Yuriel was lost again.
This cursed castle was so ridiculously complex that even the imperial palace would pale in comparison. Every time he stepped out of his room, he inevitably got lost.
He thought he had finally memorized the layout to some extent… but clearly, he hadn’t.
Yuriel let out a deep sigh, blaming his own foolishness.
It had already been about two weeks since he arrived at the Count’s castle. During this time, Yuriel had been diligently keeping a low profile.
Dehan, at least, had it better. Shekina seemed to be taking him around and putting him through various training sessions.
But what about himself?
He had nothing to do. Whenever he offered to help, asking, ‘Is there anything I can assist you with?’ people would recoil in horror and beg him to stay put.
This was because Yuriel, a priest who wielded holy power, was fundamentally incompatible with the demons. However, unaware of this, Yuriel often felt useless and would become disheartened.
Even though no one openly shunned him, he constantly felt like he was walking on eggshells.
Now, wandering aimlessly through the corridors, Yuriel muttered to himself that he might as well be tasked with cleaning instead.
That’s when it happened.
“Priest Yuriel?”
A familiar voice called out to him.
Yuriel turned his head and saw Arthur standing idly.
Finally, someone who could help him find his way! Yuriel was overjoyed and ran toward Arthur.
“Ah, Sir Arthu—!”
But Arthur wasn’t alone. Someone who hadn’t been there just moments ago suddenly stepped out from the shadow cast by Arthur and extended a foot between Yuriel and Arthur.
“Who are you?”
The man had long, dark hair that covered one eye and wore a half-mask that seemed to press against his nose. He glared at Yuriel with sharp, red eyes.
Wh-who is this? Scary. Yuriel hesitated and took a step back.
“Who are you, wandering around the castle suspiciously alone? If you don’t give me a proper answer, I’ll drag you straight to the dungeon…”
“Calvin. Quiet.”
Arthur, with a nonchalant expression, clamped his hand over Calvin’s mouth. His face looked unlike anything Yuriel had seen before, and the even more intimidating aura made Yuriel step back further.
“Hey! But…! A stranger wandering around the castle!”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I already told you before. You were too busy being obsessed with your cat to hear anything.”
“…Oh.”
The previously agitated Calvin awkwardly averted his gaze. He muttered to himself, ‘Well, why didn’t you say so earlier…’
“So, who is this?”
Calvin pointed at Yuriel with his chin. Yuriel swallowed nervously and clasped his hands politely.
“I-I am Yuriel Agato, formerly a priest of the northern temple.”
“A priest? No wonder you give off that annoying scent—ow! Why did you hit me?”
“Enough.”
Arthur scolded Calvin, who pouted and examined Yuriel from head to toe.
“But why did you say ‘formerly’? It’s like you’re no longer one.”
“Ah…”
Yuriel gently bit his lip.
The people in the Count’s household were kind enough not to spread rumors about why he and Dehan were there. This made him feel at ease in some ways but awkward in moments like these.
How should he explain this? Yuriel’s eyes darted around and landed on Arthur. Arthur let out a heavy sigh.
“There are circumstances. If you want to dig into it, go ask the advisor. I’m sure they’ll explain everything.”
“Hmph.”
Calvin squinted and alternated his gaze between Arthur and Yuriel. As an informant, not knowing something irked him greatly.
Though he wanted nothing more than to string Yuriel up and interrogate him with a skewer… that wasn’t an option. Calvin quickly abandoned the fantasy and turned back to Yuriel.
“I get that you’re a guest here, but why are you wandering around alone without any attendants?”
“Pardon me?”
“Are you snooping around for something?”
“N-not at all!”
Yuriel squealed and quickly stammered.
“I-I just… got lost….”
“You got lost here? Are you an idiot?”
“…Yes.”
Yuriel hunched over so much he looked like he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole. Calvin frowned as he watched.
Priests, seriously. He’d never seen one do anything properly.
Clicking his tongue, Calvin turned to Arthur and said,
“I don’t trust this guy.”
“So what?”
“That’s harsh.”
“Shut up.”
Arthur jabbed Calvin with his elbow and, with a faint smile, addressed Yuriel.
“Your room is on the way, so let’s go together. Just follow us.”
“Th-thank you!”
Yuriel bowed deeply and scurried after them. Arthur suddenly remembered something and said,
“By the way, Lady Shekina has been looking for you, Priest Yuriel.”
“M-me?”
“Yes. I’m not sure where she is now, but should I inform her?”
“Uh….”
Yuriel’s gaze darted around in a panic.
“Wh-why would Lady Shekina be looking for me…?”
“I have no idea either,”
Arthur replied nonchalantly, while Yuriel looked like he was about to faint.
It was obvious that Shekina was the real authority in the Count’s household. The number of people doting on her was endless! If Yuriel got on her bad side, he could be thrown out into the freezing cold in an instant.
He had been doing his best to stay in Shekina’s good graces, but why was she suddenly looking for him? It was terrifying!
Why would lady Shekina look for me?
Yuriel racked his brain, thinking hard.
“Ah!”
Something came to mind, and he clapped his hands. Calvin asked dryly,
“What? Do you think you know why?”
“Well… um, she asked me about birds before….”
“Birds?”
Calvin and Arthur tilted their heads, pondering the mention of birds.
Birds… northern birds… monstrous, house-sized birds… the kind that had captured demons who never returned… but apart from those…
Oh?
“Ah, that bird!”
The bird statue that the northern priests had gifted before!
They had installed a recording device in its eyes to monitor the recipients!
“So, maybe she… wants to talk about the bird… and that’s why she’s looking for me….”
Oh, my goodness.
The demons had completely stopped paying attention to the northern region after Yuriel had come here, to the point they had completely forgotten. Even Lyat!
But Shekina… hadn’t overlooked it?
How far was Shekina planning to surprise them? Arthur was impressed, while Calvin was annoyed. It felt like a personal defeat that Shekina had caught something even he had forgotten.
Arthur was the first to regain his composure.
“Can we take a look at it?”
“Ah! Y-yes…!”
Yuriel quickly lowered his head and replied,
“I-I moved it to the High Priest’s room… just in case….”
Calvin silently gave him a thumbs up.
You, traitor. You’re doing great.
***
Shekina dragged Dehan along and knocked on Yuriel’s door.
All that was left was to bring Yuriel along. She was already preparing what to say to him in her head.
Dehan knew they were demons, so she could give him a simple explanation, but Yuriel didn’t. If she suddenly told him they were going to meet merfolk, he’d probably faint.
So, she had to choose her words carefully. As Shekina muttered to herself, staring at the door, she knocked repeatedly.
But,
“What the—why isn’t he answering?”
Even after knocking several times, there was no response.
“There is a presence inside.”
“I know that much. Is he ignoring us?”
Shekina narrowed her eyes suspiciously and grabbed the doorknob.
And then, bang!
She flung the door open.
[Exactly!]
A booming voice rang out,
[We must nominate one of us for the position of Pope!]
What the hell was that lunatic rambling?
“…What the heck is that?”
Shekina asked, baffled.
Arthur smiled faintly and replied.
“This is our next prey.”
