“…Ordell said she’ll properly act as a saintess from now on.”
It was the Count’s first remark after hearing everything, and Gale hurriedly nodded.
“Y-yes! In fact, from what I saw, not just the High Priest but even the Holy Knight Captain has softened their attitude toward her compared to before.”
Though he had no choice but to accept her, Irik Dert, the High Priest, had shown clear discomfort toward Ordell's un-saintlike behavior.
And Seth, the Holy Knight Captain, despite treating her politely as the official Saintess, had shown no sign of personal closeness.
But now, their attitudes had changed entirely in just a few months.
As if Ordell had truly gained their trust.
That was precisely why Gale had started to believe Ordell when she said she wanted to become a spy.
“She went to such lengths before just to gain my attention, so I can’t completely trust her this time either.”
But unlike Gale, who had seen it in person, the Count didn’t believe a word.
It was disappointing, but Gale didn’t push harder.
After all, Ordell had even staged a fake suicide in the past—it was only natural the Count wouldn’t trust her easily.
“But that’s not the real problem now. Are you certain Duke Sheary actually visited the Grand Temple?”
At the Count’s next question, Gale’s expression stiffened.
That’s right—Ordell wasn’t the only issue anymore.
He too had been stunned to see Duke Sheary at the Grand Temple.
“Yes. He was with Yuri Poulton.”
“And you don’t know the purpose of his visit?”
“I only heard it was an urgent matter. I hid outside the Grand Temple and waited for the Duke to leave, but nothing stood out.”
From what he could see until the Duke boarded his carriage, he and Marquis Poulton hadn’t exchanged a single word—not even something to eavesdrop on.
“Should I ask Ordell what the Duke’s purpose was? If she really intends to become your spy like she said, she’ll send a reply.”
“…Fine. There’s no telling how much information the High Priest is letting a fake saintess have, but there’s nothing to lose. Send the letter.”
“Yes, I’ll send it right away.”
“Oh, and—what kind of expression did the Duke have when he left the Grand Temple?”
Gale tilted his head at the Count’s question.
He didn’t know why he was asking this, but he answered anyway.
“He was smiling. That same insufferable smile as always. Actually, maybe even a little brighter…?”
There was a slight difference in tone, but that consistently unsettling, detestable smile was still there.
At Gale’s answer, the Count waved his hand in acknowledgment.
Gale immediately bowed and left the office.
He was relieved the Count hadn’t blown up on him.
“So Ruthe Sheary visited the Sun God’s Grand Temple…”
Alone after Gale left, Count Kiris tapped his desk.
To think Ruthe Sheary—the biggest fish—had gotten caught in the net he cast by placing a fake saintess in the Grand Temple for the sake of the family’s gain.
Ideally, Ordell would gain that man’s trust and start bringing back information… but expecting that much would be too optimistic.
For now, it was enough that Ruthe Sheary had formed a connection with the Sun God’s Grand Temple.
Count Kiris put down his pen and stood up. There was still much to do, but for now, paperwork didn’t matter.
What mattered was reporting Ruthe Sheary’s movements—
To the one most obsessed with his every move.
* * *
When Irik finally learned that what Ruthe had received was not a relic, but a divine item, he fainted.
A startled Seth hurriedly carried him to his bedroom, and I trailed behind the two of them.
“I figured he’d be shocked, but I didn’t think he’d faint. How’s someone that delicate supposed to lead the Grand Temple?”
I placed a cold, wet cloth on Irik’s forehead.
Watching him moaning in bed looked quite pitiful.
“It was a divine item, after all. Of course the shock would be big,” Seth said, giving a sheepish smile in Irik’s defense.
“Still, he seems really frail. When the meat delivery comes in today, we’ll have to make sure the High Priest eats a lot.”
“Agreed.”
“It’s all because he’s lacking protein. People need to eat protein to survive.”
I glanced around Irik’s bedroom.
It was my first time seeing someone else’s private quarters in the Grand Temple. Honestly? It was quite a shock.
Despite holding the second-highest position after the Saintess, his bedroom was narrow and old.
The only furniture were a bed and a wardrobe—nothing more.
His office was presentable at least, but no amount of cleaning could hide the age of his quarters.
“Geez.”
