Chapter 40…………………………………………….
There were a few people inside.
Though it was a sanctuary, it was still within imperial territory.
Most of those present were imperial knights standing guard, followed by priests.
There were also a handful of ordinary people not wearing priestly robes.
She had heard that it hadn’t yet been opened to the general public.
“Who are those people?” I asked.
Jürgen followed the direction of my gaze.
“They are scholars of ancient sacred language summoned by His Holiness.”
It seemed that every academic who studied ancient sacred script had been gathered here.
“That’s quite a crowd. With this many people, they should be able to interpret the prayer tablet, right?”
“Do you wish for the prayer tablet to be interpreted, Priest Sonia?”
The question felt oddly phrased.
Jürgen, though a holy knight, was still a priest who served the gods.
Wasn’t it natural for a priest to want to read words left behind by a god?
Even priests without healing affinity would surely be interested in the contents of the prayer tablet.
I nodded.
“Yes. I’m curious what words the god Magnus left behind.”
“So you wish for it to be interpreted quickly.”
He murmured to himself.
“Then perhaps we shouldn’t let the scholars leave until they finish.”
“…Excuse me?”
“If we lock them in and make them focus on nothing but translation all day, the results should come faster. Don’t you think?”
There were outside scholars mixed in, not just clergy. If they were detained and forced to translate, it would turn into a diplomatic incident.
“That joke went too far.”
“It’s not a joke. I have the authority to seal the sanctuary.”
Jürgen looked genuinely ready to block off the exits.
Fearing he might actually do it, I quickly changed the subject.
“Wh–where is the prayer chamber? Since I’ve come to the sanctuary, I’d like to offer a prayer.”
“This way.”
Jürgen took the lead.
Thankfully, he seemed to have abandoned the idea of imprisoning scholars for translation.
I followed him deeper into the sanctuary.
What does the sanctuary look like?
The original novel never described the healing sanctuary.
I didn’t know what would happen here.
But that was fine. Not knowing the future meant I had drifted away from the original story, Domain of the Devourers.
Jürgen stopped in front of a massive door.
“This is the prayer chamber.”
“Wow… it’s incredible.”
Even the intricately carved pillars outside were breathtaking.
The carvings on the prayer chamber’s enormous door were works of art in themselves.
When I reached for the door, Jürgen stepped in front of me.
“I’ll open it.”
I took a few steps back.
Creeeak—
With a heavy grinding sound, the door swung open.
“It’s so clean.”
Outside the prayer chamber, parts of the lobby had collapsed and were covered in dirt.
But inside the chamber, there wasn’t a speck of dust—like it had just been cleaned.
“I was told it’s looked like this since it was first discovered.”
No one had maintained it, yet it remained pristine. Was this the blessing of the gods?
After a brief look around, I stood before the prayer tablet at the center.
“…Huh?”
Something felt off.
They said it was written in ancient sacred language that had been lost long ago.
They had invited linguists from across the continent, yet not a single line had been translated.
I can read it.
Why?
Because it was the language I had used before dying in a fire and being reborn as Sonia.
Ancient sacred language… was Korean?
Well, the original author of the novel I possessed was Korean, so it wasn’t impossible.
Either way, this was an opportunity.
Suppressing my urge to freak out, I carefully began reading the tablet.
I could feel Jürgen watching me closely, but I was too focused to care.
***
Shane sent a letter to Lancelot.
“I heard you were attacked by criminals impersonating me.
Thanks to the young viscount’s excellent swordsmanship, you escaped danger, but I still worry you may have been hurt.
I would also like to hear more about the new perfume you developed, so please visit the imperial palace.”
Since the kidnapping attempt had failed, he couldn’t use the same method again.
This time, he planned to build rapport and completely win Lancelot over.
That was why he suggested meeting at the palace instead of outside.
Security would be perfect—surely Lancelot would accept.
“To the Empire’s Little Sun,
Thank you for your concern.
