Chapter 19
Someone knocked on the door of the Temple Head’s office.
“Come in.”
When the voice came from inside, it wasn’t just one person who entered.
It was Priest Philip and the Commander of the Holy Knights, Alec.
Fabivan greeted the priest he had summoned and the Melissa Temple’s Holy Knight Commander with a gentle smile.
“Welcome.”
Philip offered a polite greeting with a faint smile.
“I greet you, Your Excellency. May God’s grace be upon you.”
When Alec saw Fabivan—whose complexion still looked unwell—his brows twitched.
After Philip greeted him, Alec bowed belatedly.
“May God’s grace be upon you.”
Fabian, seated in the place of honor, gestured toward the long sofa.
“Please, come and sit.”
At his invitation, the two straightened their backs and walked inside.
As Alec sat down, he looked at Fabian, unable to guess why they had been summoned today.
“Now that you’ve become the commander of Melissa’s Holy Knights, I realize my greeting has been terribly late. Hoho.”
“Not at all. Are you feeling better?”
“Hoho. Much better now. I seem to have worried everyone.”
Despite his words, the shadows beneath his eyes were deep.
When Fabivan’s trembling hand moved to pour tea, Philip stepped in and poured it into his cup instead.
“Please don’t overexert yourself, Your Excellency.”
“With even our priest worrying about me this much, how could anything serious happen?”
Without explaining why he had called them, Fabivan continued with polite small talk.
By the time the tea had gone lukewarm, he finally spoke.
“I’ve heard that our Saintess entered the believers’ prayer hall.”
Philip’s fingertips twitched slightly.
“Yes. She went in briefly. Was that a problem?”
“Hoho. Not at all. It’s just rare for her to act outside official matters, so I worried unnecessarily. This saintess is quite warm-hearted, wouldn’t you agree?”
When both men nodded briefly, Fabivan continued.
“While I was unwell, the Saintess even handled matters meant for me. She must be quite burdened.”
Alec pictured the image of Shallen he had seen frequently lately.
She hadn’t looked exhausted at all—if anything, she seemed even more proactive.
Philip sipped the cooled tea and tried to change the subject.
“By the way, others are still unwell as well, which concerns us.”
“Hoho. With the Saintess being so busy, it can’t be helped.”
Alec frowned slightly at the uneasy atmosphere.
In truth, it was strange—
that the cardinals had all fallen ill at once,
and that the Saintess had not gone to see them.
Yet something felt off about criticizing the Saintess for it.
Fabian asked Philip what the Saintess had said inside the prayer hall.
Alec listened quietly, then furrowed his brows at Fabivan’s words.
“She is quite… proactive.”
“Yes?”
Fabian brushed his chin and let out a small chuckle.
“Hoho. It seems this Saintess is deeply devoted to the believers.”
Before they could guess his true intention, Fabivan revealed a sliver of it.
“A saintess, after all, is a replaceable figure.”
The expressions of the two men stiffened instantly.
How could one speak of the Saintess—chosen by Gloria—like that?
With an indifferent expression, Fabivan turned to Alec.
“Come to think of it, I heard the Saintess went down to the village. Did you accompany her, Commander?”
Though the visit had been discreet, it seemed the temple head already knew everything.
“Did the Saintess meet anyone in particular?”
Alec shook his head firmly.
“The Saintess only observed the village from the carriage. She met no one.”
It was only half true.
Alec deliberately omitted the fact that Shallen had stepped out of the carriage.
‘Commander.’
‘Yes, Saintess. Please speak.’
‘May I ask that you not report to the Temple Head that I went outside today?’
‘Why is that?’
‘It wasn’t an official matter, and I worry how His Excellency might view it.’
“Hm. I see.”
Shallen had smiled when she said that, and now Alec understood why.
She had already known the Temple Head would not look kindly upon her actions.
“Was there a reason you summoned us today?”
“I wished to know what the two of you truly think of the Saintess.”
Alec lifted his head and met the Temple Head’s gaze.
Philip, who had been unable to look straight at Fabivan until now, slowly raised his head as well.
‘Then please stop it.’
