IBOSO 18

Episode 18…………………………………

– English Translation

The marquis’s son didn’t seem to believe the holy knight and exploded angrily.

“Damn it, a mirror. Bring me a mirror!”

There was no mirror in the prayer room. Instead, there was a basin filled with clean water for washing hands.

He leaned over the basin to see his reflection.

“What… what is this? It was definitely swollen!”

What happened? I healed it with holy power, that’s what.

To prove that holy power had been used, they would need a high-ranking priest of the same attribute.

And there isn’t a single priest in this entire Holy Nation who has healing power… except me!

Which meant verifying the truth right here and now would be difficult.

The holy knights’ expressions chilled. They all stared at the marquis’s son with suspicion.

He looked completely flustered.

If he returned to the Empire like this, not only would his beloved little sister blame him, but he would have lost to the insolent girl who dared slap him.

He opened his mouth.

“T-That is…! The priest tried to attack me. I felt threatened, so I called the holy knights.”

He had come here fully prepared with a plan to put me in danger.

Apparently, he had already come up with another excuse.

I lifted one hand gracefully.

“May I explain…?”

The holy knight said,

“Priest Sonia, please speak.”

“Yes. I only tried to help the young marquis sit down because he was drunk.”

I pointed to the wine bottle he had drunk from. The holy knights’ gazes shifted to the empty bottle rolling on the floor.

“The young marquis stumbled, and the holy crystal in his pocket fell to the floor and broke. I think he’s acting like this because he’s embarrassed someone saw him drunk…”

“You helped me sit? Don’t lie!”

The marquis’s son, who claimed he was slapped, looked perfectly fine.

Meanwhile, I—a trainee priest—was collapsed weakly on the floor, and an empty wine bottle lay in the corner.

Which version sounded more believable?

However, procedure came first.

“Lord Septentus, we’ll confirm this.”

It didn’t take long. The stench of alcohol around him would be obvious.

“You truly did drink. Alcohol is forbidden in the temple. Please leave immediately.”

“Why leave the bottle there then? Isn’t that an invitation to drink?!”

The holy knight’s eyes grew colder. The panicking marquis’s son shouted,

“My honor has been damaged! You expect me to leave like this?!”

With a heavy sigh, the holy knight said,

“Bring water mixed with holy water. We’ll sober him up first.”

“D-Don’t treat me like a drunk! I only drank a little—it doesn’t hinder conversation!”

So now he was admitting it himself.

“Hurry and bring it.”

“Yes, sir!”

Just as the holy knight was about to leave, the door creaked open ominously.

A chilling aura spread through the prayer room.

It was Schwarz.

Everyone froze when they saw him.

His long, loose hair and black formal attire looked especially alien in the white, pristine Holy Nation.

Some holy knights recognized him from the time they had once been mobilized to restrain him.

“D-Duke… Rindmere…”

Schwarz strode forward with heavy, deliberate steps.

The overwhelming aura he exuded made even the marquis’s son’s eyes widen.

He looked like the embodiment of death—dangerous and suffocating.

“And who are you.”

“I—I am the eldest son of House Septentus! H-How is Duke Rindmere here…?”

Schwarz slowly looked down, his cold gaze sliding toward him.

His voice was a low, icy rumble.

“I heard someone stole the priest I reserved. I came to see what bastard it was.”

“You… y-you requested this priest as well? If that’s the case, I can yield—”

“Who told you to open your mouth?”

His voice seemed to freeze the air.

The marquis’s son clamped his mouth shut instantly.

Even the holy knights held their breaths, fearful of provoking Schwarz.

He’s… looking at me!

Chills ran down my back. He was glaring at me.

Sweat began to drip down my back.

His pheromones were explosive—rage and killing intent.

Is he angry because he thinks I rejected him? Is that why he barged in?!

I was too scared to even look back.

“Sonia.”

Eek—c-calm down.

My heart pounded so violently I almost unleashed my pheromones by accident.

I exhaled slowly, focusing on the pheromone control technique I’d learned.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“You explain. Why you’re tending to him instead of me.”

Because you terrify me, so I picked the marquis’s son instead!

That was the truth, but saying it out loud would help no one.

Ah—I had the perfect excuse.

“I simply went in the order the reservations arrived.”

And indeed, the marquis’s letter had arrived earlier than Schwarz’s.

Perfect.

“You chose based on the arrival order?”

“Yes. There was no other intention.”

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

His voice softened.

Schwarz’s mood seemed to improve. Looked like I gave the correct answer.

“Stand up.”

Ah—I was still sitting on the floor.

I stood awkwardly.

Schwarz’s eyes swept over me from head to toe.

His gaze lingered especially on my knees and the hem of my robe, stained with the black dust of the floor.

Priest robes were white, so dirt showed clearly.

“Why were you sitting on the ground?”

That part I couldn’t tell him truthfully.

I had already explained it to the holy knights before Schwarz arrived.

Left with no choice, I repeated my earlier statement.

“I was helping the drunk young marquis, but I stumbled…”

“Lies! You collapsed on your own!”

Unable to tolerate this lie, the marquis’s son cut in.

“Young marquis.”

“Y-Yes, Your Grace!”

“If you speak again, you die.”

His chilling voice echoed through the room.

“S-Sorry…”

Pale with fear, the young marquis quickly shut his mouth.

Schwarz tapped my shoulder with a paper envelope he pulled from inside his coat.

“That’s enough. I understand the situation. The rest, I’ll handle.”

I accepted the envelope.

What is this?

A warm, fragrant smell drifted out.

Inside were cookies, stuffed full.

Schwarz muttered coldly, almost awkwardly,

“Stop getting hurt.”

I didn’t actually get hurt—I just scrubbed the floor with my robe.

“…Yes.”

I answered quietly, embarrassed by the unexpected concern.

“You don’t even have the strength to answer properly?”

No, I was just using all my focus to suppress my pheromones…

Schwarz looked to the holy knights.

“Escort Sonia and check if she is injured. As for the young marquis—he and I will talk.”

The marquis’s son hiccuped like a frog facing a snake.

Later

Schwarz preferred getting the truth through torture.

As someone skilled in it, he knew exactly where to press to cause pain.

He was fully confident he could force a confession out of the marquis’s son within minutes.

But this was the Holy Nation.

Not exactly the place to torture someone. Doing so might get him banned from entering entirely.

Unacceptable.

Normally he wouldn’t care and would act however he pleased, but this time… he held back.

He ordered the “black phantom” disguised as his attendant to bring truth serum.

Only a handful of alchemists could make it, and its price was absurdly high.

Under the truth serum, the marquis’s son confessed everything.

“At my sister’s request, I came to intimidate Priest Sonia. I planned to submit a negative evaluation too.”

Just hearing that disgusted Schwarz.

Under the serum’s influence, the marquis’s son no longer knew who stood before him and continued confessing.

“But the priest was prettier than expected, with a good figure, so I wanted to make her my woman… Honestly, it’d be beneficial for her to become the marchioness…”

“…”

“I thought she’d be honored, so I put my hand on her shoulder—”

Schwarz clenched his fist so hard his knuckles cracked.

Should I kill him?

He genuinely considered staging it as suicide and washing his hands of the matter.

“And then… she slapped me.”

“That’s the best thing you’ve said so far.”

But it didn’t end there.

He confessed everything—even that he’d told Sonia she’d be forgiven if she undressed.

All thanks to the truth serum.

Schwarz felt as if something precious to him had been dirtied.

He was furious.