‘Why is he doing this?’
Even in the brief moment it took her to wonder, he continued closing the distance between them.
The sharp tip of his nose was almost touching hers. As if he were about to kiss her.
‘…Is he actually going to kiss me?’
All of a sudden, without any context? Then again, when had common sense ever existed in this game?
She had run away to a convent. The fact that men like these had become a priest and a Holy Knight and chased her here was already absurd enough.
But right now, that absurdity was dangerous.
His affection could not go up. She needed to reject him immediately, but she could not do that either.
‘What about Madam Rosalie, who’s probably watching? I only just managed to appease her by saying I wanted to kiss someone before I died. If she gets angry again, how am I supposed to persuade her?’
Her thoughts tangled like a skein of thread, and her body stiffened until she could not even move.
As he came closer, Elysia instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
1 second.
2 seconds.
3 seconds.
They were close enough for their breaths to mingle, yet he still had not touched her. For some inexplicable reason, impatience made her fists clench tightly.
The longer the uncomfortable silence continued, the sharper her senses became. She could even clearly feel the air brushing across her skin.
Then, sensing that something was strange, she opened her eyes, only to see his smooth lips twist into a smirk. A ticklish breath scattered softly across her cheeks.
“Your hair was messy.”
Pink strands wound around the fingertips that brushed along the outline of her ear. She was still holding her breath when he tucked the stray hairs back beneath her veil and added,
“Why are you so startled? You look like someone who was expecting something else.”
Her heart lurched.
Unfairly enough, she could not immediately think of an excuse, and her face grew hot in an instant.
“I-If you suddenly do something like that without saying anything, anyone would be startled. Isn’t that obvious?”
“Is that so?”
Apparently amused by how belatedly she snapped at him, Valentin chuckled.
[System]
Strategy target ‘Valentin de Arcane’ is delighted to have discovered an opening in your defenses.
[Valentin de Arcane Affection: +3]
The reason his affection had increased was downright wicked.
[What a shame. I thought our Eli might finally get her wish before she died.]
So she really had been watching, just like with Tristan.
As though she had been waiting for the opportunity, Madam Rosalie joined in and cackled as she mocked Elysia.
It felt as though the two of them had teased her at the same time, which did not exactly put her in a good mood, but this was hardly a situation where she could show it.
“I understand your position, but Church business takes priority over convent work. If you’re that worried, I’ll tell Sister Veronica to make the necessary arrangements so your absence doesn’t cause any problems.”
“When you say Church business, what exactly do you mean?”
“I’d like you to join the sacred relic investigation team.”
The sacred relic investigation team?
Elysia’s eyes widened at the sudden recruitment offer.
“We’re a little short-handed with only the personnel who were dispatched here. And you seem like the most suitable person for the job, Eli.”
“Why me?”
“Because I’m comfortable with you.”
Was it really all right to assign someone to such important work for no other reason?
Elysia stared at him suspiciously, but Valentin did not look even remotely guilty.
“Of course, Sister Veronica recommended you too.”
“…….”
“So I was thinking you could start working with us today.”
[System]
Main Quest : The Corrupted Sanctuary
Join the sacred relic investigation team and investigate the cause of the abnormal phenomenon.
-Upon Failure : Suspected of Heresy
[Expected Ending Upon Refusal]
Other Ending 18 : A Guilty Conscience Needs No Accuser
An intimate time with the Inquisitor awaits you.
Why is everything so extreme?
On the surface, it was an offer, but in reality, this was a quest she could not refuse.
“…All right. If it’s such important work, I suppose there’s nothing I can do.”
Elysia reluctantly agreed.
She needed natural opportunities to interact with Valentin if she was going to攻略 him anyway. As long as she managed to hold out until she resolved the issue with Tristan, this might not be so bad.
“Then what should I do first?”
“First, there’s a procedure you need to undergo before you can join the team. Anyone assigned to work involving sacred relics has to undergo a kind of verification.”
“Verification?”
“Yeah. Only those who pass the ‘Rite of Truth Verification’ prepared by the Church can join.”
[System]
Sub Quest : The Weight of Truth
Pass the ‘Rite of Truth Verification’ in order to join the sacred relic investigation team.
-Upon Failure : Suspected of Heresy
She could not even just join normally?
The color drained from Elysia’s face.
***
The two of them left the office and walked down the corridor. They were on their way to undergo the ‘Rite of Truth Verification’ Valentin had mentioned.
She had followed him because she had no choice, but Elysia’s thoughts remained in turmoil the entire time she walked behind Valentin.
“You don’t need to be so nervous.”
“What?”
