Chapter 14
“The fact that I failed to protect the temple means I deserve to be punished. I will accept any punishment you give me without complaint.”
Seth, confessing his guilt in a somber tone, appeared as reverent and pious as a priest receiving divine grace.
But after witnessing his ruthless handling of the exposed spies… it’s hard to be fooled by his outward demeanor.
The memory of those merciless male leads from the original story executing Ordell without hesitation kept flashing before my eyes, making my heart race.
“This is a sin that cannot be overlooked. If you command it, I am ready to relinquish my position as the Captain of the Holy Knights.”
No way! Where do you think you’re going?
“Please don’t say such things. If not for you, Captain, who else could I trust? Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“But I failed to keep the grand temple safe—”
“If you put it that way, isn’t it all my fault? After all, the spies were planted by Count Kiris. If I had been more attentive, I would have discovered them sooner.”
Honestly, the only reason the spies were able to run amok was because Ordell was subtly aiding their embezzlement.
So how could Seth have known?
Moreover, he was often sent on missions like a mercenary to support the poor grand temple, making it even harder for him to notice.
“The Saintess is not to blame!”
Our earnest and innocent Holy Knight cried out, his face turning pale, completely oblivious to the truth.
“If I’m not at fault, then neither are you, Captain. And in such an unstable situation, having the strongest among us step down would only add to the unease. So please, stay and continue to protect this place.”
That’s right, where do you think you’re going?
If a weakling with 5% divine power wishes to survive in this harsh world, the presence of a Sword Master and male lead candidate like him is desperately needed.
“…Understood. I swear to protect the safety of the Saintess and the Grand Temple with my life.”
I don’t need you to go that far… but looking at his resolute face, I doubt he’d listen. It’s better for me to just leave him alone.
“Now’s not the time to argue over who’s at fault, but to prepare for what lies ahead. If the spies lose contact, Count Kiris will notice right away, and he’ll most likely try to use the donations he gives us as leverage to threaten us.”
The Grand Temple of the Sun God is currently barely staying afloat, relying on the meager donations provided by Count Kiris to keep its operations going.
If that support were to disappear, the Grand Temple would be sure to fall.
“We have no other sources of income, so we can’t afford to make an enemy of the Count right now. That means we can’t even protest about the spies.”
“Then what do you propose for us to do?”
“The grand temple will have to stay put and remain silent. I’ll deal with Count Kiris on my own.”
“But that’s—!”
I shook my head firmly at the two who were about to object.
“When the Count’s men come, you two must make a fuss, refusing to leave us alone, but then reluctantly back down as if you have no choice.”
I’m going to have to put on a show, and the two of you cannot be there together.
Don’t worry, just trust me. I’ll take care of everything!
* * *
The dark room was filled with a thick, hazy smoke.
A man with a sturdy build slumped deeply into a large chair, almost burying himself in it.
His loosely tied hair, partially falling out, and the loosely worn glasses revealed his boredom. Yet, despite this air of indifference, his face was twisted into a menacing scowl.
As he took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled deeply, the furrows on his brow gradually smoothed out.
He hated the foul and sharp smell emanating from the cigar, but he couldn’t bring himself to quit and throw it away.
It was the only thing keeping him alive.
“My lord!”
Just then, someone barged in, throwing the door open wide.
The unwelcome visitor, now covered in thick smoke, coughed incessantly.
“Ugh, I’ll never get used to this smell.”
“…Quiet. My head hurts, so speak softly.”
Irritated by the noise, the man snapped, causing the intruder to hastily suppress his coughs.
“We have finally found the item my lord has been searching for!”
At the exclamation, the man, who had been slouched in his chair, suddenly sat up.
“You can’t be talking about the—”
“Yes! We have discovered the location of the Holy Relic of Light!”
“Where?”
“It’s in a temple located in the northwestern part of the empire.”
“Northwest? Was there a temple there?”
