Chapter 47 ….
“Hurry.”
I pushed the Count back firmly.
“Saintess…!”
“Please gather everyone in the estate into one room and offer prayers to the guardian gods. Make sure no one leaves that room. That will be safest. Quickly.”
And I didn’t forget the final instruction. The Count answered that he understood and hurriedly ran outside.
I locked the door.
[Whew… Being alone is kind of tough.]
There were several ways I could have gone about it.
Asking to look around the room alone, saying I needed to use the restroom for a moment, things like that.
But no matter what excuse I used, it seemed likely the Count would assign a servant to stay with me…
‘And while everyone in the estate was paying attention to me, my ability to erase my presence probably wouldn’t work either.’
So I chose this dramatic performance instead.
‘And… it’s perfect for clearing away suspicion.’
Show the existence of an evil spirit directly, then restore peace. Then everyone would only think of me as a saintess, a benefactor, right?
How could they possibly suspect someone like that of having ulterior motives?
It was a double safeguard I came up with out of anxiety that, even after staging an attack, I might somehow be accused of being a thief.
If circumstances that aroused suspicion reached the ears of the High Priest… that truly would not do.
[Agasa-nim. Thank you.]
[Oh, no need for thanks. I’m the one who’s grateful.]
[You said it was the room next door, right?]
[Yes. But we just sent people out, so it’s very chaotic outside right now. Everyone’s shouting and gathering together, so it’ll be hard to go out the door and move around.]
[Then what should we do…?]
[There’s a balcony outside the window, so I’ll float Dorothy over to the next room.]
[Ah, that’s a great idea.]
That was it. The reason I chose this room in the first place.
According to the navigation—or rather, the guidance of the gods—the ledger was in the room right next to this one.
Without hesitation, I opened the window and stepped out onto the balcony. A massive tree blocked the view ahead.
Just in case, I activated my presence-erasing ability, lightly floated up, and crossed over to the side.
Unlocking the latch on the window facing the balcony was easy enough using telekinesis.
‘This is kind of… like a movie hero.’
[It’s here.]
I stopped where Agasa guided me.
On the wall in front of me hung a small portrait. I took it down and moved it aside.
A safe embedded in the wall was revealed.
‘This thing… has a triple locking mechanism.’
I could figure out the numbers for the two dials, but the remaining one—
The problem was a lock that would only open if a specially shaped key was inserted.
[Is it… okay to try?]
I asked nervously.
The gods had said it would probably work, but that wasn’t a definite answer.
There was no way to test it beforehand, so coming here really was a bit of a gamble.
[Just a moment. Aegis is—]
Agasa trailed off, as if conferring with someone, and disappeared for a moment.
Aegis was said to be a master of defense who had guarded key fortresses in war and never once allowed the enemy through.
Because of that, he became a god symbolizing defense and barriers.
He was thoroughly knowledgeable in that area, making him the most important god for this task.
[There’s a problem.]
[Huh? What kind of problem?]
[If even a little too much force is applied to the lock, or if the order gets slightly mixed up, it will immediately lock itself again. After that, it can never be opened.]
[What?! Then does that mean we can’t do it?]
I asked anxiously. Who knew when another chance like this would come?
[It’s difficult, but he thinks it’s possible. It’s thanks to how much strength we’ve recovered. But Dorothy—once the safe is opened, after that…]
[Yes.]
[I don’t think we’ll be able to use our power.]
[Whaaat?!]
What kind of bolt from the blue was this?
[Th-then what about the evil spirit?]
[That can be dealt with. It’s a matter of ‘this world.’ It just means we won’t be able to use our abilities through you.]
[…Ugh.]
I hesitated for a moment.
I’d already done everything else. I just needed to grab this and leave. But not being able to use the gods’ power was frightening.
Still, hadn’t I managed to get through everything even when facing Theodore?
With a resolute feeling, I answered.
[Even so, please do it. There’s no one outside, right?]
[Yes. You should be able to go out into the hallway. I told them all to gather and pray.]
[Okay. I understand.]
[You’re ready, right? Dorothy, turn the dials first, as I say. Seven, eighteen, two…]
I diligently turned the dials. My palms were drenched in sweat.
Slowly. Carefully.
After I turned everything as Agasa instructed, Aegis’s delicate work followed.
[When it opens, it’s the fourth book from the top. The fourth. Make sure you remember.]
Along with Agasa’s warning, the lock made a grinding sound, as if a key were being inserted.
Then, after a short while—
Click.
The safe opened slightly.
“Hngh…!”
Unable to make a loud sound, I wriggled in place, overflowing with joy.
[Success!]
[…]
They’d really used up all their strength—there was no response.
The sudden silence made me feel a little lonely and scared.
But I didn’t have the luxury to worry about that now.
I had to finish quickly. I’d gathered everyone to pray and diverted their attention, but time wasn’t unlimited.
‘Focus, focus.’
When I flung the safe open, I was startled.
Inside were dazzlingly beautiful jewels and gold bars piled together.
It was incredibly tempting, but I swallowed hard and chose the fourth book among the stacked books.
It was the ledger.
Holding the ledger, I hurriedly unfastened the buttons of my dress.
I’d always thought the corset was suffocating and irritating, but this was the first time I’d felt grateful for it.
