Her allies—and some of her friends—had worked tirelessly alongside her, even when it meant making sacrifices no one else would understand.

But despite all their efforts, despite burning every den and purging every foul trace they could find, the true mastermind behind it all still eluded them.

So close. Yet so far.

The worst part? The enemy knew they were being hunted.

They were watching.

Waiting.

Mocking them from the shadows, always one step ahead.

And Emilia hated it.

She hated that no matter how many flames she summoned, how many prayers she whispered, she couldn’t burn away this invisible string that kept everything tangled in place.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back, letting her head rest against the cool stone behind her.

She turned her gaze toward Raphael, worry faintly tinting her features. “Uncle Raph… is your wound okay now?”

The man stood tall, arms crossed over his chest, as if the pain didn’t matter. “I’m fine,” he said gruffly, brushing it off. “It’s nothing but a flesh wound.”

But that wasn’t the truth—not entirely.

Beneath the polished silver of his armor, tucked against his chestplate, lay the mark of a demon’s claw.

A middle-ranked one. The strike hadn’t been deep, but it had been precise—and worse, it had carried the unmistakable curse of demonic miasma.

That blackened energy didn’t merely cut the flesh—it clung to the soul, burrowing deep into the divine core like rot beneath polished wood.

Even for someone like Raphael—blessed in divine arts, tempered by decades of training and battle—such a wound could fester into something far more deadly.

Emilia’s pupils glimmered faintly, shifting from soft blue to a piercing white as she instinctively activated her sacred sight.

She saw it.

The tendrils of darkness writhing silently deep inside him, curling around the light within like shadowy thorns around a candle’s flame.

“Uncle…” Her voice was softer now. “Should I help you purify it?”

She reached out, divine light already beginning to pool in her fingertips, but Raphael raised a gauntleted hand, stopping her.

“There’s no need,” he said firmly. “You should preserve your divine prowess, Saintess. We don’t know what else is waiting out there in the dark. A high-ranking demon could appear at any moment—and if that happens, you’re the only one who can stop it.”

“But…”

Her lips parted, ready to argue, but the words caught in her throat.

She understood.

She didn’t want to—but she did.

Ever since the first outbreak, demons had begun slipping through the cracks of the academy’s magical defenses—middle-class ones at first, scattered and hiding, but growing bolder by the day.

They’d infiltrated areas that should have been protected, warded, impossible to breach.

And each time, it had been the same: only Emilia’s divine light could truly harm them.

Holy weapons and wards worked to a degree, but nothing burned the darkness back quite like her light did.

Technically, Emilia wasn’t the only one capable of dealing absolute damage to demons.

Her senior, Lucas, wielded the holy sword—an ancient relic said to carry the judgment of the heavens.

With it, he could strike down even the strongest of demonic creatures with devastating precision, perhaps even more lethally than her.

However, what made Emilia unique wasn’t just the purity of her light, but the scale at which she could exert it.

She was the only one capable of purifying large zones at once, an ability that made her indispensable in the event of a grand invasion or a massive demonic summoning.

Her divine energy had to be preserved—always.

Yet even with that truth firmly set, she couldn’t stop the growing unease in her heart.

The dark mark that clung to Raphael’s soul wasn’t natural.

Yes, a middle-class demon wasn’t to be taken lightly—especially those born of noble demonic blood—but purification of such a wound, especially with his strength and access to holy remedies, should’ve been completed by now.

The fact that it lingered…. Means their estimation of that demon’s rank was wrong….

Emilia lowered her gaze slightly, fingers twitching faintly in her lap.

She wanted to insist again, to at least place a temporary seal on it—but then again anything could happen anytime especially with the enemy fully aware and watching them in the shadows…

Before she could press the matter further, a familiar voice called out across the clearing.

“Ah, you guys were here!”

Her head turned instinctively, the flickering divine glow in her eyes dimming as she softened.

From across the rocky pathway, a group of three figures emerged.

At the front was a tall young man with obsidian-black hair that danced with the wind, his sharp, refined features giving him the air of someone both noble and dangerous.

His golden eyes sparkled with amusement as they landed on her, like the sun peeking through stormy skies.

Senior Lucas.

Beside him, a young woman with long crimson hair stepped forward.

Her every movement was fiery and elegant, eyes of brilliant green catching the light like polished emeralds.

When she spotted Emilia, her entire face lit up as she waved enthusiastically.

And to Lucas’s other side was a striking blonde with soft blue eyes, her beauty serene yet unshakable.

Her smile was graceful, calm like the gentle lull of a sacred hymn.

She gave Emilia a warm nod.

“Senior Lucas, Janica, and Evelyn!” Emilia stood up from the boulder, a genuine smile breaking past her weariness as she called out to them.

