That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 102

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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 102

Evelyn quickly pressed herself deeper behind the Rock.
But Theo remained fixated on the figure still holding the firewood.
“What are you doing…!”
It was as Evelyn whispered and tugged at his sleeve.
The person who had locked eyes with him turned his head away. Then he faced the flames once more.
His steady gait, his unchanging movements, his emotionless expression—all of it felt profoundly unsettling.
Theo spoke in a grave voice.
“A being devoid of reason. Their soul may have already been severed.”
The soul contains memory and reason.
The figure I had just encountered was nothing but a hollow vessel, performing only the tasks assigned to it.
Without will or thought of its own.
Then had all those tending the flames suffered the same fate…?
The empty body was like a puppet.
“…Could they be victims of the fire incident?”
“That’s unlikely. There are no signs of injury.”
Then how could so many people….
Just then, Evelyn’s gaze shifted to the metal box.
More precisely, to the ritual circle inscribed upon it.
Realization dawned on her, and she spoke.
“The Envoy said he underwent countless processes to complete the ritual circle. That means he conducted many experiments.”
Theo immediately grasped her meaning.
“He used them as test subjects. After severing their souls, these hollow bodies….”
Theo could not bring himself to finish.
The Envoy was far more sinister than he had imagined.
As were the Cult Followers who had joined him to satisfy their own greed.
The Envoy, having completed his incantation, cried out loudly.
“Calimedes, I have prepared this soul for your amusement. I humbly beseech you to acknowledge our efforts.”
In that instant, the ritual circle on the box began to glow crimson.
The flames beside the Altar crouched low, as if preparing to leap.
Moments later, fire erupted skyward, reaching toward the Dungeon ceiling with tremendous force.
The massive inferno expanded its reach, spreading across the entire ceiling.
Even to the place where Evelyn was hiding.
All three lowered themselves and shielded their heads.
“Calimedes has arrived!”
As Lionel cried out with his hands clasped together, the Cult Followers around him erupted in cheers.
The screams from within the box grew louder and louder.
The souls contained within writhed in agony.
“Hah… hahaha….”
The Envoy’s eyes gleamed. Immortality felt within reach.
Calimedes’s full manifestation had not appeared. They had only brought fragments of him from the Western and Southern Regions.
Yet the radiant ritual circle and the flames unmistakably demonstrated the possibility of eternal life. Calimedes’s meaningful response was enough to move everyone to tears.
Now it was time to eliminate the remaining regions and achieve the great work.
Of course, his ambition extended beyond an immortal body alone.
If he could seize the military might of House of Ashford and place the Emperor of the Empire beneath his feet….
Both eternal life and power would be his.
As the flames subsided and the thrashing box fell silent, the Envoy spoke with barely contained excitement.
“All our efforts have borne fruit. We were not mistaken!”
His confident tone moved the Cult Followers deeply.
“Today we have only summoned a fragment of the god of death, but once we gather all the sacrifices and his scattered pieces… eternal life will come to us!”
He spoke of being granted eternal youth and vitality.
The Envoy commanded Lionel.
“Prepare the hallucinogenic herbs at once. We must accelerate our plans.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Miracles and brainwashing are no longer difficult for us. Soon, the powerful leaders of every nation will bow before us.”
Evelyn recorded their entire conversation on video.
As the rehearsal of the immortality ritual concluded, the Cult Followers left the Underground.
Their faces were intoxicated with rapture.
All of them departed through the exit connected to the Confessional.
All except the Envoy and Lionel.
“It’s strangely quiet. I expected chaos to break loose today….”
He meant to ask why Theo and Evelyn remained silent.
Lionel, who immediately understood the Envoy’s meaning, replied.
“I will check the situation outside.”
