Chapter 40
Dazard walked down the white corridor with a bored expression.
Tap, tap—
The sound of his shoes striking the marble floor echoed through the empty temple.
‘This place is unpleasant no matter how many times I come.’
A space created solely to serve a god.
Why people worshiped a god whose name they didn’t even know was something Dazard had never understood—not in his previous life, nor in this one.
The Saintess he’d met in his past life and the Saintess he’d met in this life were so similar that he sometimes suspected she remembered her past life as well.
In short, both were like dolls.
‘A doll of god, without a will of her own.’
Thinking how dreadfully dull her life must be, Dazard pushed open the door that appeared before him.
He entered the room after waiting in the antechamber until Scillia finished her audience with the Saintess.
It hadn’t been his choice.
‘They could’ve received us together, but she deliberately separated us.’
As the door opened, a woman dressed entirely in white smiled brightly.
At first glance, she looked like an innocent young girl—but what resided inside was an old woman.
Dazard inclined his head slightly.
“It’s been a while, Saintess.”
The Saintess smiled softly.
“It has been, Dazard. Has it been a year since we last met?”
“Yes.”
Responding curtly, Dazard sat down in front of her with practiced ease.
The chair Scillia had been sitting in moments earlier was still warm.
For a moment, he recalled those blue eyes that had widened in horror while complaining about how much she hated temples.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
“You seem to be in good spirits.”
As the Saintess spoke smoothly with a gentle smile, Dazard crossed one leg over the other and straightened his back as he smiled in return.
It was the very posture Scillia had grumbled about—“so very befitting a high noble among high nobles.”
The laid-back, idle demeanor he showed when he was with Scillia was nowhere to be seen.
“Yes. Lately, I’ve been enjoying myself.”
“Oh my, really? Is it thanks to Vanilla? That’s such a relief. I was worried you hadn’t adjusted well to this life.”
The Saintess’s smile looked benevolent.
Dazard returned it in kind.
To a third party who knew nothing of them, the scene would’ve looked warmly harmonious.
But—
“I think it’s about time you stopped worrying. Then again, perhaps age has dulled your ability to make rational judgments.”
“Oh, not at all. I was perfectly rational when I first met you, and I still am now. Rather than entertaining such pointless thoughts, wouldn’t it be more productive to reflect on your failures in your previous life?”
The atmosphere in the room was ice-cold.
Smile.
Grin.
The two stared at each other, exchanging deep, unfaltering smiles.
“Reflection is ongoing in this lifetime as well, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Oh my. Is that so? Unfortunately, I don’t have memories of my past life, so how could I know? Please understand.”
With an apologetic gesture, the Saintess waved her hand lightly and tucked her hair behind her ear.
Then she tilted her head slightly and continued.
“Ah… what a shame. If your former comrades—those reborn as your blood relatives in this life—had survived, perhaps they could have comforted you?”
The Saintess smiled innocently.
But the smile slowly faded from Dazard’s face.
“It was due to the side effects of reincarnation that they lost their sanity, wasn’t it? The reason you eliminated them.”
“…Is there really any need to bring up old matters? It’s all in the past.”
As Dazard’s gaze turned cold, the Saintess’s smile deepened.
“You’re right. It’s all in the past. Then shall we speak of the present instead? I hear you’ve brought Lady Scillia Evanroir into your estate. I was rather surprised. Someone like you letting another person live there.”
“The god bestowed upon me a grand mission to save the continent. No matter how much I dislike it, I must obey. Considering food supplies, it was an unavoidable decision.”
Dazard shrugged.
One reason he’d brought Scillia to the temple was to show the Saintess that she was harmless.
The Saintess was always suspicious that Dazard might have lost his sanity to demonic energy after failing in his previous life.
And now, a strange young lady had suddenly appeared at his side—of course she’d be wary.
‘That girl even had rumors going around that she was possessed by demonic energy as a child.’
At Dazard’s slick response, the Saintess slowly withdrew her smile.
Her pale eyes narrowed slightly.
“I see. Is that so.”
The muttered words were still steeped in suspicion.
As always, Dazard casually ignored the Saintess’s probing gaze.
‘She said she was heading to an alley in the capital after this, didn’t she?’
The Saintess’s ritual began.
As white light filled the room, Dazard thought of one person.
When he thought of her, he could smile genuinely—not a fake one.
Especially when she made that foolish expression in response to his mischievous teasing.
