STM 39

At first glance, it might look like the Emperor had sacrificed himself for the sake of the nation, but the data Doctor Kim gave me told a different story. The Emperor had created the Eye of Hell even though he already knew it could endanger the divine beast.

‘Why on earth would he do that?’

‘Because he was an idiot.’

‘How much of an idiot are we talking about?’

‘Hopelessly stupid.’

But he was still an emperor who ruled an entire continent. I frowned, but, as if it were nothing Doctor Kim only said in a monotonous voice.

‘He had a deep inferiority complex toward his younger sister, who could command the power of the divine beast.’

‘But that doesn’t explain…’

‘He thought his sister would die, not the divine beast. But they both did.’

Ah. Then I finally understood and slowly nodded. He really had been that foolish. That was why I could answer Solongo’s words now with certainty.

“No, it wasn’t because of the gem’s curse. The former emperor was just stupid.”

Solongo laughed at my blunt reply.

“You sound just like Doctor Kim. I suppose that’s expected, since you came from another world. For people born in Tubain, the divine beast is both a symbol of reverence and fear. Even if the emperor, who once led a divine beast house, made a foolish decision, no one here would ever dare to condemn him. The same goes for this temple. It doesn’t actually do much, but every year even the poor donate so the walls will shine whiter than before.”

Her last words sounded bitter. The look she gave the temple interior was heavy, almost melancholic.

Did the temple cheat her out of money?

I didn’t ask. It wasn’t my place to pry into personal matters. But if it was something that involved the public, that was different.

“Now that I think about it, where exactly does the donation I gave to this temple go? I doubt it’s only spent repainting the walls white.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Appearance attracts devotion. The more dazzling the exterior, the more people gather. That’s why the temple is obsessed with this color. Of course, its main function is healing. Using the holy power’s restorative abilities, it helps many people. But there are fewer and fewer people born with divine power these days. So the temple is desperate to find other ways to draw people in.”

Divine power. It was as astonishing as the carriages that moved by magic.

“They say people with strong divine power and genuine faith can sense the divine beast, right?”

“Yes. Though it’s extremely rare. There have only been a handful in all of history. Even then, it’s mostly what the temple claims. The only one who can truly sense and communicate with the divine beast is Salvation.”

Salvation. I’d heard that name once before from Doctor Kim.

“Wasn’t that supposed to be some legendary figure from children’s storybooks?”

“The storybooks might actually be more reliable than the temple’s claims.”

Did the temple scam her after all? I wondered, but she laughed, her disbelief fading into a mockery.

“But many people take the temple’s words as if they were the will of a deity. It’s no wonder that in Sarne, people worship the temple like fanatics, donating their money as if their lives depend on it.”

“That’s the place where a divine beast’s power hasn’t appeared for three generations, right?”

“Yes. So they’re desperate to recover that power through the temple’s help. But Montaine… I can’t understand why…”

“Montaine donates too?”

“Their contributions have been large in recent years.”

Solongo tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful.

“Grand Duke Montaine is a very calculating man. I’ve been so focused on Kun’s side that I didn’t notice much about his activities. It might be worth investigating why he’s doing it… Ah, just a moment.”

Her words stopped at the sound of a sudden knock. The knight who had come with us from Adeye entered, leaned in, and whispered something to her.

“High Priest Cheki requested a meeting with us?”

Solongo tilted her head again, clearly confused. High Priest Cheki? The one who was supposed to be related to Hoiga?

At that moment, Mo automatically displayed the profile information.

[High Priest Cheki: One of the temple’s highest-ranking priests, known for integrity and strict adherence to doctrine. She openly criticizes the upper clergy for their indulgence in luxury funded by donations and has expressed strong disapproval toward the Adeye family, who are known for giving massive contributions to the temple.]

“Shee doesn’t like us?”

“No, not at all.”

“Then why does she want to see us?”

Even Solongo seemed unable to understand why, she shook her head slightly before furrowing her brow.

