Chapter 109: Holy City (1)

Words : 1032 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 109: Holy City (1) The six men froze, their eyes twitching as the chilling cadence of Arthur’s Korean words rolled over them like winter thunder. They didn’t understand the language. They didn’t need to. His tone alone told them everything they needed to know: Death. One of the braver men, a burly enforcer with a crooked nose, barked, "You’re insane, stranger. Do you know where you are? This is the Holy City." Arthur didn’t blink. "That wasn’t my question, was it?" he said quietly, voice stripped of emotion. The man’s face twisted into a sneer. "You dare not only kill, but threaten a servant of the Sacred Order?" Arthur suppressed a scoff, lowering his gaze and flicking the blood off the dagger. "Ah," he muttered, stepping forward. "It seems I was the fool for trying to speak as a man before a beast." The burly man stepped back warily. "If you dare attack, the holy knights will strike you down." In a blink, Arthur vanished and reappeared behind them in a crouched stance. "Let them come. Bring them all to me..." The six men saw the world flip upside down. They knew they were dead but never even glimpsed the face of their killer. Only a slick, blood-stained dagger. Gasps filled the air as the street, untouched by blood for decades, now ran crimson. Panic exploded. And just as the first man had warned, knights clad in silver and gold armor stormed the scene. There were about twenty of them. Arthur didn’t bother to count. He turned toward them and commanded: "Lay down your lives. For you’ve committed the sin of desiring what is mine." Screams echoed as bystanders fled in every direction. People scattered from market stalls. Others disappeared into alleyways. To some, a monster had appeared. To others, a liberator had come. ------ (Inside a prison cell hidden within one of the Holy City’s buildings, where Amelia and the girls were imprisoned) Amelia stirred at the scent of damp incense and decay masked by perfume. Her wrists were bound. So were her ankles. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t summon strength or mana. All she could do was lie on the cold stone floor of the vast chamber. She blinked once, twice, until her consciousness returned. ’Ah... right,’ she thought, eyes scanning the room. ’We got kidnapped.’ After setting off from the academy for their mission, she had met with Eira and Elizabeth, both tired of staying idle. So she, Cassie, Eira, Elizabeth, and Karma had decided to travel together. It was on the way south that they stumbled upon something unusual—a glyph carved into a stone hidden beneath overgrown vines. The stone, strangely shaped like a grave, bore a single name: Bruce Springsteen. That was how they ended up in the so-called Holy City. ’I should have been more careful.’ Amelia regretted her actions. If she had warned Cassie this was a trap, if she had held tighter to her instincts, maybe none of this would’ve happened. She shook her head. ’No, as Cassie’s older sister, I can’t come across a clue about her missing father and do nothing.’ She scanned the room again, her gaze landing on the three unconscious girls. ’Where exactly is this place?’ she wondered. ’This definitely isn’t a holy city.’ After they arrived, Cassie spoke her name, and suddenly, the people treated them like royalty. They threw a grand feast and spun tall tales about her father, slowly isolating them one by one. It was yesterday, just when Amelia tried to contact Arthur that they drugged them, locked them in here, and took Cassie away... To wherever they intended to make her their priestess. "If it were Ellie or Unnie, they wouldn’t have made this mistake." Her eyes darkened. "I shouldn’t compare myself to my sisters... I need to find a way out." She dragged herself across the ground toward Elizabeth, then bit her shoulder. Elizabeth’s eyes snapped open, and she almost screamed—until she saw Amelia’s finger over her lips. "Amy? What happened?" Amelia looked away. "I’m sorry. Because of me... we were kidnapped." Elizabeth hesitated, piecing the memory together. "None of that was your fault." Amelia’s gaze dropped. "No..." she said quietly. "As Arthur’s official first wife and your senior sister, it’s my duty to protect you, but..." Without warning, Elizabeth headbutted her. Amelia stared at her, wincing. "Why did you—?" Elizabeth grinned. "You do know I’m your senior, right?" Amelia frowned. "What does that have to do—" Elizabeth cut her off. "Yes, you’re my older sister. But I’m also your older cousin by blood, Amelia. So even if you failed your duty as husband’s first wife, I failed mine as your cousin." Amelia’s eyes widened. "Cousin? No way, you’re—" Elizabeth nodded. "First princess of the empire, at your service. Well... former princess, I guess." Amelia had known Elizabeth was important, Arthur had mentioned it once in passing—but she never imagined Elizabeth was the runaway princess of the empire. Amelia smiled, then chuckled. "I know I’m not as good at speeches as Husband, but you don’t have to laugh," Elizabeth mumbled in a flustered tone. Amelia shook her head. "No, I was just thinking... ’Husband is such an asshole for marrying cousins.’" Elizabeth laughed too. "Yeah, he’s an idiot." "That’s why I know he’ll come save us." Both Amelia and Elizabeth looked up to see Eira smiling gently, like sunlight breaking through the darkness. "Cute," they both said in unison. Eira giggled, lifting her chin. "I bet Husband is on his way right now." Silence settled between them as they all swallowed hard. Only then did they realize just how dire the situation was. Not for them, but for the people who had taken them. It didn’t matter whether he had energy or not. If Arthur learned that something happened to them, he would absolutely lose control. Elizabeth forced a smile. "Well, it’s not our problem." Eira nodded. "Yeah. Husband will show... a little compassion, right?" Amelia turned her face away. As the oldest wife present, she knew better than anyone what Arthur would do. Kill. ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───

Chapter 109: Holy City (1)

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