Chapter 16…………………………
The Grand Duke of Lyndmere’s penthouse in the capital of the Reintvia Empire.
It was about time for him to depart for his domain, yet Schwarze remained in the capital.
A man clad entirely in black appeared and prostrated himself before Schwarze.
“My lord.”
He was a member of the assassin guild Black Phantom, which Schwarze personally ran.
They wielded darkness as their weapon, left no evidence, and created victims without a trace—thus they were called the Black Phantoms.
Because they left absolutely no traces, no one knew who the master of the guild was.
The prostrating Black Phantom was extremely tense. He had to report on the task Schwarze had assigned.
Yet even though he had arrived, Schwarze did not spare him even the slightest glance.
I need to do well. Last time during the group report, someone was immediately disposed of for failing the task.
He couldn’t gauge Schwarze’s mood at all today, and so he struggled to open his mouth.
Just being near him made his skin prickle with a terrifying presence.
Betas cannot perceive pheromones.
But if the emotion behind them is strong, they can react.
They couldn’t read emotions as precisely as Alphas or Omegas, but could at least sense the general atmosphere.
Whether it felt good or bad—that was all.
At present, Schwarze seemed extremely displeased.
The Black Phantom gathered his thoughts and cautiously spoke.
“We received a message from the Phantom stationed in the Holy Kingdom.”
Schwarze reacted—surprisingly, given how uninterested he had appeared.
“Report.”
The master responded immediately?
The shadow was secretly startled.
It meant the priest Schwarze had under surveillance must be an important figure.
Well, she was the daughter of the Imperial Knight Commander, a staunch supporter of the royal family. And she was expected to join the Holy See.
If a woman like that aligned herself with the prince whom Schwarze opposed, it would indeed be troublesome.
“The priest you ordered us to monitor has begun receiving outsiders for counseling prayer.”
“I see.”
“Yes, and all those who made appointments were nobles who support the prince. Shall we investigate what her intentions are in meeting outsiders?”
He had no idea where the absurd rumor came from—that that priest had somehow calmed the Grand Duke of Lyndmere.
His master had merely avoided a confrontation with the Holy Kingdom.
The Black Phantom disliked that priest, Sonia, who seemed to tarnish his master’s honor.
“You’re overstepping. Simply do as I commanded.”
“M–my apologies.”
Schwarze took out a sheet of paper and began writing something.
Since he had not been dismissed, the Black Phantom waited silently, enduring the heavy silence.
Scratch, scratch—the pen moved across the paper, then stopped.
Schwarze even took out wax he rarely used and sealed the letter tightly.
“You know the order of the appointments, don’t you?”
“Yes. I’ve already gathered the list of names.”
It was information collected by a Phantom disguised as a priest.
Sonia was only an apprentice priest. Her schedule wasn’t confidential, so collecting information had been easy.
Finishing the letter, Schwarze spoke in a warning tone.
“Tell the nobles who made appointments this: If they dare to go before me, they will regret it.”
It was not a simple warning.
Even if he was giving advance notice, if anyone opposed him, he planned to crush them with full force.
“Understood.”
Just as Cassius said, there were quite a few people who wanted counseling prayer.
I listened to their worries, prayed with them, and used healing power.
“Oh my, my head feels so clear.”
“My body feels so much lighter. I think I’ll finally be able to sleep peacefully tonight.”
It was all to receive a good satisfaction score.
I used my holy power diligently, and the clients left satisfied.
The satisfaction evaluation would be sent by letter a few days later, so I had to wait—today was the day the results were released.
After using holy power nonstop for days, my body was starting to feel strained.
I was tired, but in a good mood.
I checked the newly updated score sheet.
Those who were satisfied gave me perfect scores, covering the points I had lost.
‘I’m only a few points behind Leia now.’
I thought I had secured a big lead by taking most of the counseling work.
But when I checked the final scores, Leia had caught up quickly.
At this rate, she might overtake me, so I’d need to continue taking counseling jobs until promotion day.
I had two reservations today.
As I sorted them by arrival order, I noticed one letter was extremely thick, so I checked it first.
‘Ugh, this is…’
The emblem of the imperial family—a black eagle and a golden serpent glaring at each other with open jaws.
‘It’s a letter from Schwarze!’
He really intended to come.
The other letter was anonymous. Occasionally I received letters like that.
It was usually nobles from the Empire who had bad relations with the Holy Kingdom, hesitant to visit openly.
People who wanted to share secrets they couldn’t tell anyone else also sent anonymous reservation letters.
