CHAPTER 33
Except for the vegetables grown on-site, most of San Fidelio’s food supplies were delivered through the upper town.
Rebecca, waiting for the ordered items, straightened her attire to maintain her dignity.
Supplies arrived only once a week, so checking everything would take quite some time.
Still, she couldn’t neglect the task assigned to her.
As a priestess of San Fidelio, she had to be different from Satan, who only played tricks.
‘Finally, tomorrow I’ll be returning.’
It had truly been a long time. Even the nausea that rose whenever she thought of Adele’s pink eyes seemed to settle with that one thought.
Ever since she’d moved her work to the knights’ order, she hadn’t had to face Adele anymore, but it still bothered her that such a woman was in the sanctuary.
‘Unacceptable.’
She was a woman who was not only worldly but practically made of materialism itself.
Thankfully, the wise Sir Killian had agreed to monitor her, so she wouldn’t be able to pull any more tricks.
A woman who believed money and beauty could make everything go her way needed to learn that the world didn’t always work like that.
‘Oh great Sun God…’
Rebecca crossed herself out of habit.
A sense of pride surged through her — she alone had remained steadfast while others swayed under Satan’s schemes.
Once she received and stored these supplies and laid down in bed, she would regain her peace starting tomorrow.
Just imagining that wretched woman shrinking in front of the Archbishop made her feel like a decade’s worth of burden had lifted from her chest.
The sight of that pale face and red eyes shedding tears…
“Ah, Lady Agnes?”
“There you are, Priestess Rebecca.”
…was nowhere in sight.
Instead of tears, Adele’s eyes sparkled confidently as she approached.
As much as Rebecca hated to admit it, the way Adele wore her white veil made her look like a fitting member of San Fidelio.
“What brings you here, Lady Agnes? Shouldn’t you be looking after the children?”
“I know, but there’s something I just had to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Rebecca didn’t bother hiding her hostility. Being forced to see this face she’d hoped to never see again — especially at night — irritated her.
But she wasn’t the only one with a cold expression today.
“It’s about the food supplies. No matter how I think about it, San Fidelio’s financial situation shouldn’t be this dire.”
“Are you saying our food supplies are subpar?”
“…Isn’t that something you know yourself, Priestess Rebecca?”
“Lady Agnes!”
“The meat, the wheat, even the vegetables — their quality is severely lacking. You’re from a noble family yourself. Don’t you notice the difference compared to what you used to eat?”
This wasn’t the submissive Adele from before. She was now passionately speaking, as if she couldn’t understand how others didn’t see it.
Rebecca’s face twisted in disbelief.
“You’re the one who doesn’t know what you’re talking about! This is San Fidelio! We receive the finest ingredients, worth a whopping 50,000 rubles a week! Of course they may seem lacking by the oh-so-lofty standards of the Sergio family!”
“…What did you just say?”
“I said the proud Sergio family! If insulting your house hurts your feelings, then I regret it, but—”
“No, not that. What you said before that.”
Adele stepped closer, shaking her head. Her unusual energy made Rebecca flinch.
“Before that… what do you mean?”
“50,000 rubles a week?”
“…What about it?”
Now it was Rebecca who was confused. Ever since money was brought up, Adele’s eyes had changed.
“Are you saying 50,000 rubles are being paid for those food supplies?”
“Yes, and as I said, they’re of the highest quality. Why? Do you think even that’s not enough for your standards, Lady Agnes?”
“No, of course they should be top-tier ingredients… if they’re really worth 50,000 rubles!”
“Surely… you’re not suspecting me, are you?”
Rebecca finally realized what Adele was implying, and her face flushed with anger and shock.
“To make such accusations! How could you! The god Enes will never forgive this! How can you say something so irresponsible!”
“Irresponsible? I’d tolerate you calling my family wastefully extravagant, but this… this I cannot let slide.”
Rebecca swallowed nervously at the genuine outrage in Adele’s fiery red eyes.
