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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Lockdown and a Disappearance
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“Ah, and if possible, please lock down the entire temple right now.”
“…The temple?”
Airic, who had been sighing for some reason, questioned my sudden demand.
“Kento isn’t the only spy.”
“What?”
“There are more spies?”
Both Airic and Seth looked utterly stunned.
I felt a little bad for constantly surprising them, but unfortunately, it was the truth.
“Yes, but I don’t know who they are, or how many there are.”
This much was true. If only I had known this for sure, I could have earned their complete trust!
Of all things, this part was only vaguely described in the original story. What a shame.
So, I had no choice but to do the legwork and find them one by one.
“Please handle the task of rooting out the spies, High Priest, Captain. I’m sorry to ask this of you as soon as you’ve returned, Captain.”
I briefly considered interrogating them myself, since I’ve become quite skilled at it, but Airic and Seth were male lead candidates, no less.
They would thoroughly catch them on their own without my involvement, so I decided to just trust them with it.
“Not at all. It is my duty as the Captain of the Holy Knights. I will conduct a thorough search, so please don’t worry and get some rest. You look pale.”
Honestly, I wanted to stay up all night with Seth, cheerfully interrogating Kento, but…
“Then I’ll leave it to you. Let’s talk about the rest tomorrow.”
My mind was fine, but my body was on the verge of going on strike.
I don’t know if she’d ever exercised a day in her life, but Ordel’s body had terrible stamina.
This wouldn’t do. I’d have to start with some basic physical training soon.
“You seem to be having trouble walking… I will escort you to your room.”
Seth, who had been fidgeting anxiously as if I might collapse after a single step, carefully took my arm to support me.
“Oh, then I’ll take you up on that.”
Was there any reason to refuse?
Leaving Airic with a ‘see you tomorrow,’ I leaned on Seth’s sturdy shoulder and slowly headed to my bedroom.
* * *
As soon as Ordel and Seth left and he was alone in the kitchen, Airic pressed a hand to his forehead.
The headache that had been his companion ever since accepting Ordel as the Grand Temple’s Saintess had grown worse these past few days.
To be precise, it started when Ordel began to show her suddenly changed self. He still couldn’t tell if this was a good thing.
‘…*I didn’t tell you on purpose because I couldn’t fully trust you.*’
Ordel, who had so casually said she’d put herself in danger for that reason.
But did she know?
That her words also meant she didn’t trust him either.
Why was Ordel’s tone, which seemed to say she never expected his trust in the first place, so grating?
Two years had passed since Ordel came to the Grand Temple.
In all that time, there had never been a single reason for them to trust each other.
So it was only natural that trust wouldn’t suddenly form, yet he didn’t know why it felt so shocking now.
Airic let out a dry laugh.
“Ah, you’re still here.”
Just then, Seth, having escorted Ordel, returned to the kitchen.
Airic took the opportunity to ask something he had been curious about.
“Captain, why didn’t you recognize the Saintess? It’s not as if you’ve only seen her once or twice.”
How sharp was the eye of Seth, a swordmaster.
It was far too strange that he wouldn’t recognize Ordel.
“Well, her impression was just so different from before. It was as if she’d become a different person.”
“Different?”
“Yes. When I last saw her before leaving the Grand Temple, she definitely had a fierce impression… But now she’s so gentle, I couldn’t imagine she was the same person.”
Seth recalled Ordel.
She always had the corners of her eyes raised menacingly and wore a stubborn expression.
Her gaze, with its strong yellow tint, was venomously sharp, as if to dare anyone to treat her carelessly.
But what was her impression like, seeing her again after half a year?
Seth had never once seen Ordel with such a soft and gentle expression.
Her smiling eyes even appeared not yellow, but a honey-like gold.
When she was so completely opposite, how could he think she was the same person?
Ironically, this happened precisely because his eye for detail was too good.
“…It seems the Saintess has had a great change of heart recently. Perhaps because of that, her personality has actually changed a bit as well.”
Airic briefly explained the things Ordel had done in the Grand Temple over the past few days.
