* * *
After finishing my “negotiation” with Gale, I came out to find Irik standing with an unfamiliar man.
One glance at the finely tailored suit wrapped around his body was enough to tell me he definitely wasn’t one of the Kiris lackeys Gale had brought along like a stone wall.
Broad shoulders, a wide back, and a sharply tapered waist—his suit was as immaculate as Seth’s.
But the aura he gave off was anything but neat.
Disheveled black hair tied sloppily, half falling out of the knot. Glasses perched lazily on the bridge of his nose like they were just tossed there for decoration.
And yet, behind those lenses, sharp silver-gray eyes shone with dangerous precision. He didn’t look like someone you could mess with.
Presence that could rival Irik or even Seth, radiating beauty that bordered on dazzling—he was definitely no mere extra.
Was there a decadent black-haired, silver-eyed male character in the original novel?
No matter how hard I searched my memory, nothing came to mind.
And one more thing.
The man was surrounded by strange golden and black blotches—unnatural, almost mold-like.
Who was this guy, walking around with ominous stains clinging to him?
“This is Duke Ruthe Sheary. He’s visiting the Grand Temple on urgent business.”
Wait… what?
That man is here?
Ruthe Sheary.
Not even a male lead, yet he’d made appearances as striking—no, more striking—than all of them.
An unrelenting villain who blocked the heroine and male leads at every turn, more infuriating than any enemy.
And yet, thanks to that overwhelming charisma, he became massively popular even in his downfall.
So why—why the hell is Ruthe Sheary here?!
And more importantly, in the original novel, he didn’t wear glasses, had short hair, and his eyes were black—not silver!
Am I… misremembering?
【AI System is scanning the novel <Holy Idella>. Retrieving user-requested passage.】
【His eyes, black as pitch, held not a flicker of light. As if they were the embodiment of darkness and chaos.
Just looking into them could drive a person to despair. Those cursed eyes suited a man who had sold his soul to pure evil.】
Nope! I remember it perfectly!
And the AI’s even pulling up original novel passages? This is a proper artificial intelligence after all.
“May I ask who you are?”
Ugh, of course I run into a villain out of nowhere.
Revealing my name to a future villain? That’s practically a death flag. But what can I do? A powerless saintess can’t refuse a duke.
“...It’s an honor to meet you. I am Ordell, Saintess of the Grand Temple of the Sun God.”
“Ah, the Saintess. I see. The Saintess of the Grand Temple of the Sun God. Pleased to meet you.”
He said Saintess twice just now.
A chill ran down my spine.
“And this one beside you… was it Baron Grill?”
Ruthe turned his gaze to Gale.
Still visibly shaken from realizing who the duke was, Gale flushed bright red at Ruthe’s misnaming.
“I’m Baron Gale, milord. Retainer of the Kiris family.”
The blue-haired man standing behind Ruthe corrected him.
That must be Yuri Poulton, Ruthe Sheary’s aide.
“I’d heard the Kiris Count’s adopted daughter was the Saintess. I imagine this Saintess must be the young lady in question.”
“Aha.”
Wow. No need to go that far in your explanation, you know…
Thankfully, Ruthe didn’t seem particularly interested in his aide’s words.
“The Duke mentioned he had urgent business. We were just about to hear him out when you arrived, Saintess,” Irik explained.
I was confused.
Ruthe Sheary, who played the enemy of the Grand Temple in the original novel, had come here on “business”?
…He’s not here to just burn the place down a year early, is he?
The Ruthe in the novel would absolutely do something like that!
“Please, come inside. High Priest, Captain, if you’ll join us as well.”
I absolutely did not want to be alone with this man, so I made that clear, and thankfully Irik and Seth nodded.
I turned away from Gale, who was still staring at me, and returned to the drawing room.
It must’ve really been urgent, because Ruthe sat down and got straight to the point without a moment’s hesitation.
“I heard the Relic of Light is kept here. Is that true?”
…Wait, what? Why is that being brought up here?
