In the afternoon, Sig arrived at the temple to meet the High Priest. He was there to track down the person who had embedded a evil spirit in the palace.
However, upon seeing Sig, the High Priest remained silent and stared intently at Sig’s eye patch.
For a moment, Sig wondered if he had left his heart outside. He had been carefully showcasing the adorably crooked heart charm to avoid drawing Britia’s attention.
‘It’s impressive he hasn’t been cursed while wearing something so grotesque.’
But then the Emperor had mentioned it to Britia one day. As a result, Sig got an earful from her and had to be more cautious afterward. Yet, could it be possible that Britia knew?
With a flicker of doubt, Sig touched his eye patch. He didn’t feel the heart embroidery on the outside, confirming he had it on properly.
So why was the High Priest staring at the patch so intently? To the naked eye, it appeared to be an ordinary black eye patch. Was it possible that the High Priest, with his divine power, could see through to the inner design?
“I know why you’re here,” the High Priest finally spoke after studying the patch for a long time.
“It’s likely because the corrupt priests tried to tarnish the honor of Count Slanford by presenting a false heir.”
“I still can’t believe that priests, who are supposed to serve the goddess, would stoop to such deeds.”
Seeing the High Priest lamenting the temple’s corruption, Sig and the vice-captain exchanged glances. They planned to question him about this later, but they hadn’t expected him to bring it up first.
“Blinded by money and power, they forgot the words of the gods and, of all things, tried to….”
The High Priest hesitated, as if struggling with the words.
“Attempt to give false testimony that they believed to be the most wicked.”
He then continued as if nothing had happened.
“However, there’s no need for concern. The three priests who dared to go against the goddess have all faced justice.”
With a satisfied smile, he remarked that they were no longer part of this world.
“Does that mean we shouldn’t punish the ones who bribed those priests?”
The vice-captain tone carried a hint of sarcasm. The High Priest closed his eyes tightly and shook his head.
“I can deal with the affairs of the temple within my jurisdiction, but I can’t arbitrarily punish those who aren’t priests.”
He took a step back, acknowledging her position.
The vice-captain subtly raised an eyebrow. The fact that he could categorically say it wasn’t within her authority implied he knew who was involved.
“Of course, I interrogated the priests myself. However, they all claimed that different individuals approached them and offered bribes.”
Some mentioned a man with black hair, while others referred to a brown-haired woman. Although their methods were similar, their descriptions differed significantly.
“You seem troubled,” the vice-captain remarked, observing the High Priest’s tense expression.
“…Actually, the three deceased priests share a common trait: they all volunteered at the temple orphanage.”
“I remember each of those children distinctly. But there was one….”
A child he couldn’t forget. The High Priest’s face took on a bitter expression as he swallowed the rest of his words.
“There was a girl named Nancy, who had magical talent and wished to leave the orphanage to go to the Mage Tower.”
But she had been rejected because she was too young. They required applicants to be at least sixteen.
But the Mage Tower had turned her down because she was too young. They insisted she needed to be at least sixteen to apply.
So, Nancy had no choice but to remain at the orphanage. She found the situation frustrating.
‘Is this what it comes to, having to live among these foolish children just because I’m young?’
At the time, the High Priest had tried to console Nancy, explaining that everyone had different levels of ability, and that didn’t make them foolish. However, she hadn’t truly understood him.
“If I can’t go to the Mage Tower, at least let me leave the temple to work until I turn sixteen.”
The priests, impressed by her eagerness to work, sought out someone who could employ her.
“However, just before Nancy was set to leave, something happened.”
The High Priest’s expression darkened as he recalled the not-so-great event.
“The sacred vault, where sealed evil spirits reside, can only be accessed by high-ranking priests. The energy inside is so powerful that even ordinary priests could lose their lives.”
As a result, only the high-ranking priests had the keys, and the temple guards had to verify their identities before granting access.
“One night, a priest entered the vault. But after a while, that same priest passed by the guards, greeting them and thanking them for their hard work.”
The High Priest couldn’t forget the startled faces of the guards that night. The priest who had greeted them was none other than Nancy.
“The person who entered was Nancy. The priest scolded her for putting herself in danger, and she replied that she wanted to ask the evil spirit a question out of curiosity.”
She must have been studying magic alone, but how had she learned a transformation spell? While he felt pride in her overflowing talent, her interest in evil spirits was worrisome.
If this continued, he couldn’t let her leave the temple. He would have to inform her employer to cancel the arrangement. When the priest conveyed this to Nancy, she burst into tears, begging for just this one chance, promising she wouldn’t be curious about evil spirits again.
Surely, it was an adult’s responsibility to overlook a child’s curiosity that had led to a mistake. The High Priest chose to quietly bury the incident. Only he, Nancy, and the two guards knew what had happened that night.
