Chapter 58 ……
“Yes. May I come in?”
“Wait a moment.”
A commotion could be heard from inside Theodore’s room.
‘What’s going on…?’
A moment later, the door opened.
“Come in.”
Unlike usual, Theodore was dressed casually in just a shirt and pants. The sight felt strangely unfamiliar.
A fresh, youthful vibe, maybe.
Even when a handsome man dresses casually, he still looks beautiful. The world is really unfair.
Anyway, unlike his usual imposing self, he looked relaxed now, and it made me feel a little odd.
“Saint?”
“Ah… yes.”
Every time I looked at him, I felt dazed. I couldn’t let myself get like this.
I followed him in, and the door closed behind me.
“What brings you here?”
Theodore, glancing at me, exuded both the presence of a youth and a man at the same time.
Through the partially unbuttoned shirt, his chest was visible. His breathing seemed a little rushed, as if something had happened. And his hair was wet.
No, somehow… it was kind of… provocative.
My heart involuntarily began to race. I forced a small smile and said,
“You must have just washed up.”
“Yes. You arrived suddenly, so I got delayed changing my clothes.”
Theodore smiled wryly, joking as if blaming me.
‘This is too much.’
Who could stay composed when a handsome man in that state is smiling at them?
I exhaled, a little overwhelmed.
“You’re… sighing?”
Theodore looked at me, puzzled.
“Is something wrong—”
“No, no. Well, there is a problem, but…”
Still, I am a capable intellectual.
I could hold my composure and not fall for a beauty’s charms—even if there was no intention to seduce.
I sat heavily on an old chair by the table, deliberately avoiding looking at Theodore.
“Is it such a big problem that you came at this hour?”
“Yes. The gods are acting strangely. It’s a long story, so would you like to sit?”
I continued, making an effort not to look at him.
Theodore sat across from me at the table.
Then I told him about Agatha’s odd behavior and the suspicious actions of the High Councilor.
“Your gods seem to be getting useless quite often.”
Theodore said with a voice like, ‘That figures.’
“Most of the time, they’ve always helped a lot. But this… it’s really strange. Something that can oppose the gods? I can’t even imagine it.”
Theodore tapped the table a few times with his long fingers. Even his increasingly troubled expression was handsome.
“A power that opposes the gods… isn’t that recorded anywhere, even in the scriptures?”
“Right?”
“But there’s a story I heard when I was very young.”
Theodore looked serious.
“There’s an underground storage in the High Temple. There, along with the altar, is said to be a sealed ‘forbidden book.’”
“Forbidden book… you mean—”
“I heard it was one of the spoils from the founding war. There’s only a rule that it must never be opened. Honestly, we don’t even know if it exists. Whether the underground storage or altar exists—I don’t know. It’s a story passed down only to the royal family and the High Councilor, told to me by my father.”
“But if it really exists…”
“Yes. If the High Councilor broke the rule upheld for 999 years since the founding and read the forbidden book…”
“Then there must be something in it.”
A forbidden book.
I had never heard of it. Not even in the original story. But if it had been forbidden all this time since the founding war…
“The guardian gods were born in the founding war… so perhaps the rules apply to them as well.”
I wasn’t sure if human laws could affect them, but we had to figure out what this forbidden book was.
“Yes. Honestly, it was just a legendary story I heard and forgot. I didn’t believe it. But now… it’s suspicious enough that I’ve remembered it.”
Theodore’s gaze was fixed on me.
“Probably because of you.”
“Because you came to believe in the reincarnation of the saint from the legend?”
“Yes. Your existence is true, and it’s hard to believe the forbidden book doesn’t exist at all.”
I nodded. Theodore’s attitude felt surprisingly positive.
Change is change.
So there might really be such a thing…
“With the High Temple empty, it would be best to send someone to check.”
“To confirm the existence of the forbidden book?”
“Yes.”
“If it exists, and there’s evidence the High Councilor already has it…”
“…we could arrest him immediately, but I’m not sure it would help.”
“Exactly. We don’t know what’s inside the forbidden book…”
“If she obtained a power even the gods cannot control… finding out its contents is the priority.”
I swallowed hard.
If things go this way…
“I think I need to stay at the temple longer.”
“……”
“I need to contact Kaiden. Don’t set off the mine incident.”
Theodore’s eyes seemed to sink slightly as he looked at me.
I turned my gaze away. Somehow, it felt like I should.
Then I forced a cheerful tone.
“I’m glad I came to consult with Your Majesty. I never thought I’d get an answer.”
