CHAPTER 02………………..
He held my gaze in silence.
That couldn’t be true—but one possibility suddenly came to mind.
Lancelot was a Beta, but he had a scent similar to an Omega’s pheromones.
If my brother was like that… maybe I had the same constitution too.
His silence wasn’t good. My body stiffened with tension, my heart racing.
My nervous trembling was surely being transmitted directly to Cassius.
His eyes narrowed.
“Your name?”
His voice softened slightly. Because the atmosphere felt just a little less harsh, I answered carefully.
“Sonia… Theodore, Your Holiness.”
“Ah. Lady of the Theodore Count family.”
He might not know the names of apprentice priests, but he would certainly know the Theodore family of the Empire—the family of its Knight Commander.
“Yes.”
He leaned in and inhaled deeply near my neck.
Excuse me, why are you smelling me again?
I bathed this morning the moment I woke up—there is no smell on me.
With a low sigh, he murmured,
“It isn’t perfume.”
Perfume for Betas was just an imitation of pheromones.
Since they could not imitate Alphas or Omegas, Betas rarely used perfume unless in special cases.
“Do I… have a smell on me?”
“Yes.”
No way. Absolutely not!
“I-I bathed as soon as I woke up.”
Him saying I smelled made me embarrassed, and I muttered the words like an excuse.
He let out a brief chuckle.
“You’re giving off a sweet scent. Pleasantly so.”
His words snapped me back to my senses.
I remembered what my roommate Ellie told me.
I clasped my hands together tightly and—just as I had resolved beforehand—confessed like I was in a confessional.
“Actually, I hid a candy.”
“A candy?”
“I helped a visitor who got lost in the temple, and they gave it to me as thanks.”
I pulled out the candy I had hidden deep in my pocket.
Unwrapping the sky-blue paper revealed a golden candy, releasing a faint sweet-and-sour aroma.
Cassius’s gaze dropped to my palm.
“I didn’t want to share it with my roommate… so I hid it…”
Candy was too expensive for an apprentice priest with a tiny allowance.
It was a precious treat I’d been given.
I had hidden it so I could eat it when I felt down.
Cassius picked up the candy and placed it between my slightly parted lips.
“It’s fine. I’m sure God would permit you to sneak one candy.”
Before I knew it, I accepted it from him and let it into my mouth.
I didn’t even have the chance to savor the sweet-and-sour lemon flavor.
Because as he withdrew his hand, his fingertips brushed across my lips and lightly grazed my tongue.
The moment Cassius’s fingers touched me, a dense scent of water burst forth.
As if I were standing beside a waterfall sending up crashing droplets.
Like a refreshing, cool summer downpour.
As though I had been submerged underwater.
I felt like I might suffocate at this rate.
It wasn’t just my imagination—Cassius the Holy Sovereign possessed water-attribute holy power.
With just a flick of his fingertips, I could be dropped into water in an instant.
I have to get away.
With the candy in my mouth, I couldn’t speak.
I bowed my head in lieu of a farewell and hurried out of the prayer room, walking quickly toward my quarters.
I escaped him, but my heart was still pounding like mad.
He said I smelled like an Omega.
I covered it up with the candy excuse, but I wasn’t sure he believed it.
Could it be that I, like Lancelot, gave off an Omega scent?
Lancelot’s faint Omega-like aroma.
In Realm of Predators, the cause was never revealed.
For some unknown reason, maybe I—being his family—also had that scent.
I lifted my sleeve and sniffed my forearm.
Nothing but the scent of dry fabric.
Even if I do smell, I wouldn’t be able to detect it myself.
Only Alphas and Omegas could recognize Omega pheromones.
Meaning Cassius was very likely an Alpha.
The plague had killed only Omegas, but their bonded Alphas were also heavily affected.
So the number of surviving Alphas was extremely small.
There might be more out there, but in the original novel, only the three obsessive madmen were known Alphas.
I chose the Holy Kingdom specifically to escape those obsessive Alphas who were obsessed with my younger brother.
But now a new Alpha shows up?!
I was sucking on a sweet candy, yet my mouth tasted bitter.
I decided to become a priest of the Magnus Holy Kingdom to protect my younger brother and parents from those Alpha lunatics.
The Magnus Holy Kingdom—land of priests and holy knights who wield holy power.
The Holy Kingdom had endured for ages, amassing immense wealth and influence.
Priests were officials of that nation.
If I became a full priest, not only I but the entire Theodore family would be under the Holy Kingdom’s protection should I request it.