Even though it was anonymous, right before meeting me, they would undergo an identity check and search by the Holy Knights.
So it was safe. I had already met several anonymous believers.
I chose the anonymous letter without hesitation.
“I’ll take the one who arrived first.”
It was absolutely not because I was scared of Schwarze… Okay, fine, it was because I was scared of him.
The Holy Knight guarding the counseling room nodded.
“I will prepare.”
After confirming the person’s identity, right before entering the prayer room, I found out who the anonymous visitor was.
The Viscount Sepentus?
‘Why is he coming to see me?’
He was Leia’s older brother!
The reason he sought me out was obvious.
It had to be because of Leia.
Since I had already accepted the appointment, I couldn’t refuse.
If I rejected a Viscount, they would use that excuse to deduct my score drastically.
And if I refused him, the next person I’d have to meet was Schwarze.
Points or my life—if I had to choose, of course losing points was better.
And if needed, I planned to blame everything on Viscount Sepentus.
I even had the perfect excuse: he came first.
Most nobles had chapels or small sanctuaries in their mansions.
They preferred to worship only with family. In such cases they requested a priest to be dispatched.
But many nobles also liked to pray at the great sanctuary, the Holy Temple.
For nobles like that, the Temple had numerous private prayer rooms.
Guided by a Holy Knight, I stood before the room where Viscount Sepentus waited.
‘Whew… let’s do this.’
It had already happened; what could I do?
I braced myself and opened the door.
And then I froze for a moment.
Inside the prayer room was a statue of Magnus and a comfortable set of chairs and a table.
Normally, one would pray or meditate while waiting for the priest.
But Viscount Sepentus sat with his arms crossed in an extremely arrogant posture, glaring at me as I entered.
Anyone could see he was here to pick a fight. I couldn’t help but sigh.
I had heard this job meant encountering troublesome cases.
The believers I’d met so far had all been polite and kind, so I had almost forgotten such people existed.
‘So there really are difficult clients.’
Confessors were essentially counselors too. Eventually I’d have to face troublemakers, so I decided to consider it a practice run.
Fortunately, after a full week of counseling, I’d gained a little confidence.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Sepentus. I am Apprentice Priest Sonia, servant of Magnus.”
I smiled softly and greeted him politely.
‘He looks exactly like her.’
Brown hair, green eyes—Viscount Sepentus resembled Leia. Anyone could immediately tell they were siblings.
He stared at me intently.
“I heard you had something troubling you. If you’re willing, could you share it with me?”
I smiled and acted just as I had practiced.
But Viscount Sepentus neither sat down nor spoke. He stared persistently—his gaze moving from my face to my chest.
He wasn’t checking the priest’s pendant.
His sticky, obsessive gaze felt like it was crawling over my entire body. Disgusting.
He scanned me head to toe with creepy eyes and smirked.
“You’re prettier than I thought. And great to look at, too.”
His gaze was fixed not on my face, but on my upper body.
My smile froze.
“Why the serious face? I said you have a big heart. A big heart!”
Viscount Sepentus staggered toward me. A foul smell wafted from him.
‘Ugh, alcohol? Did he drink all the wine?’
Believers customarily brought a bottle of wine when visiting a prayer room.
All attributes had to harmonize for grapes to grow well.
You offered wine made from well-ripened grapes to the god as a sign of gratitude. The finer the wine, the higher the chance the god would bless your prayer.
Sometimes first-time visitors forgot to bring wine; in such cases, the Temple provided some.
“Why are you avoiding me? Do I smell?”
“……”
“I saw it there, so I drank it. Is that a problem?”
Wine is for offering to the god, not for drinking!
Judging from his ignorance of basic etiquette, he clearly didn’t come here to pray.
Ignoring the harsh smell, I forced a smile.
“You seem exhausted. Please have a seat first, and I’ll bring you some water.”
I’d mix plenty of holy water to sober him up instantly.
He grinned at me.
“Where should I sit?”
“In the chair right beside you.”
“I can’t see. Guide me.”
He held out his hand and wiggled it—clearly wanting me to grab it.
He had taken off his gloves somewhere. I had no desire to touch the viscount’s sweaty, sticky hand, so I ignored it.
“You can walk, can’t you? You’re standing just fine.”
“I can’t walk. Carry me.”
The viscount, just like Leia, approached me with clear ill intent.
Why should I be kind to someone who only wanted to cause me trouble?
No reason at all.
“Agh, stop acting like a child and try a little harder.”
“……What?”