Neither Agatha nor the gods had ever mentioned even the slightest thing about the forbidden book to me. And I hadn’t been able to uncover the High Councilor’s true intentions either.
Theodore was the only one who could tell me about the forbidden book—since it was a story passed down only to the royal family and High Councilor.
‘I was lucky.’
It could have been a story I would never know.
“Saint, do you understand?”
Theodore called me, noticing my contemplative expression.
“Huh? Understand what?”
“The gods are acting strangely. And if the High Councilor touched the forbidden book…”
He exhaled softly.
“If you stay in the temple, you might not only fail to find out the contents, but also be in danger.”
His serious warning carried, oddly enough, a hint of worry.
His eyes looked straight at me. The candlelight flickered in his pupils in the dark room.
Maybe that was why his gaze seemed to shimmer.
“It means even the gods can’t do anything… and they might not be able to protect you in critical moments.”
“Mm… yes.”
“Even so, will you stay in the temple?”
‘He’s worried about everything.’
I blinked and let out a small laugh.
“Your Majesty worries about everything.”
“…A human naturally does.”
Theodore looked away slightly as he spoke.
He probably felt embarrassed about his worry. He was always so cold and businesslike before.
‘Well. Theodore’s care for his people is unmatched.’
It’s natural for an emperor to worry about his subjects. Having spent a lot of time with me, it was natural to feel some affection too.
I understood that it was a completely human emotion.
I returned to the main point.
“Still, there’s no other way, right?”
I understood his concern.
Even if I didn’t want to do it or felt scared, there was nothing else to be done.
Running away wouldn’t stop anything.
We needed to figure out what the High Councilor was doing, even going as far as touching the forbidden book.
If I ran now, the gods would eventually lose their divine power, and the humans’ protection would vanish, leading to the world’s destruction.
From the moment the gods asked me, I had become someone who could not escape these dangers.
“Honestly, is there anyone else who can do this? To stay near the High Councilor and find out his intentions? Is there anyone but me?”
Theodore fell silent.
“I told you to use me. I appreciate Your Majesty caring as a citizen, but isn’t now the time to make use of a useful person like me?”
I delivered another well-timed sales pitch, trying to lift the heavy atmosphere.
Thanks for the concern, but now isn’t the time. Think logically.
After all, behind Theodore’s warm heart was the coldness needed for handling affairs.
This might help him store his worries.
“…Use you.”
Theodore frowned.
His tightly set jaw suggested he was displeased.
‘Huh. Why?’
Wasn’t that what a saint like me would say, and something he would like?
‘You like useful people… right?’
But instead of regaining his composure, he let out a sigh.
“Fine.”
And then he ended the conversation.
“If that is your will, then so be it.”
But his voice sounded quite upset.
“Uh… Your Majesty?”
“Why?”
“Are you… feeling upset?”
I cautiously asked, still not knowing the problem.
In the original story, Theodore certainly wasn’t lenient toward those trying to prove their usefulness. So I thought I could ease his worry…
“I see that you consider yourself a tool.”
“No, I just meant that—”
“Not only as a tool, but you also seem to take the danger lightly.”
Theodore spoke in a low, almost beastly voice.
Ah. I see.
Because the gods might not be able to help, I might have appeared to be making a light decision just because ‘there’s no one else.’
I might have looked like someone foolishly rushing to their own death, drunk on self-sacrifice.
Even I thought that was a bit reckless.
“No? I really hate dangerous things.”
I hurriedly explained.
As I’ve said many times, I value my life above all.
Everything I’m doing is because I want to live…!
“If the High Councilor gets his way, we might all die. If the gods lose humans’ faith and vanish, all balance will collapse, and the world might end.”
“…End?”
“Yes! If I can’t stop the High Councilor, the world will end and we’ll die. So right now, I’m struggling to survive.”
The fact that I could even struggle to survive was a kind of blessing.
Unlike my previous life, when I didn’t even have a moment to fight for my life.
Now, I’m just trying to carve a path through danger to stay alive.
“I don’t want to die. I hate danger! Don’t misunderstand me.”
Honestly, anyone would act if they realized the world was ending.
Since it’s just me, I have to do it…! World salvation…! I’ve never had that sense of mission anyway.
“…Your strong will to live is admirable. Keep it that way.”
At last, Theodore’s stern expression softened slightly.
I guess this was the problem.
“And if there’s no solution, I have gods and you have me. Two powerful pieces… shouldn’t we win?”
I delivered one final polished compliment.
Theodore let out a small laugh. It seemed the misunderstanding was completely cleared.
