CHAPTER 10…………………………….
Sonia was praying earnestly to Magnus.
Creak— the door to the prayer room opened, and several priests entered.
They stopped short when they saw me sitting inside.
“Oh my, Priest Sonia is here.”
“Hello, Priest Sonia.”
I opened my eyes at the sound of my name. The priests who met my gaze beamed at me.
They were apprentice priests I’d met a few times before.
“Hello, priests.”
The two who greeted me smiled brightly.
“Kyaa, she returned our greeting!”
“Priest Sonia, is that rumor true?”
Their eyes sparkled.
Ever since Schwarze’s visit, the other priests had started treating me like some kind of celebrity.
Because I was the only priest with healing power—and because I supposedly sent that ferocious Schwarze away.
Whenever they approached me, it was always to ask one of two things.
“What rumor do you mean?”
“That you sent Grand Duke Lindmeier back, of course!”
“Right! They say he confessed all his sins and was rehabilitated! And all within three minutes!”
“Even high priests can’t make someone repent instantly. And we’re talking about the Imperial Mad Dog, Grand Duke Lindmeier!”
“How did you persuade His Grace?”
What are they talking about?!
Rehabilitated? Regretting his sins?
The man who ran an assassination organization and wiped out anyone who threatened him—quietly, without a trace—?
“I killed only those who first pointed their blades at me.”
He always said that proudly, never with regret.
It seemed rumors about me serving him tea had grown more and more exaggerated.
The fact that he left quietly last time probably fueled those rumors even further.
Letting the rumor spread until it reached Schwarze’s ears would not end well, so I decided to correct it.
“All I did was serve him tea until the conference ended.”
The priests tilted their heads, unsatisfied.
“That’s strange. There’s no way the Grand Duke left after just a single cup of tea.”
“Right? Last time, he caused an enormous scene saying he’d cut off the guide priest’s head.”
“I heard the Captain of the Holy Knights had to step in to calm him down before sending him off.”
They were talking about the time Schwarze, treated poorly for being a bastard child, raged that he would rip a priest apart.
“I truly only served him tea. He must have liked the taste, because he simply drank one cup and left.”
“Really?”
Feeling burdened by their stares, I added another detail.
“And… I did speak with him briefly. Just a normal conversation, not a prayer or anything.”
At that, their eyes sparkled even brighter.
“Then doesn’t that mean His Grace fell for you, Priest Sonia?”
“Exactly! That must be it!”
How did the conversation jump there?
“No, that’s impossible. Absolutely not.”
“Oh, how humble you are. As if he’d leave after a single cup of tea! He must have fallen for you at first sight.”
This was getting ridiculous.
Just then, the door opened again, and a new priest entered.
Judging by the robes, he was a cardinal’s aide. All of us inside the prayer room bowed.
The cardinal spoke.
“You are Priest Sonia, correct?”
“Yes.”
“His Holiness requests your presence. Please accompany me to the Holy See.”
Nice timing!
A perfect escape from this absurd situation.
The priests who had been speaking with me covered their gaping mouths with their hands and stared at me in shock.
Ah… I could feel a new misunderstanding forming.
Please, don’t get weird ideas!
After Sonia left for the Holy See, the remaining priests exchanged whispers.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes, he said the Holy See. Definitely.”
“Priest Sonia is about to become a full priest, right? She must be getting assigned to the Holy See.”
“She does have a rare healing attribute!”
“The Holy See sure knows how to spot talent!”
Even though they whispered, the prayer room was so quiet that everything echoed.
Several new priests had entered at some point.
One of them, overhearing the conversation, interjected.
“Priests, what were you just talking about?”
“Priest Leia.”
Leia, like Sonia, was a noble from the Empire.
She was also one of the apprentices scheduled to be promoted soon.
“Tell me that again.”
“Ah… you mean about Priest Sonia?”
“Yes.”
The two priests exchanged uneasy glances.
If we’d known Priest Leia was here, we would never have said anything…!
Leia was fiercely competitive and disliked any apprentice better than her. She used various means to get rid of competitors.
Most priests came from common families, so if a marchioness’s daughter like Leia decided to bully them seriously, they couldn’t endure it.
Those marked by Leia often suffered all sorts of harassment until they were forced to leave the temple.
“It’s… it’s nothing important…”
“Don’t dodge the question. Speak. Now.”
Startled by her anger, one priest blurted it out.
“…Cardinal’s aide just took Priest Sonia to the Holy See.”
Leia’s expression grew vicious.
Anyone could tell who her next target would be.
They had revealed everything they knew, yet it felt like she expected more.
“W-We’ll just go back to our rooms now!”
The priests fled, leaving Leia alone.
Leia bit her lower lip hard.
She was a marchioness’s daughter. She deserved the highest treatment, not some mere count’s daughter.
Our family donated so much money!
They had spent quite a bit to shorten her apprenticeship period.
Naturally, she was supposed to receive the highest evaluation and become the top of the apprentices.
Currently, she was indeed ranked first. But at this rate, Sonia might overtake her and push her down to second place.
Since the Holy See had summoned Sonia, they were clearly favoring her.
Even though she’s not even talented!
Sure, healing attributes were rare, but if one didn’t reach their final awakening, they were useless.
Small injuries healed on the way to the Holy Nation anyway!
And holy water worked better for tending wounds.
Leia had met Sonia many times.
She had no other outstanding qualities.
Did she donate more than I did?
House Theodore was wealthy, though not as much as her own.
Regardless, being outranked by a count’s daughter was humiliating.
There were still a few days until the promotion ceremony.
She just needed to interfere before then and cancel Sonia’s advancement.
I’ll take action myself, but I should also ask my brother for help.
On the way to the Holy See, the cardinal addressed me.
“I am Isaac, aide to His Holiness. Priest Sonia, you are aware of His Holiness’s secret, are you not?”
He must mean Cassius being an Alpha with special abilities.
I knew, of course—but it wasn’t my place to bring up the Holy One’s secret, especially when the person asking wasn’t the Holy One himself.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Isaac stopped walking and turned sharply.
“You are quick-witted. Keep answering like that.”
He was likely testing whether I could keep the secret.
I smiled faintly. He continued walking and said,
“His Holiness has summoned you to bring you into the Holy See.”
Cassius had said he would help me.
Was he planning to have me work in the Holy See so he could act swiftly if something happened?
Being part of the Holy See meant rising quickly to a high-ranking priest.
That should have been good news—but there was a problem.
To become a full priest, one must first receive a recommendation from their supervising priest. Then, over a year, they must earn various points through activities.
Only the top apprentice could be assigned to the Holy See.
And for several months now, the top position belonged to Leia of House Septentus.
I hovered around third to fifth place.
“I don’t have enough points to join the Holy See.”
“You will soon receive special points, Priest Sonia.”
So they intended to manipulate the scores?
Noble-born priests already faced accusations of returning to secular life too easily. If I were promoted through favoritism, gossip would be inevitable.
I did not want a position I hadn’t earned properly.
“Magnus will not forgive dishonesty.”
In other words, I was refusing manipulated points.
“It is rightful compensation. The additional points were requested not by me or His Holiness, but by other priests.”
“Who?”
“The priests who welcomed the Grand Duke with you.”
Ah—those mid-level priests who shoved me forward and trembled in the back during Schwarze’s visit.
Considering how mentally exhausting it was to deal with Schwarze, granting points was entirely justified.
There was nothing shameful about it.
“In that case… I’ll gladly accept the honor of joining the Holy See.”
