Chapter 16
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 16
"...."
William Gale could only tremble, unable to utter a single word.
I'd struck a nerve, after all.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten Count Kiris's kindness. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be enjoying this luxurious saintly life, so how could I forget his grace?"
Having deliberately given him time to think, I whispered in a subtle voice as if I'd never threatened him at all.
I'd wielded the whip; now it was time to offer the carrot.
To continue extracting, ahem, donations from the House of Kiris.
"It's just that both you and Count Kiris keep disrespecting me, so I got a bit angry. If it becomes known that I'm a fake saint, the Kiris family would be troubled, but I wouldn't escape unscathed either, would I? I'd be completely buried in society."
"...."
"So here's the thing. I'm going to try playing the saint properly now, the way Count Kiris wants."
"...What did you say?"
William Gale's eyes widened at my sudden change in demeanor, suspicion flickering across his face.
The momentum had completely shifted to my side.
"You saw how the High Priest and the Holy Knight Commander were worried about me, didn't you? If I set my mind to it, earning their trust would be child's play."
The reason I'd deliberately asked those two men to show such intense reactions.
It was for this very moment.
William Gale would trust Airic Dert and Seth Noel's reactions far more than mine.
"...."
As expected, William Gale's eyes began to waver, never suspecting that I was deceiving him.
"You came here because of the spies, didn't you?"
"...."
"I exposed Chef Kento's embezzlement. And the High Priest and Holy Knight Commander investigated and caught all the spies."
"Why would you do such a thing! Now that the High Priest and Holy Knight Commander know, it'll be difficult to plant new spies!"
"In exchange, I've earned their trust."
I poured sweet lies into his ear—lies he couldn't help but believe.
"Despite having barely any divine power, I earned their trust because of that. They never discovered that the spies were planted by the House of Kiris. If they had, they wouldn't have let you in here today."
"...Ah."
"If I, who has earned their trust, play the role of saint perfectly, there's no need to plant more spies here. I'll become the spy myself."
"...."
"So, William Gale, do I still look like an incompetent 'Miss Kiris' to you?"
It was a jab at how he'd called me 'Miss Kiris' instead of 'saint' in front of the Temple of the Sun God's people, who didn't know I was a fake.
William Gale's eyes wavered as he finally realized how dangerous that was.
"So go back and tell the Count to stop planting spies just to skim off petty cash. I'll become the true saint of the Temple of the Sun God and earn him back several times that amount."
Of course, it was a lie. Only a fool would believe it.
Who told him to do something wrong first? This is what he deserves.
"...I'm not certain whether Count Kiris will accept the saint's proposal, but I will relay it to him."
Completely overwhelmed by my momentum, William Gale stammered his response. I smiled with satisfaction and reclined leisurely on the sofa.
If Count Kiris was a smart man, he'd accept my proposal. If not, he'd come rushing to grab me by the hair.
I can only hope he doesn't make a foolish decision.
* * *
"Do you think she'll be alright...?"
Seth asked with a sigh.
Airic Dert and Seth now stood at the entrance of the Temple of the Sun God, having just left the Reception Room.
They were blocking the knights that Baron William Gale had brought from the Count's household from entering.
To think he'd brought nearly ten knights with him to the Temple of the Sun God.
"No matter that they serve under the Holy Maiden's father, such rudeness is unacceptable...."
Seth, who had been watching the knights, exhaled a worried sigh.
Airic Dert's face, who knew more of the situation than Seth, was equally rigid and tense.
Ordel Kiris already struggled without receiving the Count's affection—what greater discourtesy might he commit when they were alone together?
My refusal to leave when she ordered me to go moments ago was partly at her behest, but it was also half genuine concern.
"...Victoria will be guarding the front of the Reception Room, won't she?"
"Of course. Though she hasn't reached Master rank yet, so she won't hear the conversations inside. The Reception Room's soundproofing is quite excellent."
"But she could hear loud noises, couldn't she?"
"If the noise were loud enough to require a knight's intervention, she would hear it."
At Seth's affirmation, Airic Dert nodded.
Ordel Kiris was the type to scream without restraint when angry, so that should be fine.
...But when was the last time she had screamed like that?
She used to shriek almost daily before.