Once he left here, he’d tease her even more.
Dazard grinned inwardly.
“Ugh! I can’t move!”
“What is this? It’s like spiderwebs tying up my whole body!”
The petal-shaped divine power Morocanil had created wrapped around those who’d rushed at me the moment it touched the ground.
Like people trapped in thick ropes, they were pinned in place, shouting in panic.
“H-huh? L-Lord Morocanil?”
While Morocanil and I stared blankly at each other, the man who had been spewing greasy remarks earlier—apparently the guard captain—recognized him.
“As expected, it’s Lord Morocanil! P-please, undo this. I believe there’s been some kind of misunderstanding!”
Wailing, he flailed his hands.
Morocanil glanced at the guard captain, then at me, and smiled gently.
Then he asked me,
“Lady Evanroir, are you hurt anywhere? If you’re not too shaken, may I ask what happened?”
He was asking me—not the guard captain—for an explanation.
His eyes overflowed with kindness, as if it might drip right out.
Just how sweet was this man planning to be?
Accustomed to Dazard’s rough treatment, I scratched my cheek awkwardly and replied,
“That perverted man tried something strange and put his hand on my shoulder.”
“P-pervert?! Y-you’re mistaken! And placing my hand on your shoulder was—!”
“Captain.”
“Eek!”
As the guard captain hurriedly protested, Morocanil turned from me to face him.
For some reason, the man’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
Though clearly terrified, he must’ve been truly wronged—his body trembling as he spilled everything.
“I was wronged! I’d heard rumors about suspicious individuals lurking in this alley lately… I thought this young lady had been targeted, so I tried to help—!”
“Targeted?”
From what I could gather, he meant I was the target of some crime and he was trying to assist me.
“How did you know that?”
When I asked with half-lidded eyes, the guard captain answered quickly, his face gaunt.
“Your shoulder! Look at your shoulder!”
“My shoulder…?”
‘Huh?’
When I glanced at the back of my shoulder, as he said, there was a strange symbol stamped there—like a seal.
‘When did this get there?’
As I blinked slowly in thought, Morocanil—who was also looking at my shoulder—stiffened slightly.
“This is…”
“You recognize the mark?”
“……”
But Morocanil shook his head gently, apologetically, as if he couldn’t say more.
“It is a mark I recognize.”
Then he murmured to himself,
“Are they the same ones who visited His Majesty?”
Hmm. His Majesty would mean Scarlet. And those who visited—the assassins I’d coincidentally run into with her?
As my thoughts spun, the guard captain suddenly shouted,
“Yes! That’s the mark! Lately, strange people have been appearing in this alley, spreading bizarre doctrines!”
“Doctrines?”
“Yes. They claim the world will soon end, then target those marked with that seal and brainwash them into joining their religion.”
The guard captain seemed quite knowledgeable about them.
As he spoke, Morocanil narrowed his eyes.
“So such people exist. Then why haven’t we transcendents heard of this? All crimes occurring within the Empire should be reported to us.”
“Th-that’s…”
The guard captain darted his eyes nervously.
“I intended to handle it myself… ahem. The transcendents are all very busy, after all…”
It sounded more like he’d wanted credit for himself.
Morocanil didn’t scold him further and released all of his divine power.
“Then gather all related materials and submit a report. As soon as possible.”
“A-as soon as possible? I’ll organize everything and submit it today!”
“No. Rushing may lead to mistakes. Take your time and proceed carefully.”
“Thank you, Lord Morocanil!”
The capital’s guard captain should’ve been a fairly high-ranking official.
Still, transcendents were on another level altogether.
Watching the guard captain scurry off, I wore an awkward expression.
‘Come to think of it… I really did misunderstand him. I didn’t even apologize.’
But those greasy mustache remarks? I couldn’t tolerate that.
“Are you alright?”
“Uh… yes. I’m fine.”
Morocanil approached me with concern in his eyes.
“You mentioned they left a mark. Just in case, let’s move somewhere safe. I’ll examine it.”
“It’s okay. If I just go back like this—”
At that moment, Axion—who’d been quietly nestled in my arms—let out a small sound, then suddenly burst into tears.
“Waaaah!”
“Axion?”
“Waaaaaah!”
He must have been frightened by the violent atmosphere and only now felt safe enough to cry.
I hurriedly accepted Morocanil’s suggestion.
We needed to calm Axion down somewhere safe first.
“…Alright. Let’s go together.”
