After a bite, the two elves almost cried. Rye quickly reminded them to chew properly when one of them choked from eating too fast.

But then, something happened beyond everyone's expectations.

Once the two elves finished the bread, their body glowed with a golden light. This time, the two of them truly burst into tears when they could create a ball of light on their palms.

"My light! My light has returned!"

"The saint has brought us our light back!"

The bishop was shocked. He quickly ordered the servants carrying the trays to distribute the bread to the other priests.

"Your Holiness, the Saint, thank you very much for your grace!" The two elves gratefully prostrated towards Rye.

"No, please raise your heads," Rye hurriedly asked Aerindel's help to straighten back the two elves, "it has nothing to do with me. Your prayers have been answered."

"Please don't humble yourself, Your Holiness. We will remember this debt for the rest of our lives. Our Lord Muriel must have sent you to salvage us."

Rye, "…"

How he wanted to say it was the blessing of Solistus, Octavian, not Muriel. But he knew he couldn't do so or else there would be problems later.

He inwardly sighed in regret. He'd make sure to apologize to Octavian later.

Just as everyone was eating the bread made by Rye and rejoiced for the return of their light, a foul smell wafted into the hallway.

"Unforgivable!!!"

Rye covered his mouth and nose. He turned to see Archbishop Barion pointing at them with rage. His respectable demeanor was nowhere to be seen. His rugged hair and messy clothes only made him look like a crazy person.

"You have all betrayed your god! Stooping so low as to accept the help of a dirty human and their fake god! Their light is fake! Their holiness is fake! He is no saint! He is the devil, subject of an evil bastard god, sent to stray us from the righteous path! This accursed light he gave you will condemn you and your descendants to hell!!"

"You–!!" Aerindel was about to confront Barion when Rye next to him suddenly disappeared.

In half a breath, Rye delivered a vicious blow right to Barion's face. Barion was blasted away from the impact, crashing into layers of walls until he landed in the backyard of the temple like a ragdoll.

Rye slowly flew along the line of holes, fixing each wall he went through. While nobody had recovered from Rye's sudden outburst, Aerindel quickly chased after him.

Rye's expression…He never could've imagined that Rye could make such a bone-chilling expression.

Arriving at the backyard, Rye descended down not far from where Barion was trying to get up. Barion's nose was crooked. It was bleeding along with his mouth and eyes. 2 of his front teeth were broken, lost to who-knows-where. The area where Rye landed his fist was bright red from the contact.

"How dare you lowly human to raise your hand against me!! Where do you think you are currently standing!!?"

"I am standing in the land bestowed to every creation by Lord Solistus. As well as the sky protecting us from the void beyond, the sea encasing us with its unexplored treasures, and the air graced to us to breathe," Rye walked step by step with dark, cold eyes. The mark of the sun glowed brightly on his forehead.

"Claiming the creation of Lord Muriel to your fake god. What a blasphemy! Grovel and beg for forgiveness with your blood you dirty savage!"

Barion cast a spell. But when the magic circle appeared, it shattered and couldn't be called forth again. Whatever spells Barion tried to cast, no magic would activate.

"My light…My light!! What did you do to my light you devil's spawn!?" Barion became even more frantic, "you and your damnable god will receive divine punishment!!"

"Who do you think granted the moon with its light?" Rye gripped Barion's neck and raised him up. His eyes, staring right into Barion's shaking pupils, were glinting with gold, "it is the sun, you ignorant fool."

Rye flew up, bringing Barion along with him. He took no notice of Barion's screams and cries. Once he almost reached the top of the elven kingdom's barrier, he let Barion go.

Barion desperately tried to cast any magic but it was useless. When he was nearing the ground, he saw that Rye was already there looking at him as if he was already dead.

"You won't dare to kill me!! I'm the archbishop of the elven kingdom! My position is higher than the king! Nobler than any elves!! Holier than any creature!!"

Just as he was about to hit the ground, his body halted mid-air. Barion peeked from his tightly closed eyes and laughed triumphantly.

Before he could say anything, he was pierced to the ground by 4 light stakes, one nailing each limb.

"Aaahhhhh!!!" Barion's cry was heard by everyone in and around the temple.

Aerindel arrived to see Rye kneeling down in front of Barion's face. The sky outside has darkened with thick black clouds. Bolts of lightning flashed and crackled amidst the ominous clouds as if they were enraged alongside Rye.

"You may insult me. You may insult humankind. You may insult anything and anyone in this world," Rye narrowed his eyes, "but you are never. Never. Allowed to speak ill of Lord Solistus with that foul mouth of yours. Never you are allowed to call him names aside from the calls of praise. And don't you ever even breathe out his name starting from this moment until the end of your life."

"Hah! Why should I listen to the words coming out of a devil's mouth!? Heaven's retribution will come upon you from what you did to me!"

"Then so be it. I shall gladly carry any form of pain and punishment to defend my Lord God," Rye summoned out an ice blade, "even the sin of killing you."

He swiftly slashed it down.

"Aaahhh!!"

"Rye!!" Aerindel rushed to stop Rye.

But to everyone's surprise, the blade only grazed a side of Barion's cheek.

"There is no second time. I understand that you will not take your words back even if I torture you, so I will not waste my time. But remember this well, Archbishop Barion. The only thing stopping me from killing you is the fact you are deemed unnecessary to be killed right now. I shall not stain myself with innocent blood under Lord Solistus's eyes. I do not wish to lose his love," Rye stood up, "if you ever make yourself necessary to be wiped off from this world, rest assured, I will claim your life by my own hands."

Rye decisively left the temple ground with a frighteningly blackened face. He wasn't satisfied letting that unruly archbishop live, but he indeed didn't want to make Octavian hate him.

He understood that Octavian loved his purity and his inability to have foul emotions towards anything or anyone. His heart has already been tainted by rage, bloodthirst, and resentment. If he crossed any line he shouldn't, he would lose all the factors which made Octavian love him.

Just thinking about it brought fear to his heart.

This frustration…this suffocating fire raging in him…

Is this what people called as anger?

Rye shut his eyes in despair.

Forgive me for disappointing you, Octavian. In the end, I am just like any other man…

"There is no such thing."

Crash!! Boom!!

Lightning split up the sky as they struck Barion down ruthlessly. Rye couldn't even be startled by the deafening sounds as his body was embraced by the light of his life.

"My dearest sun, you have not disappointed me in the slightest," Octavian soothingly whispered as he stroked the back of Rye's head.

"Octavian…" Rye closed his eyes and rested his head on Octavian's shoulder, "is my heart unsightly now? Should I not be cleansed?"

"You are as clean and beautiful as every other second. Both your body and your heart. This anger on behalf of me blooms magnificently in your soul," Octavian kissed Rye's forehead with an endearing smile.

How could he not love someone who experienced their first anger for him? Moreover, although distressing, his lover was very cute when he got mad.

"However, no need to keep this matter in heart nor keep him in mind. He shall never appear in your sight ever again."

"I understand…" Rye returned Octavian's embrace, "forgive me for letting such insults towards you leave his mouth."

"You are forgiven," Octavian inched closer until the tip of their nose touched.

Rye blushed from Octavian's stare and connected their lips. Octavian's lips were as warm and soft as always. The way Octavian lovingly kissed him was as if he was gently caressing him. When they kissed, the feeling of being loved by Octavian increased ten folds.

It was then, he felt Octavian's tongue slipping into his mouth.