From demanding better meals for the children, to eating with them in the dining hall, and even that she was the one who caught Kento’s embezzlement that afternoon.
Seth was greatly surprised.
“The Saintess has done something truly great. I should have been the one to catch the embezzler… I’m sorry. It seems I was away for too long.”
“How is that your fault alone, Captain? It is my fault for not even knowing a rat was eating away at our stores until now.”
Airic gave a bitter smile.
With Seth gone, he should have paid more attention to the temple; this was all his mistake.
“Besides, now is not the time to argue over who is to blame. We must catch the rest of the spies before it’s too late.”
At Airic’s words, Seth’s clear blue eyes glinted darkly.
“You are right, High Priest. As the Saintess said, I will issue a lockdown order immediately and summon everyone residing in the Grand Temple.”
“Priests, holy knights, and even the acolytes—everyone must be investigated without exception. Please be careful not to frighten the children, but examine them closely so that no suspicion remains.”
Investigating even the children might be excessive, but this was a matter directly related to the safety of the Grand Temple.
He could not repeat a mistake once made.
Seth nodded with a determined expression.
“I will be thorough.”
“In the meantime, I will interrogate Kento. I’ll make him confess who his accomplices are.”
“Will you be alright on your own? I can handle that.”
Airic shook his head firmly at Seth’s concern.
“The honor of the Grand Temple is at stake. I will not be careless, so there is no need to worry.”
Seth did not offer a second time and immediately agreed.
The two men began to move at once.
Seth gathered the holy knights, while Airic headed alone to the deepest prison cell where Kento was held.
The damp, dirty, humid smell assaulted his nose.
Guarding the cell where Kento was held alone were two holy knights whom Seth particularly trusted.
There was absolutely no chance that these two, whom Seth had practically raised, were spies, so Airic entered Kento’s cell with peace of mind.
Kento’s limbs were bound by chains and manacles attached to the wall.
“Kento. From now on, you will answer my questions properly.”
Airic picked up a whip that was set in a corner of the cell for interrogations.
Kento, who had been scoffing as if to ignore him, began to tremble when he saw the sharp barbs at the end of the whip.
Did you think we wouldn’t use torture in a temple that serves a god? Not a chance. We can do it *because* this is a temple.
It is only natural to bring down the hammer on evil that has defiled the name of a god.
“I am in a very foul mood right now, so this is going to hurt quite a bit. So please, scream for a good long while, and confess when you absolutely can’t take it anymore. I think that might make me feel a little better.”
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Kento flinched and shuffled backward.
But in a place closed off on all sides, there was nowhere for him to run.
“Don’t worry. You won’t die. Fortunately for you, the god I serve is the Sun God, who specializes in healing.”
Torture, heal, interrogate, heal.
At the implication that this cycle would be repeated, Kento’s face turned deathly pale.
But the face of Airic looking down on him was devoid of any emotion.
Soon, a terrible scream echoed through the prison.
* * *
The next morning.
Having excellently carried out their respective tasks overnight, Airic and Seth met again in front of the Saintess’s reception room.
Seth wore a troubled expression at the faint smell of blood coming from Airic.
“High Priest, the smell of blood…”
“Ah, dear. I washed up as much as I could, but does it still linger?”
“Mm. It’s faint enough that the Saintess might not notice, but she could in an enclosed room.”
Airic nodded at Seth’s advice.
I should open a window as soon as I go in. Ordel takes a long time to get ready, anyway.
‘Ah, no. She doesn’t adorn herself anymore.’
Before, Ordel would spend a great deal of time dressing in extravagant gowns and ornate accessories.
But the suddenly changed her had ordered all her dresses to be disposed of.
And she had started wearing the saintess’s vestments or simple clothes she had never bothered with before.
It was a clear sign that she had truly changed.
Recalling Ordel asking him to trust her, Airic sighed, his heart growing needlessly complex.
“Um, High Priest. Captain.”
Just then, the maid who had entered Ordel’s bedroom to announce their visit returned with a bewildered expression.
“Th-The Saintess isn’t in her bedroom. The room is completely empty.”
Their eyes widened at the unexpected news she brought.