It was like strapping a wooden board to my body. Even if I tucked a book in, it didn’t show.
I placed the book on top of the corset, tied it securely with the string I’d prepared beforehand, and put my dress back on.
The dress was loose-fitting, so the ledger was perfectly hidden.
“Phew.”
Once everything was done, I was soaked in cold sweat.
“Now then… shall I go. Alone.”
Taking a deep breath, I grasped the study’s doorknob.
I couldn’t jump across the balcony by myself.
Just in case, I listened carefully to the sounds outside, but it seemed quiet.
‘Telling them to gather and pray earlier was really a great move, me…’
I praised myself lightly and opened the study door.
I stuck my head out and glanced around.
Thankfully, there was no one there.
I hurriedly closed the study door and quickly grabbed the doorknob of the adjacent room.
“Saintess?”
At that moment, a voice called out.
There hadn’t been anyone just a moment ago…! Cold sweat ran down my back.
When I turned around, a young-faced maid was looking at me from the top of the stairs. She looked like she’d just come down.
Did she see me? Did she see me come out of the study?
Since she looked like she’d just arrived, it seemed more likely she hadn’t.
“Ah. What is it?”
I answered as calmly as possible. The maid spoke without approaching me.
“C-can I… come closer?”
“Huh?”
Looking closely, she seemed terrified.
“J-just now, th-the evil spirit… you came out of that room, r-right? Is it… over?”
‘She didn’t see…!’
I couldn’t be completely sure, but unless she was some kind of strange spy, she seemed to be telling the truth.
If she really was suspicious, I could ask Agasa to check once her power returned.
It was truly a stroke of luck.
“Yes. It’s over.”
“Haa… thank goodness.”
The maid even staggered slightly. Judging by her condition, she must have been in the room earlier when I put on my horror-movie performance.
“It was really scary…”
I walked straight toward the maid.
“I told everyone not to come out. Why are you out here?”
“We gathered to pray, but one statue was missing… so the Count told me to go get it… I had no choice…”
Sure enough, the maid was holding a statue of Iason, the god of medicine.
No—he told them not to come out, and out of fear he sent a child to do it anyway?
That Count… He really was awful. I knew he treated his employees however he pleased, but this was excessive.
“I see. You must have been scared. You did very well.”
When I praised her, she smiled shyly.
“Th-thank you…”
Such a cute kid…!
“What’s your name?”
If I wanted to later ask Agasa whether this maid had witnessed me or not, I needed her name at least.
“C-Camille…”
“Camille! That’s a pretty name. Your courage is wonderful. May the blessing of the gods be with you.”
Pretending to bestow a blessing, I finished gathering my information.
After that, I went with the maid to where everyone was praying.
When I opened the door, quite a spectacle unfolded.
“O gods, please help me…!”
“O gods, please help the Count…!”
Everyone was offering prayers for Charlotte.
‘That… crazy bastard, seriously.’
Seeing her selfishness to the very end made me feel like not driving the evil spirit away at all.
But the evil spirit clinging tightly to Charlotte was far too dangerous.
Since I wouldn’t be able to exterminate all the evil spirits in the estate anyway, she’d probably still suffer a little harassment.
For now, I stepped into the crowd of praying people and approached Charlotte.
“Saintess…!”
It was time to wrap things up. I smiled gently and extended my hand to Charlotte.
“I succeeded in driving away the evil spirit, Count.”
“Ah, at last…! You’ve worked so hard, Saintess. Thank you so very much.”
With moved eyes, Charlotte clasped my hand and bowed deeply.
“You must have gone through so much to be drenched in sweat like this…”
This wasn’t sweat from hard work—it was cold sweat…
There was no way to explain that.
Maybe it was fortunate she misunderstood on her own.
Smiling, I shook my head.
“It’s what I must do.”
“Saintess…!”
There’s no need to be so moved.
After all, your future is going to be gray.
“And as for the evil spirit attached to you, Count…”
I glanced subtly at the evil spirit. They’d said connecting to the gods would be difficult, but since evil spirits were a matter of ‘that world,’ wouldn’t it still disappear?
Indeed. It seemed the gods were watching over me.
Not long after I spoke, the evil spirit behind Charlotte let out an “Ah, ah,” sound and drifted away.
I could clearly see its body growing fainter and fainter.
“I’ve sent it away.”
“…I feel like my body is lighter somehow…”
As soon as the evil spirit detached, Charlotte’s complexion improved noticeably.
“My head feels clearer too…! Saintess! Thank you!”
Charlotte said, turning her head back and forth in amazement.
“However, Count, there is something I must tell you.”
“Yes?”
“I did remove the evil spirits, but they were very powerful souls… so malicious energy still lingers in the estate. If you’re not careful, something terrible could happen.”
I was laying the groundwork for the attack that would happen later. If an attack occurred even after exorcising the evil spirits, the blame might come back to me.
“Haha. This is an estate blessed by the Saintess’s protection—surely it will be fine! I will pray diligently!”
But Charlotte, seemingly delighted just to feel lighter, looked nothing but bright.
“…Yes. Still, please be careful. If something does happen, Count… there was a message from the gods.”
“A message…?”
“It would no longer be because of evil spirits.”
“…?”
“You must show grace to everyone who serves under you, all those who work for you.”
I wore a meaningful expression.
