Chapter 88
The Grand Chancellor Who Ordered Elegia’s Arrest
The Grand Chancellor who issued the arrest warrant for Elegia had acted after much thought on his part.
“Before it’s too late, I have no choice but to catch her in the act.”
The target was far more meticulous than expected. If Princess Elegia Semperion, now a suspect, was indeed the culprit, her cunning and methodical actions would be truly chilling. She had come early in the morning under the pretext of teaching the saint, destroyed all the evidence, and even brought the duke to prove her alibi.
They had tried to catch her several times before, but she had always escaped. Finding a way to corner her seemed almost impossible. Yet…
“…She happened to leave evidence here.”
The Grand Chancellor picked up a single strand of red hair.
Of course, this hair had also fallen on the grass. Since many people passed through the temple grounds, there were plenty of others who could have left hair behind besides Elegia.
Many came to pray at the temple, so it was plausible that someone else with red hair had dropped it. Even if one searched the grass for hair, it wouldn’t serve as evidence. That’s probably why that duel was held on the temple grounds in the first place.
However, the evidence he ultimately discovered wasn’t near the saint’s building but somewhere else entirely.
“Not somewhere else, but in this very building?”
It was a closed-off building of the temple, restricted to most people.
Inside, he found a long strand of red hair.
…A restricted building.
Even temple staff couldn’t enter freely. Though it took the Grand Chancellor a long time to search alone, he was relieved to finally find something.
Hence, this could serve as evidence. Again, even temple personnel had limited access here. No one except the Grand Chancellor had entered in recent years.
If a red strand of hair suddenly appeared here, suspicion was inevitable.
Of course, the hair might not belong to Princess Semperion.
Even so, raising an official suspicion would be reasonable. If there was a legitimate reason, even the duke couldn’t protest.
“I have insurance; it’s worth trying.”
Indeed. There was the “insurance” he had prepared all along. Though not intended for use at this moment, now that circumstances demanded it, there was no reason not to employ it. Regaining his composure, the Grand Chancellor walked forward deliberately.
“This time, escaping will be difficult, Princess Semperion.”
“Why on earth would he issue an arrest warrant?”
Elegia pondered with a serious expression. Yes, she had entered the temple, but she needed to find out what evidence the Grand Chancellor had used to suspect her.
“Did he really see me in stealth? Or did he see me entering the basement?”
If he claimed to have observed her in stealth, she could argue it was only suspicion.
In the worst-case scenario, perhaps he had been told by the so-called “angel” in the basement that Elegia had visited.
“Even then, it wouldn’t be decisive evidence.”
Claiming that the basement angel had informed him would likely seem odd to others. Even the Grand Chancellor, if he tried to corner a high-ranking noble on mere suspicion, could suffer damage to his prestige and trustworthiness.
“Hey, why so quiet? Did you do something wrong?”
While Elegia was thinking, Howell raised his voice in frustration.
“We can’t come up with a plan unless you tell us. What kind of mess did you get into this time?”
Elegia stared at Howell blankly. Since she had already suggested, “Should we strike first?” it seemed Howell was also searching for a solution.
“Tell me exactly what happened. Then we’ll find some way to fix it.”
“…Can I even say it?”
Elegia bit her lip. If this weren’t really her fault, she could have loudly protested as usual: “Now you’re suspecting me again? You really think I’m a troublemaking villain!”
“But… I did sneak into the temple…”
How should she explain it?
If she admitted to secretly entering the temple and seeing the basement, would Howell and the duke support her? Or would they drag her in front of the Grand Chancellor, saying, “I knew it!”
“…What did they say at the temple?”
Elegia decided to assess the situation first. Knowing what the temple claimed would allow her to respond. Howell glanced at her.
“Hah… You’re not going to confess first, are you?”
“Just tell me what they said,” she urged.
Reluctantly, Howell spoke slowly.
“Hmm… From what I’ve heard… they’re claiming you stole an important relic from the temple.”
“What?”
Elegia’s face turned pale in shock at the unexpected accusation.
“I stole a relic? Why?”
“Exactly! That’s why I’m asking! Just tell me what you actually did!”
Howell, speaking rapidly in panic, met her gaze. Only now could she see the alert above his head:
Alertness: 427%
Warning. Your alertness is extremely high.
Excessive alertness can cause migraines and insomnia.