I wish to answer your summons, but my elder sister—who has been away for a long time—is visiting the Empire, so I plan to spend some time with my family. I sincerely apologize.
I will send the newly developed perfume separately.”
He had intended to meet under the pretense of the perfume, but Lancelot sent only the product.
It was a clear refusal to meet in person.
Since the day Schwartz and Lancelot entered the ballroom together, Shane had felt that Lancelot was subtly avoiding him.
Did he find out?
All the kidnappers sent to Lancelot were dead.
It shouldn’t have been easy to trace the order back to him.
This is driving me insane.
Lancelot walked around emitting omega pheromones.
Yet he showed no reaction to Shane’s alpha pheromones.
If I could just meet him once…
A proper examination would reveal whether he was a beta with a rare scent—or a true omega.
If Lancelot really was an omega and Shane left him alone, he might suppress the curse of Schwartz’s special ability.
That would threaten Shane’s position.
I don’t like this…
When Shane had awakened as an alpha in childhood, he once attacked Schwartz—who had awakened earlier—with pheromones.
Submit to me. Kneel.
But Schwartz hadn’t budged.
Instead, Shane himself had ended up on his knees, hands on the floor, completely overwhelmed.
It happened again just days ago.
The moment he sensed Schwartz’s pheromones at the ball, fear crushed him into immobility.
He never wanted to feel that humiliation before a bastard again.
Why am I not an ability-bearing alpha?!
Shane and Schwartz looked nearly identical—same jet-black hair, same golden predator eyes—only their hair length differed.
Though half-brothers, they looked like twins.
Yet only Schwartz possessed a special ability.
Shane hated that Schwartz surpassed him.
Why didn’t Father just discard that bastard instead of acknowledging him?!
He couldn’t understand why his father granted a title and palace access to someone who couldn’t even receive a baptism.
Shane had tried everything—assassins, battlefields—to eliminate Schwartz.
Yet Schwartz survived every time, clawing at Shane’s nerves.
“Your Highness! Are you here?”
“What is it?”
The one who came was an attendant from the Emperor’s main palace.
“There’s been an incident at the Healing Sanctuary. His Majesty orders you to lead knights and handle it immediately.”
“What? What happened?!”
“A priest from the Holy Kingdom is in danger. You’ll need to hear the details at the sanctuary.”
If the Emperor himself ordered the prince to move, it had to be someone important.
It won’t be the Pope.
After the banquet, Cassius headed to the Grand Temple in the capital with the Emperor.
The next most important figure was Sonia, the healing priest.
Sonia Theodore.
The elder sister of that insolent Lancelot who kept avoiding him.
He won’t ignore a letter from the one who saved his sister.
Having finished his calculations, Shane stood up.
The attendant whispered quietly.
“His Majesty says it must be handled discreetly.”
“Is the priest alive?”
“Yes. Survival has been confirmed.”
The Emperor’s intent was clear: resolve everything quietly so Cassius wouldn’t hear about it, then show that Sonia was unharmed.
“Tell His Majesty to rest easy. I’ll handle it perfectly.”
***
I silently read the prayer tablet written in Korean.
To awaken, the words needed to be spoken aloud.
But with so many eyes around, I could only read it in my mind.
No one in this era could properly translate ancient sacred language.
If I suddenly read it out loud, it would cause all sorts of trouble.
After mentally rereading the tablet several times, I noticed something strange.
What’s this at the end?
The inscription was a prayer of gratitude to Magnus, god of healing.
It listed the many things one could do with awakened healing divine power.
And then there was a final message whose meaning was unclear.
“A priest who wishes to obtain the power of healing must prove their courage in a prepared trial ground.”
A trial ground?
Did that mean the gratitude prayer wasn’t meant for awakening?
To test it, I’d have to say it out loud.
But there was no one I trusted enough to do that here.
Then Jürgen asked,
“Can you read ancient sacred language, Priest Sonia?”
Right. I wasn’t alone.
“I just looked at it wistfully.”
“In that case, we really should seal the sanctuary.”
