12 O'Clock Marionette-Chapter 69

The woman wearing stolen church robes kept her hands buried in the pockets of her priestly garb.

'What’s she hiding in there?'

Julian wanted to get closer and check, but the white flowers blooming across the floor were the perfect counter to his abilities.

He stomped down on his fleeting curiosity.

'This isn't something I should get involved in.'

Julian made his decision swiftly.

He was only here because there was something to gain—there was no reason to throw his life away.

Without hesitation, he opened a gate.

And just as he was about to leap inside—

'Her eyes…'

Their gazes met.

The woman was clearly wearing a mask, and the shadows made it difficult to discern the color of her eyes.

And yet, strangely, her stare was crystal clear.

It was as if he had become prey under a predator’s glare. His limbs froze in place.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears, filling every inch of his consciousness.

Unconsciously, Julian swallowed dryly, his body stiff as stone.

The gate was open right beside him, but he couldn’t even twitch a finger.

What freed him, in the end, was her gaze shifting away.

'Is she letting me go? How arrogant.'

Julian clenched his teeth at the wound to his pride, but he knew full well what the wisest choice was.

Without hesitation, he dove into the gate.

Moments later, the door connecting one space to another swallowed only Julian before dissolving completely.

Watching the spot where he had fled, I licked my lips.

'You better think I let you go because I didn’t have the energy to deal with you.'

Next time, I won’t be so lenient.

"Die!"

"Sigh."

It’s not like I was single-handedly holding back a monster wave here.

Since the enemy was human, I thought they’d run like scared foals once things got too hot.

Apparently, I miscalculated.

At some point, their eyes started looking strange. It almost seemed like they had been brainwashed.

The high-ranking mages had already been taken care of, leaving barely any behind, but my Beatitudo was also running low.

My shield was long gone, and I could only barely move the chains of restraint.

Unleashing destruction felt satisfying, but at this point, I needed to find an escape route.

"You’ve turned this place into a sea of fire."

Great. More visitors.

Two figures entered.

Their attire was identical to the others, but these weren’t just some nobodies.

The mana radiating from them was on Qudil’s level.

"Tsk, tsk. How could the Second Elder invite such filth into our sacred grounds?"

"Minimize information leaks, Tenth Elder."

Tenth Elder?

He was far too different from Ares in build.

Well, there had been more than enough time to swap in a replacement.

"Newly promoted elders?"

"My apologies, but if we let information slip even in this mess, we’ll have a hard time explaining things to the higher-ups."

"And where exactly did you come from? We haven’t lost track of any High Priests."

"Oh, somewhere much more prestigious."

"Prestigious? You’re not about to claim you’re the Pope, are you? Ha! Well, seeing how freely you’ve been using divine energy, that wouldn’t be too surprising."

Should I provoke them a little?

"I just borrowed some."

I pulled my hand out of my pocket, finally revealing what I had been holding.

The Beatitudo pouch.

"That…!"

Recognizing the artifact, their expressions shifted.

Let’s see how they react.

"I'm running low, and I’m getting tired. Anyone got some Beatitudo to spare?"

"You dare defile a holy relic!"

"Unforgivable!"

Both of them lunged at me in a fit of rage.

I clutched the Beatitudo tightly.

Ah, hot-headed fools. Perfect.

There wasn’t much left—one big blast should wrap this up nicely.

Just as I was about to finish it in one go—

A sinister noise rang out.

'Huh?'

Something had just cracked near my face.

There was no pain, so my skull hadn’t shattered.

What I was wearing… a goat mask, right?

…Which meant the mask had cracked?

"Die!"

"Ack!"

I grabbed my mask and rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging a black lightning spell.

Emergency! Emergency!

I said I had taken care of most of the cultists—I never said I wiped them out completely!

At this rate, someone was going to see my face and bolt.

'Hmm, will this be fine?'

The one who sent me here was Nigellia. If I just waited, word would get out anyway, right?

Maybe it was the excessive use of divine energy, or maybe it was because I was dodging and rolling non-stop, but my head wasn’t working properly.

Even so, I somehow managed to keep a grip on my mask and dodge well enough.

But the best defense was still a good offense.

I moved my chains and struck one of the Elders.

The worn-out chains disintegrated into nothing.

"Oh."

And now, one Elder remained.

A woman.

Her hands burned with a deep violet mana, like a demon’s gauntlet.

That hand was coming straight for my face.

I had no choice. I had to squeeze out the last drop of Beatitudo.

I was just about to recite an incantation when—

"Gugh!"

A broad back suddenly blocked my view.

The robe was similar to what the cultists wore, but the feeling was completely different.

After all, there’s nothing quite like a man’s back.

He effortlessly knocked the Elder away, then turned his head to look at me.