It had been quite some time since I'd heard that high-pitched voice crying out in anger.
Instead, what filled my recent memories was only that leisurely, gentle tone I'd scarcely heard before.
"Your Eminence. Someone is approaching from that direction."
Just as I was struck by an odd feeling from this new realization, Seth's voice reached me.
Two unfamiliar men were approaching from the end of the Garden.
Could they be from the House of Kiris who came with William Gale?
Airic Dert regarded the Kiris knights with cold eyes.
Yet strangely, they too bore expressions of wariness.
Were they unrelated to that man? Then who on earth were they?
It had been far too long since anyone other than those connected to the House of Kiris had visited, so I couldn't begin to guess.
"Your Eminence, it's Duke Lute Sheary."
At Seth's urgent whisper, Airic Dert's eyes widened. The man's appearance certainly matched the rumors I'd heard.
Lute Sheary.
The Duke who ruled the Western Region of Karnus, the continent's sole empire, and master of the vast western mines.
The patriarch of the only one among the four ducal houses in the empire to wield overwhelming power despite lacking imperial blood.
Such a man had come to this Temple of the Sun God?
Though I'd lived here for eighteen years, I'd never seen a figure of his stature visit the temple before.
"Did I announce my arrival beforehand? Here you all stand in line waiting for me—I'm overwhelmed by such enthusiastic hospitality."
The man, Lute Sheary, who had drawn near, stood at an angle and tilted his head.
The intensity in his gaze as he observed each person crowded before the entrance was far from ordinary.
It was the kind of presence that made people instinctively shrink back.
While the Kiris knights belatedly recognized his identity and floundered in confusion, Airic and Seth descended the stairs to greet the Duke.
"Welcome to the Sun God Grand Temple. I am High Priest Airic Dert."
"Holy Knight Commander Seth Noel."
"Oh, both the High Priest and the Holy Knight Commander? Did you really know I was coming?"
Lute raised an eyebrow, apparently not having expected that the two highest-ranking officials in the Cathedral would personally receive him.
Since Airic had no idea what purpose brought this man here, he decided to ask directly rather than offer lengthy explanations.
"Had we known in advance that the Lord of the Western Region was coming, we would have prepared a proper reception. However, lacking foresight, we failed to anticipate today's visit in any way."
It was a refined way of asking why he had come.
"Ah, so you don't have the ability to prophesy?"
Instead of answering the question, Lute responded with a question of his own.
"...We do not possess such an ability."
"How disappointing. I was genuinely hoping you might have prophetic powers."
Beyond his askew glasses, his eyes drooped with genuine regret.
Airic was taken aback—it was clear he had truly harbored such expectations, not merely been sarcastic.
Prophecy, the ability to perceive the future, was the exclusive domain of the divine—something only the gods could possess.
How could a mere mortal possibly glimpse what was to come?
Even the saints and holy men chosen by the gods themselves could not achieve prophecy.
It was astonishing that he had genuinely believed such a thing possible.
"I have come on a matter of considerable importance. Please guide me to a quiet place. The subject is not suitable for discussion where many ears might listen."
As if he had never been joking, Lute Sheary's expression suddenly turned grave.
The heavy atmosphere that shifted with him pressed subtly against Airic.
Indeed, it was no wonder they called this man one of the pillars supporting the Empire.
"This way, if you please."
I had no reason to refuse, and I was curious besides, so I was about to guide him deeper inside when—
"High Priest? Who is this person?"
Ordel appeared with William, apparently finished with their conversation.
Without thinking, I checked Ordel's face first.
When she was angry, the area around her eyes would always flush red like someone who had been crying, but now her complexion was remarkably calm.
As if nothing had happened at all.
Only after confirming the expression of Victoria standing behind Ordel did I quietly feel relieved.
"This is Duke Lute Sheary. He has come to the Temple of the Sun God on a matter of business."
Since Ordel would certainly know who Lute Sheary was, I offered no further explanation.
"...Who did you say?"
Yet for some reason, her vacant expression made me tilt my head in confusion.
Could she not know the Duke?
"He is one of the four pillars that sustain the Empire, and the Lord of the Western Region."
Ordel's face, which had been perfectly fine just moments before, suddenly drained of all color.
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