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Long dark-brown hair, one eye hidden behind lengthy bangs. Even in this darkness, his golden eye glowed as if emitting light — combined with his beauty, he looked like a beautiful demon.
“You…! The gloomy one from the Pernot Company!”
Realizing she had blurted something rude, Cordelia hurriedly covered her mouth.
Meanwhile the gloomy man from the Pernot Company — called Benno, if she recalled correctly — merely twitched an eyebrow.
“I mean… Benno, right? Is Hina safe?”
“Hina-sama is here. If you are worried, come see. She sleeps like that man over there.”
At his words, Cordelia cautiously stepped forward.
Behind him near the church door was another small room. Benno must have been hiding there. Through the open doorway she saw a confessional booth. In the cramped space sat Hina, asleep just like Samuel.
“Hina!”
“Now then, please do not come any closer.”
The moment Cordelia rushed forward, a wall of earth suddenly rose between them. Benno appeared to be an earth mage.
Blocked from reaching Hina, Cordelia glared at him.
“Why did you summon me? What is your goal?”
As if waiting for that question, Benno narrowed his eyes.
“My wish is simple, Holy Maiden Cordelia. When you become the Grand Holy Maiden, I want you to choose me as your husband. If you promise, no harm will come to Holy Maiden Hina.”
“So your aim is the throne. But you know the answer is ‘no.’”
“Then I have no choice but to remove you. Regrettable. This was my form of mercy.”
He seemed to have expected her refusal; without much disappointment he drew the short sword at his waist.
“I would prefer magic, but traces would expose me. Instead, you shall be killed by a delirious Samuel-sama. How tragic — a Holy Maiden capable of miraculous magic dying from a mere stab wound.”
Staring him down, Cordelia raised her voice.
“Did you forget? I am a Sage-ranked dark mage! I won’t be killed so easily!”
“Unfortunately, there are three reasons you cannot resist. First, your dark magic has weakened greatly compared to before. Second, you lack the ability to summon Fenrir — Hina-sama told me so. We are closer than we appear.”
(H-Hina… I wish you hadn’t told him that!)
She groaned inwardly. She knew Hina interacted with the Pernot Company for her newspapers, but she never imagined she revealed that much.
“And third, you are far too kindhearted. Though perhaps that is natural for a Holy Maiden.”
The moment Benno said it, a man’s groan echoed inside the church. Looking quickly, she saw a black-robed man restraining the still-unconscious Samuel, a blade pressed to his throat.
“I have several comrades, and he is one. He has no hesitation killing. If you resist, regrettably Samuel will be sacrificed first.”
(You’re taking him hostage!? Not Hina!? I honestly feel nothing about him, but I can’t just let him be killed either!)
Thinking something terribly rude yet true, Cordelia froze. If she attacked defensively, Samuel would be killed.
Having successfully restrained her, Benno slowly approached. Cornered, she shouted as a last attempt to stall.
“Even if you eliminate me, I doubt Hina would choose you!”
“Does that matter to someone about to die?”
Her attempt failed completely.
(What do I do!? Block the strike with dark magic the instant he attacks!? But then Samuel will—!)
As she desperately searched for an answer, Benno stepped forward.
The next instant, a silver blade flashed in the moonlight. Unable to activate her magic in time, Cordelia instinctively covered herself with both arms.
— Then came the sound of a knife sinking into soft flesh.
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