That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 101

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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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That’s not what kissing means!
Episode 101

Theo slipped out of the Office with the key in hand.
The Dormitory Building was silent. Everyone had headed toward the Chapel to enjoy the fireworks.
Beneath the darkening night sky, Theo walked toward the Forest.
Moving without a sound was effortlessly natural for him.
Once inside the Forest, Theo’s gaze fell upon a large tree positioned to the left.
Evelyn and Vanessa, who had been hiding behind the tree, spotted him and approached.
Theo turned to Evelyn with a question.
“Did you bring the notebook? The fountain pen?”
“I brought both. Though I have no idea why you wanted me to carry writing supplies.”
She couldn’t fathom why he’d insisted on bringing stationery for an infiltration.
“What about the key?”
Rather than answer Evelyn’s question, Theo smiled.
“The number of Holy Knights guarding the Bell Tower has increased. The Grand Cleric will naturally assume we’re entering through the Confessional.”
But the two of them had noticed that the Library and Confessional were connected.
With everyone’s vigilance focused on the Confessional, the three planned to slip covertly into the Underground beneath the Library.
“Should we divert the Holy Knights’ attention?”
Vanessa grasped the hilt of the sword at her waist.
“Are you going to attack them?”
“No, Evelyn. I’m going to catch them off guard. Only Mage Knights can do that.”
Only Mage Knights?
Evelyn’s expression grew puzzled.
Once Theo gave his approval, Vanessa drew her Mage Sword from its sheath.
A sharp metallic ring echoed.
The aura surrounding Vanessa grew heavy and profound. Her poised stance revealed her prowess as a Mage Knight.
The blade cut through the air with a whistle.
Finally, Vanessa swung her sword.
“Mage Knights can project their aura across great distances. Of course, only the truly exceptional can manage it.”
Her eyes gleamed with the plea for admiration.
“That’s truly remarkable….”
Evelyn stood transfixed in awe.
A thunderous boom erupted.
The sound crashed near the Bell Tower like a tempest.
The distance from here to the Bell Tower was considerable.
Vanessa could send her aura to that place without leaving any trace.
“What’s happening!”
“There’s a loud noise from the back…!”
“Is it another intruder!”
A considerable number of Holy Knights rushed into the deep forest.
The remaining Holy Knights were too preoccupied checking the direction of the sound.
Theo, Evelyn, and Vanessa quickly dashed toward the Library.
When Evelyn couldn’t keep up with their pace, Theo naturally grasped her waist.
Dangling once more, she flushed crimson.
Compared to the two of them who seemed perfect, she felt utterly inadequate.
The three of them reached the Library with their bodies hidden behind the foliage and felt along its wall.
Drawing on my previous memories, I pushed the vines aside, and sure enough, I sensed magical power.
Theo fitted the key he’d taken from Colin into the hole.
Click—
The magic stone responded with a brief flash of light, and the door opened.
Theo drew his sword from his waist. The Sword Mage, its blade exposed for the first time in ages, trembled with delight.
Vanessa, whose nature was equally combative, also gleamed with interest in her eyes.
It seemed only Evelyn was tense.
“Stay between me and Vanessa.”
Theo gave Evelyn one final instruction.
Her safety was his absolute priority.
Theo opened the door and took the lead.
Stone stairs identical to the path leading to the Bell Chamber extended downward in a long stretch.
Then, a Holy Knight guarding the middle of the stairs spotted them.
“In, intruder…!”
But before he could even cry out, Theo subdued him with ease.
He struck a vital point, rendering him unconscious.
Seeing that sentries were posted here as well, it appeared the Envoy had reinforced security around the Confessional.
However, the passage from the Library seemed to have caught him off guard, as few guards were stationed there.
As they descended underground, the chill gave way to increasingly intense heat.
The reason became clear soon enough.
“It’s all fire.”
Upon reaching the final stair, Theo spoke softly as he surveyed the underground.
The air was thick with heat and humidity.
At last, the vast underground chamber revealed itself.
The space, filled with rocks and stone pillars, resembled a Dungeon in form.
Between the stones forming the ceiling and walls, black soot accumulated densely.
It was evidence that fires had burned here for a long time.