He couldn’t tell her employer or the other priests that Nancy had shown interest in dangerous matters.
“Nancy spent her remaining days quietly at the temple before she finally left.”
There hadn’t been any complaints from her employer, so it seemed she hadn’t caused any more problems. Nancy occasionally sent letters saying she was doing well.
Although those letters had stopped coming a few years ago, he believed she was living a busy, happy life. That was how he had chosen to remember her. But during the interrogation of the priests, she suddenly came to his mind.
‘How is the High Priest’s wrist these days?’
The priests being interrogated mentioned that a man or woman who had bribed them in turn inquired about the High Priest’s well-being. The High Priest felt a rush of confusion at that moment.
That was a greeting Nancy always included in her letters. It might have been a coincidence, but perhaps not.
“Who was Nancy’s employer?” Sig asked, making the High Priest flinch. He wasn’t pleased that Sig was suspicious of Nancy. Still, he couldn’t help but entertain the possibility himself.
“If she hasn’t gone elsewhere, she’s likely still employed by Duke Camelon.”
The mention of her being hired by a mage caused the vice-captain to raise an eyebrow. There was no record of a mage named Nancy contracted through the Duke Camelon at the Mage Tower.
“Thank you for the information, High Priest.”
“May I ask you something as well?”
As Sig stood up to leave, the High Priest hurriedly stopped him.
“I heard that the Duke broke the orb containing the evil spirit. Did the spirit reveal itself first?”
“When the orb was shattered, the evil spirit emerged in agony.”
“So, the first indication of the spirit’s presence came from Lady Lockhart?”
The High Priest nodded slowly, acknowledging the implication.
“Did the Lady sense it, or did she actually see it?”
With that probing question, Sig fell silent.
“Duke, this is an important question. It could put you in danger….”
“I don’t understand what you mean by sense or see. She simply confirmed the presence of the evil spirit when it revealed itself alongside me.”
Sig cut off the High Priest’s line of questioning.
“I’ve heard rumors that the Lady has seen dead souls.”
“That’s not true.”
Britia might see spirits. And perhaps the evil spirits could be visible to her as well, even if she vehemently denied that ability herself.
He couldn’t share that information with anyone else; it was something Britia didn’t want to be known.
“She hasn’t seen anything.”
“If you’re saying that, then I understand. But both of you need to be very careful. Thankfully, the evil spirit didn’t harm the Lady, but….”
The High Priest looked at Sig’s left eye.
“Unfortunately, the mark it left on you will make it easier for the spirit to target you than for others.”
The High Priest handed Sig a red jewel-encrusted brooch he had prepared in advance.
“It contains divine energy, so it will offer you some protection. But be careful; it’s fragile.”
If the spirit drew near, the brooch would turn blue, indicating that running away was the better option rather than fighting. The High Priest emphasized this again.
“And you’re not wearing the eye mask we provided.”
“I stopped using the one from the temple because it gave me headaches.”
He felt fine without it. Holding the brooch in his hand, he spoke boldly.
“Even if I’ve been fine until now, I don’t know what might happen in the future.”
Even though evil spirits weren’t common anymore, one had appeared in the palace.
“Thank you for the brooch. I’ll see you at my brother’s wedding next time.”
In the end, Sig left the temple without removing his eye mask.
“My lord.”
Once in the carriage, the vice-captain spoke in a hushed tone.
“Please confide in me. What does the Lady see?”
Sig shot the deputy a glance but continued walking ahead without a word.
“Duke! Why do you have to hide it from me?”
The deputy shouted in disappointment, but Sig ignored him. He couldn’t speak to the deputy, his brother, or even his uncle about it.
“Track down Nancy’s whereabouts.”
With the firm order, the vice-captain grumbled but nodded in agreement.
—
Britia handed a teacup, which the Emperor had finished, to a maid while tilting her head in thought. She felt like she had seen someone with a tail very similar to this one before.
“What’s wrong?”
As she observed the area below, Nancy felt tension rise when Britia stared directly at her.
Did she notice something suspicious? But she hadn’t done anything to arouse any doubts.
Nancy swallowed hard. Before she could come up with a response, Britia continued to hold onto her tray without letting go.
“Does your family work in the palace?”
“…What?”
“I was wondering if perhaps they were guards.”
A chill ran down Nancy’s spine. Just a few days ago, she had disguised herself as a guard and roamed around the palace. But she had chosen a man whose face didn’t resemble her current one at all.
How did she figure that out? Did I unconsciously pick a similar face?
Nancy felt her mouth go dry as she realized Britia might be onto her.
No way, I didn’t think she would catch on. Just like last time, she sensed something odd before I even drugged her.
Feeling the poison dart she had hidden in her sleeve, Nancy slowly exhaled.
My instincts are warning me. I need to kill this woman before she ruins everything I’ve worked for.
Fortunately, there was no one else in the hallway.
