"Hero… I'm just—so glad you're safe."
Suzuno Kamazuki's voice still trembled from the aftershock of emotion.
"My real na is Crestia Bell. I'm the Chief Executive Officer of the Audit Bureau under the Church of the Great Law-God. I've been going by the na Kamazuki Suzuno."
She finally revealed her true identity.
"Audit Bureau? Crestia Bell?"
Emilia frowned, confused.
That na—and departnt—ant nothing to her.
She knew about the Church's Tribunal and Missionary Division… but the Audit Bureau? Wasn't that so minor back office?
Not even close.
The Audit Bureau was critical, but completely hidden from public view—for a reason: it served as the Church's execution arm.
Suzuno noticed Emilia's confusion, and her expression turned serious, even a little heavy.
"Hero… what I'm about to say might be hard to hear. But please, let finish."
She took a deep breath and began explaining everything she knew.
"Not long after you vanished, I was doing a routine audit of senior clergy finances—and I found a bunch of red flags. Every lead pointed to one of the Six High Priests: Olba yer."
Emilia's heart sank at the na.
Her face went pale.
Rei Ao gently took her hand.
"I followed the money trail and kept digging."
Crestia's voice was calm, sharp—the voice of a veteran auditor.
"Turns out, Olba was abusing his power in horrifying ways. But the worst part? He's not the only one. The Church's upper ranks are all involved."
"I pulled confidential records, connected the dots—and what I found was terrifying. The Church is completely corrupt and twisted. There's no justice. Not anymore."
"You're saying they… even planned to hurt ?"
Emilia wavered.
She had heard hints of this from Olba himself, but hearing it confird by a Church insider? That betrayal stung deep.
Crestia didn't stop.
"And to cover up his cris, Olba imprisoned your friends—Erada Etuva and Albert Ende."
"Where are they?!"
At the ntion of their nas, Emilia snapped.
"They're being held deep in the Inquisition's dungeon. Publicly, the Church says they 'voluntarily locked themselves up' for failing to protect you."
"What?!"
"Erada and Albert… imprisoned in the Inquisition?"
Emilia stood up, fury burning in her eyes.
She had thought they were simply under house arrest—not this.
"Yes. And their situation... probably isn't good."
Crestia's face showed a flash of both rage and sorrow.
"To erase all chances of your return, Olba even tead up with the fallen angel Lucifer. They planned to kill both you and Demon King Satan in this world—to eliminate all risks."
Crestia went on to reveal everything: the evidence she'd uncovered, Olba's plans, and the Church's higher-ups protecting him—or at least looking the other way. She also described in detail how the Church's internal politics had rotted it from the inside.
These so-called "leaders" no longer cared about faith or the people.
They only cared about keeping power and silencing anyone who threatened it.
"I can't be part of a Church like this anymore."
Crestia's voice was firm and unwavering.
"This goes against everything I believed in when I joined the Audit Bureau. I wanted to keep the Church clean and fair."
"Eventually I realized—if anything's going to change, it has to start with you, Hero."
"Only you, the true savior of the world, have the credibility to rip off the Church's mask and expose the rot underneath. Only you can restore the light of the Law-God to the places it was supposed to shine."
She stood up and bowed deeply.
"That's why I used my clearance to trace the last dinsional residue Olba left behind. It led here. I took on this na and began searching for you."
"I wanted to bring you the truth. And I want to help you return to Ente Isla—to clean house and restore justice."
Emilia sat in silence.
Her face went through a storm of emotions—shock, sorrow, fury—before settling into a quiet, aching calm.
Every word from Crestia had hit her like a hamr.
Each one shattered the hopeful image she once held of the Church.
She slowly sat back down and closed her eyes, grieving.
Rei Ao didn't say a word—this was her world, her truth to process.
Ti passed.
Eventually, Emilia opened her eyes.
Though pain still shimred in her clear gaze, there was sothing deeper now—calm, hardened by experience.
She turned to Suzuno.
"I believe you. I really do."
"But going back to Ente Isla…"
She looked to the one person who had stood beside her all this ti.
Rei Ao smiled softly.
"You're my wife. Of course I'll help you."
"Thank you."
Hearing his words—so simple, so certain—ward Emilia's heart.
Her gaze drifted into the distance, as if seeing beyond space itself… all the way to Ente Isla.
"I understand now."
Her voice was quiet—but it carried the weight of a decision.
"Thank you, Suzuno. Thank you for telling the truth. And thank you for holding on to justice."
That mont marked a turning point.
Now, there was no more doubt.
The Church—her Church—was corrupt.
Ente Isla—her holand—was broken.
And she, the betrayed Hero, the friend, the child of that land…
She had to go back.
Not for revenge.
Not for power.
But to fix what was broken.
To be a light for those who still believed.
Her journey was far from over.
But this ti, she wouldn't walk it alone.
She had found sothing new—
She had Rei Ao.
User Comments
0 comments from readers