Chapter 26: Saint Liliana

Five days had passed since they departed from the royal capital, Londinium.

The luxurious carriage carrying Saint Liliana Creswell rolled slowly along the highway leading toward the Arkwright Territory.

Outside the window stretched a peaceful rural landscape—but Liliana’s heart was heavy, as if shrouded by leaden clouds.

(Arkwright Territory… and Lord Zenon von Arclight…)

She clasped her hands before her chest and offered a quiet prayer to God.

Every rumor she’d heard in the capital had been terrible.

Arrogant. Cold-blooded. Unforgiving even toward his own vassals. A demon of a nobleman who ruled his people through fear and squeezed them dry of their wealth.

That was the man she was now on her way to meet—Zenon von Arkwright.

And yet, there were strange rumors as well.

They said that under the demon’s rule, the Arkwright lands had grown more prosperous than ever before. That no one went hungry anymore, and that the markets were filled with life and energy.

The High Priest had called it “a false prosperity born of the devil’s sweet words.”

Surely that was the truth. Zenon must be using some evil power to cloud the people’s hearts. Behind the facade of abundance, they must live in terror, their souls slowly being eroded.

“Saint Liliana. We are approaching the border of the Arkwright Territory.”

There was a knock on the carriage door, followed by the voice of the captain of her knightly escort.

“I understand,” 

Liliana replied briefly, then looked out the window with renewed resolve.

Beyond this point lay the demon’s domain.
What sort of desolation awaited her there? What suffering faces would she see?

She steeled herself to witness that misery with her own eyes and to reaffirm her mission—to save the people from their torment.

But the moment the carriage passed the old stone marker that marked the border, Liliana doubted her eyes.

“…What is this?”

The road had changed.

It was no longer the rutted, muddy track that turned to a quagmire whenever it rained. Instead, a smooth, even stone-paved road stretched straight ahead as far as she could see.

The carriage barely jolted now. Drainage ditches ran neatly along both sides—something even the capital’s finest districts rarely boasted.

“Captain, this road…”

“Yes, my lady. I am just as astonished. A year ago, when I passed this way on duty, it was a terrible path where carts constantly got stuck. Now… it’s as if it’s an entirely different road.”

And the surprises didn’t end there.

The villages along the road looked nothing like the rumors.

Thatched roofs were neatly repaired. Farmland was evenly divided and carefully tended. The peasants working the fields showed no sign of exhaustion or despair. On the contrary, they looked robust and full of energy.

When they noticed the procession flying the royal crest, they paused in surprise—but soon returned to work. Their eyes held not fear, but quiet confidence in their labor.

(This is… strange…)

Liliana was confused.

This was far removed from the image of a land suffering under tyranny.

What in the world was going on?

(I see… this must be a trap set by the devil himself.)

She came to that conclusion.

This “prosperity” was nothing but an illusion—an elaborate show meant to deceive the royal inspection party. Zenon must have forced his subjects to act happy in order to hide his misdeeds.

Yes, that had to be it. Otherwise, the terrible stories from the capital would make no sense.

When Liliana finally reached the central city of the Arkwright Domain, her confusion only deepened.

The city overflowed with life.

In the central marketplace, stalls brimmed with goods she had never seen before, and laughter echoed from every direction. The townspeople’s clothing was cleaner and finer than what she’d seen in most provincial cities.

There was no sign of poverty—no shadow of fear.

(How thorough… To create such a flawless false paradise. Zenon von Arkwright… what a cunning and terrifying man.)

Her wariness toward him hardened into something close to hostility.

She would not be deceived. She would tear away this mask of false prosperity, expose his sins to the light of day, and save the people who suffered beneath him.

Her sacred mission as a Saint burned brightly within her heart.

Before long, the entourage arrived at Duke Arkwright’s mansion, standing high above the city.

Liliana stepped down from the carriage and took a deep breath.

This was it.
She was about to meet the “demon” she had heard so much about.

She focused her mind, ready to unleash her divine power at the first hint of evil.

The mansion’s massive doors opened silently.

Waiting there were a dignified middle-aged butler and several maids, who bowed deeply and led them to the grand hall.

At the far end, atop a staircase of polished marble— stood a boy.

Hair black as the night itself, gleaming like silk.
Skin as pale and smooth as porcelain.
A face so perfectly balanced it might have been sculpted by the gods.

Yet before she could even marvel at his beauty, Liliana found herself caught by his eyes.

Blue.
Deep, pure, unclouded blue.

But within them… there was nothing.
No joy, no anger, no sorrow. Nothing at all.
They were like flawless glass marbles—beautiful, but utterly lifeless.

“Saint Liliana.” 

The boy said in a level, almost mechanical tone.

“Welcome to the Arkwright Territory. I am Zenon von Arkwright. Thank you for enduring such a long journey.”

His words were perfectly polite—but devoid of any warmth, any sense of welcome. It was as if he were reciting lines from a script.

(So cold…)

That was Liliana’s first impression.

Just as the rumors said—a cold man. His beauty only made the icy emptiness within him more pronounced. It was as though the very air around him had frozen still.

She couldn’t sense any evil aura—yet. But perhaps this absence of feeling itself was the mark of his inhuman cruelty.

Meanwhile, Zenon was calmly analyzing the Saint before him.

(Saint Liliana… looks exactly like her game illustration. The aura she gives off is pure, full of gentle compassion—or so it seems. But in her eyes, I can already see it: blind conviction and a self-righteous sense of justice. A mass of irrational emotion. I’ll need to handle this one with utmost care.)

To him, Liliana was nothing more than a risk factor.

He was already calculating how to deal with this troublesome inspector—how to satisfy her and send her away without incident.

“Without delay,”

Zenon said, taking a thick stack of parchment from Grey.

“This is the detailed schedule for your inspection. Every movement, rest period, and meeting time has been arranged down to the minute to ensure maximum efficiency. Please review it at your convenience.”

Liliana was taken aback.

No words of welcome. No offer of a banquet.

Just… a schedule.

Was there not even a shred of hospitality in this boy’s heart?

Her hands trembled slightly as she accepted the documents.

And in that moment, Liliana was certain.

This beautiful youth before her truly was a devil without a human heart.

The battle between the Saint and the “demon” had quietly begun.

Liliana clenched her fists tightly in resolve for the confrontation to come.