Chapter 46
Light novel: Episode 46
Manhwa: Chapter 20
Seth would always inform either Victoria or Monica first whenever he needed to visit me.
That’s why it was my first time seeing him standing alone in front of my door like this.
“Are you already awake? You must be tired from what happened last night, why didn’t you sleep a bit more?”
“I’ve gotten into the habit of waking up early. More importantly, why are you here like this, Captain?”
If he were visiting me, he would have been facing the door, but right now Seth was standing with his back to it.
Just like Victoria usually did when guarding the front of my room.
“…Don’t tell me you stood guard the entire night?”
“Not the entire night. I had to imprison the criminal and reassign the holy knights to watch over him.”
“So you’ve been out here since then?”
“Didn’t I tell you last night that no one else would disturb the Saintess sleep again?”
That one line he said before leaving last night.
I’d thought it was just a parting phrase, but could it have actually been a promise to personally guard and watch over me all night?
“…Did you sleep well?”
He asked cautiously, hesitating a little.
Only then did I really take a good look at his face.
For someone like him who is a sword master, staying up for one night should have been nothing. Yet, his face was paler and more haggard than mine, who had coughed up blood last night.
The guilt and self-directed anger on his face were all too evident.
“Yes, I slept well. I didn’t wake up even once and slept deeply until morning.”
I nodded vigorously so that he could be reassured, even just a little.
It wasn’t a lie. After washing off all the blood from my body and nightgown, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep without a single thought.
And since it wasn’t even my first time facing a threat to my life, I fell into a dreamless, deep sleep with no lingering trauma.
“That’s a relief.”
The man who willingly gave up his own rest so I could sleep peacefully let out a faint smile.
But the guilt still didn’t leave his face.
He must have been convinced that everything I went through last night was entirely his fault. After all, even though there had been an intruder, no one realized it until I, the Saintess, had caught him myself.
I needed to tell him quickly that Jeremy wasn’t an ordinary person before his self-esteem plummeted further.
“Let’s go have breakfast now. By the way, where’s Lady Victoria?”
“She stepped out briefly due to Second Division duties. Until she returns, I will be in charge of personally escorting you… Does that bother you?”
Seth, who had been following me on the way to the dining hall, asked hesitantly.
Good grief. Is he seriously gauging my reaction over something like this? This whole incident must’ve really shaken him.
“Of course not. You’re the most reliable one. Ah, but please keep that between us. Lady Victoria might get upset if she hears.”
When I joked lightly, Seth finally let out a small smile.
I was about to smile back at his handsome smile of his when suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
“Wait, did you just say Second Division duties? Is the reason Lady Victoria went out today related to expanding my escort detail?”
I almost missed it, distracted by Seth’s handsome face!
When I asked urgently, he averted his gaze with a smiling face instead of answering.
Wait, was he really planning to just gloss over this issue with his looks? Because he couldn’t lie, he decided to use his good looks to distract me?
“I haven’t agreed to increasing my escort yet.”
“……”
“Captain? Captain Seth? Please answer me!”
But Seth still didn’t respond.
His silence made it clear that he had no intention of considering my opinion on this matter.
“Then I’ll go directly to the Second Division myself.”
When I declared that I would resolve this issue personally, Seth finally replied.
“It won’t do any good. Lady Victoria was extremely enraged when she heard about what happened last night.”
…You’ve got to be kidding me. Seth alone is already difficult enough to deal with, and now, Victoria too?
“Saintess, I understand that it’s uncomfortable. But but your safety is the safety of this entire grand temple. Now that an attack has occurred, we can no longer leave things as they are.”
Seth stopped walking and spoke seriously, his smile gone.
I know that. I really do, but my circumstances are just too unique right now!
“Please trust us for now. If you still feel uncomfortable, let us know then. We will make adjustments.”
But Seth was far too firm in his stance, and I couldn’t exactly explain my situation to him either.
In the end, I could only reluctantly nod, silently despairing inside.
* * *
What’s going on today? Why is it like this?
I was internally breaking into a cold sweat as I moved my spoon.
The strangeness began the moment I entered the dining hall.
Normally, when I entered, people would be chatting and laughing happily, but today, they were all eating silently with stiff expressions on their faces.
Today was no different, yet something felt off.
“…?”
I felt a prickling gaze on me during the meal and raised my head, but no one was looking at me.
At first, I thought I was imagining it.
After all, people usually avoided my gaze like they’d turn to stone if our eyes met.
So, I lowered my head and continued eating, but then I felt it again.
Puzzled, I looked around once more, but again, no one was looking at me.
After this repeated several times, I finally leaned toward Seth and asked in a whisper.
“Captain, did I do something wrong?”
Did I unknowingly have sleepwalking tendencies and hit someone last night or something?
“No, not at all. Nothing like that happened.”
Thankfully, Seth, who had guarded outside my door all night, shook his head.
Then what on earth was the problem…?
I carefully scanned the dining hall again.
All I saw were people with their heads down, silently eating.
But for some reason, the atmosphere felt strange.
Usually, it was a tense silence born of fear, but today, it felt like a silence mixed with suppressed murmurs.
In a softer voice than before, I asked Seth,
“Does everyone know about the break-in last night?”
“The rumors spread. It wasn’t something that could be hidden.”
Oh no. My vision spun for a moment.
So that was the reason.
Everyone had found out that an assassin infiltrated the grand temple to kill me!
They must be shocked, wondering what terrible thing the Saintess had done this time to provoke an assassin to invade this poor grand temple.
After all the effort I put into reforming my image, it was about to be completely ruined!
This was all because of those Great Sea God grand temple bastards. I won’t let them get away with this.
I quickly finished the remaining food and jumped to my feet.
Now was not the time to be leisurely eating.
“Where is that guy from last night?”
“I’ll take you to him.”
Seth, who had finished eating earlier, rose and led the way.
As soon as I turned around, I felt everyone’s eyes on me again, but this time I couldn’t bring myself to look back. I was afraid to see their accusatory stares.
I trembled with frustration at the injustice of it all.
“Since he’s a serious criminal, he’s being kept in the deepest underground prison… Are you sure you want to go personally?”
“I’m totally fine.”
What’s there to fear about a prison? Solving this assassination attempt was far more urgent.
The entrance to the prison was located near the training ground, or rather, the training hall, where I had previously tried to destroy the Box Made Out of Boredom using the Relic of Light and the divine relic.
The entrance was underground and hidden by thick foliage, so I hadn’t noticed it before.
“If the grand temple’s prison is visible, it could make people uneasy.”
Seth’s explanation made sense.
We passed through an entrance guarded by two holy knights and entered the prison, where an unexpectedly clean interior greeted us.
It was surprising. I had imagined a damp, moss-covered dungeon like the ones I had seen in medieval movies.
Instead, the floor was neatly paved with stones resembling solid marble.
“These stones have the ability to block special powers such as magic, sword energy, and other divine powers. Only the divine power of the Sun God can be used here.”
Seth tapped on the marble-like walls as he explained.
It seemed the prison was kept spotless to preserve the stones’ full effectiveness.
“The prisoner is being held even deeper inside. This way, please.”
Seth led me down a set of stairs, holding my hand so I wouldn’t trip. Thanks to his manners, I descended safely.
To reach Jeremy’s location, we had to walk even further inward after descending.
And there, in front of the closed prison door, I encountered someone completely unexpected.
“Oh? High Priest?”
High Priest Airek.
He was standing in the dark prison corridor, his face unusually cold and expressionless.
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!