"A soul-level... operation?"
Emlyn, who had been listening curiously, suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Father Utravsky like he was some kind of monster.
Even in the mystical world, the soul was the most mysterious domain. No one dared to experiment on their own soul lightly, let alone perform surgery on it.
Compared with the body, which could be treated with potions and repair itself, the soul was especially fragile. The slightest damage could make someone foolish or drive them mad.
Father Utravsky glanced at Cyril with a strange expression. After a moment's silence, he nodded slightly.
"Yes. After witnessing the glory of the Mother Goddess and swearing to follow Her, I spent a long time unable to escape the effects and habits I'd developed from a lifetime of cold-blooded killing."
"To keep my bodily instincts from influencing me, and to focus more fully on spreading the glory of the Mother Goddess, I asked an Archbishop of the church to perform an operation that would help me leave my past behind."
"But to preserve the integrity of my soul, the Archbishop didn't truly separate the part of my soul filled with evil and bloodlust. Instead, he put it to sleep, leaving me to accept and purify it little by little in the days that followed."
"The Candle of Inner Demons was a safeguard to prevent that part of my soul from waking and losing control."
As he spoke, Father Utravsky's eyes dimmed noticeably.
"Unfortunately, I failed. In the end, I had no choice but to kill him instead of accepting and purifying him."
"I wouldn't call that a failure." Cyril rested his chin on his right hand and spoke softly.
After a pause, he saw Emlyn and Father Utravsky looking at him, so he continued.
"From what I saw