“Sorry for being late—clearing up all those damn Hellhounds took longer than expected,” Janica muttered, brushing a lock of crimson hair behind her ear.

A faint scowl lingered on her face as she recalled the earlier chaos, the flickering afterglow of her flames still faintly dancing on her fingers. “I swear those things are getting faster.”

“Were my saplings not effective?” Vanessa who was quiet from behind Emilia suddenly spoke.

Janica shook her head “No not at all, they were really effective”

Noticing someone missing, Emilia’s gaze shifted around the group.

“Wait, is Uriel not with you?”

“Miss Uriel departed ahead with Sir Amon and Dame Anna. There were signs of demonic cultist activity near the Academy’s western square.” Evelyn replied.

“I see…”

These were the people who stood beside her through the mess, not out of duty, but because they chose to.

Without them, she knew she would’ve been overwhelmed long ago, Especially Evelyn who was keen fully aware of the enemies movements…

Emilia was a bit suspicious of Evelyn but judging from all the White Light inside her there was no doubt she was someone sent by the goddess to help her.

A notion Raphael and her shared, yes she was curious as to who she really was and her connection behind a certain missing Senior she thinks is the key needed to end all of this.

But…

She knew there were things better left unknown…

Evelyn was a great ally and a wonderful friend and Senior, so suspecting her of anything would just be rude and disrespectful, and Emilia don’t want to doubt any of her friends…

Lucas’s golden eyes turned to the dark entrance of the cave behind her, narrowing as his senses picked up the thick aura hanging in the air.

The scent of blood.

The remnants of dark miasma being exorcised by divine light. Fire. And death. He could feel the echoes of screams fading into silence.

“Are you guys done here?”

Raphael gave a curt nod. “Yes. All the cultists inside… are being punished now.”

Torture and execution—those were never things Lucas believed in. Not even for the wicked.

He had always been someone who saw the potential for light in others, who believed even the cruelest souls could, with enough time and patience, be redeemed.

But time spent around paladins and demons—especially those sanctioned and weaponized by the Holy See—had taught him something bitter and hard to swallow.

There were enemies in this world that wouldn’t repent.

Monsters that wore the skins of men, cloaking their cruelty in reason or righteousness.

Creatures that existed solely to devour, to corrupt, to destroy.

The kind of evil that smiled as it took, and laughed as it bled others dry.

The world didn’t always have the luxury of redemption.

Lucas sighed inwardly, letting his breath slow as he tightened his grip around the hilt of his holy sword.

Its blade, imbued with divine light, pulsed faintly in his hand as if responding to his unease.

He was proud of the silent battles being fought around him—the resistance, the small victories, the defiance against overwhelming darkness.

But even with all that…

His mind was somewhere else.

‘Where are you, Riley…?’

It has been two months now.

Two full months since the sword he had been aiming for—suddenly disappeared out of nowhere.

Lucas’s gaze flicked to the side, landing quietly on Evelyn.

She stood a few feet away, directing some of the junior Paladin’s knights with a commanding grace, her long hair fluttering slightly in the wind, her soft features framed by the dim gold hue of light.

Her eyes met his for a brief moment, and she smiled. It was subtle. Warm. Reassuring.

And yet…

Lucas’s heart twisted.

It wasn’t pain—not really.

More like a dull ache, a hollow space filled with unspoken words and tangled emotions.

He didn’t understand it.

She had waited.

And waited.

And still waited, wearing that same gentle smile as though nothing had changed.

But something had.

That ring in her ring finger…

Lucas felt a strange mixture of annoyance and concern.

To propose to a woman like Evelyn—and then disappear without a word for two months?

He clenched his jaw slightly, shifting his stance.

Evelyn who noticed it chuckled internally… she then turned towards Janica’s direction who was looking at her and Lucas’s subtle gazes.

“What’s wrong Janica?”

“… I-It’s nothing….”

“Is that so?”

Everything was going in the flow she wanted this scenario to be… an ending already forming in her head as the events of act 3 progressed even better than she thought….

‘The seeds have been set now I only need you to return Original~’

She fully believed this flow would benefit her orginal the most.

Raphael, who stood a little off to the side observing the younglings, watched the subtle exchange between Lucas and Evelyn as well as the hidden tension in Janica with a knowing look.

His arms were folded behind his back, his white robes fluttering softly in the wind.

‘Haah Youth…’

The corner of his mouth curled into a small, almost amused smile.

Despite everything—the battles, the danger, the divine missions and dark forces—they still acted like students.

Like young people trying to figure out life, love, and loyalty amid a world falling apart.

It was a rare and fleeting moment of peace.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep