I was stunned by the casual tone, but I let it slide—he was Reed, after all.

Reed, as if he were preaching the gospel of the Divine Word like I had, began expounding seriously on the topic of corruption.

“It’s really not a big deal. Especially for you—since you carry the Scythe of Holy Flame, your standards for good are stricter, so it’s even easier for you to fall.”

“Hard not to believe you when you say that—it sounds personal.”

At my remark, Reed smiled softly. I, on the other hand, couldn’t bring myself to smile.

Facing the fallen black-haired beauty, I suddenly recalled something.

Right after I defeated Moriel at the ‘Execution Ground of Rigid Order,’ I had definitely seen Reed return to his original hair color.

“It was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) silver back then.”

A color so beautiful it looked like moonlight unraveled into a thread. If someone spun daylight into silk, that’s what it would look like.

That image was clear in its implications. Reed could cross back and forth between holy and demonic. In that case...

“Can I do it too?”

At that point, I grew a bit more serious.

“You’re really only suggesting this because it’s necessary, right?”

“Yeah. I just don’t want anyone but you to become the Demon King.”

It could’ve sounded frivolous or flirty, using personal feelings as a reason.

“...But I don’t want to force it either.”

“...”

The quiet murmur he added, eyes cast down, felt different. It looked like a man repenting his past, full of regret.

If he was acting sentimental on purpose, I’d say he nailed it. That’s where my heart started to waver.

Fine, alright. Let’s at least hear him out.

I exhaled a long sigh and asked, 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“How do you fall?”

“...”

He didn’t seem to have expected me to respond like that. Reed’s eyes couldn’t hide his surprise.

I pressed him again for an answer.

“Do I just commit the seven deadly sins or something? Be lazy and gluttonous, flaunt my pride, obsess over money, snap in anger, and envy others?”

[‘Scales of Soul Judgment’ pouts that you left out lust.]

Moving on.

[‘Scales of Soul Judgment’ whispers lasciviously that lust is actually the most effective shortcut to corruption!]

I said we’re moving on.

At that moment, Reed, who had been silent, rose from his stool. Then, he stepped right in front of me.

“Reed?”

As he leaned forward, his shadow fell across my body. Startled from earlier, my body tensed again on its own.

Why, why is he doing this again? This is a bed, you know.

Over the pounding of my heart, his deep voice rolled out.

“It’s easy.”

“...”

“Corruption is contagious. You just have to accept me.”

“...Accept you?”

“Yeah.”

That was when he, in the most gentlemanly, polite tone possible, made his offer.

“Wanna try?”

“...”

His meaning was unclear. My throat dried up instinctively.

[‘Scales of Soul Judgment’ covers its mouth.]

[‘Eye That Watches the Chaos of All Things’ closes in fear of violating broadcast standards.]

[‘Inspector of Forbidden Revelation’ is eagerly expecting a dragon summoning.]

His hand came down to stroke my hair. While I endured the strange tickle, my fingers curled tightly into the sheets.

He pulled a handful of my hair toward his face. Just before our lips touched, my hair slipped completely from his loose grip.

At the moment his empty hand received a kiss instead, a dark breath escaped him, taking visible form.

It clustered like black flower petals. I could see it clearly.

“Wanna catch it?”

“...”

If I take that hand, I’ll fall.

‘Divine Word...’

I asked my god for guidance.

[‘Divine Word Who Builds the World’ remains silent after deep contemplation.]

It didn’t feel like a test. It felt like I was being told to choose freely.

At the crossroads, I made my decision.

I met Reed’s eyes. Drawn into that persistent gaze, I slowly reached my hand toward his.

ZAP!

“...!”

The moment our hands touched, a brilliant golden spark burst forth, and an unseen force repelled us violently.

“Well, damn.”

Reed pulled back his smoking hand and said,

“Knew it. You’re of the 9th-rank Holy Scripture. No way you’d fall so easily.”

“It wasn’t my will.”

“I know. There just wasn’t even the slightest room for you to fall.”

“No room?”

“God, virtue, the world—you don’t oppose any of them, do you?”

