Hiding the Fact That We Are Dating From the Amnesiac Villain - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 39
“Look, the Purifiers are gathering over there.”
Freena moved quickly alongside Narien, her mind racing.
‘I need to be as careful as possible. In the future, something I did must have been discovered… that’s why everything fell apart.’
The Purifiers had assembled near the carriages preparing for departure.
In one corner of the Training Ground, where dust swirled in acrid clouds, several massive expedition carriages stood lined up in waiting.
Armored Knights clad in gleaming metal worked tirelessly, their equipment clanging loudly as they loaded purification supplies without pause.
‘Hmm? But… aren’t there too few Purifiers here?’
Barely a dozen or so had gathered.
That was when it happened.
“Ugh. I really hate moving around this early in the morning.”
“Right? Sleep deprivation is terrible for your skin.”
What is this?
Freena blinked in bewilderment.
While someone’s life hung in the balance, the Purifiers were leisurely boarding the carriages.
Narien waited patiently for them all to board, as if accustomed to this sight.
‘Sigh…’
It was truly a peculiar scene.
“Oh my, you’re riding in this one too?”
It was a familiar voice. Viola spotted Freena and sneered alongside her companions.
“Your intentions are admirable, but I wonder if you’re just getting in the way.”
“Heh, seriously. Be careful, okay? You were lucky to get hired, but if you mess up and your lack of skill gets exposed, you’ll be kicked out, won’t you?”
They mocked Freena thoroughly before boarding their own carriage.
“Oh, ah, how could you say such things… aah… such cruel words, ah…”
Narien let out distressed whimpers from beside her.
But Freena felt little in response.
‘They’re not wrong, though.’
As they said, it was nearly impossible for Freena to pull her weight.
The Morteba Territory, saturated with vast demonic energy.
Freena lacked the power to dispel that energy and save the Knights.
“Look! The Commander is arriving!”
“The Commander looks so handsome even with that serious expression!”
The Purifiers chattered excitedly and laughed as if they were going on a picnic.
How had they been living like this…
…all this time in Caesar?
Freena gazed out the window.
‘…It really is Decklin Caesar.’
He was heading toward the front.
An uneasy feeling settled over me.
The Knights trapped in the demonic zone right now, and his Aide who would descend into madness in the future.
‘If it were Decklin Caesar, he wouldn’t hesitate to commit something terrifying.’
Freena was beginning to doubt whether she was truly heading out to rescue the Knights.
“Let’s depart!”
The carriage wheels rolled urgently forward.
* * *
“…So you see, Miss Freena’s ability is truly remarkable. Most people have similar purity levels, so having high purity is actually far more exceptional than being a higher rank….”
Along the path toward the Forbidden Zone.
Inside the jolting carriage, Narien’s relentless words of comfort poured forth.
“Those people are just… well, His Excellency personally recruited Miss Freena, so that’s why. Normally, His Excellency’s direct recruitment is quite rare, and… since Miss Freena is rank seven, it must have cracked that noble pride of his… Oh! Not that Miss Freena is inferior because she’s rank seven, no, inferior isn’t the right word, I mean….”
“…I’m fine, Narien.”
Though her words were offered with utmost sincerity, I felt as though blood were trickling from my ears.
‘Narien’s personality seems a bit unusual too.’
She seemed kind, yet I couldn’t shake the sense that she was peculiar.
Jolt.
Then the carriage came to a halt.
After traveling for a long time, the carriage finally arrived before the Forbidden Zone as dusk settled.
‘So there is a Temple in the Morteba Territory as well?’
And it appeared to be quite substantial in scale.
Freena, who had been gazing out the window, stepped down from the carriage.
Pitch-black clouds pressed heavily upon the sky.
Beyond, a dark and desolate land stretched forth like a decaying abyss.
Not a single blade of grass grew there—an endless expanse of barren, empty wasteland.
‘Ugh.’