Wasn’t that something Ruthe already possessed in the original story?
Why’s he looking for it?
“We do indeed possess the relic here at the temple…”
And Irik confirmed it was real.
What the hell?
The Relic of Light.
One of the core divine artifacts in <Holy Idella>, and perhaps the most closely associated with Ruthe Sheary.
It was practically the reason he became the temple’s enemy in the first place.
And it was here—in the Grand Temple—before the story even began?
Talk about a plot twist. Everything was entangled from the start, and I had no idea.
“……”
Wait… Isn’t this actually an opportunity?
If I can stop Ruthe from getting that relic, wouldn’t that erase the possibility of him becoming our enemy?
“That’s a relief. I was worried I’d leave empty-handed again,” Ruthe said with a smile that made me flinch.
He always had this irritable, violent, rough energy in the novel… but now? Not a hint of that.
So this is what he’s like before getting his hands on the relic.
“Would you be willing to transfer ownership of the relic to me? I know it’s a difficult request, but if you grant permission, I’ll offer anything in return—on my name as Master of the West.”
“Transfer it? A relic? That’s… quite difficult…”
Irik looked visibly troubled.
Understandably so—relics are tied directly to the temple’s authority.
But Ruthe, clearly desperate, turned to me with urgency in his voice.
“I swear, I have no intention of using it for evil. The Grand Temple’s reputation will not be harmed.”
I knew.
He wouldn’t be able to keep that promise.
Once he possessed the relic, Ruthe—regardless of his own will—would become the temple’s most ruthless enemy.
Which means the only way for both Ruthe and me to be happy… is to not give it to him.
A little lie was necessary.
“Since Your Grace speaks so earnestly, it would be difficult for us to refuse outright.”
“Wait, Saintess…”
Don’t stop me now, Irik. This is for all of us.
“However, even a duke cannot be granted a relic so lightly if he’s not a registered believer. So first…”
“...First?”
“We must ask you to register as a follower of the Sun God.”
No way I’m letting this evangelism opportunity slip away.
Come now, little lamb. Today only—sign up for a divine relic and get free believer registration!
“Registering won’t place any burden on Your Grace. The Grand Temple won’t trouble you. Just the occasional, modest donation is more than enough.”
This is not extortion. Really. Not at all.
Ruthe seemed taken aback and didn’t answer right away.
But he wouldn’t reject this.
He needed the relic to treat the mysterious illness that plagued him.
That terrible disease was the biggest reason he became a villain in the original story.
He believed the Relic of Light was the only cure—and he would never give up on it.
“…Very well. I’ll do it.”
Knew it! I knew he’d say yes!
I immediately ordered Irik to bring the sacred registry.
Irik seemed briefly stunned by how fast everything was moving, but he didn’t object and quickly obeyed.
Even if a relic symbolizes the temple’s authority, leaving it to gather dust is just wasteful.
Better to hand it off and secure generous donations.
Soon, Irik returned with the thick, heavily secured registry.
Its white cover gleamed with golden and black script.
Divine script.
No human could read it—only gods could. But anyone who signed their name in this registry would be recognized as an official believer of the Sun God.
As Ruthe wrote his name, Irik, Seth, and I each poured divine power into it.
With recognition from the three highest figures of the temple, his name glowed in golden light—accompanied by a message window.
【A new believer has been registered under the Sun God.
Name: Ruthe Sheary
Fame: S-Class
Wealth: SSS+ Class
Ability: SS-Class
Special Note: Future Villain
Overall Rating: SS-Class】
【You have successfully converted a future villain into a believer. Additional merit granted.
Due to the SS-Class registration, the Sun God’s power grows stronger.
User’s divine power has increased.】
【Current Divine Power: 8%】
“……”
Holy crap. Holy crap! This is insane!
I gained 3% divine power from registering just one believer?!
I clamped both hands over my mouth.
“Welcome, dear believer. We love you, dear believer.”
A divine-grade, 300-million-coin-class believer—welcome aboard!