Chapter 37

“Even though I’ve lived a long time, I can’t look at something like this and stay indifferent. I’ll tell you everything I know, so please, just arrest me. I know my own sins well enough.”

“Ha, I’ll submit to the investigation too. If it means making the Countess pay for what she’s done.”

Unlike Rask and Liam, who had let go of everything and resolved to surrender, Jamie still hesitated. Rask looked back at her and pressed.

“Jamie, get it together.”

“…I know. Damn it.”

-Whoa.

Jamie let out a long sigh and looked at Hereis with lonely eyes before speaking.

“We already knew the news that the Imperial family was coming to investigate the Countess. It’s because of the diamond mines, isn’t it?”

The protagonist furrowed his brows, seemingly trying to gauge where the information had leaked from.

“There was a friend named Hans who noticed something strange about the diamond mines. He reported it, but he was caught, and the Countess banished him outside the barrier to die.”

-Oh my god.

-That’s brutal.

“This man here, Mr. Liam, was the one who kept the related ledgers, so he knows the location of all the hidden secret ledgers. Right?”

“That’s right. I can tell you in great detail.”

“Not just that, but I’ve heard a lot while being by the Countess’s side. I know a lot of useful information. I didn’t expect to be discarded like a dog after the hunt was over, but… well, I’m more than willing to talk.”

Yeah, isn’t it all thanks to me?

“Thank you for making such a big decision. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

The atmosphere softened slightly at the protagonist’s gentle voice.

“It’s nothing. Instead, I ask for a fair and just investigation… We only trust you because you are Sir Hereis.”

“That’s right! You must properly investigate the Countess’s atrocities and give her the punishment she deserves!”

“I heard that surrendering can reduce the sentence, is that right?”

-Jamie lol.

-Already worrying about her sentence.

Ding!

…!

‘Wait, wasn’t this a choice for the Saintess’s Affection Event?’

It seemed that creating a similar situation triggered an affection event, even though I wasn’t officially registered in their affection tabs. Amidst this monumental moment, Mo Je-won grumbled about the word count.

“Wait, why is this so long? Let’s try reading these slowly.”

-Lol, can’t you just keep the choices under 90 characters?

-Seriously, I don’t even want to read it.

“Let’s look at the first one. This is too typical. It feels a bit insincere.”

-Yeah, that’s just an evasion.

-Seems bad.

“The second one is a bit more fact-based. Not bad. But from the listener’s perspective, it might make them uneasy. If they think they might get the death penalty, they might change their mind about surrendering…?”

-Hmm… keep it for now?

-Seems the most balanced.

“The third one is very confident. We don’t even know the severity of their crimes yet, so isn’t it a lie to suddenly promise leniency?”

-Still, that’s what’ll get them to tell the truth.

-A sweet lie is easier to swallow.

-lol.

“Right. Better to guarantee leniency clearly than to be ambiguous!”

Time began to flow properly again, and the protagonist spoke confidently to the anxious faces.

“Since you have surrendered and are even assisting the investigation, I shall promise you leniency.”

“Y-You promised!”

“I heard a noble’s promise is staked on their faith in Ralphican. I am certain of it.”

“We will respond to the investigation with all our heart and soul! Do not worry, sir!”

Unlike the upbeat responses of the employees, the protagonist’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

-Ah, damn.

Mo Je-won’s scream played in the background like music. …In reality, the second option was the closest to the “correct” answer.

‘Was it Mental Strength +5 and Reputation +5?’

It used to go up in a balanced way. The employees would be impressed by the honesty and trust that such a person would investigate the Countess conscientiously.

‘In short, he didn’t trust those people enough.’

And the Saintess’s affection only goes up with that specific choice because the reason was…

“Telling the truth is also a form of courage.”

…or something like that. It was incredibly similar to Mo Je-won’s current situation.

-Was this not a Saintess Affection choice?

It wasn’t. For the actual Saintess, Mo Je-won’s chosen option would have dropped her affection by 5 points. The Saintess hates groundless confidence. She finds it repulsive, saying it reminds her of authoritative nobles.

-Is the Saintess’s affection just hidden?

-It’s a thrill not knowing if he got it right.

-Lol, there’s a certain tension to this.

-So we won’t know the Saintess’s affection until the end? The difficulty is no joke.

Since I wasn’t the real Saintess, there was no notification about affection. Though, it would be even creepier if a window popped up saying “Belita’s affection has increased by 5.”

‘I have no idea how this is turning out.’

Well, the choice Mo Je-won made wasn’t all bad. His reputation went up by 10, after all.

-Mental strength went down, but is this right?

-You can’t say it’s strictly wrong. Sometimes a choice that increases everything just doesn’t exist.

-Yeah, you have to think relatively.

Mental strength was only scary in the beginning; now that we were in Part 2, it was fine.

‘Because the shop sells mental strength recovery items now.’

The protagonist urged everyone to move, and they all agreed. As we were about to leave the house, Rask found it difficult to take a step. His family was clearly weighing on his mind.

“Should we bury them?”

“Pardon?”

“Rask’s family. We can offer a simple prayer and pay our respects among ourselves.”

The protagonist looked at Rask’s lonely back and nodded slowly.

“I’d like to say we don’t have time for this, but since these people are likely the key to solving this case easily, I suppose that much is fine.”

