Today, the Heim territory was unusually noisy.
Hel looked helplessly at the three people sitting across from her in the reception hall.
The first was a scholarly-looking middle-aged cleric — Bishop Milton, the second-in-command of the Sacrifice Kingdom's Church, and a staunch representative of the Conservative Faction.
The second was a fully armored knight who, even now, refused to remove their helmet to reveal their true face. They called themselves Anderson, a representative of the Reformist Faction.
But when Hel glanced at the system's feedback on the knight's stats — and that towering, two-meter-tall frame — she couldn't help but feel something was off.
It seemed like this person was actually… a woman?
Still, looking at how this "lady" radiated a masculinity that outdid most men, Hel quietly swallowed her urge to make a sarcastic remark.
The third was a nun who had just arrived from the Watchwall — Pamela, a representative of the Saintess Faction.
At Hel's side sat only Vivian.
"This… young Count of Heim,"
The nun spoke first. She hesitated for a moment as she looked at Hel's youthful face, unsure of how to begin. But after thinking it over, she asked softly:
"You said that you once dreamed of that angel — is that true?"
"Of course it's true," Hel replied calmly. "Even Father Orad's true identity was something she told me."
"Hah, what nonsense,"
Before the nun could respond, Bishop Milton cut in sharply.
He adjusted his glasses and stared straight into Hel's eyes, speaking slowly and sternly:
"The angelic race are children of the Holy Light itself. There is no record in all of history of them ever entering someone's dreams.
You're telling me they've mastered illusory abilities? Isn't that absurd?
I think this so-called 'demon revelation' of yours is nothing but a fabrication."
"Bishop Milton," the nun quickly interjected, trying to defuse the growing tension, "just because something hasn't happened before doesn't mean it can't happen now."
According to the Saintess Faction's doctrine, they were supposed to maintain goodwill with anyone connected to that angel.
But unlike the nun, both the knight and the bishop had originally been sent under orders from the Pope — their mission was to eradicate Heim City.
Only halfway through had the orders suddenly changed.
Even so, both still believed that if the angel was to be brought back safely, Heim City — this troublesome place — should first be eliminated.
"Count Hel," the armored knight said coldly, standing up. The voice that came from behind that heavy helmet was a deep, raspy male tone:
"You should understand what your actions represent.
The Church will not tolerate the existence of demon worshippers — especially when one of them was a bishop."
"So what?" Hel narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone calm but cutting. She could feel it — this one hadn't come here to safely escort Vivian back to the Church.
They'd come to stir up trouble.
"So," Anderson said, "I'll give you two options.
Either you publicly declare that Bishop Orad was not a demon worshipper — that the whole thing was your fabricated scheme to purge a rival…
Or — we'll erase every witness who knows the truth."
The words landed like thunder.
Even Bishop Milton, who had been openly hostile to Hel, looked at the knight in stunned disbelief.
Seriously?
Was this person trying to get the angel to hate the Church?
But a moment later, Milton's expression shifted — and he suddenly understood the knight's intent.
He let out a deep, meaningful chuckle, then slammed his hand onto the table and roared angrily:
"That's exactly why I've always said — you Reformists are all lunatics!
Count Hel, rest assured — our Church will never permit such madness!"
Then, changing tone with practiced hypocrisy, he added solemnly:
"As long as the Angel herself is willing to return with us, I guarantee — no harm will come to the Heim Territory."
"How do you plan to guarantee that?" Hel propped her chin on one hand, watching their performance with a faint smile.
"By covering up the truth about Orad being a demon?
Or perhaps… by waiting until Vivian leaves, and then quietly 'removing' all of us who know too much?"
"Please rest assured, Lord Hel — we have no such intentions," said the nun hurriedly.
Vivian, being aligned with the Saintess Faction, would be a huge asset to them if she returned to the Church. The last thing Pamela wanted was for this to escalate.
But the other two — the bishop and the knight — were clearly trying to stall for time, to delay things until a Sanctus-ranked powerhouse arrived.
If the angel didn't leave right away, it would become a race — whoever's saint-level reinforcements arrived first would seize control of the situation.
"Truthfully, there's no need for all this," Hel said softly, smiling in that disarmingly innocent way of hers.
"No need to cover up for a dead man's crimes."
She clapped her hands, and several of her knights came forward — carrying a metal cage.
Inside it crouched Tonio, one of Gerhard's lackeys.
Only now, his eyes had turned pure black, like endless pits of darkness.
"He's fallen, hasn't he?" the nun gasped, standing abruptly.
"He's been tainted — and judging by his condition, he's even been bathed in holy water!"
"As expected, the Church's understanding of demons runs deep," Hel said lightly.
"Since that's the case, let's stop pretending."
She leaned back slightly, her eyes gleaming.
"Bishop Orad wasn't the only demon hiding in the Church.
The angel told me there were three of them.
Olad's deputy — the one by his side all this time — has already been captured and sent to the Kingdom of Honesty, Onist.
He'll likely face execution in the royal capital within a few days."
Her words sent a visible shudder through the room.
Even the seasoned Church dignitaries sitting before her couldn't hide the weight that settled over their expressions.