Chapter 2
The monster lunged at the bald man closest to it without a moment’s hesitation.
Its hands, curved like an eagle’s talons and tipped with long claws, pinned the man’s shiny head and shoulders in place. It was like a beast determined not to lose its prey.
“Help me!”
‘That thing’ bared its black fangs.
The corners of its mouth were curled upward.
Even though it couldn’t speak, its eyes mocked them as if to say, “Go ahead and try to kill me.”
Suji instinctively raised the gun.
In this chaos, she was the only one armed.
She didn’t care about any lofty ideals like I must save everyone. But she couldn’t just leave these terrified people to die.
The gun in her hands was heavy, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.
She aimed at the creature’s forehead.
Without a second’s hesitation, she pulled the trigger, and a white light shot out from the muzzle like a bullet.
At that very moment, the monster’s fangs grazed the man’s neck.
The instant those fangs touched his skin, the light pierced clean through the monster’s forehead.
The creature collapsed to the floor with the same smile it had worn just before devouring its prey.
Instead of blood, ash spilled from the hole in its forehead. The ash spread to its hands and feet before the entire body dissolved into nothingness.
Only the foul-smelling, ragged rags it had been wearing remained behind like a trace.
“The Saint!”
“The Saint has returned!”
The people fell to their knees, screaming—not in horror, but in awe.
Suji sank weakly to the floor.
All she had done was pull the trigger, yet every ounce of strength drained from her body.
More than that, she still couldn’t fully grasp what she had just done.
But the people around her didn’t give her a moment to collect her thoughts.
As she lowered her head with a weary sigh, she saw her reflection in the marble floor.
The two moons cast such a bright glow that she didn’t even need a mirror.
Silver, curly hair… and blue eyes.
It wasn’t the face of Min Suji that she knew.
No burn scars. No brown eyes.
It felt like every drop of blood was draining from her body.
Am I really dead? Am I actually alive?
Her head spun. Her body trembled.
She pushed the gun aside and touched her face with trembling hands.
The gun that had glowed white in her grip became an ordinary firearm the moment it left her hands.
“It’s the Saint!”
“The Saint has appeared!”
“She’s finally come to save us!”
“We’ve been waiting for you, Saint!”
“Goddess Fiora, thank you!”
While Suji sat there, shaking and running frantic fingers through her silver hair like a madwoman, the people crawled toward her on their knees, as if they might kiss her feet.
And then it hit her.
Saint. Two moons. Silver hair. Blue eyes. Monsters. Goddess Fiora.
These were all descriptions straight out of the novel The Saint’s Dilemma, which she’d been reading before she died.
Especially silver hair and blue eyes…
In the story, those were traits only a Saint chosen by Goddess Fiora could possess.
Does that mean I’ve possessed the heroine?
That’s impossible.
But the heroine only had healing powers and the ability to sense monsters. There was never any mention of her destroying them directly.
Just what the hell is going on?
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
“Aaaargh!”
Suddenly, the man who had been attacked by the monster sprang to his feet.
The spot where the creature’s fangs had grazed his neck was turning black.
The people scattered in terror.
“No! No!”
The man clutched at his neck, as if he would rip off his own skin if he could.
Thrashing and stomping wildly, he stumbled out of the temple’s shadow into the moonlight. Blood trickled from his neck.
“It’s a curse!”
“He was bitten by the monster!”
The crowd panicked and fled behind Suji.
The man staggered toward her. The people parted to avoid him, leaving her completely exposed.
“Saint! Save me, Saint!”
The man tripped and fell as he rushed forward.
Suji instinctively backed away. As he crawled closer, his body began to change, as if it were burning and turning to ash.
Tears welled in his right eye before it turned black.
“Save… me…”
His mouth froze, unable to form more words. Blackened skin spread across him like mold consuming its host.
“Graaaagh!”
A hideous scream echoed through the temple. Tears streamed down his cheeks—so he was still conscious.
But no one dared approach. They all trembled and retreated even farther.
Suji groped blindly for the gun. Her fingers finally hooked around the trigger, and the muzzle glowed white again.
She had never killed something alive before.
Her earlier shot had been pure instinct—a judgment that she needed to kill a non-human threat to save a person.
But this man… Was he still human?
Is he… human?
She aimed. But the barrel trembled violently.
If she shot him, would it count as murder?
“Shrrrkkkhhh!”
He made more inhuman noises, but to her ears, they sounded like desperate, clear words: “Save me.”
What dragged me into this nightmare?
The gunshot rang out just as she squeezed her eyes shut.
The man’s screams stopped.
Suji felt like she couldn’t breathe.
