“What kind of random question is that?”

Adriel silently scrutinized the priest with piercing eyes.

As the priest sweated nervously in confusion, Adriel pushed himself off the wall and walked up to the priest’s feet.

“…?”

Before the priest could question, Adriel suddenly reached out.

“W-Why are you doing this!”

He’s going to hit me…!

Even though he knew Adriel wasn’t the kind of knight who would arbitrarily use force, the priest closed his eyes tightly due to the ominous atmosphere. That’s when it happened.

Swoosh-

Adriel instantly snatched the scroll that was in the priest’s hand.

“W-What…?”

As Adriel naturally unfolded the scroll and began reading its contents, the priest blinked blankly.

After a few seconds of silence, the priest finally understood the situation and shouted.

“What insolence is this, my lord!”

“This is Marquis Berto’s doing.”

At the name that came from Adriel’s lips, the priest protested with a pale face.

“M-Marquis Berto? Who is that? No, that’s not it… I mean…”

Adriel’s eyes darkened further as he looked at the priest who seemed unsure of what he was saying.

Adriel had been following the priest since this afternoon, after meeting Rosemary.

Throughout their tour of the Grand Temple with Rosemary, someone had been trailing them.

A priest in the white attire common in the temple.

But he needed to judge more carefully in case he was mistaken.

So Adriel kept circling the same area of the temple.

There was no other reason.

Whether he was curious about what that woman had been doing all this time, or wanted to ask if she had been lonely in that cabin, such things…

“…my lord.”

“……”

“Lord Adriel?”

“……”

“Lord Adriel! Are you listening to me?”

“Speak.”

“I’m not Marquis Berto’s underling…”

“Why did Marquis Berto order you to do this?”

The scroll contained detailed records of Rosemary’s movements in the temple, including where she visited and whom she met.

“I-I never received such orders.”

“If you don’t want your tongue cut out, you’d better answer honestly.”

Shing-

As Adriel drew his sword from his waist, his expression was utterly indifferent, but inside he was about to explode.

Lucian Berto was investigating Rosemary.

That fact was extremely unpleasant and grated on his nerves.

“A-Are you threatening me right now?”

The priest cried out almost in a scream as the sharp sword that could clearly cut with the slightest touch was pointed at him.

Adriel continued coldly.

“Since the sacred relic disappeared, Marquis Berto has become the temple’s primary security concern. I don’t think you would be unaware of this official notice that even knight trainees know about.”

The tip of Adriel’s sword pointed to the blue pattern on the priest’s clothes, indicating a middle-ranked priest.

“It would be better for you to confess honestly before I throw you in jail right now for conspiracy with Marquis Berto.”

“Ah…”

Thinking that everything had been discovered, the priest trembled violently.

“P-Please forgive me… My younger sibling is suffering from a rare disease, and I needed a large sum of money. So I borrowed money from the trading company run by Marquis Berto…”

Adriel had heard that Marquis Berto was also running a money-lending business. He had also heard that those who got involved with it met unfortunate ends.

Adriel quietly gazed at the priest who was sobbing uncontrollably.

The circumstances seemed pitiful. However, there was something more important than such a story right now, so Adriel asked again.

“Do you know what Marquis Berto is after?”

The priest wiped away his tears and answered.

“I don’t know much. This afternoon, someone claiming to be Marquis Berto’s executive secretary came to find me. He said he couldn’t freely roam the temple himself, so he ordered me to pass on information instead. He said he would forgive my debt if I performed the task well, so I couldn’t refuse.”

“Where is this so-called executive secretary now?”

“He left the temple immediately after delivering that message.”

The priest didn’t seem to be hiding anything more.

Adriel put his sword back in its scabbard and thought.

I should have imprisoned him back then.

The day when the demon called Taro came to the cabin where he lived with Rosemary.

Based on the conversation between Rosemary and Taro, it was clear that Lucian Berto had definitely made a contract with that demon.

Knowing this fact, Adriel had intended to gather evidence that Lucian was in league with a demon and imprison him as soon as he returned to the temple.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

The thought that Rosemary, who might have also contracted with a demon like Lucian, could be caught up in this danger held him back.

Of course, it wasn’t out of concern for that woman.

It was only because of that cursed magical contract.

Adriel, who had been massaging his throbbing forehead, suddenly stopped moving.

Demon.

Come to think of it, there was a commonality between Rosemary and Lucian Berto.

Both had made contracts with demons.

If it wasn’t simple curiosity that made him follow Rosemary, wouldn’t the reason lie with the demon?

Adriel grabbed the priest by the scruff of his neck.

“W-Why are you doing this, my lord?”

“There’s somewhere you need to come with me.”

“P-Pardon? Me?”

Acting as if there was no time to waste, Adriel forcibly lifted the priest and dragged him somewhere.

He needed to see the Saintess immediately.

***

In the study of the Berto mansion.

After hearing the executive secretary’s report, Lucian asked incredulously.

“You’re saying my toy shop owner suddenly declared she would become a priest?”

“Yes.”

At the secretary’s businesslike response, Lucian let out a small laugh.

“Who did she enter the temple with? Did she go alone?”

“Yes, she did. The flying creature that Your Grace mentioned was not visible around her.”

Well, she couldn’t have brought a demon to the temple.

Lucian’s smile deepened.

How adorable.

To think that the temple was where she fled to escape from me.

Imagining the toy shop owner desperately struggling to survive made him so excited that his fingertips tingled.

“What should I do?”

Lucian muttered languidly with his feet up on the desk. Though his tone suggested the situation was quite troublesome, he made no attempt to hide the full-blown smile on his face.

Should I send an assassin? Or perhaps use poison like last time?

Tick tock, tick tock.

As only the sound of the clock echoed loudly, Lucian finally rose from his chair.

“Ben. When was the last time I went hunting?”

“…I’ll help you prepare to go out.”

Lucian smiled softly.

It’s time to meet her in person.

I’m also curious where my toy shop owner has hidden the demon.

Above all, shouldn’t I see that expensive face at least once while she’s still alive?

***

After gaining the Saintess as an ally, I entered the temple to catch Lucian.

Given the nature of the place, I couldn’t bring Wit with me, so I only packed the essentials from the cabin.

“That man must be perplexed hearing that I’ve entered the temple, right?”

After all, the temple, full of people wary of him, was like enemy territory to Lucian.

Or perhaps he’d be excited and storm into the temple?

Come to think of it, that madman probably wouldn’t care about the location.

Well, anyway, I just need him to come.

It was my second day hiding in the temple.

Rumble, BOOM!

I looked at the dark sky through the window.

Weather, your sky is as foul as my situation.

If there’s a similarity between the weather and my future, it’s that both are so bleak I can’t see ahead.