**[WAAAAAAA!!!]**
The goddess who had materialized in the sky continued her terrible screaming.
"Oh!"
"Umm!"
As though experiencing unbearable agony, people couldn't even form coherent screams. Covering both ears with their hands, they collapsed almost simultaneously onto the stone floor and writhed there.
The endless shriek the Goddess released was like a heart-rending, anguished roar—one that made observers involuntarily wonder if this sound originated from hell itself.
Of all those present, only a few remained unaffected: the priests standing near the altar.
Juliet, leaning helplessly against the base of the round platform, was among them.
Though her head spun and nausea churned through her, she felt no pain whatsoever from the sound.
Drawing a breath, she scanned her surroundings.
The only people standing upright without covering their ears were the priests. From this observation, she concluded that the scream couldn't harm those who possessed divine power.
*Am I safe because of the soul stone?*
Juliet glanced sideways at Xenovia's purple soul stone cradled in her palm.
It seemed that while possessing this artifact, she had acquired divine protection—rendering her immune to the goddess's assault, just like the priests.
But was this creature truly a Goddess...?
For reasons she couldn't articulate, it resembled something malevolent from another plane more than any deity.
Juliet tightened her grip on the soul stone and looked skyward.
**[WAAAAAAA!!!]**
The being's form—massive enough to cast shadow across all of Lucerne—was stunningly beautiful. Yet it was bound by thick, ominous chains.
"We need to bring His Holiness inside!"
Father Solon's agitated voice cut through from nearby.
Only after his command did the priests snap back to awareness and resume dragging Sebastian's unconscious body toward the temple interior.
"Wait—Father Solon, look over there!"
Father Gilliam seized Solon by the sleeve.
"Just look who's there!"
He pointed toward the area near the altar where Juliet and Sebastian had materialized moments before.
"This is..."
"Is that truly Bishop Hildegard?"
"...Bishop Hildegard?"
"Yes—it's definitely Bishop Hildegard!"
"This can't be! It's ridiculous!"
How could two bishops possibly exist in the same place simultaneously...?
Confusion reigned. The only explanation anyone could fathom was that Lucerne had been struck by some catastrophic series of impossible events.
"This... this is impossible! Hildegard is *dead*! He died three years ago!" Father Solon screamed with fury.
"Are you completely blind?! This is none other than Bishop Hildegard!" Father Gilliam retorted with equal vehemence before sprinting toward the altar's center. "Your Holiness!"
Father Solon watched with mounting agitation as old Gilliam retreated.
*Hildegard was alive? Didn't Sebastian kill him?*
The thought echoed through his mind. He still couldn't believe the former bishop lived.
*So you succeeded as well,* Juliet thought distantly, also observing the altar as the two priests began shouting at each other.
In case her original plan failed, she had prepared a contingency.
She'd freed Hildegard—previously locked in the basement—and asked him to find escape, instructing that even if she failed, he must save himself by any means necessary.
Hildegard had promised he would. However, he'd also mentioned that if her plan succeeded, he could follow her out independently—because once she breached the dimension, a path would open.
Juliet, having never wielded divine power before, didn't understand its mechanics. She'd simply trusted him and asked no further questions.
Moreover, since Hildegard had been a bishop himself, he possessed sufficient divine power to escape if opportunity presented itself.
---
## — The Scapegoat —
"Holy Father!"
"Father Solon—what should we do now?!"
The priests who'd followed Solon were completely lost. Seeing the former bishop amid this confusion, they stared at him, awaiting instruction.
*That damn bastard...*
Solon cursed internally, realizing he stood at the epicenter of rapidly escalating events.
Repeatedly, his gaze darted between the altar—where his old enemy was rushing—and the temple gates.
On one side, Father Gilliam and several other priests approached Hildegard swiftly. On the other were townspeople who'd gathered for the festival's conclusion, now rolling across the floor in agony.
*First, we'll need the bishop's divine power to banish this goddess, but...*
Solon glanced sideways at Sebastian's limp form hanging in the priests' arms.
Sebastian—now the temple's head—remained unconscious.
*If this continues, disaster is inevitable.*
He assessed the situation rapidly, grimly.
Hildegard's return alive and well meant Sebastian's crimes would be exposed once the goddess situation was resolved.
If that happened, Solon himself could be executed alongside Sebastian, accused of conspiracy.
*To cover your tracks, you need a scapegoat to blame for everything...*
And who, besides a witch, could better serve this role?
A witch who could easily deflect attention from Sebastian's sins and distract the ignorant masses would be perfect.
And such a woman stood directly before Father Solon.
"This woman is a *witch*! The Goddess is enraged because of *her*!"
*What...?*
Juliet, who had fallen when the priests released her, somehow managed to raise her head toward the screaming voice.
