-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: A Spy in the Kitchen
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“I heard a strange noise and came to check, and the guy who's supposed to be in prison was rummaging around in here! He said he had to find the rest of the money and run!”
The truth is, I was lying in wait, but since Seth had just arrived, he wouldn't know, so I lied brazenly.
“Come to think of it, I did hear there was an embezzlement incident this afternoon...”
Fortunately, it seemed he had been briefed on the day's events, as Seth scanned Kento with cold eyes.
His various wounds and disheveled appearance made it clear to anyone that he had escaped after a rough struggle.
“I also saw that man pull a pouch out from under the counter!”
With solid physical evidence and a witness, Kento had no way of escaping.
I never imagined my occupational habits as a detective would be useful even after being transmigrated.
“I see. I thought you were fumbling around to draw a weapon. So you were trying to hide it instead. If you don't want to die, put what's in your hand down in front of you.”
Like the swordmaster he was, Seth noticed all of Kento's clumsy movements and pointed his sword at him.
Unlike me, Kento, who had to endure Seth's killing intent with his whole body without the help of an AI, turned deathly pale.
“C-Captain. It's a misunderstanding. You mustn't be deceived by that... that thing's words! That woman is...!”
Kento's eyes quickly scanned me.
It was obvious he was trying to escape this crisis by revealing to Seth, who didn't know my true identity, that I was a fake saintess.
As if I'd stand by and watch that happen.
“Ah! Come to think of it, he said the drawer was next after the counter!”
Cutting Kento off, I yanked open a nearby drawer filled with cutlery.
Lifting the false bottom of the double-structured drawer, another money pouch appeared, just as expected.
“You... you... how did you...!”
Kento stared in horror as I held the pouch up high.
He had only searched under the counter and hadn't touched the drawer, so his shock was understandable.
A foolish fake saintess who was supposed to know nothing was now revealing the location of the embezzled funds one after another, blindsiding him completely. He must be reeling, right?
“Considering the embezzled money found this afternoon was in a different place, there might be more stashed somewhere else.”
There definitely is more. It's just that I don't remember any other locations besides this one.
So, Kento had to be interrogated to make him spill everything.
“Confess all the locations. It makes no difference to me if I kill you here and have everyone in the temple search for it. The choice is yours.”
Kento despaired at Seth's resolute voice.
Now, the man couldn't even breathe a word about my true identity.
With the evidence this solid, if he tried, Seth wouldn't suspect me; instead, he'd be furious at the false accusation.
“I-I'll tell you everything...”
Finally, he collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he began to confess the remaining locations.
Wow, how did he hide them so well in every nook and cranny of this small kitchen? To use such talent for embezzlement.
“To think we entrusted such an important task as preparing food to a man like this.”
In total, seven pouches were found.
He'd hidden them with an almost obsessive thoroughness.
Seth, too, seemed quite shocked by the endless stream of money pouches, his expression one of disbelief.
Seeing his fists clenched so tightly that the veins stood out, I could tell Kento's future would be very rough.
Afterward, Seth summoned the holy knights and ordered them to lock Kento in the deepest underground prison.
The order came with instructions to increase the guards to prevent another escape and to allow no one to approach him except for himself and High Priest Airic.
The holy knights were stunned that Kento, whom they had certainly locked up, had escaped, and were shocked once more to learn he had hidden more money as they dragged him away.
Worried the holy knights might have a fit if they saw me in the middle of the night, I had hidden in a corner, covering my conspicuous hair and face, and only crept out after everyone had left.
Seth bowed his head to me.
“Thanks to you, we were able to capture him. If it weren't for you, we would have lost the money and let the embezzler get away. Thank you very much.”
Hey, no need to bow your head that low.
“It's only natural for me, the Saintess, to catch a criminal.”
“...Pardon?”
Huh? What's with that look? Why are you so surprised?
You look even more shocked than when you found out the chef you trusted was an embezzler.
“Pardon? What did you just... S-Saintess, you say?”
“...?”
Don't tell me he didn't know I was the Saintess.
No matter how often Seth was away from the Grand Temple on external missions, there was no way he wouldn't be acquainted with Ordel, the Saintess.
I was wearing plain clothes instead of my saintess vestments because I was on a stakeout, but it was strange that a man as sharp-eyed as him wouldn't recognize me just because of a change of clothes.
