"Speaking of which, why did you ask about the carriage from Tiago?"
Daisy's curious eyes suddenly sparkled.
I gave it some thought for a while and opened my mouth,
"Daisy, I may have to leave the temple once the carriage that traveled to Tiago returns."
This child, who worked for me and relied solely on me, had a right to know what was going on.
Daisy's eyes trembled violently.
"What do you mean, Saintess?"
"You're clever and quick-witted, so you'll be able to serve your new superior well."
"Saintess! No way! Are you trying to leave?"
Daisy shook her head as I remained silent.
"...I knew you had no heart in the temple. But please take me with you wherever you go. As the Saintess said, I'm clever and quick-witted."
Daisy's words made me stiffen.
"But then won't the time you spent training to be Elium's apprentice go to waste?"
It was like passing a modern-day civil service exam, but she still chose to follow me. That was absurd.
"I managed to get into the temple, but I wasn't fit for it. When I felt lost and distressed, the Saintess was the one who reached out to me. So I don't care."
Seeing Daisy's bright eyes saying she'd follow me, I asked myself if I shouldn't have said it.
"...I never said I was completely sure that I'll be leaving. I'm just saying the possibility."
I eventually turned back on my words.
The idea of starting a business with Daisy as an employee suddenly popped into my mind, but I wasn't confident enough to change someone's life.
"If you leave me behind, I'll still follow you wherever you go, Saintess."
Daisy clenched her fists and stated unequivocally.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Taking a stroll as an excuse, I stopped by the third pillar on the east side of the wedding hall attached to the main building. Because it was the day I was supposed to meet the child from the Thieves Guild that I saved.
The annex collapsed and security was further strengthened, so it was questionable whether or not the child could come.
But even before my doubts were lifted, I heard a child's voice behind me,
"Saintess... it's me."
Looking back, I noticed a child who was dressed more neatly than before. He might have spent the money I gave him on clothes.
I smiled softly and calmly opened my mouth,
"You're better than I expected."
"The Thieves Guild has the best information in the empire."
The child's eyes were filled with pride.
"Did you find out what I asked of you?"
The child nodded and immediately opened his mouth,
"I know Count Rosento had the Garnet necklace that the late Empress, Prince Kyle's mother, received from the Emperor."
I asked back as if I didn't know,
"Count Rosento?"
"Yes. The Count's grandfather, Hegen Rosento, purchased the necklace from stolen goods 30 years ago. But it was sold at an auction to a woman and is no longer in his possession. She looked like a noblewoman, but she doesn't show up in social circles, so our guild has no information about her."
I hid my surprise and spoke to the child,
"Okay, that's enough."
The information's accuracy far exceeded my expectations.
I pulled 50 francs from my pocket and gave it to the child.
[Possession: 1,610 francs]
"This is the next fee for the information commission."
Although it was heartbreaking because it was a large sum of money, there was nothing better than money to build trust with each other.
"Because you, who is at the bottom, will have what it takes to dig up information from your superiors."
The child who put the money in his pocket looked at me with clear eyes.
"This time, find out about the person in the Ares District."
"All right."
Around evening, Reyhas came to visit me. I saw Dwayne past the closing door with a confused expression on his face.
He had seemed uneasy around me since the last time we went out, but I wasn't too concerned.
"May the High Priest..."
"Ariel."
He called my name before I even finished speaking. His golden eyes trembled with a dark ambience. Somehow his voice seemed to be lost,
"I'm here to ask for your opinion."
"......"
I looked at him calmly and opened my mouth,
"Please speak."
I hope it wasn't a question about the ruined temple annex.
"A carriage with the girl from Tiago will arrive in about fifteen days."
"I see."
Fortunately, it wasn't, but this aspect of the story made me nervous.
"They also requested that the Saintess should be sent to the Imperial Palace as soon as possible."
When I heard the word Imperial Palace, I immediately thought of Kyle's face.
"At the Imperial Palace? For what reason?"
I asked him calmly, suppressing a little bit of my anxiety.
The words that soon came out of his mouth were unexpected,
"You know that the Queen is pregnant, right?"
The Queen's face, which I had only seen once, passed by. She was a young and beautiful woman compared to the Emperor, who had an imposing impression. Although there was a slightly venomous expression on her face.
'If the Queen is pregnant... wouldn't that make Kyle's position even more precarious?'
"She said she wanted to be blessed by the Saintess."
His subsequent remark reminded me of a phrase from one of the books I'd read.
When the person is pregnant with a direct descendant of the imperial family, they would be blessed by the saint.
This is due to the belief that most fetuses protected by divine blessings will lead to an unscathed birth, and they would be blessed once more after childbirth.
"So you have to decide whether to let me go or send Tiago's new saint instead."
"......"
"I may not like it, but it's my last mission as a fake saint, so I'll go if you'll let me."
Reyhas stared at me silently with dark eyes and opened his mouth,
"Honestly, I don't like you going to the palace."
"......"
"But it would be strange if I didn't let you go."
His pupils shook. As if his logic and emotions were at odds with each other. Overall, it was a pointless battle.
His troubled eyes shone darker.
"I know Crown Prince Kyle has visited you several times."
It was unsurprising that his eyes and ears were all over the place.
"Do you still like Crown Prince Kyle?"
No, the flow of our conversation seemed to have taken a different direction.
"Sir Reyhas."
I looked at him with a firm expression and said,
"Perhaps... have you been drinking?"
In this world, it wasn't a problem for priests to enjoy alcohol. A faint odor of alcohol lingered in him as he immediately opened his mouth,
"Yes."
Then he moved closer to me.
A dangerous light was flowing through his sharp, golden eyes.
"Because things didn't go as planned, I consoled myself with alcohol."
With the dim light behind him instead of the bright incandescent light, his face looked especially decadent. Even I was dazed by those red lips for a moment.
"I thought I had dedicated this body to God."
He lowered his head and placed his forehead on my shoulder. A low voice rang in my ears,
"But I suppose not. Especially because of the complicated things going on in my head."
The chat window then glowed in front of me.
[Monde, the God of Art, rejoices and surrenders Reyhas' body to you]
I heard his voice again,
"I even built a comfortable place for you in the basement of the annex once you retire, but it was completely destroyed by the earthquake..."
I felt a shiver run down my spine at that moment.
'What? You want me to live in the annex's basement?'
[Ciel, the God of Destruction, roars]
[Monde, the God of Art, discusses confinement aesthetics]
Oh, I'll take back the things I shouted to the gods when I saw the collapsed annex. Well done, my gods.
"I'm worried about what to do to protect you from that insidious Crown Prince."
Hey, I think you're the most insidious though?
Before the atmosphere became strange again, I opened my mouth,
"Don't worry, Sir Reyhas. I'll take care of myself, so go ahead and get some rest for today."
He looked up at me and smiled softly at my words.
He was a little crazy, but when he smiled, he looked like an angel.
The God of Art Monde found it extremely praiseworthy aesthetically.
"Okay, Ariel."
"......"
"I think I've said too much nonsense today. Forget about it and go to sleep."
After speaking in a soft voice, he returned to his usual footsteps.
It wasn't until he left did I exhale the breath I've been holding in.