Soon after, the two Holy Knights guarding the Bell Tower descended into the Underground at Lionel’s command.
“We found no suspicious individuals.”
“You mean nothing happened at all?”
“Yes, there was one loud noise, but it was nothing serious.”
At those words, the Envoy furrowed his brow.
“Explain in detail.”
“Yes? It truly was nothing. A loud sound rang out from behind the Bell Tower, and we all investigated, but found no trace of anyone.”
“Did you examine the surrounding area?”
“The dense vegetation was bent in one direction. It appeared to be from strong wind.”
The Forest where the Bell Tower stood was naturally prone to powerful gusts.
That was why the Sacred Knights had not taken it seriously.
But I was troubled by the fact that the noise was loud enough to divert all of their attention.
“….”
The Envoy fell into thought. Seeing his displeased expression, the Sacred Knights also began to gauge his mood.
Meanwhile, as the Envoy showed no signs of leaving the Underground, Vanessa looked up at Theo with eyes full of frustration.
‘Can’t we just leave? I think we could handle two Sacred Knights….’
That was when it happened.
Something fell onto Evelyn’s head with a soft crumble.
It was debris that had clung to the ceiling. Ash that remained after being engulfed in flames earlier.
It was the moment Theo tried to shield her head.
A larger chunk of ash flowed down along the stone pillar.
A stone tumbled to Evelyn’s feet.
It was a sound loud enough to shatter the silence of the Interior.
The Envoy turned his head toward the source of the noise.
‘Why now of all times…!’
Evelyn resented the flames.
Why was Calimedes’s symbol fire of all things… In any case, it was a god that proved utterly useless.
“Go check it out.”
The Envoy gestured with his chin toward where the three of them were.
The Sacred Knights began to approach gradually.
They drew their swords cautiously.
Theo also grasped the hilt of his sword.
“We’ll have to abandon the first plan.”
“What was that? You said there was no plan!”
“Escaping from here without being detected and getting out safely.”
Now that our identities were exposed, we couldn’t slip away quietly.
“Right, this is more our style anyway.”
Vanessa drew her sword, seeming almost relieved.
“We need to move to the second plan.”
“What’s the second plan then!”
Before I could hear the answer, the Sacred Knights spotted the three of us.
“There are suspicious people here!”
Theo and Vanessa revealed themselves from behind the rock.
“Stay here for a moment.”
He spoke to Evelyn. I wanted to help them too, but I knew that stepping forward would only be a hindrance.
One of the Sacred Knights swung his sword at Theo.
Theo nimbly evaded the blade, then pressed the hilt of his sword against the Sacred Knight’s chest.
The Sacred Knight, overpowered, crashed against the stone wall.
He struggled to break free from the wall and attack again, but was repeatedly knocked down by the pressure of Theo’s sword hilt.
Theo had not even drawn his sword from its sheath.
He subdued his opponent with such ease and dealt a devastating blow.
Vanessa was equally formidable. The skill gap between the Ashford Knight Order and the Holy Knights was considerable.
Lionel rushed back up the stairs, shouting.
“We must reinforce the Bell Tower’s defenses! Summon the Holy Knights!”
Once the secret was exposed, Lionel no longer stood with Theo.
The tender performance he had maintained all this time vanished in an instant.
It was then.
A Holy Knight who had been losing ground to Vanessa rushed toward the Altar.
He seized a thin piece of kindling and wielded it like a torch, swinging it wildly at both of them.
“Your hands must be burning.”
He was no match for Vanessa. Yet his wild movements forced Vanessa to distance herself from Evelyn.
The Holy Knight grabbed another piece of kindling.
“Attacking with both hands now?”
At Vanessa’s question, he let out a sinister laugh.
Then he hurled the fire at Theo—a reckless act that could have injured the other Holy Knights nearby.
“Theo!”
Alarmed, Evelyn burst out from behind the rock.
As she rushed to protect Theo.
Someone seized her arm with brutal force.
“What have you been doing here? You weren’t merely observing, were you?”
The Envoy pressed her with piercing eyes.

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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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