Besides, the original Ordel rarely wore her saintess vestments anyway.
So why couldn't he recognize me?
“Captain!”
Just then, someone burst into the kitchen, shattering the awkward silence.
It was High Priest Airic, who had rushed over after receiving a report from a holy knight.
“The chef escaped, and you found more embezzled money? What in the world...”
Airic, who had been asking urgently with a flustered face, soon spotted me and his eyes widened.
“Saintess, why are you here...?”
“W-Were you truly the Saintess?”
You really didn't know?
“I didn't realize you wouldn't recognize me, Captain.”
“M-My apologies.”
Seth hastily bowed his head. He still seemed out of it, so I left him be and looked at Airic.
“Actually, I knew Kento would escape and hide here again, so I was waiting to catch him.”
“Pardon? You knew that?”
Airic's eyes widened. Seth's did as well.
They seemed even more surprised because I had just told Kento I'd found him by chance.
I told the two of them the truth.
“Kento isn't just an embezzler. He's a spy my father, Count Kiris, planted in the Grand Temple.”
“...What?”
The two men were horrified. They'd never suspected it, not even once.
“I found out when I returned to my family estate this time. I happened to overhear my father and his aide talking about Kento.”
I couldn't say I'd seen it in the original novel, so I made up a plausible excuse.
The fact that Count Kiris had planted Kento in the Grand Temple was, at least, the truth.
“To think that the man who always showed me nothing but his strict side was doing such a despicable thing behind my back. It was a real shock.”
I trembled my hands as if I had been greatly betrayed.
“To be honest, I've been agonizing over it. Should I tell the temple the truth, or should I protect my father's secret?”
“...But you exposed Kento's corruption, Saintess.”
I nodded at Airic's words.
“When I returned to the Grand Temple knowing everything, I began to see things I hadn't before. My own childish extravagance, committed without knowing my father was siphoning money away, the temple that grew poorer because of it, and the suffering children.”
I was embellishing a bit, but it was true that I'd been about to run away when the thought of the children made me change my mind.
Right now, I'm the only one who can solve the temple's problems. How could I run away?
“I was blind and have done things I shouldn't have. I am truly sorry to both of you.”
I bowed my head before the two of them. Even though it wasn't my doing, I had to apologize when an apology was due.
I needed to open people's hearts if I wanted to smoothly rebuild the Grand Temple in the future.
“I want to atone for what I've done to everyone else as well. And I swear that from now on, I will put the Grand Temple first, not my family.”
“What on earth...”
Seth, who had just arrived at the temple and knew nothing, fidgeted nervously.
Unlike him, Airic, who wore a serious expression, asked me,
“Did Count Kiris truly order all of this?”
“I can swear it on a god's name.”
In this world where gods exist, swearing on a god's name means you are telling the absolute truth. If you swear falsely, you could be subject to divine punishment.
“Then why didn't you tell us this sooner? Why did you try to catch the chef alone, knowing he would hide here? Why didn't you tell me?”
Airic asked, his tone full of suspicion.
I shrugged and replied.
“Because you wouldn't have fully believed my words without proof. That's why I planned to tell you after I secured solid evidence.”
This was also why I hadn't revealed that Kento was Count Kiris's spy during the day.
If I knew the locations of Kento's hidden money too well, I thought it would actually make it harder for them to trust me.
I could have even been suspected of being Kento's accomplice. That's why I waited alone for Kento to escape and come looking for the money by himself.
An unexpected variable named Seth appeared, but in the end, I caught Kento while he was looking for the money, so the plan was a success.
Ahh. The thrill of catching a criminal just as planned feels so good.
“You thought... that I wouldn't be able to trust you, Saintess.”
Of course. As if they'd believe me, the fake saintess and daughter of Count Kiris, if I came forward to expose the embezzlement he committed.
Especially since, until recently, I was the one wreaking all sorts of havoc in the temple.
“I received some unexpected help from the Captain of the Holy Knights, but we caught Kento all the same, so please trust me a little now.”
I smiled sweetly at Airic.
Of course, they won't trust me completely after just this one incident.
Still, it was enough if it meant they wouldn't obstruct my every move as I worked hard to earn money for the temple from now on.
Trust can be built slowly, after all.