So that’s the condition for corruption. Come to think of it, Reed chose to turn away from all three.

“If just one of the three earned your hatred, it would’ve been easier.”

The murmur that followed was bitter, and I couldn’t find anything to say.

“Is your hand okay?”

“Don’t worry about it. Your eyes are really red though—you should sleep.”

“...Yeah.”

Now that the tension had lifted, the fatigue hit me twice as hard.

As my head tilted, his gentle hand supported it and stroked my hair, lulling me further into drowsiness.

“Go to sleep.”

It felt like he cast a spell on me; I was that sleepy.

The sensation of a butterfly kissing my forehead was the last thing I felt before I drifted into sweet sleep.

✠

Reed felt like he was undergoing the most exquisite torture imaginable.

Lying in a bed prepared just for him, she slept soundly. Her presence filled him with overwhelming joy.

Instead, he would have to spend the night battling the unrest within him, sleepless.

He even pretended to read, but it was pointless. The books that once fascinated him in the Library of All Things no longer held his interest.

Why would they? He was already satisfied, feeling like the abyss itself had become paradise. He had no need for vicarious thrills through the devil’s books.

Dozens of candles flickered, casting light and shadow that filled the room with a strange atmosphere.

Eventually, Reed closed the book he’d been staring at for an hour without turning the page. He set it aside with a soft thud and approached the bed.

“...”

Watching her sleep without a trace of caution stirred many impulses in him. But he knew full well he’d end up doing nothing, letting her sleep peacefully.

Perhaps that’s why people kept calling him a gentleman, he thought with a short, bitter laugh.

His gaze fell on his hand—the one he had reached out with while offering corruption. The spark from her rejection hadn’t thrilled him nearly as much as the moment of contact had.

Though she hadn’t fallen, the fact that she had reached out to take his hand of her own will was a tremendous victory.

He brought the hand that had touched her to his lips and whispered to the sleeping girl,

“Yeah. Little by little, slowly.”

If she accepted him,

“That would be my salvation.”

✠

Hilde was, as always, performing her duties as the reliable Vice Bishop of the Gehenid Diocese and a Cardinal of the Divine Word Church.

As a new sect, things had been difficult at first—they had to establish everything from scratch—but now that the White Magicians were starting to pull their weight, things were settling down.

“I’m so glad everyone’s working hard.”

Looking proudly out at the congregation, Hilde closed her eyes and folded her hands in prayer. She was starting to carry herself like a proper Vice Bishop.

Since Reed became the Lord of the Mage Tower, everything had changed. The Divine Word Church was founded and officially recognized as the state religion, and the treatment of those with awakened holy power—formerly called White Magicians—had drastically improved.

Healing powers had always been highly valued in this world, so with all of Ragneif’s holy-powered people gathered under its wing, the Divine Word Church quickly gained tremendous authority.

Add to that the special laws Reed created to benefit the Holy Scripture, and the recent dungeon sync event where the Holy Scripture played a major role, and the church’s rise had been meteoric.

This rapid rise was certainly good news. But where there is light, there must be shadow—and Hilde had her share of worries.

Her concerns were laid bare in her prayer.

“Divine Word, I think strange people are increasing around the Church of Saint Lucrezia.”

It was natural for the Divine Word Church to attract attention, especially with a 9th-rank Holy Scripture in their midst. Suspicious activities trying to probe into the church were popping up everywhere.

“I’m not sure someone like me can root them out... Please, Divine Word, watch over us.”

Perhaps her heartfelt prayer had reached the heavens, because something astounding happened the next day.

“Huh?”

Early in the morning, as Hilde opened her door to start her day—

A red-haired young man was lying on the ground in front of her room, bound with rope and gagged.

“Mmgh! Mmph!”

His tear-streaked, pitiful face was familiar.

It was the gender-reversed version of the noble daughter from House Rivette, who had harassed her at Reed’s inauguration.

Hilde found a note tucked into the rope that bound him. A brief message was written there:

—Infiltrated disguised as a believer. Presumed intent: harm.