154

The meal I had ambitiously prepared to lighten the mood ended up finishing in such a mess.

‘Huh, what am I going to do about this.’

I was touched that they had fully accepted me as family. But I hadn’t hoped for this outcome. Besides, there are things that can’t be done without Olgard.

“Hey, what if they refuse to treat Rio because of that? What are you going to do?”

Marcella answered with a coldness I had never seen before.

“Hah, if they threaten Rio’s life I’ll go to the ends of hell to kill that bastard. Consider it fortunate that’s at least something I can do. That’s why they let him stay with us.”

That was true. To stop treatment just because of a fight would be crossing a line. In any case, rational conversation was impossible in the current state.

“Don’t see each other’s faces as much as possible until things calm down.”

“If you start spouting nonsense like that bastard posing as our brother isn’t really a sibling, tell me immediately. Don’t hide it.”

“…Alright.”

Even though they were clearly angry, the tip of my nose prickled.

The siblings’ relationship was on the verge of breaking, but there was work to be done.

I went to inspect the temple. I had been visiting several times under the pretext of praying for Rio. But this time, I was greeted not by an indifferent mid-ranked cleric but by a novice cleric.

‘They don’t bother hiding it anymore.’

It was an obvious sign that there was no need to cater to me. But that was better. It was easier to move without someone who knew nothing involved. In fact, this young female novice in front of me, for some reason, emitted bright eyes toward me and was very cooperative.

“If there’s anywhere outside the prayer room you’d like to see, please tell me anytime! There are many sacred places here, so you can pray for your younger sibling’s recovery from anywhere.”

“Thank you.”

It seemed she knew absolutely nothing. The novice guide kept chattering as she led me.

“The Count is the youngest and the first female Chancellor of the Seraphina Empire, aren’t you? It’s such an honor to actually meet you like this!”

“I was lucky. In person I’m not that different from others. I hope you don’t be intimidated.”

This had the opposite effect.

“Oh my! You’re even humble like this! You’re so cool, Chancellor! I’m a fan of yours!”

“…Yes?”

I was startled by such absurd words. I needed to move to another topic quickly.

“Thank you. But to me you look more admirable for deciding to serve the Deity for life. That’s never an easy thing.”

The novice’s cheeks flushed.

“Hehe. Thank you for saying that. I want to repay Lord Lemer’s grace and serve the citizens of the Empire! If I can be of even a little help, there would be no greater happiness.”

“You’re much more admirable than I am. I hope you achieve what you desire.”

I was surprised such a pure soul existed in this rotten temple.

‘Well, villains are a minority everywhere; the majority are ordinary or kind.’

She was just a pure new cleric. Like a new employee who joined with passion and zeal.

Thanks to her I could comfortably tour the temple. True to its money-hungry nature, it was very large. To put it in modern terms, it felt like a Greek temple? The building was so ornate and beautiful it could be a tourist attraction.

“Oh, friends!”

At that moment, a group of what looked like novice clerics passed by in a line. Seeing that they wore the same attire as my guide, they seemed to be peers of the same rank.

“But there are only female clerics?”

“Ah, we take classes together, but daily life is separated by sex. Clerics don’t marry, so they’re strict about these things.”

It was in line with a conservative worldview. The temple couldn’t be a love nest for clerics, so it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible, but…

“Still, those who want to date will find someone.”

“How would they…!”

“People tend to want something more when it’s forbidden.”

It was amusing in a way. This place housed clerics who pledged lifelong faith and could wield divine power, but if they wanted to marry they could always give up their position and leave.

Whether due to a personnel shortage or not, the intention to avoid housing men and women together was clear.

“Actually, I was recognized for my diligence and selected for a special baptismal ceremony.”

“Special baptism…?”

“It means being reborn by the God and the Deputy Cleric gives you a new name. Among novice clerics it’s an extremely honorable event.”

She told me her name was ‘Angelina.’ It suited her lively complexion perfectly.

“I’m so excited. The special baptism is really only given to a very tiny few. My friends and I are all waiting for that day. What kind of name will I receive?”

“Aha, I see. Congratulations.”

“Hehe.”

Angelina shyly rubbed just under her nose with her index finger.