Her heart dropped.
Does that bastard have eyes in the back of his head too?
Startled by Valentin’s casual remark, Elysia flinched to a stop.
“If you don’t have anything in particular to feel guilty about, it’s nothing more than a formality.”
That was precisely the problem.
When it came to standing proudly before the truth… honestly, she had far too many things to feel guilty about.
She had no idea what questions they would ask.
But when she thought back on her recent actions, nothing but impure deeds came to mind.
-Not long ago, she secretly decided to two-time two men. Naturally, the man walking in front of her was one of them.
-In order to survive, she joined forces with Madam Rosalie, a woman called a witch, and declared that she absolutely wanted to kiss a man before she died.
-Because of a quest, she even barged into the men’s bathhouse and saw a naked man. She had even arranged to meet that same man again in the middle of the night.
…I’m screwed. They absolutely cannot find out.
As they turned down the corridor and headed toward a secluded area, Elysia’s footsteps grew heavier and heavier.
Valentin stopped at the end of the corridor. A plaque hung above an old wooden door.
[Room of Truth]
More than anything else, the name of the room itself was terrifying.
“…Aren’t we going in?”
When Elysia asked with wide eyes, Valentin lowered himself toward her.
Her back automatically stiffened again, but after the humiliating misunderstanding earlier, she had decided not to entertain any unnecessary thoughts, so she tried her best not to show it.
Valentin smiled softly, as though he knew exactly what was going through her mind. Then he tugged down her nun’s veil and straightened it for her.
“Be careful. There will be a lot of eyes watching you from now on.”
“…Okay.”
Wouldn’t doing something like this be even more dangerous, then?
Embarrassed, Elysia merely pulled her innocent veil farther down over her head.
Knock, knock.
When Valentin knocked, the door quietly opened.
“This way.”
Following the guidance of the priests who had been waiting for them, Elysia entered the room.
It was smaller than she had expected. There was not a single window, making it a completely enclosed space surrounded entirely by walls. Only the dim glow of candlelight flickered within.
A table stood in the center with chairs facing each other.
The bleak atmosphere filling the room made it feel more like an interrogation chamber than a place where a religious rite was performed.
Even the faces of the priests standing to one side to observe and record the proceedings were utterly impassive.
There was already one nun in the room. Her expression was stiff, apparently from nervousness.
“Please take a seat, Sister Elysia.”
At Valentin’s invitation, Elysia sat beside the nun who was already seated. Valentin took the seat across from them.
A large mirror rested on the table. Adorned with exquisitely crafted decorations, it was obvious at a glance that this was no ordinary object.
“Sir Berg. Explain the rite.”
“Yes, High Priest.”
Valentin’s aide, Simon Berg, gave a brief bow before speaking.
“This is the Mirror of Truth. It is a mirror imbued with sacred power. While you speak the truth, it will reflect your appearance no differently from an ordinary mirror. However, the moment you tell a lie, the Mirror of Truth will refuse to reflect the image of the liar. In other words, its surface will become clouded.”
So if she lied, they would know immediately.
Not only Valentin, but every priest here serving as an observer would have her true face completely exposed before them.
If that happened, it would be difficult to salvage the situation at all.
At that moment, the horrifying penalty came to mind.
[System]
-Upon Failure : Suspected of Heresy
She was completely screwed.
Her future looked bleak.
“I’ll demonstrate as an example. High Priest, please ask me a question.”
Simon Berg volunteered to demonstrate.
“Sir Berg. Is working with me difficult?”
At Valentin’s question, Sir Berg smiled and answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“No. It isn’t difficult at all.”
The mirror reflecting Sir Berg’s face instantly clouded over until only a dim silhouette remained.
[Lie]
It was fascinating.
“Then are you enjoying it?”
“Yes. I’m extremely happy.”
Even the faint silhouette remaining on the opaque glass disappeared.
[Lie]
A complete lie.
Even while telling such blatantly visible lies right in front of his superior, Sir Berg did not so much as blink.
Valentin was equally unperturbed upon discovering his subordinate’s true feelings.
“I see. Keep up that attitude and continue your good work.”
“Yes. I’ll work hard.”
When Sir Berg answered, the mirror cleared again and began reflecting his face.
[Truth]
Apparently, although he was not happy, he sincerely intended to keep working with him.
What strange people.
Do they not have even a shred of camaraderie?
Elysia was on good terms with her fellow nuns, so their thoroughly businesslike relationship sent a chill down her spine.
“Now that we’ve confirmed that it works, we’ll begin the actual verification rite.”
Nervous, Elysia gulped down her dry saliva.