"Wait—*I'm* the victim here!"
"Don't listen to that witch! The Goddess rages because of that unholy wretch!"
Father Solon didn't even need to point before several priests scrambled up the stairs and dragged Juliet down with them.
"This treacherous witch disrupted the ritual through her machinations! The Goddess became furious with us all!"
*What a bastard!*
Unable to resist, Juliet was tossed about like a reed as Father Solon seized her by the hair and shook her violently.
It happened then.
"Execute her! We must burn this vicious wretch quickly, otherwise—!"
Father Solon couldn't finish speaking. Mid-accusation, a thunderous noise erupted.
"Wh-what is that?!"
The sound repeated.
Father Solon involuntarily released Juliet and staggered from the vibration shaking the entire Terrarium.
Simultaneously, all the priests began looking around frantically, unable to identify the source.
And then—
"R-r-run! S-save yourselves!"
One priest spotted a column supporting the building opposite the altar beginning to topple. In panic, he screamed at the top of his lungs, desperately warning the others.
***CRASH!***
With a deafening impact, the column collapsed onto the altar—forming something like an improvised bridge.
When the thick dust settled slightly, a silhouette became visible through the haze—a man standing arrogantly atop the fallen pillar.
"Don't you *dare* touch her with your filthy hands," the man hissed ominously through clenched teeth.
The speaker was the Duke of Carlisle.
---
## — The Cursed One —
"Wh... what... is..."
"Monster!"
Father Solon's face turned completely white—pale as parchment. Terror paralyzed him so completely he couldn't form words.
His gaze darted between the woman lying before him and the Duke of Carlisle, who was advancing using the toppled column as a walkway.
Then a lightning-fast realization struck Father Solon.
*I'm finished. He's going to kill me.*
But Solon's survival instinct refused surrender.
Without hesitation, he seized the fallen Juliet as hostage, stepped backward, and issued commands to his priests.
"Raise shields immediately! Assume defensive positions! Prepare for battle!"
The priests of Lucerne moved as one, swiftly forming defensive stances and beginning their prayers.
Shortly, a barrier of divine shields materialized between Lennox and Father Solon.
The Duke of Carlisle, who had been descending slowly, paused momentarily upon encountering the obstacle.
"......"
*What will he do?*
The same question flashed through every priest's mind. They watched him warily.
***BOOM!***
"Oh no!"
"Oh God—what is this...!"
Suddenly, several priests maintaining the shields began vomiting blood. One after another, they collapsed to the floor.
Juliet didn't need to observe closely to understand what was occurring.
This was familiar.
The priests had attempted wielding divine power against the *cursed one*—and now faced the consequences. They were reaping the fruits of their arrogant actions. The greater their power, the more devastating the backlash.
Father Solon was no exception. Blood began streaming from his nose. His grip weakened. Releasing Juliet, he sank to the floor beside her.
***BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!***
Confronted by intangible, immaterial cursed force, the barriers exploded consecutively with thunderous sound.
The human eye couldn't perceive it—but whenever cursed energy collided with divine power, terrible shockwaves erupted, leaving deep craters in the stone floor surrounding the altar.
Several priests still conscious began chanting prayers rapidly, preparing offensive sacred magic—but none of it touched Lennox.
Brilliant flashes erupted everywhere as divine shields shattered and collided with cursed force.
While Lucerne's proud priests fell one after another and their supposedly impregnable barriers crumbled consecutively, the only injury Lennox sustained was a minor scratch from a sharp splinter that grazed his cheek.
Blood oozed from the wound—but in a situation where everything exploded around him, it meant nothing.
Beyond that, he remained completely unharmed.
Looking only at Juliet—no one else—he walked slowly, confidently forward and stopped before her.
"Juliet."
His voice calling her name was calm and peaceful, despite the chaos raging around them.
"Come to me."
Gazing at his extended hand—offered with such natural ease—Juliet hesitated momentarily.
Could she accept this hand?
Hadn't she already given up on him?
*Lennox... if I take your hand now, then I...*
But her internal debate proved short-lived.
"......"
Taking his hand and climbing to the top of the makeshift bridge, Juliet swayed slightly, unable to maintain balance. But instantly, a large, firm arm wrapped around her waist, preventing her fall.
"Stop, Duke!"
The shout came from one of the priests. Unlike his fallen comrades, he still stood—though his entire body trembled violently.
"How dare you commit such acts... you cannot simply leave!"
However, despite his furious cries, the moment the Duke of Carlisle's indifferent gaze settled on him, the priest retreated in fear.
Lennox looked down at the scene one final time—as though he'd never witnessed anything more pitiful in his life.
"Come," he said quietly.
After those words, Juliet—without looking back—began slowly crossing the improvised bridge with Lennox's support.