In a flower garden,

  Lady Billing led Hulim, Alicia and Miko, along with Martina and several of Alicia’s guards accompanying her, on a leisurely stroll.

  Raelingrim had opted to stay behind to read, so he did not join them.

  "This manor really has planted so many flowers!"

  Miko marveled, gazing at the sea of blooms all around her.

  "Thank you for your compliment, Princess Miko. I loved flowers very much when I was young, so my husband often purchased flower seeds from merchants everywhere, and even hired quite a few gardeners for this. Before we knew it, it has grown to its current scale."

  "You and Sir Filkorn are truly affectionate. Gardens like this are rarely seen in the city."

  "You flatter me, Your Highness Alicia. Most of these are just common flowers—they are completely incomparable to the rare and precious varieties grown in the manors of the empire’s dukes and marquises."

  "No, it has nothing to do with being rare or precious. This garden is simply beautiful...... Hmm? What is that ahead?"

  At the end of the garden stood a small white building.

  Lady Billing explained:

  "Your Highness, this is a small chapel I had built. Because I received a great deal of help from the Church in my early years, I constructed this chapel on the manor to express my gratitude. This way, I can come here to pray at any time and thank the gods for their protection."

  "I see...... In that case, since we’ve come across it, we might as well go in and pray too, if that’s alright?"

  "Of course, Your Highness and everyone else, please follow me."

  The group entered the small white chapel.

  It was not a large space, and its furnishings were relatively simple, yet it was spotlessly clean.

  Moreover, unlike the overall minimalist layout of the chapel, the statues of the six gods were carved in breathtakingly lifelike detail.

  Following the Church’s etiquette, everyone silently offered their prayers to the gods.

  Only Hulim froze in place at this moment......

  She stared blankly at one of the statues, a certain memory fragment surfacing in her mind.

  No way......

  Before long, the group finished their prayers and prepared to leave the chapel.

  "Hulim, is something the matter?"

  Miko noticed that Hulim’s expression seemed off and asked.

  "......It’s nothing," Hulim replied casually. "Let’s go."

  "Are you sure?"

  Miko did not press further, and Hulim followed the others toward the chapel’s exit.

  However, before stepping out, her gaze swept over that one statue once more.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  I’d almost forgotten about it......

  It was just an insignificant memory fragment in the memory space.

  Even though she had thought that boy looked very familiar back then, it was not until she saw the statue of the God of Order now that she finally realized—that was the face of Taita, the God of Order.

  This truth would surely shock the entire academic community. After all, in all previous speculations, no scholar had ever believed that Taita, the God of Order, was human.

  But if Taita really was human, then how exactly did he manage to rise above the chaos in that turbulent era......

  Never mind.

  Whether Taita, the God of Order, was human or not did not seem to have anything to do with her.

  With that thought, Hulim put the matter out of her mind.

  ......

  As night fell,

  Hulim and her companions settled in for the night at Filkorn’s manor. The Minister of State, Crawford, who had come on official business, was also staying here. Although the investigation was just a procedural matter, it would take several days, so he would be staying at the manor during this time.

  "......I want to share a room with Hulim!"

  "No can do. I’ve already had a room prepared for you—go back to your own room and behave."

  "Huh? But we share a room all the time anyway!"

  "We only share a dormitory suite—our bedrooms are separate. But this room only has one bed, so you’re going back!"

  "Ugh——"

  Miko puffed out her cheeks in a huff.

  "Pouting won’t help."

  "Hmph, fine, I’m leaving!"

  Miko picked up her pillow and stomped out of the room, still sulking.

  "That girl......"

  Hulim shook her head with a helpless smile.

  After Miko left, she walked over to the desk, snapped her fingers, and lit the desk lamp.

  Even though it was already quite late, with her current spiritual power, she did not need much sleep. So she planned to read for a while before going to bed.

  At the same time, in another room of the manor,

  all the lights were off, but the Minister of State, Crawford, was wide awake. He paced restlessly back and forth in the room. Even though moonlight streamed in through the balcony, his expression was difficult to make out in the dimness.

  "Has the time not come yet?"

  Crawford glanced at the moonlight on the balcony and had no choice but to wait a little longer.

  When the moonlight shifted a little further across the sky,

  "The time is here."

  Crawford stepped over to the balcony, pushed open the glass door in one swift motion, and walked outside.

  He stared nervously at the night before him.

  "No one......? Are they not here yet?"

  Beneath the empty night sky, there was not a single figure in sight.

  Crawford frowned involuntarily.

  "Damn it! We agreed to meet at this time!"

  He wanted badly to pick up that letter and read it again, but then he remembered he had crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it into the cabinet in his carriage—it was impossible to retrieve it now.

  "But it’s definitely tonight, on the balcony. I couldn’t have misremembered that."

  On this point, Crawford was absolutely certain he had not made a mistake.

  "I have no choice but to wait......"

  Just as Crawford thought this, a tiny glimmer of light suddenly flickered to life somewhere in the distance.

  "Hmm? What’s that......"

  Whoosh——!

  A faint whistling sound cut through the night sky.

  In the next moment,

  Shatter——!!!

  The sound of shattering glass echoed through the silent night!

  "......Cough, cough cough......"

  Crawford slowly lowered his head, staring in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest. Bright red liquid gushed out wildly, soaking a large patch of the ground beneath his feet.

  "How...... How could this happen......"

  Crawford’s body slowly toppled backward.

  Thud!

  And then he lost all signs of life completely......

  Whoosh——!

  A faint sound of something speeding through the air drifted over. Although it was extremely quiet, it was still caught by Hulim, who was reading.

  Her expression changed drastically, and she jumped to her feet immediately.

  Shatter——!!!

  The sound of shattering glass then echoed throughout the entire manor.

  Swish!

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Hulim’s figure vanished from the room completely.

  She quickly located the source of the sound,

  then descended from outside onto the balcony of Crawford’s room—only to find Crawford lying in a pool of blood.

  Hulim stepped forward, knelt down beside Crawford, and checked his condition.

  "Too late to save him......"

  Afterward, she lifted her head, gazing at the hole in the glass and the shattered wall inside the room. Tiny ice shards could still be seen scattered there.

  "Ice magic......"

  Bang——!

  At that moment, the door to the room was forcefully kicked open.

  "What happened?!"

  Filkorn, who was the most powerful among them, arrived at the scene second, right after Hulim.

  When he saw the state of the room, his pupils constricted violently.

  He rushed over in a hurry.

  "Lady Hulim."

  Hulim glanced at him, then shook her head.

  "I’m sorry. He was killed almost instantly......"