They were back at square one. Perhaps they could get closer to the answer if they could find out what holy relic Madam Margaret had possessed.

“I’ll put away the horse and go tell Yevar what we learned today. Saintess, please go in and rest first.”

When they finally reached the temple, Seiden tried to take the reins from Bellota’s hand, but for some reason, she didn’t hand them over and instead just stared at him intently. Seiden looked at her in confusion. Just as he was wondering if something was on his face, she spoke.

“You haven’t forgotten that I won today, right?”

Seiden let out a small “Ah” at the completely forgotten matter. As Bellota said, she had won their bet, and he had promised to grant her whatever she wanted as the prize.

What Bellota wanted.

Until just moments ago, Bellota had been depressed, immersed in the shock of how the holy relic had been used. Unable to guess at all what she wanted in this situation, Seiden just looked at her. Soon Bellota spoke of her precious wish earned as the victory prize.

“No matter what happens from now on, don’t feel sorry for me.”

At those words, Seiden’s eyes, which had been fully focused on Bellota, darkened.

“I don’t regret the decisions I make.”

Bellota’s calm voice was not at all fragile.

“So please do the same, Sir.”

A cool breeze blew behind her as she made her request with firm eyes. Her pale hair fluttered softly. Seiden looked at her for a moment before nodding. At Seiden’s affirmation, a faint smile appeared on Bellota’s lips. Only then did Bellota hand the reins over to him. Having achieved their goal for the day, it was once again a regretful parting.

After exchanging quiet glances, Bellota was about to turn around when she hesitated and looked back at Seiden. After wavering for a moment as if contemplating something, she spoke to Seiden who still hadn’t moved an inch and was watching her.

“Today was really enjoyable. Being with you, Sir.”

Then, as if embarrassed by what she had said, she quickly turned around and disappeared with hastier steps than usual.

After staring blankly at her retreating figure for a moment, only when Bellota had completely disappeared did Seiden slowly swallow dryly. His head tingled somewhere as if he had really been hit. Soon a ticklish smile bloomed on his lips.

This tingling that was so electrifying and desperately yearning—he must truly be abnormal. Despite confirming that he was far from the realm of normalcy, Seiden somehow moved with lighter steps.

After tying up the horse in the stable again and taking out Yevar’s ring, Seiden was about to leave the temple and head to Hellers’ tower. However, Kabillon’s appearance, looking for him with an anxious face, kept him tied to the temple again.

“Commander! Hah, where on earth have you been……”

Kabillon’s appearance, with cold sweat beading as if he had been running around for a while, was unsettling. His face was filled with urgency as if something had happened. Seiden’s eyebrows hardened at the unpleasant sense of déjà vu.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, well…… Well……”

Kabillon couldn’t bring himself to speak the noble ladies’ conversation he had overheard earlier and clutched his head. How could he utter such disrespectful words with his own mouth……! But even if he didn’t say it, Seiden would soon learn of the rumor. Not just Seiden, but Bellota as well.

“The, the Saintess and……”

As soon as Bellota was mentioned from Kabillon’s lips, Seiden’s face hardened coldly. Now, it was Seiden who grew restless.

“Speak clearly. What about the Saintess?”

When Seiden urged him to answer in a voice so low it gave him chills, Kabillon finally squeezed his eyes shut and spilled everything.

“There’s a disrespectful rumor about the Saintess spreading in the empire.”

The words Kabillon brought were actually not difficult to predict. With Bellota receiving criticism from the entire empire now, it was the perfect timing for those who wished for the temple’s collapse to attack. Whether it was Geril, or someone with even greater malice.

“No matter what happens from now on, don’t feel sorry for me.”

Bellota had anticipated this too, which was why she made such a request of him. Nevertheless, he couldn’t stop the cold anger rising to his throat. To Bellota who was already having such a hard time……

“What kind of rumor?”

Seiden asked calmly while swallowing the sharp feelings rising from his chest. Then Kabillon too no longer hesitated and answered immediately.

“There’s a rumor that the Saintess is cursed.”