Living in a place like this would make even a healthy person sick.
So today, we’re having a meat party. I’ll feed everyone until they say they physically can’t eat anymore.
“Mmm.”
Just then, Irik woke up. The moment our eyes met, he let out a deep sigh.
Sighing at someone’s face? That’s a curse waiting to happen.
“Saintess, why on earth, why would you give away the divine item…?”
“It seemed more necessary for the Duke than the so-called Sacred Relic of Light.”
“But Saintess, divine items are directly bestowed by the god. They’re extremely precious—especially in a time like this…”
I cut him off.
He only knew one part of the picture.
“High Priest. If the divine item just sits quietly in the underground sanctuary, is the Grand Temple’s name going to become famous on its own?”
“……”
“If we just preserve it carefully, will gold start falling from the sky?”
On the contrary—the Sun God has been draining all my earnings and converting them into power.
No one outside the Sun God will ever know that… but still.
Kind of depressing, honestly.
I once held two hundred million in my hands, but all that’s left now is divine power.
I’m a modern person—cash matters more to me.
“Rather than hoarding it, it’s much better to lend it out to someone who needs it and receive money, which is what we urgently need. Besides, didn’t our number of believers increase?”
We’re talking about an S-rank believer worth 300 million.
He already handed over 300 million in cash alone, so with the total value, it’s 600 million—a very precious client!
Absolutely can’t let him go.
“Once word spreads that Duke Sheary has become a believer of the Sun God’s Grand Temple, others will start coming too. He promised to visit once a month.”
“Once a month?”
Irik, who had been at a loss for words, widened his eyes in shock.
Seth, who hadn’t heard about this either, was also surprised.
“They say Duke Sheary’s time is as precious as gold. And he’s going to visit the temple every month?”
“Yes. He said he wanted to keep checking the condition of the divine item.”
I couldn’t exactly say it was for blessing recharge, so I made something up.
“By the way, the Duke doesn’t know it’s a divine item. Since he didn’t know what the Sacred Relic of Light looked like, I just told him the Aurora was that relic.”
“You did well. It’s better to keep the divine item’s identity hidden. The Duke might get ideas.”
Now somewhat calmer, Irik grabbed the cloth on his forehead and sat up.
“So the real Sacred Relic of Light is still in the sanctuary?”
“Oh, I meant to bring this up.”
I pulled a jeweled box from my sleeve that had held the Sacred Relic.
In novels or comics, people always pulled stuff out of their sleeves like this, and I’d always found it fascinating. Now that I’ve possessed someone, it’s actually very practical.
Feels like I’ve become a martial arts master from a wuxia novel.
“This thing looks totally fake.”
I set the box on the bed and opened the lid. The shattered necklace inside made Irik gasp.
“I just applied a little pressure, and it broke. No way a real relic should break this easily. Either it was swapped out, or it was never the real thing to begin with.”
I also added that this was why I had no choice but to give the divine item to the Duke.
“To be honest, I agree with the Saintess. Unlike divine items or other relics, this one gave off a weird vibe. It was… repulsive, somehow.”
Seth, who had been quietly listening until now, spoke up in agreement.
“…You two felt that way too?”
“Huh? Don’t tell me you did too, High Priest?”
Irik nodded with a strange expression.
“I first saw it right after I inherited the position of High Priest. But I felt so uneasy about it that I never went near it again. So, honestly, when the Duke asked for it, I thought, ‘thank goodness.’”
“So you were planning to hand over something this cursed to the Duke. Wow…”
“No, that’s not what I meant…!”
“If something went wrong after he took it, the Grand Temple, which barely manages to survive as is, would’ve been totally obliterated…”
Wait a second—was that the real reason the Duke hated the Grand Temple so much in the original novel?
Not because of some final villain exploiting him like a slave… but because we handed him a cursed relic without so much as a warning…?
That’s plausible, actually.
“Ahem! Then, what do we do with this now? It’s a bit… weird to just put it back in the sanctuary…”
“I’ve already thought of a solution. I’ll take care of it myself.”
Glancing sideways at Irik, I closed the lid of the jeweled box and held it tightly.
I had wanted to smash this annoying little plot device ever since I started reading the novel.
There was no way I’d let someone else take away my one perfect opportunity to destroy it.