The concentration of mana was so dense that it seemed to seep even beyond the boundaries of the Forbidden Zone.
‘This is absolutely dreadful.’
Most Purifiers endured it stoically, but it was a place where ordinary people could scarcely survive for hours.
“For the Grand Duke himself to grace our humble Morteba Diocese with his presence—what an honor this is.”
Then, figures in ornate priestly vestments emerged from within the Temple, utterly incongruous with the desolate landscape.
The number of Priests was considerable, befitting the Temple’s scale.
‘But the atmosphere… something feels off.’
The Priests showed no warmth in their reception, despite welcoming an Imperial Grand Duke.
Rather, their chins were held stiffly aloft.
“But… Your Excellency, what brings you to this humble place?”
The Archbishop at the center, though he clearly knew why Decklin Caesar had come leading armed Knights, feigned ignorance with deliberate indifference.
“Archbishop, my Knights are trapped beyond the Forbidden Zone. Grant me permission to enter for a search.”
Decklin Caesar’s voice was low and measured.
It was markedly different from his earlier dismissal of another Archbishop’s summons at the Capital Grand Temple.
Though, come to think of it, the Archbishop at the Capital Grand Temple held far greater authority.
“…Hmm. I’m not so sure.”
Despite the courteous request, the Archbishop of Morteba maintained his arrogant demeanor.
I see.
Freena understood.
‘This Forbidden Zone is managed independently by the Religious Order.’
Which meant that Decklin Caesar, the Knights he brought, and the Purifiers all required official permission from the Diocese to enter the Forbidden Zone.
“This is most lamentable, as the Diocese’s administrator.”
In other words, the lives of the Knights trapped inside were held hostage in the Archbishop’s hands.
“I had no idea that the proud Caesar Knights of all people would creep into sacred ground like thieves without even seeking God’s blessing.”
…And they’d been caught sneaking in?
Why on earth would they do such a thing!
‘This means….’
Moreover, Decklin Caesar had no choice but to yield.
“I beg your pardon, Archbishop.”
At Decklin Caesar’s words, the Archbishop fell silent for a moment, as if deliberating carefully.
“Your Highness, if you truly wish to enter, there is a way….”
The Archbishop smiled wickedly.
“To set foot in the sacred grounds of Morteba Diocese, one must observe the proper ‘pious courtesy,’ you see.”
“….”
“Cast aside your arrogance before God’s representative and kneel in the lowest position to prove your earnestness.”
Ordering Decklin Caesar to kneel on the dirt ground before all his subordinates was an outright insult.
“Do you know whose presence you stand before, spouting such nonsense…!”
The Knight Commander at the head of the Knights’ formation blazed with fury and reached for his sword hilt, but Ronan swiftly pressed down on his shoulder.
The surrounding air froze cold.
Decklin Caesar was the Family Head of Caesar, one of the Ten Great Families that upheld the Empire, the sole Grand Duke, and a war hero.
Yet now was a time when the conflict between imperial and ecclesiastical authority was sharper than ever.
‘From the Religious Order’s perspective, Decklin Caesar’s existence—one who firmly supports imperial authority—is unwelcome.’
That’s why they were so eager to force him to his knees.
After all, the Archbishop was a wielder of power who looked down even upon high nobility.
“If the Grand Duke finds it difficult to bend his will….”
The Archbishop swept his gaze over the angry Knights with leisurely eyes, overflowing with arrogance at his clear advantage.
“Still, we cannot turn away such distinguished guests.”
“…”
“I shall provide you with the Temple’s annex to rest comfortably for four days.”
Four days.
“If they are not found within four days, all will perish.”
One day had passed, so the Knights’ remaining time was now exactly three days.
The Archbishop, knowing precisely those remaining hours, waited for the Knights’ deaths with cruel mockery, as if savoring their doom.
Freena looked at Decklin Caesar.
…His smile was more desolate than ever.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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