Seiden’s heart, which had been slowly constricting, stopped completely.

* * *

The horrible rumors about the saintess instantly devoured the empire.

As is usually the case with rumors, those lewd and disrespectful words continued to grow bigger each time they passed from mouth to mouth. After several days like that, Bellota became trapped in uncontrollably ugly rumors.

“They say she has to sleep with men every full moon, but actually that’s just an excuse and the saintess was promiscuous from the beginning? Those who knew her when she was at the countryside temple all knew about it!”

“What horrible things to say! How could the Holy Spirit choose such a woman as saintess? The curse must be real. And it’s true she needs to sleep with men. They say one isn’t even enough, she needs three or four at once!”

“How disgusting. Then is it true she slept with the Holy Knight Commander?”

“Hey, what did you hear me say? She needs three or four! The Holy Knight Commander alone isn’t enough, though maybe the whole Holy Knight Order would do.”

“Oh my, Lord.”

Whenever two or more imperial citizens gathered, they talked about the saintess’s curse.

“That’s why she rejected Duke Lylster’s proposal. One person isn’t enough, right? Now it all makes sense!”

“There was a reason she accompanied the Holy Knight Order’s expedition to Selento too. There was a full moon during that time, wasn’t there? Wait, could it be related to the full moon that rose then?”

“Oh my. The Holy Spirit made the full moon rise as a warning. Ah, what a world! Oh Lord!”

“Damn it! Should such a woman continue to hold the position of saintess? No, does she even really have holy power? What kind of saintess gets cursed?”

“She can’t even solve her own curse but calls herself a saintess! If we don’t drive her out right now, this time there really will be a disaster!”

The saintess, who should be the most pure and holy of all, was cursed. And with a curse of carnal desire at that. That sensational rumor was more than enough to drive the saintess, whose reputation had already hit rock bottom, to the edge of the cliff.

Moreover, if the rumor was true, an even larger and more desperate meaning was hidden in that curse. The saintess being cursed also meant that God had finally abandoned humans. With that suffocating sense of crisis, the number of protesters in front of the temple grew frighteningly.

“Dismiss Bellota Rosebeth!”

“Explain the truth about the rumors immediately!”

The protesters’ cries that had demanded she accept Duke Lylster’s proposal now changed to demands to remove Bellota from the position of saintess. Even half of the believers who had trusted and supported Bellota actively requested the Pope to explain these rumors, and it seemed the temple had no way to avoid it anymore.

In the midst of this, an invitation arrived for Bellota. It was an invitation to an imperial banquet.

“You don’t have to attend.”

Felton, who brought the invitation, strongly insisted. Until now, Bellota had never declined an imperial invitation. However, this time Felton’s argument that she should decline the invitation had merit.

The host of the banquet and sender of the invitation was none other than Geril. Felton was convinced that Geril was the source of all this disaster. How could it not be? Such horrible rumors spread right after the saintess rejected his proposal.

But what made Felton uneasy was that the rumors about Bellota were too accurate. How on earth did Geril find out about it? If he really knew about Bellota’s curse, this was truly a major crisis.

Felton thought Geril was determined to bring down Bellota for daring to reject his proposal, but the sudden arrival of the invitation made that intention questionable. Perhaps Geril was planning something more. Though he couldn’t understand what that petty bastard was thinking, he had to acknowledge that Geril had succeeded in cornering Bellota.

Bellota stared down at the invitation with her name on it, her face so calm it was impossible to know what she was thinking.

“I’ll convey that you won’t attend.”

When Felton was about to turn around as if to immediately convey her decline, Bellota’s voice stopped him.

“I will attend.”

It was a calm and quiet voice, as if she had never heard the rumors currently setting the empire ablaze.

Felton turned to look at her with an unbelieving face.

“Saintess, but……”

Felton bit his lip, unable to continue speaking.

The situation was too bad. All the imperial citizens were watching Bellota’s every move with burning eyes. She could no longer even walk in her office or the garden where there were no believers. An imperial banquet in this situation? An invitation for Bellota? It was clearly another scheme even without looking!