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As soon as I recognized the person outside the door as Liena, my thoughts became confused.
"Liena?"
How could Liena be here, imprisoned in the Grand Temple's prison?
As the idea that this was impossible crossed my mind, I thought of Terence, who had left this room a moment ago.
If he really left because something went wrong at the Temple... Is Liena the cause?
I quickly looked out the window.
It was to check the escape route.
I don't know the details of the process, but if Liena had the power to breach the strict security of the Grand Temple and the Imperial Palace, it was better to avoid her.
"What is that...?"
But then something that looked like a black band that I had never seen before caught my attention.
The black band stretched along the edge of the annex's backyard.
Perhaps the entire annex was surrounded by it.
"It seems this is already their territory."
Lucy growled, the fur all over her body bristling.
"You mean them?"
"This is the demonic energy emitted by monsters. But it's not just demonic energy; it's mixed with the power of the Evil God."
Evil God? Then, does that mean Liena escaped from the Grand Temple due to the intervention of the Evil God?
"Could it be that Liena is the apostle of the Evil God?"
Just as the goddess Miella chose Liena and me, the Evil God also chooses a being to represent it on earth.
However, the apostle of the Evil God who appears in "Return and Walk on a Path of Flowers" was someone else.
Did the choices of the Evil God also change because I participated in the development of the novel?
"Ethel."
Meanwhile, Liena's voice was heard again from beyond the door.
"I understand you don't want to see me. I would do the same. But I finally realized my mistake. So, although it's late, I want to apologize."
Apology was not a word that the Liena I knew would utter.
"Teacher, first talk and guide that human inside."
At that moment, Lucy whispered so only I could hear her.
"That person is probably directing the monster."
The divine beast's body began to glow blue.
"I'll handle it when it arrives."
This meant that if we left this place, we would eventually have to defeat Liena, the leader.
I nodded and responded to what Liena said.
"Do you want to apologize to me? Are you serious?"
"Yes!"
"... fine. I'll listen. The door is open, so come in."
Only then did the door open.
As soon as Liena's silver hair caught her attention, Lucy leaped as fast as lightning.
"Ugh!"
But the next moment, Lucy's small body collapsed to the floor.
In the blink of an eye, a black figure appeared next to Liena and slapped Lucy with its arm.
It had two arms and two legs like a human, but its surface was smooth as if made of black dough.
When Lucy got up and her body glowed again, the black figure also prepared to attack.
"Lucy!"
"Enough, Shadow."
Liena and I stopped them almost simultaneously.
"Shadow..."
I knew that name because I saw it in the novel.
It's the strongest monster in the novel "Return and Walk on a Path of Flowers," and it was the enemy that Liena and her group barely defeated in the final battle against the apostle of the Evil God.
Naturally, my body trembled, and my heart beat fast.
It's dangerous. For now, we didn't have the ability to face Shadow.
In the novel, after certain conditions were met, Shadow was defeated only after receiving the joint attack of Liena, Mikhail, Matisse, and the divine beast.
We didn't have the conditions, and in Lucy's case, she couldn't show her full strength.
Moreover, the power consumed during the verification of sanctity had not fully recovered yet.
I racked my brains desperately, recalling the content of the novel.
"Shadow definitely hated divine power more than other monsters..."
If it emitted divine power, it might make it impossible for it to approach for a while.
"What if I escape in the meantime? Is that black band also a skill of the Shadows? Then, would it be possible to pierce through it with divine power?"
But it would chase me even from afar. How far should I flee?
"Oh, damn it!"
It would have been easier to escape after becoming invisible due to the effect of the leather belt, but unfortunately, the belt was stored in the closet.
If I had known something like this would happen, I would always have had the belt tied around my waist, whether I was sleeping or not.
"Hey, Ethel."
At that moment, Liena spoke to me.
"We don't have any intention of fighting you. You don't have to be too cautious. Shadow only hurt your friend to protect me. I don't attack first."
"... really?"
"I told you before. I came to apologize to you. Why would I attack you?"
As I continued to silently stare at Liena, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm sorry. Is he seriously injured?"
"......"
When I saw Liena apologizing meekly, I felt goosebumps all over my body.
Still, as she said, there didn't seem to be any immediate signs of harming us, so I decided to talk to Liena first.
Since there are many uncertainties in many ways, it would be better to stop fleeing and unleash divine power as a last resort.
"Well. Let's talk."
"Are you serious?"
"Before that, I need to make sure everyone else is okay. If you really didn't intend to fight me, you wouldn't have hurt the people guarding this place, right?"
Full Chapter Here☜ (AntiC0pyr1ght)