When she cracked an eye open, the man was dead—half his body black like a monster, half still human.
He collapsed to his knees, then fell forward.
Blood pooled across the floor.
Unlike the monster, his body didn’t completely disintegrate.
Her finger hadn’t pulled the trigger.
Then whose shot was that?
“Looks like he was still human, after all.”
Footsteps echoed from nearby.
From the shadows strode a man, his presence like a blazing fire.
Fiery red hair. Eyes like molten gold.
A head taller than anyone else, clad in a black uniform that seemed immune to all colors, with broad shoulders adorned by epaulets shaped like eyes.
In his right hand was a revolver identical to Suji’s.
“Your Highness!”
An old woman hurried over, leaning heavily on her staff.
The man—called Rix—holstered his gun and spoke.
“Old woman, you said you found something good?”
His golden eyes gleamed as they locked onto Suji.
When their gazes met in midair, Suji felt as though she were back in the burning shooting range. Heat surged from her toes upward.
The gun slipped from her trembling hand, hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
The air was cold, yet her whole body burned.
Everywhere his eyes touched felt like it would blister.
His gaze climbed up to her face. Just as her breath caught in her throat, the old woman stepped between them.
Her view blocked, Suji could breathe again.
“Your Highness, why are you here?”
“I heard the Saint had been found.”
“The information wasn’t confirmed. Verification was necessary.”
“Doubt my informants again, and I’ll be hurt.”
Rix smiled faintly. The smooth curve of his lips and the shallow dimple lent his handsome face a mischievous charm that was impossible to hate.
But the old woman knew well enough—behind that foxlike grin lurked countless schemes.
And the way he casually stepped through a pool of blood proved it. The sight made everyone flinch, but not a soul uttered a sound.
The black shoes, as dark as his uniform, left sticky crimson footprints with every step.
Meanwhile, Suji racked her brain. Rix… That name doesn’t exist in the novel.
But one thing stood out—his fiery red hair and golden eyes.
The crown prince in the story had those exact features. And this old woman called him Your Highness. So he wasn’t the crown prince… Maybe another member of the imperial family? One of the crown prince’s rivals for the throne?
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out his identity.
He stopped right in front of her, the old woman too small to truly block him.
Rix tilted his head, curiosity coloring his voice.
“So, you’re the flashy Saint?”
Flashy?
Her brows furrowed.
Ignoring the old woman, he closed the distance and lowered himself onto one knee to meet her gaze.
“Where did you come from?”
What does he mean by that?
Suji kept her mouth shut. If she said the wrong thing, she might be branded a witch instead of a saint.
But damn, his arrogance… It was on par with the emperor’s attitude in The Saint’s Dilemma. Must’ve been an imperial family trait.
The old woman spoke in her stead.
“There is no doubt—she is Goddess Fiora’s Saint. She destroyed a monster.”
“Destroyed, not healed? That’s different. And using a tool, no less—that’s new.”
“The outcome is the same, is it not?”
Healing—that was the basic power of the Saint in the novel. Suji glanced at her hands.
But she hadn’t healed anyone. She’d obliterated a monster instead.
That meant one thing for sure: she hadn’t possessed the original heroine.
“Hmm.”
Even kneeling, his massive frame cast her in shadow.
Rix tilted his head, rubbing his chin. Then he stooped lower still.
Without hesitation, he picked up the gun from the floor and held it out to her.
“Take it.”
What a jerk.
He waved the gun in front of her like one might dangle a treat before a dog.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
Just as she was about to snap back, the old woman cleared her throat sharply. Suji looked up at her.
Her expression wasn’t pleased, but her slight nod said, Take it.
Suppressing her irritation, Suji accepted the gun cautiously.
But the gun didn’t react—it stayed ordinary, unlike before.
“What the hell?”
That was exactly what Suji wanted to say.
She glanced up at the twin moons where the light had poured down earlier, but they offered no answer.
Everyone—Suji, the old woman, and the others who had witnessed the monster’s destruction—was speechless.
Rix studied her intently before straightening. His shadow completely swallowed the moonlight around her.
“She’s not a fraud, is she?”
Suji bit back a sharp retort. The old woman shook her head firmly.
“We all saw her destroy the monster.”
“Hmm.”
A soft hum of thought slipped from his lips. His handsome face lit up with a sudden bright smile. For a moment, it felt like the light itself bent toward him.
“What’s your name?”
Min Suji.
She almost blurted out her real name—but the moment their eyes met, her throat closed, as if gripped by an invisible hand. It was like he’d cast a spell.
Thankfully, the old woman answered for her.
“She said her name is Ren.”
