Chapter 16

Rachel, Oni, and Grunt waited near the temple. The guys were on lookout and were supposed to lead any pursuers away if things went south. Rachel and I headed inside.

"Give me the dagger. I’m supposed to cover you, after all," Rachel held out her hand expectantly.

"That’s my knife! My father gave it to me!"

"I’ll give it back, I promise."

The guys stayed outside—if trouble arose, they’d message the group chat. We got into the temple through the basement windows. One of them just popped right out of the frame. That, along with the patrol schedule, was intel we’d gathered the day before. At night, only the high priest and two of his assistants remained inside. The interior had a hallway with cells and a stairway down to the basement. One door stood out—ornate, carved with a wheat stalk and a sickle. It was locked. Bernard had said the book was in the basement, so now we were searching for the key. Rachel found it in the lectern in the congregation hall.

We both used stealth to move through the hallway. I went downstairs while Rachel kept watch. I expected anything—a treasure vault, guards, attack dogs—but at the end of the corridor, past a turn, was just a dead end and a small room. One of the walls was slightly shifted. Pushing it, I found a hidden chamber. My vision highlighted a concealed candlestick and a loose stone in the wall. Either someone had already looted the place or they’d forgotten to lock it. Just in case, I checked for anyone inside.

This was the church’s entire vault! How could I forget—this was the main temple of Teurus. I wondered, would the god be angry if I took more than just the book? There definitely wouldn’t be a second chance.

What could I say about the Fivefold Tome of Demonology or the Grimoire of the High Necromancer? Or Shegel’s three-volume Ritual Magic? This wasn’t just a temple vault or a treasury—it was a confiscated items stash. The book we needed was on a separate shelf, looking perfectly ordinary. What was so forbidden about it?

Time was short, so I grabbed every book I could find. Now I was moving at 90% encumbrance—40 kg, only 5 of which was my own gear. Stealth wasn’t affected, but if the guards spotted me, I wouldn’t be able to run. It hurt to leave so much valuable loot behind—the epic ritual daggers of Solar Wrath and two full Shadow legendary sets remained on the shelves. Their leather looked suspicious, and the daggers reeked of blood—a scent I’d learned to recognize after two weeks of fighting hounds.

Rachel wasn’t in the hallway. I messaged the group chat:

"Rachel, where are you? Time to go. I’ve got the book."

"Head to the other end of the hall. That door with the sickle and wheat. Something interesting here. You’ll like it."

I moved down the corridor, and twenty meters later, I found the door—now open. Moonlight illuminated a white stone slab. Rachel sat on it, wearing a light white dress and a diadem. Almost whispering, she said:

"Come here. Sit with me."

"What are you doing?! They’ll wake up any second!"

"Hehe, when else will we get a chance like this? Come on, don’t be scared."

Rachel smiled, practically glowing with happiness. In the silver moonlight, she looked beautiful. I sat beside her. A strange feeling crept in. The slab was warm, and the light felt unreal—wrong, feverish. Something about the room was off. Then Rachel stood, and I tried to as well, but her hand stopped me.

"Lie down. I want to show you something." She glanced away.

"Why?" Girls are weird.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah."

"Then lie down and close your eyes."

I did, and warmth instantly spread through my body. The light burned even through my eyelids. I heard whispering and tried to open my eyes, to get up—

[Damage taken: 423 HP (421 ignored).

198/200 HP.]

"Ow! What are you—?"

I opened my eyes: Two grown men pinned me to the slab while Rachel raised my own dagger. Bernard stepped out from behind her.

"Rachel, don’t hesitate. I’ll buff you in a second."

[Damage taken: 447 HP (421 ignored).

174/200 HP.]

I recovered from the damage in seconds, but the situation had flipped. Rachel kept stabbing relentlessly. One of the men holding me spoke up:

"What’s wrong? You’ve got a ritual dagger. Why isn’t he dead yet?"

"Hell if I know," Bernard muttered. Rachel kept driving the knife into my chest, but the strikes weren’t deep enough—she lacked the strength.

"Need help?"

"No, she has to do it herself." Bernard raised his staff, and Rachel struck harder, faster.

"WHYYYYYY?!" My scream came out choked with tears. It wasn’t the pain—it was the betrayal. I was helpless.

[Damage taken: 496 HP (421 ignored).

8/200 HP.]

"I’m sorry, Saji. You have to die here."

Her eyes—full of resolve. She was going to kill me. Why was I so afraid?

Bernard raised his staff again and chanted something.

[Damage taken: 551 HP (421 ignored).

0/200 HP.]