Chapter 37，Part2

“Are you a friend of Luka-sama?”

“No, she’s not my friend because I haven’t paid her yet, but she’s a guest of my grandfather’s.”

“Oh, is that so?

“…Nn.”

Are you sure you were working in the right place?

“Sister-san?”

“Yes, I am, aren’t I? I have been a member of this church since I was a child.”

Since you were a little girl? Then, as a woman, what do you think of the orphanage?

That orphanage…

“Did you see it? It must have been a wonderful place. I am from an orphanage myself, and the Archbishop was very kind to me. Now that I am an adult, I am serving guests from the outside, I am sure you could be the Archbishop’s favorite as well.”

“…”

Apparently, the occupation was not wrong.

Growing up with the Archbishop’s love as a child, and then as an adult, being in the business of giving love to outside customers: perhaps the nobility? It sounded like a very reasonable system, that was, if you were fooling yourself. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Well, it was better than being thrown out and ending up in a much worse situation when you grew up, wasn’t it?

Anyway, books. Read books. There are many books, but the older ones and the more valuable literature are usually found in the back (my bias).

I parted ways with the sister and hurried toward the back with Luca and Maia, only to find an old door blocking the way.

“What’s over there?”

“Over there is some kind of forbidden book. No, no, you can’t go in there without grandfather’s permission. And he has the key to the door.”

“What’s all the fuss?”

“Grandfather!”

The archbishop appeared with a smile on his face, as if he had already done with his business.

He had already arrived. It was strange because his smile, which seemed so cheerful when I first saw him at the academy, instantly became suspicious once I learned the truth.

“Miss, have you found the book you want to read?”

“Grandfather, this girl says she wants to read the Book of the Inner Sanctum.”

I didn’t say anything about it. Not yet.

“What, the inner sanctum? It is true that behind this door there are valuable books from the founding of the country, I guess.”

The grandfather looked at the back door and folded his arms with a difficult look on his face, then glanced at me, meaningfully.

“But I promised to show it to the young lady, so maybe a little bit will do.”

“Grandfather!”

“…is it okay?”

“But the key to that door is not easy to take out. Would you like to have some tea while you wait for the procedure to be completed?”

“…I understand.”

I was worried about the subtle glances he’d given me and Maia, but it was also an opportunity to look at an ancient book that might be the best in the country.

The two of us were separated from Luka and were led into another room. Luka seemed to want to see the book too, but he reluctantly went back when his grandfather told him, ‘It’s too early for you.” …I wonder what he meant by too early?

I sat down on the sofa in the Archbishop’s reception room, and another bewitching lady served me tea and sweets.

“You can have some too. …Would you like me to serve your servant?”

“Yes.”

Is a sleeping pill the norm in such situations? But even though I was an abomination, I was a nobleman, and he should have known what would happen if he did something to me, and a person in his position should not be doing such a thing.

“Wow, these are the most famous sweets in the capital, Miss Carol. The tea is also very high quality, wow, delicious! …Ggh.”

“…”

Seriously? I looked at Maia, who was lying down on the sofa, sleeping soundly.

As far as I could tell, it was not a strong medicine that would put someone into a coma. Even if no detoxification magic was used, someone could easily awaken in an hour or two.

“…”

At that moment, I heard footsteps approaching me from the hallway, and after thinking about what to do, I decided to pretend to be asleep.

A few seconds after I pretended to sleep, there was a faint knocking sound and the parlour door gently opened.

“Oh, well, I see you’ve had a good night’s sleep. This can’t be good.”

I thinly open my eyes and see that old archbishop.

He looked at me and Maia, then smirked at Maia, who was more relaxed than I, who was curled up in a ball.

“Hmmm, it’s hard to miss eating a fruit when it’s ready to eat, so shall we have this one first? It’s okay. They won’t remember anything when they wake up.”

As he said this, the archbishop extended his hand beneath Maia’s feet.

I see, so it was not a kidnapping, but an intended one-time mischief.

“Setup [Saint Cloche] all.”

Equipped with Saint Cloche, the saint’s armor, a pure white armored china dress, instantly, I interrupted him by swinging my staff that resembled a huge war hammer between them.

“What! Who are you? How did you get into this holy church?”

“…You don’t need to know.”

I transformed right in front of him, but he was so focused on Maia that he couldn’t recognize that me and Carol were the same person.

“You dare to interrupt my holy ritual, you treacherous, God-fearing infidel! Look at you, you are still an immature young girl! With my love… Gufu!”

“…”

I lightly nudge him with the handle of the war hammer, and the archbishop rolls away.

“Koh, to do this to me, gofuh!”

After being lightly hit with the war hammer again, the archbishop rolled on the carpet. It would seem that the purging was perfect as there was no sign of the guards coming even after all this.

“Ki, you, gyaa!”

“…”

“My love, gufu.”

“…”

“S, Sto, Stop, Gyaaa.”

“…”

I was so uncomfortable that I beat him several times in silence. He was, after all, an archbishop, and so he nipped at my feet as he collapsed with fortitude.

“Hit, hit me more. My Goddess…”

“…”

…Did I hit him a little too hard?

Apparently because I was wearing Saint Cloche, the archbishop misidentified me as a goddess or an incarnation of one, and I was able to obtain powerful connections and the Book of the Inner Sanctum without incident.

…I really hate this country.