How had that blazing passion been hidden all this time? She was overwhelmed, though she didn’t show it.
“What are you saying then? How do you plan to take responsibility for this accusation?”
“If you’re truly uninvolved, Priestess Rebecca…”
Adele turned slightly, gazing down coldly at the approaching light of a wagon outside the door.
“Then someone else will answer for it.”
“Oh, Priestess! You’re already here? You didn’t have to come out!”
“…Kirel.”
A man tying horses at the back gate of the temple lit up at the sight of her and approached.
His hands were clasped, his body language screaming I’m a merchant. And like any seasoned merchant, he was extremely sensitive to his customer’s expression.
“Are you alright, Priestess? You look rather grim… and who is this young lady?”
“No need to concern yourself.”
“Ah, yes, of course. I just thought maybe she came to assist you as a novice priestess.”
“Priestess, you say?”
Rebecca’s tone was sharp, clearly offended.
And Kirel, having done business with her for years, was one of the few who knew just how prideful Rebecca could be.
“Of course not just anyone could enter here. This is San Fidelio, after all. A place so sacred that only those with significant divine power can even approach…”
“Enough. Just show me the goods.”
“…Yes, of course.”
Clearly, flattery wasn’t going to work today.
Whether it had to do with the woman standing silently behind or not, something felt different — like he was being punished.
Still, even with only her nose and lips visible, the woman behind Rebecca was clearly a stunning beauty.
“Kirel! Didn’t you hear me?”
“Oh—right, of course. Let me unload them.”
He tore his gaze away from Adele and stepped back at Rebecca’s scolding. No use ogling a woman tied to the temple anyway.
“Now then, here we go!”
Every flaw has its upside.
Since no one could lay a hand on women belonging to the temple, they were untouched by worldly corruption. In other words, they were easy to deceive.
“Priestess, as requested, I brought the vegetables and meat — and wine this time as well.”
“…Are these really top-grade?”
But today, something was off.
Rebecca, her face rigid, opened the topmost meat crate and clenched her teeth.
As if she’d know what she’s looking at.
Kirel, flustered by her displeasure, hurried to put on a smile.
“Just look at that color! Truly premium beef should have that vivid crimson hue!”
“It smells off when you eat it, though…”
“Well, we are at the top of a mountain. No matter how good the meat, it’s bound to degrade a little during a full day’s wagon ride. Surely you’re not accusing me of anything, are you?”
“…Kirel.”
“I’m honestly hurt, Priestess. Even if I’m just a merchant, would I really risk messing with the temple’s food supplies?”
Kirel clutched his chest in exaggerated distress, and Rebecca hurried to calm him down, clearly embarrassed.
“No, that’s not what I meant… it’s just… just in case.”
“Priestess, we’ve been doing business for years. If anyone should trust me, it’s you. It’s unfair otherwise.”
“Kirel, please don’t be like this. I may have misspoken.”
Rebecca tried hard to soothe the man practically jumping in front of her.
Now that’s more like it.
Kirel wiped imaginary sweat from his brow, watching her carefully. With Rebecca’s pride, it was best to end it here.
“Well… if you say so, Priestess, what can I do?”
“As you can see, the meat, the grains, the spices — all top-quality ingredients. You’ve confirmed them with your own eyes. Didn’t your family use things like this in the secular world too?”
“…Yes, that’s true.”
As she faltered, Kirel’s confidence grew.
No success was guaranteed, but he also wanted to look impressive to the beautiful woman behind her.
“In any case, I hope you’ll refrain from such suspicions in the future. Supplying San Fidelio is a matter of pride for a humble merchant like myself. Honestly, at this point, it’s almost volunteer work for us.”
“Is that really true?”
“Eh? Ah… of course!”
The young woman, who had been silent with her head lowered, began walking forward one step at a time, creating an odd tension. She wasn’t raising her voice, yet had a unique sense of pressure.
Is she not a novice priestess?