The man’s urgent questioning followed. The uninvited guest, his subordinate, quickly continued, barely pausing to breathe.
“It’s a place on the verge of collapse, so it’s not well known. We don’t even know which god it serves and worships. I only learned of its existence during this investigation.”
Damn it. No wonder we couldn’t find it, no matter how hard we searched. It was hidden away in a place like that.
“Get ready. We’re leaving immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
After the subordinate left, the man let out a sigh and ran his hand down his face.
This is his last hope. If this fails, there is nothing left for him.
So, no matter what it takes, no matter what the cost, he must get his hands on the Holy Relic of Light.
He has had enough of the cigarette.
* * *
“Huff, huff! When will this useless body finally gain some stamina?!”
7:00 AM.
After finishing my morning walking workout, I collapsed onto the bench that had practically become mine, drenched in sweat.
In my previous life, exercise never bothered me this much— in fact, the sweatier I got, the happier I was!
Now I was so dizzy and lightheaded that I just wanted to give up.
“If the day ever comes when I can run 50 meters without a problem, I might actually cry…”
“Well done, Saintess.”
Just then, a female knight with red hair tied back into a bun offered me some water.
I gratefully accepted the canteen with trembling arms.
“Thank you, Lady Victoria. I don’t know how I survived another day without dying…”
“Well, it seems like you’ve gained a bit of stamina. When I first saw you a week ago, I thought it was really serious.”
I should be pleased or even proud that I’ve improved even in the eyes of a professional, but the brutally honest feedback almost brought me to tears.
“If I keep at it, I guess I will get better, right…? I don’t really see much hope.”
“…It seems like you will need to put in more effort than others.”
Damn it! I swallowed my tears along with the water.
Victoria Lawrence.
With her bright red hair shining brightly under the sunlight, she’s the holy knight assigned to me by Seth.
After discovering the knight during the process of rooting out spies, Seth, feeling a deep sense of responsibility, carried out a major reorganization of the Order of Knights.
As part of the reorganization, one of the newest additions is the Second Division, holy knights in charge of guarding the Saintess.
Victoria, selected by Seth as the best of the best, was given the position of head of the Second Division.
In other words, she was my personal bodyguard.
Given my notorious reputation, Victoria initially treated me with formality.
No, it was more than that.
‘…You’re going to exercise every morning?’
You?
She didn’t outright out loud, but her eyes conveyed her disbelief very clearly.
I didn’t bother to explain in detail myself, but instead, I diligently worked out every day for a week without missing a session.
Then after a few days of eating with everyone every day, and spending more time and being gentler than usual with Airek and Seth—
‘…Take it easy. You’ll kill yourself otherwise.’
I don’t know whether she was kidding or serious, but either way, we had become more comfortable with each other compared to before.
I almost shed tears for the first time that day at the significant progress I’d made.
…But aside from Victoria, everyone else still panics and avoids me whenever they see me.
Looks like I still have a long way to go.
“Someone is approaching.”
I turned my head at Victoria’s words as she handed me a towel.
A maid with a pale face was running towards us.
“S, Saintess, I-I’m terribly sorry to interrupt.”
As soon as she arrived, she threw herself down on the ground.
There’s truly a long, long way for me to go…
“Please stand up and calmly tell me what’s going on.”
I said as gently as I could so as not to startle and frighten her.
Victoria quickly helped the maid to her feet, brushing the dirt off her now-dusty knees.
The maid’s face turned even paler, but she managed to stammer out her message, clearly in a hurry as if she had an urgent matter to attend to.
“S, Someone has come to see you outside, Saintess! They said they brought a message from Count Kiris!”
Ah, they’ve finally arrived!
“Are you sure you’re okay meeting them alone?”
Victoria asked, seemingly worried since she more or less knew at least the rough outline of the current situation from Seth.
Sorry, Victoria. It’s not me you need to worry about, but them.
Because I’m planning to swindle that guy out of everything he’s got.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!