“Besides, that woman rarely leaves the training quarters. I don’t understand why she’s here. On days like the Blessing Festival, she usually devotes herself entirely to prayer. Anyway, I’d better go see her.”

Solongo stood up to her feet, then paused when she saw that I wasn’t moving. I waved a hand lazily.

“Go ahead.”

“You should come too. We can’t refuse a request from a High Priest.”

“So what? You just said she doesn’t like us.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Solongo accepted that with a calm shrug and left the room. The moment I was alone, I finally let out the anger I had been holding back.

“Damn Tairok.”

In the end, I had managed to get the diamond back, but I’d had to pay 5 million thousand gold for it, money I never should’ve had to spend. The worst part was that Solongo really did deduct it from my personal allowance.

It wasn’t like I had much use for money anyway, but the idea that I couldn’t even spend what I had because of Tairok made my blood boil. What irritated me most was the way he had looked at my lips. What the hell was that stare?

“Ugh.”

I ordered Mo to help clear my head.

“Show me the temple layout.”

Mo projected a three-dimensional schematic before my eyes. It was detailed, but unlike the other files Doctor Kim had obtained, this one didn’t include any hidden passages. Apparently, even with all the money in the world, Doctor Kim hadn’t been able to uncover the secrets of the Central Temple.

But that was fine. I had Mo.

Finding concealed spaces was Mo’s specialty. Once again, it began marking likely hidden areas across the blueprint. I studied the layout closely until my gaze stopped at one particular room. It was noticeably smaller than the room opposite it, as if a passage might be hidden behind the wall.

Wait. That room was right next to mine…

[Aaagh!!! Don’t touch me!!! Put me down!!!]

The sudden scream came from the adjacent room, where the diamond was supposed to be resting quietly. I jumped to my feet and grabbed the doorknob that connected the two rooms.

One of the Gollums must’ve barged in!

But when I threw the door open, the voice from inside sounded a little different.

[Don’t touch… huh? Not as dirty.]

Not as dirty?

Perplexed, I opened the door all the way, and saw Gollum 1. But my eyes went past him immediately, landing on someone else standing before the table.

I met a pair of blue eyes. Clear and bright, like a clear sky. They were beautiful enough to make anyone stop and admire them for a moment. But then my gaze moved to his face, pale as porcelain, almost too perfect to look real.

He wore the same robes as the other mid-ranking priests, yet they looked completely different on him, as if his very presence changed the fabric itself.

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was holding the black diamond and lowering it carefully into the gem box.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

When I looked down towards the diamond, he quickly pulled his hand away. Then he bowed his head, flustered and stepped back. Gollum 1 quickly took a step closer, trying to speak for him.

“Ah, this relic carries divine energy. The temple wished to perform an exact measurement…”

I ignored him and walked toward the blue-eyed priest.

“W–wait, what are you doing?”

Startled, Gollum 1 tried to block my way, but I shoved him aside and looked at the man in front of me.

“I asked you what you were doing.”

The blue-eyed priest kept his head bowed and murmured.

“I was trying to measure the relic’s divine power…”

“You were trying to stealing it?”

He hesitated, then slowly turned his head. His blue eyes trembled for a brief second, and I looked down toward his left hand.

“Give me the gem you switched out.”

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Why was this old man acting like this?

Solongo sat across from High Priest Cheki, looking at her with suspicion. She had expected the meeting to be about something important, but instead, she offered little more than polite greetings, and one additional remark.

“If devotee Adeye Lu is ill, I could take a look at him.”

“That won’t be necessary, High Priest.”

“Then perhaps he injured his leg?”

It was a simple question, but to Solongo, it sounded like a rebuke. The implication was clear: If his legs work, why didn’t he come to see me himself?

Wow. The old woman was being snide. Why was she so irritated about not seeing Lu?

She’d never cared much about the Adeye family beyond her usual disapproval, so what had gotten into her now?