âItâs been an hour or two.â
âI know heâs deeply religious, but things have piled up like this, and the High Priest is really⦠How many times does he pray?â
Dwayne quickly added his words, as if he wanted to say sorry after grumbling.
âAh, what I just complained about is a secret. The High Priest is secretly a bit timid.â
I smiled and said to Dwayne.
âI hold secrets well. Quickly search for him.â
Thus, Dwayne went to find Reihausd again.
Looking at his back, I suddenly thought about what I had just read.
âReihausdâ¦â
Even if Camilla received the protection of the God of Lies, she wouldnât have been able to convince everyone in the temple to believe her blindly.
In the book, the range came out to âmany peopleâ. Not everyone in the temple actually fell for her.
However, Camilla must have used the ability of the God of Lies at least against Reihausd and me.
Yet I didnât doubt for a long time. Because Iâve been fooling myself.
However, Reihausd began to be wary of Camilla early on. That would mean that Reihausd is a pervert⦠no, an honest person who is honest with himself.
âWhoa, crazy!â
Lloydâs mansion, as magnificent as a palace, opened my mouth in surprise.
[The God of Justice, Hetuse, frowns at your harsh words.]
[The God of Benevolence, Oman, likes your candid exclamations.]
It was a really shiny and big building.
âThere might be a hundred of windows I can see.â
The vast garden was the size of a playground, and there was even a pond that could be called a small lake. It seemed to be half the size of the Elium Temple, the largest in the Empire. To the point where I doubt whether this is really a house where people live.
Well, in Daisyâs words, the Lloyd Merchant was the best in the continent, and there would be no family in the Empire with as much wealth as Lloyd.
âYouâre hereâ
While I was looking at the scenery of Lloydâs mansion from the carriage, I heard a familiar voice.
When I turned my eyes, Cass the rich man was standing there to greet me. He had his dark hair combed back in a pomade style, and was wearing a neat yet classy outfit.
âAh, Marquis. You came out to meet me.â
Perhaps because of the magnificence of the mansion, it feels like a halo can be seen behind him today.
[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, raises his chin proudly, saying that the son-in-law he chose is like this.]
[The God of Art, Mond, acknowledges the architectural beauty of the mansion with an angry face.]
[The God of Destruction, Ciel, looks at the large garden and wags his tail.]
âYou live in such a wonderful place? Iâm really surprised.â
A small smile passed across his lips at my appreciation.
âItâs good that it looks great in the eyes of the Saintess. But that mouse on your shoulderâ¦?â
Kyuu, who had been holding onto my shoulders with all fours until just now, was standing in a clumsy pose with its front legs raised and hind legs crossed. Besides, it had a challenging look.
âAh. I brought our Kyuu⦠because it seemed to want to come with me.â
At my words, Cass pursed his lips.
âI see. My Blue Wing was also bored, let them play together.â
âKyuuu.â
I had goosebumps while Kyuu let out a sound, hiiiiiik. Hmm. Is the feeling of Cass and Kyuu having a war of nerves an illusion?
âI know Blue Wing eats rats, so Iâll decline.â
âKyuuuk.â
Clinging to my neck, Kyuu glared at Cas.
Cass turned his gaze away from it and looked at me.
âAnyway, welcome to Lloydâs mansion, Saintess.â
I put my hand on his hand as he reached out and escorted me.
âMay the Eight Gods bless the Saintess.â
âI pray for the blessing of the Eight Gods.â
As I entered the mansion, countless servants lined up in a row looked at me and bowed their heads.
Although the fact that the God of Eternity, Raid, had been stripped of his divinity hadnât yet been officially announced, it seemed that Cass had trained his servants in advance.
âAh. The blessing of the Eight Gods.â
As if I was in a huge conglomerate house in the drama, I greeted them in a daze.
Soon, after passing through the long hall and sitting at the table for sixteen in the huge dining room, all sorts of delicacies began to appear.
[The God of Art, Mond, applauds with resentment.]
From the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the candle holders on the dining table, and the portraits and ornaments hanging on the walls, I could see that they were all precious things. Though I look like this, Iâm someone who has a career in reselling artworks at auction.
