It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 105

After leaving the Marquis Leroy estate, Iaoros was quietly following them. Marquis Leroy had mobilized his private soldiers, but he wasn’t reckless enough to launch a direct assault on the temple—at least not right away.

Still… the High Priest might be trying to separate Susanna from the ‘Fragment of the Demon King’ even now…

Instead of marching his troops straight to the temple, the marquis first summoned a relative—a clergyman from a cadet branch of the Leroy family who served at the temple.

It was common among noble families to send distant relatives into the church to honor the family name. If the child was born with divine power, great. If not, the family would offer support to get them through, especially those from poorer branches.

Becoming a priest was considered honorable. And if the child was lucky enough to awaken divine power, they could rise to a respectable position within the church. It was a win-win.

Marquis Leroy had one such relative—a young man currently serving as a low-ranking priest. Though he hadn’t yet awakened divine power, he kept the marquis informed in exchange for continued support.

Startled by the sudden summons, the young priest rushed to the estate. When he heard what was happening, his face went pale.

“It’s true—a noblewoman was brought in late last night.”

He had begged a temple guard for the information, claiming his life depended on it. The guard had recognized the woman by what she wore.

“She had a hood over her head, so I didn’t see her face. But she wore an emerald ring with a rose design on her finger and blue silk shoes embroidered with butterflies and flowers in gold and amethyst.”

The ring and shoes were unmistakably Susanna’s. The marquis remembered her begging for them earlier that month—and his irritated response about how expensive they were.

The priest also mentioned that the High Priest hadn’t been seen since the night before, and several of the key paladins had also disappeared without explanation.

At this, Marquis Leroy was overcome with a mix of dread and fury.

He immediately ordered the priest to return to the temple and summoned his private soldiers, who had been waiting nearby.

“From now on, your mission is clear—rescue your lady.”

The marquis turned to his men with a terrifying expression. Even if their enemy was the temple, he wouldn’t forgive anyone who dared lay a hand on his daughter.

With dozens of knights and soldiers behind him, he stormed the front gates of the Grand Temple. The guards at the entrance were thrown into confusion.

“W-What’s the meaning of this? This is the Grand Temple of the Goddess Ista!”

“Where is the High Priest? I need to see him. Now!”

The temple’s doors were open, as they always were for the faithful. Before the guards could close them, the marquis and his troops pushed their way into the courtyard.

One of the temple guards hurried inside to report the intrusion. Marquis Leroy quickened his pace.

“Move quickly! We have to get Susanna out of here!”

As the marquis and his soldiers entered the building, Iaoros took to the sky with a sweep of his wings, flying above them.

That should buy us some time. Now, I need to prepare to take that girl for myself.

It took a little effort, but Marquis Leroy eventually got what he wanted from the young priest—the location where the temple’s forces were most heavily gathered.

The Holy Knights of the Ista Church followed strict laws. They were forbidden from spilling innocent blood, which meant they couldn’t fight back unless absolutely necessary. The temple guards were held to similar standards.

This is it. I know she’s here.

The marquis shoved past the hesitant knights and forced open a heavy iron door. He descended into the prison beneath the temple. Most of the cells were empty.

He had just heard a woman’s scream echo faintly from somewhere below, which only made his heart race faster. When they reached what appeared to be the lowest level, the door opened—and he and his men entered the underground corridor.

The prison looked like it had been built to hold demons. Each cell was massive. Holy seals were engraved into the floor, and iron bars lined every wall. Tall pillars stood at each corner, allowing the guards to observe the prisoner from any angle.

And there—Susanna.

She was in the center cell, her ankles shackled to the floor. Tears streamed down her face. Surrounding her were several paladins.

When the marquis saw his daughter in that state, fury erupted inside him.

“What is the meaning of this, High Priest?!”

He had forgotten all formalities, shouting without restraint.

The High Priest met the marquis’s gaze with a heavy expression. Every second mattered if they were going to save Susanna’s life—and her soul—but if this continued, blood would surely be spilled.

“Please, let me explain, Marquis… step this way.”

The priest stepped out of the cell, gesturing politely, but the marquis had already lost his temper.

