“What’s going on?” Hanelope asked and Brantley was by her side.
“I- It’s nothing much. The employee of the Grand Temple…,” the lady explained to Hanelope, who looked curious.
Hanelope frowned and said, “They’re saying I tried to steal something from the Grand Temple? Did the employee really say that?”
“It’s all a misunderstanding. How could they say something so reckless?”
“That’s what I’m saying. How could they slander such a distinguished guest who came to pay a visit?”
“They’re just trying to pin their own mess on an outsider. Tsk, tsk.”
People chimed in, expressing their disbelief.
Hanelope tilted her head. “That’s strange. It’s true that the employee told us to rest in this room. But something felt amiss, so we left shortly after.”
“Something amiss?”
“Yes, because they said we shouldn’t touch anything.”
Brantley nodded in agreement.
“Usually, a resting area isn’t set up in such a secluded place. It felt odd, and we weren’t comfortable, so we just left.”
“And this is how it turned out.”
Hanelope sighed softly, “If we hadn’t left, I might have been in real trouble.”
“I- Is this how the Grand Temple treats its guests…?”
“Did they guide her to a strange place on purpose to embarrass her?”
“If they had explained from the start that it was a room where the temple’s treasures were kept, this wouldn’t have happened. But they didn’t say anything…”
Hanelope smiled warmly and looked at Yenna, “Surely, it wasn’t intentional.”
“No, how could it be?”
Yenna said in a surprisingly cold tone.
She pointed at the ’kind looking woman’, “Were you the one who led the Princess into this room?”
“S-Saint…?”
The middle-aged employee stammered in shock.
After all, it was Yenna herself who had ordered the employee to lure Hanelope here.
But Yenna spoke with a brazen expression, “To think that someone would dare to set a trap in the sacred Grand Temple for a distinguished guest visiting for His Holiness the Pope. This will be thoroughly investigated and dealt with.”
“Saint, I…!”
“Be quiet! Everything will be revealed after the investigation!” Yenna shouted.
Her demeanor was so different from the usual kind and gentle Saint that everyone was shocked.
Hanelope, Hart, and Brantley were surprised for a different reason.
‘This is exactly how Yenna looked when I was kidnapped by Asta.’
At that time, Yenna had just recently arrived from another world.
Yenna then had been extremely spiteful. Even though she had learned how to act after being secluded for years, her true nature hadn’t disappeared.
Following Yenna’s orders, the priests dragged the employee away.
Yenna then turned to Hart instead of Hanelope.
“That employee will be confined in the Grand Temple’s punishment room for a while to be investigated, so don’t worry. I apologize on their behalf.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you, Saint. Thanks to you, the one who tried to slander Hanelope is now facing the consequences.”
Yenna’s eyes widened at Hart’s unexpected response.
Then she quickly brightened up with a smile.
‘The plan might have gone a bit off, but it was a success nonetheless.’
“Well then, I believe we still have more to discuss?”
Hart frowned but nodded.
While the priests dispersed the crowd, Yena led Hart to a quiet place.
“Are you now considering accepting my proposal?”
“…”
“I’m sure you’ve realized by now. It’s better to have two strong shields for Princess Hanelope rather than one, isn’t it? And if we have support from both the royal family and the Grand Temple…”
“I hope this is the last time you bother me and my daughter with such nonsense.”
Yenna, who had been talking excitedly, froze like ice.
Hart glared at her with a cold and sharp expression, as if he had become a different person.
“They spoke as if they were certain about where Hanelope was and what she was doing. It must have been possible because you were the one who trapped my daughter.”
“Wh-what…! I told you, didn’t I? It was revealed to me by God!”
“Didn’t God tell you that it wasn’t Hanelope who fell into your trap, but rather a priest of the Grand Temple?” A murderous intent flashed in Hart’s eyes.
Yenna felt a chill in her chest as if she were standing before a ferocious beast. The beast looked as if it could pounce at any moment, mercilessly severing her life.
“If you ever try to touch my wife or daughter—my family—again, you will have to be prepared for the consequences.”
Hart spat out his words like venom and left.
Yenna stood frozen in place.
***
As I was standing in front of the carriage, waiting for my father. Brantley stayed by my side instead of leaving first.
“How did you know that room had a trap?” Brantley asked.
“It felt odd finding all the answers on a platter like that. As if someone knew exactly what I wanted. That made me suspicious.”
I wanted to find the ruins of the Grouser Temple within the Grand Temple. Then the employee of the Grand Temple guided me to a resting room.
“A strange resting room where we were warned not to touch anything carelessly.”
