"Frankly, I thought you weren’t coming back. I’d have missed my perfect body pillow," Lanche murmured, nuzzling Enami while she sat on his lap.

"I’m not your pillow," Enami retorted, her face icy.

Truthfully, her petite frame fit perfectly in his arms. Only one flaw: her chest wasn’t soft enough. *She really ought to drink more milk and eat papaya*, he mused.

"Tell me—why’d you return?" Lanche asked.

"Let go of me first!" Enami gritted her sharp little teeth.

"Nope. What if you run? I’m already considering locking you up," Lanche said dead seriously.

*This wild beauty I caught with my own hands—free, conscious, and all mine. How could I let her go?*

*Just gotta keep it from my wife.*

Enami sighed inwardly. *Why did I crawl back after escaping?* She almost believed she’d been mentally dominated.

With a resigned sigh, she admitted, "I didn’t want to return either. But I was hunted. Nowhere else to run... except here."

"Release me. I won’t leave. I’ve nowhere to go anyway."

"After I’ve had my fill," Lanche murmured, rubbing his cheek against her.

Enami’s face flushed crimson. No one had ever been this intimate with her. She ground her teeth, itching to bite him.

*So I’m just his stress ball now?*

What choice did she have?

She slumped in defeat. "They might track me here. Help me. If I die... you can’t molest me anymore."

"Oh? Who are they?"

"An organization called the ‘Penitence Chamber.’ They ‘guide the lost’... but I broke their rules. Now they want me silenced."

"Penitence Chamber? Sounds churchy," Lanche frowned.

"Close enough. They see themselves as oathbreakers who betrayed divine vows. They repent to the gods—and ‘help’ others repent. Quite infamous in the underworld."

"Huh. So they revere the gods... or not? Weren’t they punished for breaking vows?"

"Of course they revere them! Who’d dare not?" Enami shot him a puzzled look, as if he’d asked something obvious. "The gods showed them mercy. That’s why they’re grateful. That’s why they repent."

Lanche found it odd but intriguing. Anything tied to gods piqued his curiosity—he craved glimpses of the divine.

"What rule did you break? Why hunt you?"

"*You* caused this!" Enami’s voice turned plaintive. "You captured me. Killed the others. But one escaped—and pinned everything on me."

*(She misunderstood. Lanche hadn’t killed the robbers—but the outcome was the same.)*

Klaun survived, never saw Enami again, and assumed she’d betrayed them. Back in Fokxas, he dumped all blame on her. After all, if casino boss Baldy Bruto and the Roach Brothers died like that, someone had to pay.

Enami’s protests fell on deaf ears. The underworld branded her a traitor. Now hunters chased her.

"Technically," she corrected with a sigh, "it’s a follower of the Penitence Chamber’s creed. They want me ‘sanctioned.’"

Lanche raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t they all criminals? Why the fancy titles?"

"*You’re* the criminal!" Enami glared.

Lanche couldn’t argue. He wasn’t exactly a saint.

*So this ‘Penitence Chamber’ actually has principles?*

"How many followers do they have?"

"Enough. The lost crave forgiveness." Enami nodded solemnly. Even as Demon Kin, she revered the divine.

"I don’t know who’s after me—just that ‘sanctioners’ keep appearing. Too many of them." Her shoulders slumped. "They’ve got people in the Royal Capital too. Nowhere feels safe."

Lanche scanned his mansion. "You can’t stay here. If my wife finds you... I couldn’t protect you."

Enami stared blankly. *Since when did I become the mistress? I’m the one being molested!*

"Stay in the village. Run here if danger comes," Lanche said, finally releasing her.

Freedom. Enami scrambled off his lap.

"I’m leaving."

She vanished before he could react.

Lanche didn’t mind. He’d gotten his fill today. Next time, he’d wait.

---

Meanwhile, Kestia and Liya met Yufi. Together, they headed for the Knighthood.

Their base—the Knight’s Hall—was the small plaza Lanche had seen earlier. Kestia spotted bulletin boards plastered with wanted posters.

Yufi led them past the public-facing spire building into the restricted interior. The Knight’s Hall sprawled across multiple structures: barracks, training grounds, administrative offices, and a garden the size of a parade ground—lush with shrubs and blossoms. Second only to the royal palace in scale, it stood as the king’s right arm.

"Yufi, what’s the Knighthood’s standing? Their duties?" Kestia asked.

"Primarily maintaining order in the Royal Capital. As for status..." Yufi paused, sensing her real question. "The Knighthood has a Grandmaster, a Deputy, and twelve Captains—all Tier 3 talents or higher, hardened veterans. The Grandmaster answers only to His Majesty."

Kestia nodded, mentally comparing human ranks. A Tier 3 human could rise to garrison general—or a minor commander against the Demon Kin armies. Twelve such experts, loyal solely to the king? This was clearly the royal guard’s core.

"I’ll introduce you to a Captain—from House Asclis," Yufi added.

"Is she handling these cases?" Kestia pressed.

"Not exactly," Yufi smiled faintly. "When chaos like this erupts... solving it matters more than who’s responsible."