Even the Imperial Crown Prince or a Grand Duke couldn’t touch a priest of the Holy Kingdom carelessly.
Furthermore, the Holy Kingdom rejected supernatural abilities and alchemy.
So the owner of the Mage Tower—one of those obsessive maniacs—couldn’t enter without permission.
In short, if I became a full priest, I could cut off all access from the obsessive Alphas of Realm of Predators.
But…
I think I’m doomed.
I thought everything would be solved if I just became a full priest.
But now even I supposedly smelled like an Omega pheromone!
The three Alphas clinging to my brother were already troublesome enough—and now there might be another one added.
What was I supposed to do?
I stayed locked in my room thinking, but there was no better plan than becoming a priest.
Let’s change the plan.
I’d give up on becoming a high priest and remain a mid-tier priest instead.
If all I needed was the status, being a mid-tier priest assigned to a rural temple would be perfect.
Then I would never encounter Cassius again.
Ugh, my head hurts.
My head pounded as I revised my life plan yet again.
I needed healing.
I grabbed the key and headed to the bell tower.
The bell tower was a tall structure near the apprentice quarters.
It held a massive bell, used only on special days—so the door was always kept locked.
Only Ellie and I had keys because we were assigned to clean it.
So we were the only ones who could access it normally.
The high tower had an incredible view from above—perfect for clearing my head.
I was just inserting the key into the locked door when—
Kyaaaaang!
A loud, sharp noise rang out. Startled, I turned toward the sound.
“Caw! Caw! Caaaw!”
A flock of crows was swarming around some big white puffball.
What is that?
Looking more closely, the white fluff was a long-haired cat being attacked by at least five crows.
“Kyauw!”
The cat let out a pained cry.
At this rate that cat will die!
With those sharp beaks and talons, helping barehanded seemed dangerous.
Scanning the area, I spotted a broken tree branch with leaves still attached.
Gripping it like a warrior with a sword, I swung it wildly.
“Get away!”
“Caw! Caw! Caw!”
Several crows soared up, shrieking as if protesting.
Up close, they were much larger than I expected.
Their wingspan was nearly the length of my arm.
If one of those wings hit me, I was sure it would break a bone.
I hesitated for a moment—but seeing the cat collapse weakly, I gathered my courage.
“Shoo!”
Whish! Whosh!
The branch made fierce, threatening sounds as I swung.
Startled, the crows circled once more, then finally flew away.
They’re… gone, right?
I had a bad feeling they might return.
I scooped up the collapsed cat and rushed inside the bell tower.
It was dim inside, but bright enough to examine the cat.
Its long white fur was matted with blood.
Is it seriously hurt?
I possessed healing-attribute holy power, the rarest kind.
But my holy power was weak—I couldn’t heal deep wounds.
I parted the fur and inspected the injuries carefully.
They were only scratches from talons and beak marks; thankfully, nothing life-threatening.
This much I could handle.
“Meow…”
The cat weakly cried.
“Hang on. I’ll heal you.”
I focused.
A soft green light enveloped the cat, closing its wounds.
The drooping cat suddenly stretched out its front paws.
“You okay?”
The moment our eyes met, the cat’s pupils widened and its fur bristled.
“Kyaaa!”
The now-healed cat slashed me with all its strength.
“Ow!”
I dropped it from the sharp pain and clutched my arm.
“Grrrr!”
Landing lightly on the floor, the cat puffed its fur and glared at me.
The elegant white fur…
The yellow eyes with flecks of green—just like mine…
The pink nose and mouth…
It glared one last time before darting out the open door like an arrow.
Hey!
I helped it, and it scratched me before running off.
I wanted to pet its silky fur just once—but oh well.
…Whatever.
It scratched me, which meant it was lively again.
Since it didn’t die, things turned out well in the end.
Cassius, the Holy Sovereign, was focused on paperwork in his office.
“Meow.”
His cat, returning from its outing, raised its tail high and rubbed its forehead against his leg.
Cassius’s eyes remained fixed on the documents—there was too much to handle.
“Meeooow!”
The cat yelled irritably at its indifferent owner, bumping his leg insistently.
“Mikael.”
With a deep sigh, Cassius removed his glasses and placed them on the desk, then looked down at Mikael.
Its fur, unlike this morning, was dirty—and upon closer look, matted with dried blood.
“…Were you injured?”
He lifted Mikael gently and placed him on the desk.
“Meow.”