His red eyes sparkled beautifully.

"Am I late?"

Late, huh.

He showed up at exactly the right moment, like he had planned it.

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That casual question made me laugh.

"You better think I let you go."

Cruello crouched down, wrapped an arm around my waist, and leapt into the air.

A beat later, an attack struck the spot where we had just been.

He didn’t seem interested in continuing the fight. Holding me tightly, he fended off attacks as he swiftly opened a gate.

"Ah, wait a second!"

"Hmm?"

There weren’t any Elders left here with the key—only their replacements—but there was no need to leave loose ends.

I clenched the remaining Beatitudo tightly, gathering as much divine energy as possible.

Three grams was the standard dosage? That was for amateurs.

["Heaven."]

It was the name of the highest-grade offensive spell.

The accumulated divine energy burst forth, surging into a massive pillar of pure white light that swallowed everything in its path.

Not even screams could be heard.

The once-sturdy columns of the building cracked with a resounding snap, and the very foundation began to shake.

A light so pristine, so absolute, that the name heaven suited it perfectly.

Before the aftershock could reach us, we hurried through the gate.

On the other side was my bedroom.

"Phew!"

That was satisfying.

I hadn’t drained my actual divine energy, so my body wasn’t in pain, but I still felt utterly drained.

I nearly collapsed, but Cruello supported me.

"How did you know to come?"

"The Secret Investigator is having the guild redo their interior."

Looks like I made the right call.

In the end, I took out a significant number of cultists, destroyed the heart of their headquarters, and escaped without my identity being exposed.

I had debated whether to use Beatitudo until the very last second, but it was the right choice.

"You practically turned the whole church upside down by yourself. Were you hiding your strength this whole time? That hurts my feelings."

"Don’t be ridiculous."

If Siora’s body had been capable of that, I wouldn’t have had to carefully lure out each Elder one by one.

Things would be different if I used Beatitudo, but…

Hmm. Am I overthinking this?

I really didn’t want to use it in situations where I didn’t have to.

"…I used Beatitudo. The one I found in the office."

Before he could even ask, I was already making excuses like someone caught red-handed.

"I know it's bad. But I couldn’t die there. If I had tried to handle it with just my divine energy, I wouldn’t have lasted halfway through before dropping dead."

"You did well."

"I don’t plan on using it again. It’s not natural divine energy, and it seems to harm my own power."

"I said you did well. I meant it."

"Mm."

"It's better to live with guilt than to die innocent."

His voice was steady, but his words carried weight.

Yeah, he wasn’t exactly priest material.

I shifted my gaze.

Well, whatever. My anger had cooled, and the crisis had passed.

Time to get back to a lighter mindset.

"And honestly, I don’t care much about the method. What I am interested in…"

Cruello trailed off, tapping his chin.

His gaze flitted over various parts of my body.

"What are you doing?"

"You don’t seem to be injured."

"Ugh, seriously. You don’t have to keep up the act when we’re alone—"

Before I could finish, I trailed off.

A cluster of presences was approaching the bedroom.

It wasn’t the servants or the Bonetti siblings.

Whoever they were, they weren’t even trying to hide their approach—their strides were large and orderly.

From the sound of it, they moved like soldiers.

Had the church already sent pursuers?

I exchanged glances with Cruello just as the door burst open.

"The Imperial Knights?"

I muttered, momentarily dumbfounded.

But that’s exactly who they were.

The knights who stormed into my bedroom were clad in gleaming white armor, with the emblem of the Sun emblazoned at the center.

Why the hell were they here?

Was this for a reward, maybe—?

"Siora Bonetti. We have received a report that you are a member of the Black Serpent Cult."

…Okay, I didn’t really think they were here to give me a medal, but what?!

I opened my mouth, ready to protest the absurd accusation—

But then, like a lightning strike, a realization hit me.

Slowly, I lowered my gaze and took stock of my appearance.

Priest robes.

A tattered goat mask.

A Beatitudo pouch clutched in my hand.

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And the emblem that had just fallen from my robe’s pocket—marked with the Black Serpent insignia.

Heh.

No room for argument, huh?

Lifting my head, I met the knights’ cold stares.

"Do you wish to object?"

"No."

"You will accompany us to the Imperial Palace."

Hah. What a day this is turning out to be.

I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead.

"Yeah, sure. Let’s go."

How did they find me so fast?

I had put a binding oath spell on the Investigator, so this had to be Nigellia’s doing.

She must have anticipated that I’d survive and prepared her next move.

I should have known when she so helpfully provided me with a change of clothes.

I didn’t have the energy to run, and my opponent was the Imperial family, so I decided to comply.

But not everyone shared that sentiment.

"Uh, Cruello?"