Also, the meal at the temple was quite colorful, yet compared to this, it was beyond simple and shabby.
After tasting various appetizers, I took up my knife to cut the thick and juicy chateaubriand. Then I told him, like a joke.
âBut isnât it too good for me for it to be the Marquisâ wish?â
Upon hearing my words, Cassâ lips moved.
âEver since I parted ways with the Saintess in Ares, I thought I should invite you at least once like this.â
Hearing the Ares topic, something I had forgotten for a while came to mind.
âExcuse me⦠Marquis.â
âPlease speak.â
âWas the Marquis in the Ares Mine by any chance?â
Cassâ knife stopped at my words.
I asked him without hesitation.
âThe ability you used to show against Camilla the other day⦠Itâs divine power, right?â
His ultramarine blue eyes stared at me silently.
When I was exhausted while blocking the gate in Ares Mine, there was a high-ranking priest blocking the crack in the gate instead of me.
âI asked the lord about the identity of the priest, yet he said he couldnât tell me.â
When I found Cass, I could still see him lying in agony on the bed.
I tried to heal him with my holy power, yet it couldnât get through at all. Perhaps the reason is that he exhausted all the divine power in his body. In that case, there is no cure.
Cass looked at me for a moment before opening his mouth.
âI didnât believe in the Gods.â
It was something I had heard from him.
âAnd I didnât believe in a saintess either.â
His eyes were darkened.
âIsnât it funny that I have divine power?â
A faint, self-deprecating smile escaped his lips.
âI was born with it. Maybe itâs because of my mother.â
I heard Cassâ mother was a former saintess. She had an affair with the owner of Lloyd Merchant, gave birth to Cass as her single mother, and remarried to the Duke of Rockford.
In the midst of all that, did he have any wounds about his mother?
He didnât seem to think too well of his own power.
âIf you didnât believe it, does that mean you do now?â
Instead of prying into Cassâ past, I grabbed the tail of his words and asked the question, then the corners of his lips slanted upward.
âNo. Butâ¦â
He paused, then opened his mouth again after a while.
âI want to believe it these days. Seeing you keep doing something, Iâm also curious about the Gods.â
Dark eyes contained me.
âDidnât the Saintess say that you continue to receive the oracle? Then we get through the difficulties with the help of the oracle.â
I didnât know how to answer, so I kept my mouth closed for a while, making eye contact with him.
âDo you still receive the oracle?â
âIâm not sureâ¦..â
[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, wants to pretend to know Cass.]
[The God of Love, Odyssey, whistles.]
[The God of Art, Mond, is greedy for the portrait hanging on the other side.]
I pretended not to know the floating oracle window.
Cassâ words followed.
âIâm also going to go to the regular crusade of the Elium Temple from next week.â
âPardon? The Marquis is?â
Cass said that although he was a registered saint in Elium, he didnât go in or out of the temple unless he needed to.
He shrugged her shoulders as if he was wondering whether there was something wrong.
[The God of Justice, Hetuse, applauds your missionary work.]
[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, is delighted to see his face often.]
[The God of Art, Mond, puts up a challenge for him to donate money instead of talking nonsense.]
âYou never know. The Gods might be of help to Lloyd.â
I looked at him with mixed feelings.
After a moment, he turned his gaze the other way and pursed his lips.
âAnd⦠if I go there, Iâll be able to see the Saintessâ face often.â
After a moment of hesitation, I opened my mouth.
âI wonât be at the meeting hall. Iâm still lazy because Iâm weak.â
He laughed at my honest answer.
âHow can you be lazy even though youâve become a real saintess?â
âTrue faith needs no place.â
I could see him smiling
I guess it felt like an excuse, well, it is.
âIf the Saintess says so, then it must be like that.â
I spoke to him.
âGoodness, Iâll keep the fact that I saw the Marquisâ divine power a secret. The Marquis doesnât seem to want to reveal much either.â
With a smile in his eyes, he nodded. And he raised the knife again.
âIâd appreciate it if you would do that.â