Do not exceed 500.
“Crazy… why is it that high?”
Wasn’t it in the 200s last time? How could it suddenly double? As Elegia looked up at it pale-faced, Howell asked with a trembling voice:
“Did you really steal it? Then return it immediately. If you give it back now, we might find a way to fix this…”
“I didn’t steal anything!”
“Then why is the temple accusing you?”
“They’re accusing an innocent person!”
Elegia shouted in exasperation.
A relic? If such a valuable item had been in her possession, she would have known. Did a relic disappear after her visit to the temple? Is that why they suspect her?
But…
“I really have nothing like that. What relic are we even talking about?”
“…Ah, right. You might not even know what it is.”
Noticing something, Howell’s expression softened slightly. Unlike before, when he had interrogated her sharply, his tone now carried a hint of encouragement.
“Elegia, did you happen to pick up anything from the temple without knowing? After the duel, maybe you saw something pretty on the street and picked it up? Try to recall.”
“Nothing like that!”
“Who do they think I am?”
Elegia and Howell were in a tense exchange when suddenly:
“Ah, Milady! Young Master!”
A desperate shout came from beyond the door—it was the butler. In panic, he called out:
“People from the temple have already arrived!”
“Stop them for now!”
Howell responded. But…
“They have legal grounds; we can’t just block them. Moreover, it seems they’ve requested special investigative authority due to the severity of the missing relic…”
“The temple’s power is impressive.”
Still, to enter the Semperion residence without permission and attempt to arrest the princess?
Given their special investigative rights, they likely couldn’t do this frequently. And if they failed, the consequences would be severe. Could they have some reliable backing? Perhaps someone had secretly hidden a relic in Elegia’s room without her knowledge.
“…There’s no choice.”
In situations like this, she had no choice but to confront it. Elegia sighed and stood up.
“I’ll go down. We need to talk first.”
“You…! What can you do?”
Howell sighed in doubt, but Elegia shook her head.
“I at least have to deny it. If there’s a misunderstanding, it must be cleared. If not…”
She considered using magic to escape and live as a mercenary if things went wrong, but that would alarm the rest of the household and shake the Semperion family. She shrugged.
“Well, I’ll see this through as best I can. I can’t just keep running away.”
“…What?”
“I’ll change my clothes for going out. Hold on until then, please!”
Pushing Howell out of the way, Elegia quickly changed into her outing clothes and ran down the stairs.
“Milady… Are you sure this is alright?”
“What’s happening here…”
As she descended, the maids whispered anxiously.
Elegia saw Inyoung gathered in the reception area. The duke was nowhere to be seen. Howell and the temple officials were present. Among them, a familiar attendant priest who had assisted the saint stood out, wearing more ornate robes than the others.
In her hand was a white staff topped with an oval blue decoration resembling a crown, emitting a light like a flashlight aimed directly at Elegia.
Strangely, as Elegia moved, the light followed her. Observers’ expressions grew serious.
“…It’s true.”
The attendant priest murmured gravely, and surrounding priests’ faces grew stern. Howell turned pale. Elegia spoke calmly.
“Hello.”
She greeted formally, though whether it was proper protocol was uncertain.
“…Hello, Lady Semperion.”
The attendant priest replied with a slight smile, his voice cold. Raising the staff, he asked:
“Do you know what this is?”
“I’m not sure.”
Actually, I do.
Elegia looked at the staff. It was another “relic,” imbued with immense holy power, used more as a weapon than for healing.
And it has another function.
Relics could detect each other. If you possessed one relic and activated the “find other relics” function, it would emit light like a compass toward other relics.
The priest explained simply to Elegia:
“This light guides to the direction of a relic. Right now, it keeps pointing only at you. Do you know what that means?”
“Hmm…”
“It means you currently possess a relic.”
Before he could finish, several priests grabbed Elegia’s arms.
“Eli…!”
“Where did you hide it? Sleeve? Dress?”
The priest brought the staff near her, but unexpectedly, the light pointed…
Huh?
The staff pointed at the center of Elegia’s forehead.
What on earth…
“Why?”
While everyone else was confused, Elegia calmly turned to a nearby mirror, saw where the light pointed, and chuckled.
“Oh, it’s pointing at me?”
Nodding playfully, she said:
“So am I the relic? Well, I am a bit precious!”
“…?!”
