Chapter 122
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I'll purchase divine power with money. Chapter 122 The knight guarding the office door looked flustered, his eyes darting between me and Lute Sheary.
"Ah, no—he isn't here."
"Is that so? When will he return?"
"I'm not entirely certain, but it shouldn't take too long."
"Then I'll wait inside. Open the door."
Yet the knight hesitated, making no immediate move. Lute Sheary's expression darkened.
"Why aren't you opening the door this instant?"
"I-I'm terribly sorry! But since the Count isn't present, I cannot simply open it for you...."
That much was true. The office was an extraordinarily important and confidential space, so it was only natural the knight would stake his life to guard it.... But such common sense would never apply to Lute Sheary. That's precisely why I brought him along.
"So you're telling me to wait here until the Count arrives?"
"Th-that is...!"
"A mere knight of the Count Kiris Mansion, daring to speak thus to me."
At the venom in his voice, the knight's face drained of all color. Watching the knight's distress, Lute Sheary broke into a radiant smile.
"I had no idea a knight of Count Kiris's household outranked a Duke. My apologies, good knight. Must I grovel further?" .... The aging knight was now on the verge of tears. But how could he alone withstand the terrifying gleam in Lute Sheary's eyes? In the end, tears brimming, the knight opened the office door for us. The moment the door closed, I turned to face Lute Sheary.
"Duke, that was truly frightening."
"So you're thanking me?"
What kind of response was that? I immediately frowned.
"Of course! I'm genuinely grateful."
My objective was to investigate the office while the Count was away. Without Jeremy here, if Lute Sheary hadn't come either, I'd never have attempted this. I truly don't know what I'd have done without Lute. That's why I treat him so well—he's worth a hundred men.
"I'd love to hear more praise, but unfortunately time is short. The knight has likely gone to report to the Count, so if you have something to do, do it quickly."
"Yes."
I couldn't waste the precious time Lute Sheary had secured for me. Nodding, I moved immediately into action. As I did, I glanced subtly into empty space. 'Sun God, there's no one watching here, right?' 【The 'Sun Crawling from Death' says you need not worry.】 Good. Reassured, I swiftly opened the liquor cabinet mounted on the wall near the Count's desk.
"Are you looking for a particular vintage?"
The Count's liquor—I wonder if I'll get indigestion from drinking it.
"The only liquor I desire is the Duke's."
"When we return to the Sun God's Temple, I'll give you as much as the High Priestess wants."
"That's a promise."
My enthusiasm burned even brighter. The liquor I sought was hidden in the most remote corner. The stopper of a bottle carved in the shape of a dahlia. When I twisted it counterclockwise three times, the display case slid smoothly to the side. At the empty space revealed behind it, I let out a hollow laugh. It's true. Exactly as it was written 'there'. I bit my lip slightly and stepped inside at once. The interior space was smaller than I'd expected—barely enough for a small single desk, a chair, and one drawer unit. Yet the space held far more than just those furnishings.
"Ha."
The wall. All manner of papers and writing densely covered the blackened wall. It was madness—there was no other word for it. 【Ordel – Infiltration of Sun God's Temple complete. Countdown to Sun God's Temple destruction initiated.】 There was even content that confirmed my suspicions. So this place is indeed connected to Evil. I needed to memorize everything here somehow, but my mind wasn't sharp enough for that. I couldn't copy it all—there wasn't time, and unlike my past life, I had no camera. That left only one option. 'Sun God. Memorize all of this.' I pointed at the wall and made my demand boldly. 【'Sun Crawling from Death' questions whether this is truly what you're asking of him now.】 'Then who else is here besides you, God? Memorize it quickly.' Surely a god wouldn't be incapable of something like this? 【'Sun Crawling from Death' declares confidently that he can do it.】 【'Sun Crawling from Death' carefully scans the wall.】 Why would I need a camera? It's so much easier to just order the god! I could have called Lute Sheary and asked him instead, but I deliberately didn't. There was information about him here too.
"High Priestess. I think it's time we tidied up and left."
I'd been staring intently at the wall bearing Lute Sheary's name when I heard the voice from outside, and I sighed. Pushing my thoughts aside for later, I quickly exited the hidden room. When I twisted the dahlia stopper in reverse three times, the display case returned to its original position. The moment I finished everything and sat beside Lute Sheary. Creak! The office door swung open, and Count Kiris appeared, his face drained of all color.
"You've arrived, Count Kiris?"
I flashed him a smile as though nothing had happened. * * * "Phew!"
Back in my bedroom, I collapsed onto the sofa. Strangely, the sofa was more comfortable than the bed. Even now, the sofa's exceptional plushness slowly melted away the fatigue that had been weighing on my shoulders. Of everything in Yoanna's room, this sofa alone had truly captured my heart.
"At least it seems I wasn't discovered."
After ransacking the hidden room, it was Lute Sheary who'd handled the Count's sudden arrival with such casual dexterity. 'I had something important to tell you, but I couldn't find where you were. So I was waiting here.' 'You could have simply asked where I was.' 'Hm? Surely you're not expecting me to personally search for you?' The way Lute Sheary's face twisted with that scornful laugh was so infuriating that even I wanted to strike him. Though the real blow came after. 'So, what was this important matter?' 'Hm? Ah, I forgot while waiting. Why didn't you come sooner?' The way he so naturally shifted blame onto the Count was truly the perfect finishing touch. Even I, who got along well with him, felt my temper flare—I couldn't imagine how the Count, who disliked him, must have felt. I'd never seen the Count's face tremble so violently.
"Sigh... This isn't the time for such things."
Of everything I'd seen in the Count's secret space, one detail had burned itself into my mind. 【Lute Sheary – Observe whether he shows signs of trembling hands or pain.】 Only three people knew the exact nature of Lute Sheary's condition: Yuri Polton and Jun, his closest confidants, and myself. But seeing that the Count knew something, the black stain was undoubtedly planted by Evil. Then when? 【Lute Sheary Observation Start – Age 7】 Probably around age seven. I needed to ask Lute Sheary about what happened then in detail. Perhaps I could discover another unknown servant of Evil, just as with Count Kiris. This was truly an enormous discovery. 'All of this is thanks to that.' I pulled the diary from my inventory. Ordel's diary that I'd found beneath her bed in Ordel's Room. Remarkably, it contained information about Count Kiris's secret space that had never even appeared in the original work. Even the method to enter it.
"How did she know about this?"
I couldn't forget how shocked I'd been when I first saw it. The earlier entries were simple diary entries. Beginning from the moment she became the Count's adopted daughter, the diary was filled with such a bittersweet mixture of excitement and joy. Yet at some point, the pages became stained with tears, anguish, and despair—a chronicle of the abuse I suffered at the hands of the Count Kiris family. Then suddenly, evidence appeared of several pages torn away, and after that point, the content transformed entirely. What filled the diary instead was not emotion, but information—vast quantities of it. Among those secrets was documentation of the Count's hidden chambers. This made no sense whatsoever. How could Ordel possibly have access to such privileged intelligence? I opened to the final page of the diary. There, inscribed with a fury that surpassed even the torment of the Count Kiris family's abuse, lay a single sentence. 【I curse Joseph Kiris for using me as a tool to satisfy his desires.】 And alongside it, another line tinged with remorse and regret. 【I apologize to all those harmed by my foolish complicity in being used. Yet in truth, I never wished to live this way.】 This passage—it was profoundly unsettling.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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