The three moved forward, concealing themselves behind the jagged stone pillars.
Evelyn withdrew a magical artifact from her bosom and began recording the scene.
Before long, I could spot numerous Clerics scattered throughout the space.
Most were Senior Priests, and Sophia and Daisy stood transfixed, their eyes wide with wonder as they gazed upon something.
An Altar crafted from blood-red stone sat at the very center of the Dungeon’s interior.
Both sides of the Altar blazed with flames—a towering inferno so massive I couldn’t fathom how it remained sustained.
What on earth was that?
A pitch-black undulation contrasted sharply against the flames, catching my eye.
Were they burning something?
Then she drew in a sharp breath.
The dark, writhing shapes were people.
They were tending the flames beside the Altar.
One person ceaselessly fed kindling into the fire, another stoked the embers, and yet another hauled logs—an endless cycle of labor.
Watching dozens of figures work in unison, I gasped.
They maintained the flames without pause, their movements mechanical and precise.
It felt like watching a puppet show.
Every so often, as if injecting fuel, they consumed something.
Theo, observing them, muttered under his breath.
“I never thought I’d see meal rations down here.”
What they were eating was the same food distributed to the Clerics.
The pieces of the puzzle began clicking into place in my mind.
Sophia being here with the Grand Cleric, the mysterious quantities of food listed in the Dining Hall records for dozens of unknown people…
They were trapped Underground, sustaining themselves through meals and tending these flames.
Then, a clear voice rang out.
“Today marks the rehearsal for the Immortal Rite. This is preparation for our grand endeavor, and we cannot afford even the slightest error.”
It was the Grand Cleric’s solemn voice.
The Altar, artificially carved from stone, was broad and perfectly level.
Crimson velvet cloth draped across its surface, and two metal boxes rested upon it.
Each was large enough to require both arms to embrace.
As the flames danced, the patterns engraved upon the boxes flickered faintly into view.
But the distance was too great to discern their exact design.
The Grand Cleric standing before the Altar turned his gaze toward someone.
“Lionel, are the preparations complete?”
“They are. The ritual circle and flames are sufficient to summon the God of Death. And most importantly…”
His voice trembled with reverence.
“The souls we have gathered thus far… these sacrifices will illuminate the ritual.”
Hearing Lionel’s words, I realized the patterns carved into the boxes were ritual circles.
Then what lay inside those boxes was…
The fire victims…!
Their souls had been summoned and sealed away through dark magic.
Not only had they sacrificed the innocent, but they continued to exploit them even in death…!
The two metal boxes were the victims from the fires that had ravaged the Southern and Western Regions.
Fury surged within me at the atrocity unfolding before my eyes.
The Envoy opened his mouth with a satisfied expression.
“Then let us begin the rehearsal. I shall recite the incantation to summon the God of Death, and you shall conduct the ceremony.”
Immediately after, incomprehensible words poured from his lips.
The Priests came forward one by one, pouring black liquid into the flames or scattering ashen powder.
The fire blazed higher. Those tending it did not retreat but silently repeated their tasks.
In that moment, a scream that seemed to tear the ears pierced the air.
As if someone were trapped within the box, the sound of metal being struck rang out dully.
Screeeech— screeeeech—
The scraping of metal and anguished cries echoed through the chamber.
It sounded like desperate pleas to be released from this place.
From the Altar, something crimson crawled up the box like a creeping vine.
The Envoy did not pause, continuing to chant the incantation.
As the flames grew fiercer and the terrible screams intensified, the people cheered.
Their faces glowed with rapture as they beheld the sacrifice that would grant them eternal life.
Watching these people consumed by madness, my body trembled.
‘They’re all insane…!’
I could not believe this was truly happening within the Temple of the Holy Kingdom.
No—I could not accept it.
That was when it happened.
Someone noticed the three of us hiding.
It was the person who had been walking toward the Altar carrying firewood.

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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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