CH 37

“By the way, why are you asking about Thiago’s carriage?”

Daisy suddenly lit up her curious eyes.

After thinking for a while, I opened my mouth.

“Daisy. When Thiago’s carriage returns, I may leave the temple.”

This child who came under me and trusted only me had a right to hear what was happening.

Daisy’s eyes fluttered violently.

“What do you mean, Saintess?”

“You’re smart and quick-witted, so even if a new superior comes along, you’ll be fine.”

“Saintess! No way! Are you going to leave?”

I shut my mouth and Daisy shook her head.

“…I was also noticing that the Saintess’ heart wasn’t in the temple. But you take me wherever you go. As the Saintess said, I’m smart and quick-witted.”

I hardened my eyebrows at Daisy’s words.

“Are you just trying to waste the time you’ve spent until you become Elium’s apprentice priestess?”

In modern terms, it’s like she has passed the civil service exam, but she’s following me. That’s absurd.

“I entered the temple, but I was struggling because it didn’t fit my aptitude. When I was wandering and suffering, the Saintess gave me your hand and pushed me. So I don’t care.”

Seeing Daisy’s bright eyes saying that she would follow me somehow, I felt a bit of regret, wondering if I had said it for nothing.

“…I never said I was going to leave 100% percent. I was just talking about the possibilities.”

Eventually I turned the end of my talk.

The idea of ​​running a business with Daisy as an employee came to mind, but I wasn’t convinced enough to change a person’s life.

“Anyway, if you leave, I’ll follow you wherever you go. Saintess.”

Daisy clenched her fists and shouted resolutely.

***

Taking a walk as an excuse, I stopped at the third pillar on the east side of the ceremonial hall attached to the main building. Because it was the day I decided to meet the child of the Burglar’s Guild that I saved.

The annex collapsed and security was further strengthened, it was doubtful whether the child could come.

However, before the doubts could subside, I heard the child’s voice behind my back.

“You were… the Saintess.”

When I turned around, I saw the child standing there, dressed in neater clothes than before. Perhaps he bought the clothes with the money I gave him.

I smiled softly and opened my mouth calmly.

“Turns out you’re pretty good.”

“The Burglar’s Guild’s information is the best in the Empire.”

There was pride in the child’s eyes.

“Did you search for what I said?”

The child nodded his head and he immediately opened his mouth.

“I know that the garnet necklace that Empress, the mother of Prince Kyle, received from the Empress Dowager was in the hands of Count Rosento.”

I asked back, pretending not to know.

“Count Rosento?”

“Yeah. The Count’s grandfather, Hegen Rosento, bought the necklace from stolen goods 30 years ago. But now it has been sold to a woman through an auction and isn’t in his possession. She looks like a noble girl, but she doesn’t show her face in social circles, so we don’t even have information about her in our guild.”

I hid my surprise inside and said to the child.

“Yes. That’s enough.”

The accuracy of the information exceeded expectations.

I took 50 franc out of my pocket and handed it to him.

[Your Money: 1,610 franc]

“This is the next information request.”

It’s a lot of money, so it’s a little heartbreaking, but there was nothing like money to build trust with each other.

“Because you, too, will need what it takes to dig up information from your superiors.”

The child with money in his inner pocket looked at me with clear eyes.

“This time, find out about a person from the Ares area.”

“I understand.”

Around evening, Reihausd came to see me. On the other side of the closing door, I saw Dwayne with a shaky expression on his face.

After the last outing, for some reason, he seemed reluctant to me, but I didn’t really care.

“The blessings of the Nine Gods…”

“Ariel.”

Before I could finish my words, he called my name. The golden eyes fluttered in the dark atmosphere. Somehow, his voice seemed wet.

“I’m here to ask your opinion.”

“…”

I looked at him with a calm expression and opened his mouth.

“Please say it.”

I hope this isn’t a question about the ruined temple annex.

“In about fifteen days or so, the carriage with the girl will arrive from Thiago.”

“I see.”

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, but the story on this side was equally tense.

“And the Imperial Palace requested that the Saintess be sent as soon as possible.”

When I heard the word ‘Imperial Palace’, Kyle’s face suddenly came to mind.

“The Imperial Palace? For what reason?”

I asked him calmly, suppressing some anxiety.

The words that came out of his mouth were unexpected.

“Do you know that the Empress was in the meeting?”

The face of the Empress, whom I had only seen once, passed by. Compared to the Emperor with a heavy impression, she was a young and beautiful woman. There was a bit of a venomous look on his face when he said.

‘If the Empress is pregnant… Won’t that make Kyle’s position even more precarious?’

“She said she wanted to receive the blessing of the Saintess.”

As he continued, I remembered a passage from one of the books I had read.

When the immediate Imperial descendant is appointed, they will be blessed by the Saintess.

This is because it is believed that most fetuses protected by divine blessing are led to unharmed births, and after the birth, they’re blessed one more time.

“So I have to decide whether I should send you or Thiago’s new saintess.”

“…”

“I don’t want to, but it’s my last mission as a fake saintess, so if you send me, I’ll go.”

At my words, Reyhaus looked at me silently with dark eyes and opened his mouth.

“Honestly, I don’t like you going to the Imperial Palace.”

“…”

“But if you don’t let me go, it’ll be strange.”

His eyes twinkled. As if reason and emotion were fighting fiercely. All in all, it was a really useless fight.

His troubled eyes shone even more darkly.

“I know how many times Prince Kyle has visited you.”

It was no surprise as his eyes and ears were everywhere.

“Do you still like Prince Kyle?”

No, why is the conversation suddenly flowing this way?

“Sir Reihausd.”

I looked at him and said with a firm expression.

“Perhaps… Have you been drinking?”

In this world, it wasn’t a problem for priests to enjoy alcohol in moderation. There was a slight scent of alcohol in the air, but he immediately opened his mouth.

“Yes.”

Then he took a step closer to me.

I flinched, still looking straight up at him without backing down.

A dangerous light flowed through the golden eyes.

“I was comforted by alcohol because things didn’t go as I expected.”

His face was particularly decadent with the dim light behind him rather than the bright incandescent light. Even I was dazzled by those red lips for a moment.

“I thought I had dedicated this body to the Gods.”

He lowered his head and placed his forehead on my shoulder. A low voice rang in my ears.

“I guess it wasn’t like that. When I see things like this in my head.”

And a chat window flashed in front of me.

[The God of Art, Mond, is delighted and surrenders Reihausd’s body to you.]

And I heard his voice again.

“At best, I made a comfortable place for you to live in the basement of the annex after your retirement, which was completely destroyed by the earthquake…”

At that moment, my spine cooled.

‘Hmm? Living in the basement of the annex?’

[The God of Destruction, Ciel, growls.]

[The God of Art, Mond, talks about the aesthetics of confinement.]

Ah, the fact that I shouted to the Gods when I saw the annex collapsed earlier is canceled. Well done, my Gods.

“I’m wondering what to do to protect you from the Insidious Prince.”

Excuse me, I think you’re the most insidious, though?

Before the atmosphere got weird again, I opened my mouth.

“Don’t worry. Sir Reihausd. I’ll take good care of my well-being. So, go ahead and rest today.”

Then he raised his head and looked at me, smiling softly.

He was a little crazy, but when he smiled, he looked like an angel that had descended.

He deserves to be praised aesthetically by the God of Art, Mond.

“Alright. Ariel.”

“…”

“I think I said too many useless things today. Forget it and go to sleep.”

After speaking in a soft voice, he returned to his usual footsteps.

After he left, I let out the breath I had been holding in.