Chapter 03

The power coursing through Edward’s body began slipping beyond his control.

He knew this sensation all too well.

It was the beginning of another berserk episode.

‘…The purification wasn’t enough after all.’

Maybe he should have endured that disgusting feeling and accepted a little more.

Every time Sepina purified him, it felt the same.

As though hundreds of earthworms were crawling beneath his skin.

The priests always laughed slyly, saying it was only because His Grace had never experienced the pleasures of women.

Edward didn’t believe that for a second.

‘There’s no way I’d mistake it.’

Because…

Bang!

A loud metallic crack interrupted his thoughts.

One of the fasteners on his armor had snapped, unable to withstand the power surging from within him.

Edward narrowed his eyes.

Standing where he was, he struggled to suppress the overwhelming force crashing through his body like a tidal wave.

It wasn’t working.

‘This won’t do.’

If he lost control here, people would die.

It was already late at night.

Most of the temple’s residents were asleep.

The casualties would be catastrophic.

‘I’ll endure it until I return… and have Sepina purify me—’

Hrk!

His lungs suddenly felt as though they were being torn apart.

Beneath his armor, scales cracked through his skin with a series of sharp pops.

It was already too late to go back to Sepina.

Edward immediately changed direction.

‘Outside.’

If he had to go berserk…

At least it would be away from the temple.

People would still be injured trying to stop him.

But if they could buy enough time for Sepina to arrive…

Crunch.

He clenched his teeth as his vision gradually turned red.

Even the cold night air in the temple garden did nothing to calm the corruption raging inside him.

Crack!

“…”

Looking down, he saw his fingertips blackening, his nails lengthening into dragon-like claws.

Then came the dreadful sensation that he was about to lose all control over his own body.

It was the feeling he hated most in the world.

Creak.

The veins along his jaw stood out as he bit down even harder.

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

If he couldn’t control his own body…

Then…

Gathering what little reason he had left, Edward concentrated his power toward his own arms and legs.

‘I’ll destroy them first…’

Just as he was about to attack himself—

“Aaaah!”

Crash!

Something fell from above.

And landed squarely on his chest.

* * *

A few minutes earlier…

The underground prison beneath the temple.

“Hey! You worthless brat!”

Clang! Clang!

The prison guard swaggered in, deliberately banging his baton against the iron bars.

“It’s feeding time!”

The disposable children locked inside these cells often forgot their place and begged to be released.

That was why they needed regular reminders of who was in charge.

‘The temple feeds them and gives them a place to sleep for free!’

The least they could do was hand over their holy power.

Yet they still complained about their treatment.

Unacceptable.

Crush their spirit.

Oppress them.

Drain them dry.

After repeating that process over and over…

Only one remained.

‘Children with holy power are getting rarer these days. It can’t be helped.’

As long as the temple continued to grow stronger, so did his own authority.

“Honestly…”

Clicking his tongue, the guard shoved a piece of moldy bread through the bars.

‘At least the last one is obedient.’

He couldn’t even remember the girl’s name.

The final disposable child was always quiet.

Almost invisible.

Yet despite that…

She possessed far more holy power than any of the others.

That was probably why she had survived this long.

Providing holy power to…

‘…Wait.’

Why was it so quiet today?

She was usually silent.

But whenever food arrived, she’d at least devour it immediately.

“Hey! Eat your food!”

Bang! Bang!

The guard slammed on the bars and peered inside.

Then…

He froze.

“…Huh?”

The girl lay sprawled across the floor, still chained.

Motionless.

As though she were dead.

“W-What?!”

Panicking, the guard noticed the moldy bread scattered beside her.

It was the bread he’d given her the night before.

‘Come to think of it…’

Wasn’t she the one who had nearly choked to death while eating yesterday?

“Damn it!”

Had she choked again while he wasn’t looking?

This was bad.

He had no idea how long she’d been lying there.

Worse still…

She was his responsibility.

If anything happened to her…

He would be punished.

A chill ran down his spine.