He couldn’t shake the suspicion that this was nothing more than one of the church’s extreme “heresy investigations”—and his daughter was the one being targeted.

This world was home to many religious orders, each worshipping their own deity. Because of that, believing in a different god was not considered heresy. In this world, heresy referred specifically to those who served the demon god or had made a pact with a demon.

I understand that Susanna’s behavior must have seemed strange—she did suddenly hurt her friend Joan. But heresy? That’s absurd!

Marquis Leroy was convinced that someone had deliberately fed false information to the church in order to tarnish his family’s name. As a man who had amassed great wealth and influence, he had many rivals and enemies—both inside and outside the nobility.

“I’m taking my daughter with me, right now! To think you would imprison her in a place like this… I’ll take this straight to His Majesty! Even the church can’t get away with such tyranny!”

“Please, calm yourself, Marquis Leroy. I can explain everything,” the High Priest said in a steady tone.

But before he could say more, Susanna collapsed to the floor and began sobbing.

“Father! Save me! These lunatics are trying to cut off my arm!”

At her scream, Marquis Leroy’s face went pale. He turned sharply to the High Priest.

“Is this true?!”

“There is a reason. I can explain.”

But the marquis’s face was already set with determination. The soldiers who had followed him into the temple had taken defensive stances—they were ready to fight.

How did it come to this?!

In their rush to prepare the ritual, they had clearly failed to secure the temple properly. That lapse had now led to disaster. The High Priest stepped in front of the marquis.

“Step aside.”

“If you take the young lady now, she will die within days. That is not a possibility—it is a certainty. Do you still intend to take her?”

The marquis, who had been about to push past him, froze at the priest’s firm tone. His eyes flickered between the priest and Susanna, still weeping behind the bars.

What is he talking about? I’m going to die?

Even Susanna, who had been causing an uproar, didn’t know what the priest meant. Marquis Leroy stared at the High Priest, trying to determine if he was telling the truth.

The priest returned the gaze unwaveringly. Though they were not particularly close, the marquis had seen this man over the years and recognized his expression.

He doesn’t look like he’s lying. What in the world happened to my daughter?

“Can you swear it—by the Goddess Ista herself?”

Some of the paladins frowned at hearing the holy goddess’s name invoked so casually, but the High Priest raised a calming hand.

“I can. Everything happening here is for the sake of the young lady.”

After hearing that, Marquis Leroy’s face grew grim. He glanced once at his daughter, then looked back at the priest.

“Very well. I’ll hear you out. But my knights will stay here to protect her.”

“As you wish. …Let’s go upstairs.”

He needed to explain quickly—but not here. If Susanna overheard the truth, there was no telling how she might react.

The High Priest walked past him and left the prison. He wasn’t going far. The ritual needed to happen as soon as possible, or her life would be in real danger.

Please… let this decision not bring harm to her—or to anyone else.

Black steel-like tendrils erupted violently from the demonic energy in the floor, forming a barrier in front of Valter. Achilles immediately realized what was happening and charged forward.

“Your Highness!”

Oscar was momentarily stunned, but he quickly understood what Achilles meant. As a Sword master himself, he drew his blade and leapt forward without hesitation.

A flash of silver lit the air as dozens of the dark tendrils were sliced clean through and fell to the ground. The Crown Prince’s movements were sharp—and the knights followed close behind.

The surge of demonic tendrils had nearly filled the entire cell, pressing outward with such force that it had cracked the prison bars. But now, cut into hundreds of pieces, the black strands scattered and sank back into the shadows of the floor.

For a moment, the tip of Valter’s hair was barely visible through the darkness. Achilles’s eyes widened when he saw bat-like wings curling protectively around him.

At that moment, his spell—and the spells of other mages—rained down toward Valter from above.

…Screeeeeeeeech!

From beyond space itself, Cernadis, who had pulled Valter into this place, let out a piercing shriek and shoved him away.

With his unharmed hand, Cernadis tore off his damaged wing and mangled arm, claws first and hurled them aside.

The portal linking the royal palace and this location closed in a hurry. But Cernadis’s severed wing and arm were still burning.

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