That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 95

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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 95

Calimedes is the God of Death. Thus, he could involve himself in every death that occurred in the world.
His appointed duty was to separate the soul from the body of the deceased and annihilate the spirit.
However, Calimedes was far closer to demon than god.
Rather than destroying souls, he devoured them whole, grinding them between his teeth.
Each time he did so, the memories and emotions of humans became vivid and tangible. The terror of death, mingled with despair and agony, brought him exquisite pleasure.
Consuming souls was a delicious amusement.
Calimedes craved ever greater ecstasy, and he promised immortality to those who followed him.
The method was simple. Every living being receives a fixed allotment of existential time within their soul from birth.
Calimedes could separate the soul from the dead, extract the remaining lifespan, and implant it into another.
His followers eagerly offered sacrifices. Calimedes absorbed the souls of the humans placed upon the Altar, then transferred the extracted life force to his followers.
And he conducted the immortality ritual, burning the Altar with his symbolic flame.
Having explained this much, Evelyn spoke to Theo.
“There was never true immortality from the beginning. To extend one’s life, one would have to offer sacrifices to Calimedes for eternity.”
“Then the Envoy must be in the same predicament. He too intends to sustain his life through further victims.”
If that were so, the terms “immortality” and “deathlessness” were misleading.
Had the Envoy discovered another method?
“Evelyn, tell me more. What exactly is the Envoy attempting to do?”
Theo seemed to harbor the same question.
Evelyn’s brow furrowed with revulsion.
“He intends to conduct the same ritual as in ancient times. For his own immortality.”
“But Calimedes was destroyed by the gods. How can he perform an immortality ritual?”
“The Envoy set fires wherever Calimedes was buried in order to summon him back.”
Fire was his symbol. Of course, merely setting fires was insufficient to awaken the God of Death.
“The Envoy spent years researching dark magic. As a result, he created a magical circle for the ritual.”
Just as Goddess Yulia, each god possessed a unique symbol and pattern.
The Envoy painstakingly discovered Calimedes’ pattern. He then found the symbols for necromancy that summoned the annihilated and divine summoning magic, combining them together.
“It appears he also incorporated dark magic that absorbs souls.”
The magical circle created this way was called a “ritual circle.”
When united with fire, the ritual circle also required sacrifices—the souls of the dead.
That is why innocent people became victims.
“The ritual circle was recorded in a vision stone. And… he says he will soon conduct a rehearsal of the immortality ritual. In the Underground beneath the Confessional.”
“When?”
Evelyn spoke with a hardened expression.
“It’s tomorrow.”

* * *

Meanwhile, the Envoy’s mind burned with fury.
The Sacred Knights guarding the Sacred Relic Storage had come to find him.
Upon hearing of the attack, the Envoy rushed there at once.
His divine power was no longer what it had been. The Goddess’s oracle no longer reached him, and his composure in controlling his emotions had begun to fade.
The loss of divine power meant he could no longer maintain the vibrant body bestowed by the divine.
A drawing closer to death.
He did not wish to lose the youth and vitality he had enjoyed all this time. The Envoy clung ever more desperately to immortality.
Until the ritual of eternal life could be performed, he had to continue consuming divine power.
As time passed, the duration for which he could maintain divine power grew shorter. Each sacred artifact had become desperately precious.
The only female Cleric capable of infiltrating the Office was Evelyn. At that same moment, it must have been Duke Ashford who had slipped into the Sacred Relic Storage.
The Envoy’s bloodshot eyes gleamed as he wrenched open the storage door.
Sacred artifacts displayed in glass cases on both sides emitted a soft glow.
Yet the Envoy’s gaze fixed upon one place alone.
The Holy Chalice of the Seril Kingdom, positioned deepest within. It was the fruit of months spent cultivating favor with the Princess of Seril.
Seeing the chalice in its place, the Envoy’s mind eased.
But murderous intent flickered in his softened eyes in an instant.
Sacred artifacts emitted light all the more vividly the stronger the divine power within them.
When he first beheld the chalice, it had shone brilliantly.
But now… not even a faint glow could be seen.
No, that couldn’t be…
The Envoy denied reality and walked closer to the chalice.
“….”
His dreadful premonition became truth.
The chalice had lost all its divine power.
Only he on this continent possessed the ability to absorb the power of sacred artifacts.
Then the intruder must have satisfied two conditions.
Formidable martial prowess enough to defeat two Sacred Knights, and possession of a sacred artifact more powerful than the chalice.
“Theo Ashford…!”
The Envoy’s breathing grew ragged, as though he might explode at any moment.
How much had Evelyn and Duke Ashford discovered?
No, that wasn’t what mattered now.
A crisis had descended before his great work could be completed.
Originally, he had planned to wait for the right moment for a perfect ritual… but…
“I’ll have to accelerate the plan.”
Fire ignited in the Envoy’s eyes.

* * *

“By now, the Envoy must be tearing his hair out.”
“That’s right. He’s probably already verified the Sacred Artifacts.”
Theo asked Evelyn about the structure of the Underground.
“It’s surprisingly simple. Once you descend the stairs, there’s a vast space with an Altar in the center. The problem is that the area is always filled with flames.”
“That must also be to summon Calimedes.”
“But you said you felt magical energy beyond the Confessional. It’s definitely some kind of lock—how do you plan to get through?”
“I don’t necessarily need to open it myself.”
Theo smiled crookedly.
It seemed he intended to use coercion or force.
“We’ll proceed tomorrow. Tunneling into the Underground.”
“How can you be so calm about this? Shouldn’t we at least make a plan?”
At her words, Theo tilted his head to the side.
“We don’t know what’s down there or how many exist. Making a plan would only create confusion.”
…
“You just need to imprint your consciousness into the video recording device. Vanessa and I will handle any obstacles.”
Evelyn’s role was the most crucial.
‘This is nerve-wracking….’
As Evelyn swallowed dryly, Theo spoke gently.
“Let’s rest well today. Without a care in the world.”
Theo was always composed like this. Listening to him speak, everything seemed as though it would turn out fine.
Yet the anxiety that rose within me refused to fade easily.
Theo made no particular effort to reassure her. He simply gazed up at the sprawling sky.
“Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be busy.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Then shall we talk?”
Theo seemed excited as he said this, delighted at the thought of being alone with Evelyn for the first time in a while.
“That sounds good. What should we talk about?”
“I’d like to hear about your childhood. It feels like I’ve been the only one talking all this time.”
“It’s ordinary—you’ll find it boring.”
Evelyn opened her mouth while gazing at the starlit sky.
“It was just before my birthday. I read a fairy tale where the moon granted wishes.”
Evelyn smiled softly as she recalled that time.
“So I opened the window and prayed loudly, asking for a doll. But on my birthday, there was a doll sitting by my bedside.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I was so surprised that I bragged about it to my parents. Though it must have been them who heard my prayer and bought the doll.”
As Evelyn spoke of that warm memory, she felt her heart grow calm.
And she realized something—that Theo had been making an effort to ease her tension.
Evelyn asked with affection in her eyes.
“What about you, Theo? Have you ever had a similar experience?”
“Well, I’ve been mature since birth.”
Evelyn’s expression turned incredulous at his words.
“I asked him to bring me the moon because I wanted to see it up close.”
“…That actually sounds even more childish.”
Asking someone to fetch the moon—it was a request beyond even my imagination.
In that moment, I finally understood the scale of the gifts Theo had been sending all this time.
Evelyn sighed and looked up at Theo.
Then, as if discovering something, her eyes widened.

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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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