

Cynthia tilted her head, staring at Ina, seeming to ponder.
She didn’t think she needed to go anywhere specific.
She was confident in her abilities, but since Ina suggested it, it’d be rude to brush her off, right?

So, Cynthia nodded.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then.”

With that, massive black wings, unseen for ages, unfurled behind her.
Ignoring the stunned gazes of passersby, she made no effort to hide them.
She commanded her wings, soaring into the sky like an arrow loosed from a bow.
In mere moments, she hovered above the royal capital.

From the sky, the sprawling royal city lay bare before her.
She could even see the collapsed areas clearly.
‘Hmm? What’s that?’

As she scanned the city, several white figures caught her eye.
‘Holy Church members?’

Cynthia narrowed her eyes, assessing the situation.
Aside from a dozen or so white-robed figures scattered across the city, there were no other signs of life.
‘Something’s off… How can a city this huge have no servants?’

Even the city gate lacked guards—just a solitary, heavy door sealed against the wall.
From the corner of her eye, Cynthia saw Ina, Prim, and Rustia nearing the gate.
It looked too heavy for the three of them to handle alone.
Plus, Holy Church members were trailing them, likely to interfere.

She’d have to act first.

Cynthia twisted her wrist, and flecks of blood-red light gathered in her hand.
A scarlet longbow materialized.
Unlike before, she aimed at a person this time.
As she drew the bowstring, a blood-red arrow formed, surrounded by tiny magic circles around the bow.

Whoosh—

The moment she released the string, the arrow shot toward a figure in the city with pinpoint accuracy.
The surrounding magic circles activated, unleashing a flood of red light that swept half the city like a bombardment.

“Tch, why should we listen to that Karat?”

In the palace gardens, a white-robed man from the Glorious Canon crouched in the collapsed area, tugging at his hair in frustration.
“He’s just a branch archbishop… I don’t get what they’re thinking!”

“Calm down. Nothing’s wrong, is it? This is fine.”

A similarly dressed female companion tried to soothe him.
“Once this mission’s done, we’ll get a few days off, right?”

“True… After this, I need to unwind.”

The man stood, realizing complaints were pointless.
He looked skyward and sighed.
“I wonder if the team hunting the princess outside the palace finished their job. Theirs was the easy one.”

“Just a little princess and a run-of-the-mill court magician. How hard could it be?”

The woman followed his gaze, chuckling softly.
“But I haven’t seen those guys in a while. I kinda miss them. Wonder when we’ll meet again.”

“Soon, probably… By the way, what are those black dots in the sky—”

Before he could finish, a sharp whistle cut through the air beside him.
Warm liquid splashed his face, followed by the thud of something hitting the ground.
The smell of blood filled his nostrils.
He turned stiffly, only to see half his companion’s head gone, blood pooling on the ground.
He collapsed in shock.

But before he could scream, more arrows followed, giving him no chance to cry out.

Boom, boom, boom—

After ensuring the white-robed figures in her sight were neutralized, Cynthia flapped her black wings and sped toward the palace.

Below, Ina, the others, and the capital’s residents were still reeling from the spectacle.

“…Did she just blow up the palace?”

Prim blinked, unable to process what she’d seen.

“Well, you’re not wrong, Your Highness.”

Rustia stood stunned, unable to tell if Cynthia had even used magic.
How could it be so powerful?

“Cynthia-chan wouldn’t do something pointless.”

Ina snapped back to reality, sensing there was something in the palace obstructing them.
Why else would Cynthia, who hated drawing attention, unleash such a blatant attack?

“We’d better be careful… Let’s go.”

The three exchanged glances.
Guessing was pointless—only seeing it for themselves would reveal the truth.
They didn’t dare waste time and rushed to the city gate, only to stop short.

“Why’s the gate closed?! Where are all the guards?”

Prim rarely saw the royal city’s gates shut during the day.
Even if they were, guards should’ve been posted.
But now, there was no one.

“Now it’s certain—something big’s happening inside.”

Ina stayed calm, stepping forward to inspect the gate.
After a moment, she turned to Rustia beside Prim.
“That blue-haired lady—didn’t Cynthia say you’re the court magician?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Um… could you lend a hand?”
“We need to figure out how to get this thing open!”