‘Priest, you saved a life. And what you wished to protect.’
It had been the current Saintess, Shallen, who had first reached out—
to ease his guilt and allow him to protect his convictions.
That was why Philip held his tongue even when Fabivan questioned him about the Saintess.
And he had already seen the hidden side of Melissa Temple.
Smiling at Fabivan, who waited for his answer, Philip spoke.
“Previous Saintesses also visited villages to observe them, so I don’t believe this is something to be overly concerned about, Your Excellency.”
“Do you believe she is walking the same path as the former Saintesses?”
“The same path… How could I dare judge the road the Saintess walks?”
“Hoho. Shouldn’t the Saintess walk the righteous path with our guidance? She needs our help.”
The Temple Head’s words sounded as though the Saintess should have no will of her own—
as though she were meant to move like a puppet.
Having already called the Saintess replaceable, it sounded even more so.
Philip wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
Alec felt it too.
“I hope our priest and commander will assist the Saintess well. I worry so much, you see.”
Though he spoke indirectly, the message was clear:
Watch the Saintess carefully—and report to me.
When neither man responded, Fabivan lifted his chin slightly.
“I feel at ease when I know where the Saintess goes and whom she meets. May I ask this favor of you?”
Both men nodded briefly.
“Of course, Your Excellency.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Fabian nodded in satisfaction and smiled broadly at them.
“Hoho. Then I look forward to working with you.”
***
By the time they stepped outside, darkness had fallen.
The two walked in silence, burdened by awkward tension.
It seemed neither was certain whether the other could be trusted.
Just before reaching the door, the Temple Head spoke again —
mentioning the Grand Duke of Ferdian.
“Ah, come to think of it… the Grand Duke of Ferdian. I’m quite curious about him as well.”
The meaning was clear—
Investigate the Grand Duke.
Philip glanced sideways at Alec walking ahead.
A man who did not yet know this place’s darkness.
A man who had only recently become commander, having once been the former commander’s disciple.
Had he noticed the Temple Head’s other face?
And if he had—did he intend to change anything?
“Commander.”
When Philip called him, Alec stopped and turned his head.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Is there something you wish to protect, Commander?”
“My duty is to protect the temple.”
“Then let me rephrase. Is it the temple you must protect… or the Temple Head?”
Alec frowned and stared at Philip.
“Are you testing me? Do I owe you an answer to that?”
He stepped past Philip and continued walking.
His thoughts were tangled.
He didn’t know what the Temple Head or the Saintess truly sought.
but it was clear they were walking different paths.
As commander of the Melissa Temple’s Holy Knights—
Whom should he follow?
The closer he got to the temple, the more expressions he saw that he hadn’t noticed before.
Things he hadn’t perceived as a low-ranking knight.
Even the Saintess’s expression—he wanted to believe it was just his imagination.
He had never questioned the invisible rules of Melissa.
To only realize their strangeness now—
Thoughts he had never considered kept piling up.
Alec let out a deep sigh.
Philip watched Alec’s retreating back, then began walking again.
He didn’t know where he was headed, but he wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Temple Head.
Darkness spread across the sky.
Without realizing it, he had walked to the most secluded part of the temple grounds.
A long shadow reached his feet.
When he looked up, a figure bathed in moonlight came into view.
A woman with long hair flowing down to her waist stood gazing at the sky.
It was the Saintess.
Sensing his presence, she turned her head.
“Priest?”
When her blue eyes met his, Philip felt as though meeting the Temple Head just moments ago had been a sin.
Startled, he gathered himself and stepped closer.
“S-Saintess.”
“The sky is very clear tonight, isn’t it?”
Shallen deliberately turned her gaze back to the sky—for him.
“Saintess, I…”
“Yes. Please speak.”
After staring blankly at her turned profile, Philip shut his eyes tightly and spoke.
“I’ve just come from meeting the Temple Head.”
“I see. Is His Excellency feeling alright?”
When Shallen looked at him, she wore a faint smile —
as though she had already known where he had come from.
With the face of someone making a confession, Philip called out to her.
“That is…”
“But is this something we can speak of right now?”