The temple was famous not only for its blessings…

But also for its merciless punishments.

Frantically, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the cell.

“Damn you! If you die, I’ll kill you!”

He wasn’t even making sense anymore as he rushed toward her.

The moment he grabbed the girl’s shoulder—

Smash!

A tremendous impact flipped his vision upside down.

The last thing the guard saw before losing consciousness…

Was the girl’s face.

Smiling rather wickedly.

“Y-You…”

Thud.

His head slumped forward.

“Whew!”

A brick fell from Lucy’s trembling hand with a heavy clunk.

She had pried it loose from the prison wall.

‘Getting this thing out nearly killed me.’

Weak from starvation, she’d spent hours chipping away at the wall with her frail hands.

Fortunately…

Because she was usually so quiet, no one had suspected anything.

“He’s not dead… right?”

Fortunately, despite the solid hit, the guard wasn’t bleeding.

“Krrr…”

A moment later…

He even started snoring.

‘He’s just unconscious.’

“Then…”

Lucy quickly searched his belt.

Finding the keys wasn’t difficult.

Clank.

Unlocking the shackles around her wrists, she stretched her arms high into the air.

Just like that famous prison escape scene she’d seen in her previous life.

A smile naturally spread across her face.

“Farewell, everyone!”

I am casting off every chain and restraint this world has placed upon me—

“…Not yet.”

She still had a mountain to climb before she could celebrate.

Without wasting another second, Lucy dashed out of the prison.

Tap tap tap!

She was so malnourished that even a short sprint made her dizzy.

Still…

There was one advantage.

‘This body is practically built for escaping.’

She was tiny.

Thin.

Small enough to slip unnoticed through almost any passageway.

And being so light…

She barely made any sound while running.

Ignoring the dizziness threatening to overwhelm her, Lucy kept moving.

“Alright… I just need to get outside!”

If she didn’t hurry…

Someone would eventually notice she was gone.

Besides…

‘My hands got hot earlier.’

That meant Sepina had been purifying the Duke.

The chains she’d been bound with were used to extract holy power.

The moment she removed them…

The flow of holy power would have stopped.

‘They’ll definitely think something’s wrong and send people to the underground prison.’

Which meant she had to move even faster.

Woof!

Just as Lucy stepped into the temple garden—

“Huh?!”

Her entire body stiffened.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

The temple’s guard dogs had started barking.

“What’s gotten into them all of a sudden?”

“Did someone break in?”

They must have picked up Lucy’s scent.

The dogs began pacing restlessly.

Looking around frantically, Lucy spotted a tree.

It didn’t look particularly sturdy…

But she could probably climb it.

‘I’ll hide up there!’

Without another thought, she scrambled upward.

Her palms scraped against the bark.

Her breathing grew ragged.

But she couldn’t give up now.

Woof! Woof!

As the dogs sniffed around below, cold sweat dripped down Lucy’s forehead.

‘Please… just go away…’

She clung desperately to a branch, silently praying.

Then—

Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong…

“…That’s—”

“The emergency bell!”

The alarm from the main temple rang out wildly.

Someone had discovered her escape.

“Move!”

Woof! Woof! Woof!

The guards led the dogs toward the opposite side of the grounds.

Before long…

Everything became quiet again.

Only the distant ringing of the alarm remained.

“Now’s my chance…”

Lucy steadied her pounding heart and shifted her weight.

Creak.

…Huh?

The branch beneath her tilted with an ominous sound.

It hadn’t even been strong enough to support her tiny weight.

Crack.

The branch snapped clean in two.

“Aaaah!”

You useless tree!

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.

Thud!

…Thud?

That didn’t sound like she’d hit the ground.

Instinctively reaching out, she felt something beneath her.

Hard.

Hot.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

A powerful heartbeat echoed against her hand.

The ground…

…isn’t the ground?

Her eyes slowly opened.

Staring back at her through the gaps in a suit of armor…

Were blazing crimson eyes.

Lucy blinked.

Then, before she could stop herself, the words slipped out.

“…Hello?”