What were the chances that there would coincidentally be a tapestry in that resting room, with the barrier deactivated, and that behind it would be the location I was looking for?
“Very low.”
It was suspiciously easy. That’s why I left that strange resting room. Not long after, a young priest entered the resting room, and that incident happened.
Brantley agreed with me.
“That’s true. It was strange from the start to see a barrier with its magic formula deactivated right in front of us.”
“They set a blatant trap and waited for us.”
And then I stated the conclusion of all this uneasiness.
“The Grand Temple has realized we’re looking for Grouser.”
***
As soon as I returned home, I immediately asked Maxim for a favor.
I asked him to find out if there was anyone within the Information Guild who might have leaked information to the Grand Temple.
But I know better than anyone how thoroughly Maxim manages the guild.
Perhaps the Grand Temple had pieced together the scattered information to make a guess.
Even with just the smallest fragment of information, the entity that could deduce that the Three Sealed Gods were looking for Grouser— It could only be another god.
“Prache has regained its strength, just as he had before.”
I recalled the Pope who had pulled my hand from behind the veil.
‘His hand was so soft, like that of a young person.’
Could it be, perhaps…?
At that moment, a loud crash came from downstairs.
‘Did one of the servants drop something?’
Worried, I quietly went downstairs and saw an unexpected scene unfold.
My Dad was unsteady on his feet, leaning against the butler, while the servants were cleaning up a broken vase.
“Dad?”
Startled by my call, my father quickly stood upright, trying to look composed.
But he couldn’t hide how pale he was.
“The vase was accidentally broken by the maid,” the butler said. He knew Dad wanted to hide his pain from me and made up the story.
“I see. It’s a relief no one got hurt.”
Even though it was obvious he was lying, I pretended not to notice and went back upstairs.
Even if I questioned him here, he obviously wouldn’t tell me the truth.
‘Hmm. Looks like I need to go to that room for the first time in a while.’
Instead of going to my own room, I entered another room and sat on the bed. A few moments later, the door opened, and the owner of the room returned.
“!”
The room’s owner jumped in shock upon seeing me.
I smiled sweetly and waved at him, “Dad!”
Dad let out a low sigh and leaned against the nearest wall.
“You always have something startling to say when you surprise me like this.”
“I just wanted to see you, Dad. Is that so wrong?”
I walked over to him and reached my hand toward his forehead. Seeing me struggle on tiptoe, Dad bent to match my height.
“Hmm, you don’t have a fever..?”
“Is that what you were worried about?”
I lowered my hand and nodded.
“I really did break the vase earlier. I apologize for deceiving you,” Dad quickly confessed, “But I was just dizzy for a moment. Today’s been a busy day, and I was tired.”
Earlier today, before going to the Grand Temple, my father had a lengthy and exhausting meeting with the nobles under his command, starting in the early morning.
Even though these meetings happen once a week, they are so draining that he usually has a lighter schedule on meeting days.
‘But today, he had to visit the Grand Temple. I thought he would rest a bit after returning home with us, but then Grandpa contacted him. So, he had to go to the palace to report.’
Grandfather, who believed in raising his children strictly, didn’t let Father leave just like that.
‘Father had to visit my uncle, Prince Patrick’s estate, under Grandpa’s orders.’
Grandfather had recently been paying close attention to Prince Patrick’s movements.
Something must have been bothering him.
“Patrick dragged me around for hours on horseback, only giving me a few chocolates in return. Still, I suppose only someone like me could manage not to collapse from such a rigorous day.”
Dad said, trying to lighten the mood.
Usually, he wouldn’t make jokes, but he was trying to reassure me.
It was indeed a tiring schedule.
‘But Dad already looked sickly at the Grand Temple.’
Normally he was expressionless in front of others, but he kept frowning.
‘Was he already feeling dizzy back then?’
Could Dad have a headache? If it were chronic, it would be a serious issue. Sadly, Dad’s headaches persisted for several days.
Neither over-the-counter medicine nor doctors’ treatments were effective. Eventually, I dusted off an old pharmacological aide and locked myself in the lab. I planned to create a new, effective medicine tailored perfectly to Dad’s constitution.
‘And there’s something else I need to investigate.’
The Pope’s hands had become youthful. No, maybe it wasn’t just his hands; perhaps his entire body had become younger.
‘Could there be an illness where the body grows younger while the person is dying?’
I didn’t think so, but I had to check just in case.
As a result, I didn’t leave the mansion for a while, except when I had to go to the academy.
Then, someone who was very dissatisfied with the situation appeared.