She was so happy I didn’t say much, but honestly, as a temple it seemed overly hierarchical. I understood dividing by amount of divine power into lower, middle, upper, and Deputy Cleric. But did they need to create yet another special rank just for novices? A suitable reward would do, but a name bestowed by the Deputy Cleric felt symbolically divisive, which I didn’t like.

‘She came in with such a pure heart; she’ll be disheartened from the start.’

I felt bitter, but having given up expectations for this rotten temple, I entered the final destination: the prayer room.

“I want to pray peacefully by myself. If I think someone is watching, I can’t concentrate.”

“Of course. I’ll be around outside the prayer room, so find me when you’re done.”

“Thank you.”

Angelina smiled brightly, greeted me, and quietly left the prayer room.

I slowly walked toward the statue of Lemer. It was the prayer room where I had cursed in front of Nora last time. Nothing had happened, but since Olgard’s oracle visit I had been visiting as a way of giving thanks.

“Thank you once again for sending Olgard.”

Last time I had been so angry I snapped and used rude speech, but after getting through the crisis I regained composure and returned to polite mode.

“Thanks to you, Rio has improved, if not completely recovered. Apart from you pulling me here without warning, I’m truly grateful. Now I just need to find the relic…”

I ended up rambling aloud as I talked to myself.

“I’m busy looking for the relic, but do you know how things are at home? It’s brutal. My older and younger siblings won’t even talk to Olgard. I didn’t expect them to be that angry… I’m grateful they accepted me as family and were angry on my behalf, but I hope they don’t lose another family because of me. They’ll regret it for sure. I can’t think of a good solution.”

“Don’t do anything; just watch.”

“Yes?”

An unexpected answer came. Light emitted from Lemer’s statue and materialized in a spirit-like form. This time it wasn’t a dove but appeared exactly like the statue.

“Lord Lemer?”

“Aside from the little ones, you’re the first to confide such worries.”

The deity’s melodious voice resonated pleasantly in my head.

“It may seem trivial, but the person involved has a lot of worries.”

Lemer chuckled softly.

“I know. That’s why I came out myself. Honestly, your worries were somewhat- wise amusing too.”

“It would have been better if you came when I asked for help.”

“I don’t come down to the surface often. This time I had things to say to you, and with Olgard here it was much easier. You must have many questions, right?”

“That’s right. But why did you just tell me to stand by and watch? Isn’t a mediator supposed to help them reconcile quickly by pretending to give in?”

Lemer looked at me as if I were cute and smiled faintly.

“In the case of your siblings, such forced reconciliations are meaningless. They need to ponder, realize things on their own, and find courage. You, who tend to handle things directly and connect people, would find that frustrating.”

Honestly, it wasn’t easy to endure the awkward atmosphere at home.

“One more thing. Olgard said he didn’t contact us because he felt we were doing well. Is an oracle like that? Is it absolute enough to leave a sick family member behind?”

“I’m sorry about that. I wanted Olgard to become a Deputy Cleric as soon as possible. I encouraged him, saying the family would be safe so he could focus on training.”

“….”

If a god expressed such a desire, could mortals like us refuse? Especially here?

It seemed momentarily like a gentle boss giving top-down instructions.

“Wait a little longer. They’re good children and will find an answer soon.”

The more we talked, the more it felt like its thought process differed subtly from humans’.

“Now you’re curious about the oracle, aren’t you?”

“The content of the oracle wasn’t hard to understand. But I’m curious why the second oracle was given at this point. And whether there are parts of the oracle I missed.”

“I see… a meticulous question fitting the youngest Chancellor.”

“Cough, cough!”

I hadn’t expected to hear that from a god and choked. What the… it really is watching everything, apparently.

“I don’t have much time to stay, so I’ll answer briefly. First, the oracle is…”

As I listened to Lemer’s continuing explanation, the faint smile on my face gradually hardened.

“You’re back?”

The butler took my coat and greeted me.

Not all my questions were answered by the conversation with Lemer, but I gained important information. While I was sprawled on the bed mulling over the brief meeting, an unexpected person arrived.

“Cornelia.”

It was Olgard. Well, we weren’t the kind of people to bother with formalities, so I only turned my head while lying down.

“Why.”

“I have something to tell you.”

I sprang up from my seat.

Could it be that he’s going to stop treating Rio?