Rask’s ears twitched as he overheard our conversation. I intentionally asked him in a loud voice.

“It would be better if you buried them yourself, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes…”

We stepped outside the village and found a suitable spot to lay his family to rest.

“Goodness, look at this. The ground is so parched from the demonic energy that it looks wretched.”

“Hoping for a sunny spot in this situation is greedy! Still, I think this is good enough!”

“……”

-Rask is trash, but let’s observe a moment of silence regardless.

-The child is innocent.

-Let’s offer our condolences (Joy).

-You idiot, it’s condolences (Jo-ui), not Joy.

Rask, overcome with emotion, began to sob. Liam patted him on the back. Watching them, I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and offered a prayer before the burial mound. Since the god of this world was Ralphican, I figured praying to him would get the job done.

-For the first time, Belita actually looks holy.

-A Saintess is a Saintess.

When I opened my eyes, the protagonist, Liam, and Jamie were all praying beside me. As I looked over, the protagonist gave me a faint smile.

“I hope they can finally rest in peace…”

“I’m sorry. It’s because of us…”

-At least they’re reflecting.

-Could just be acting.

“You guys have no faith~ Can’t you just believe them for once?”

-Since when were you so kind, Mo Je-won?

-Look at him pretending to be naive lol.

“Wow, that’s mean!”

While everyone was teasing him, Mo Je-won was fundamentally a good-hearted person. And usually, such a person’s intuition turns out to be right.

I knew this because a notification popped up.

Though Rask’s tears had yet to dry, we didn’t have much time. We finished the simple funeral rites and headed toward our original destination.

“Wow, it really is normal outside the county!”

“My goodness…”

The fresh air stood in stark contrast to the thick demonic energy. Upon reaching the safe zone, the trio of employees inhaled and exhaled repeatedly, claiming they needed to purify their contaminated lungs. It had only been a day for us, but for those who had been trapped for a month, there was no doubt this air tasted sweet.

That was right. The Imperial family hadn’t just thrown us into the county without a plan. They had set up an investigation headquarters for safety, though it was placed in a village slightly away from the county to avoid the spread of miasma.

“Sir Hereis! How did it go? Is everything resolved?”

The headquarters was a mess. They probably hadn’t imagined we’d return in just a day, and since they had only recently arrived themselves, the place wasn’t fully organized yet. The protagonist was busy handing over the witnesses of the case.

“Ah…! As expected of Sir Hereis! You’ve already secured witnesses.”

The knight, looking impressed, greeted the three employees kindly to put them at ease. Word must have reached the investigation staff that I might be the Saintess. Perhaps that was why they didn’t explicitly acknowledge me and only gave a timid nod.

‘I heard they were ordered to keep absolutely silent about the Saintess.’

It was because the existence of the Saintess hadn’t been officially announced yet. The Order had sent an official document telling people not to spread rumors that hadn’t been verified by the Church.

‘At least, that’s what I heard.’

Yet, I could feel curious gazes coming from everywhere…

“Witnesses, please do not worry. I will handle this well!”

“Ah… yes…”

“I’m a bit nervous.”

“It’s finally starting to feel real.”

The three, looking tense, followed the knight. Of course, they didn’t forget to express their gratitude to us before leaving.

“Sir Hereis, and Priest-nim, thank you. I thought a lot on the way here. I realized I’ve lived a pretty pathetic life. I want to try and change now.”

“Ah, me too. I mean, I only spoke up out of spite because I was betrayed, but seeing Rask’s family made me feel really uneasy. Since things turned out this way, I’m going to come clean and live properly. Thank you as well!”

“Thank you. For helping us.”

The protagonist and I watched their retreating backs before our eyes naturally met.

“Well. Shall we get going then, Belita?”

“Shall we?”

We had to leave before sunset to find our way back through the demonic energy. Once total darkness fell… I didn’t even want to think about it. Fortunately, the protagonist borrowed a horse from the headquarters for a quick return.

-Will she ride it well this time?

-Lol.

I remembered yesterday’s unsightly struggle with the horse. Still, it was better than walking. I tried to mount the horse calmly this time without startling it, but…

“WAAAAAAAIT!”

I had no choice but to stop at someone’s lion-like roar.

‘It’s Jamie.’

“I-I forgot, pant, to tell you something!”

Jamie seemed to have chased after us as we were leaving. Liam, Rask, and the knight from earlier were behind her, all looking dazed as if they had followed her on a whim. Anyway, what did she forget?

“There’s something you have to watch out for at the mansion! The Countess has a self-destruct mechanism! And it’s a wicked device that doesn’t just kill her, but takes everyone in the mansion down with her!”

“What? There was such a thing?!”

“My god…”

Liam and Rask reacted as if they were hearing this for the first time. As expected of the Countess’s personal maid—she knew secrets the other employees didn’t. However, this wasn’t exactly news to celebrate.

Mainly because this was information even I didn’t know.

-A self-destruct mechanism?

-Is she wearing a bomb or something?

-Shiver.

“She’ll likely try to activate it if she’s driven into a corner.”

“What does this device look like?”

“That… I don’t know. I can only tell you to move as much as possible without provoking the Countess…”

Of course. Nothing is ever easy.