Chapter 90
Proofreader: somnium
The priest was in his room.
Originally, the life in a temple is like a mousewheel. It wasn’t difficult to find out that the priest would be in the room at this time, even after just a day or two of observation.
Furthermore, he was contemplating a complex problem. It was fully predictable that the time he spent staying alone in the room would be longer.
“Your Grace.”
The priest opened the door, and he bowed his head in surprise to see Artizea.
Artizea glanced at him to enter. The priest hurriedly went back inside.
Artizea left Alphonse outside and closed the door.
“Sit.”
“Oh, yes.”
Like last time, the priest sat on the bed.
Artizea pulled the chair herself and sat down.
“I’ve noticed a little of what the priest has said.”
“Yes.”
“You’re right. There was a village on the north side of the Thold Gate, where mostly families of mixed Karam lived.”
“It’s terrible.”
Hearing the name of mixed Karam blood, the priest made a cross. Just thinking about it seemed to make him shiver.
“The Grand Duke is too weak in heart. It is much more benevolent of the father or mother to dispose of the seeds of sin quickly.”
Artizea hid the bitter smile. And she said with a serious face.
“Just being thrown out of the temple will be punishment enough for them.”
“It’s not a punishment. How dare the devil put his foot on the temple?”
“Priest.”
Artizea sighed a little.
“The Karam mixed race created a village north of Thold. Well, I don’t think that’s important. Even if someone else has helped them, how can a person easily ignore a family member or relative?”
“Yes…. I understand Your Grace’s heart. But….”
“Please pardon the individuals, but I think I can’t forgive a vassal who did this without even the Grand Duke’s knowledge.”
Artizea said in a soft voice. The priest nodded his head.
“The Grand Duke will also know about this. It is the cause of the war, so he can’t go into it without knowing the fact. I will find the person who caused it and punish them.”
“Ah! That’s right! Good thing.”
“But, things aren’t good right now. Some time ago, there was an incident with the Jordyn family, and now there is a threat from Karam at the Thold gate, so you will have to be cautious.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Did you write a letter to the Temple in advance?”
Asked Artizea. The priest nodded.
“Then, give it to me now. I’m going to the capital soon, but I won’t deliver that letter right away.”
“Then… what do you mean?”
“If Priest becomes aware of new news or has an important cause that needs the letter to be delivered to the Temple immediately, please contact me again.”
That’s what Artizea said.
“Then, I’ll make sure to deliver Priest’s letter to the Temple right away.”
“But what if the news is intercepted or someone manipulates it?”
The priest said with a face full of concern.
Artizea smiled little.
In her opinion, only Freil and Ansgar were the only ones who had the right heads in Evron Grand Duchy. Ansgar wouldn’t be involved in this matter.
However, the key point was that the priest thought so.
Artizea opened her handbag and pulled out a silver seal from within.
“I’ll give you this.”
“Is this Your Grace’s seal?”
“I used it before I got married.”
When Artizea said so, she showed the shape of the seal.
It was a seal engraved with a vine rose pattern that would be used by premarital young ladies who did not have any rights to the family.
“If you press here like this, the pattern changes.”
After Artizea pressed one of the ornaments on the seal, she showed it back to the priest.
Part of the bottom engravings of the seal have risen. As the petals of the vine rose were turned into reliefs, they were almost the same, but changed the seal into a different feel. The border has also changed.
“This is what I used when I got a private letter from a friend that I didn’t want to show my mother, Priest.”
She said it was her friend, but the priest soon understood what she meant.
What kind of person Miraila was, even a priest in this distant land heard rumors. She was a person who would tear open and inspect her daughter’s letter.
“I got it back because I don’t need it anymore, but my maid knows this changed seal.”
“I understand what you mean. If I have anything serious to contact, I will stamp this seal and send it to Your Grace’s maid.”
“Yes. Then it will be delivered to me intact.”
It was a complete lie.
Artizea never had a separate seal or anything else before the marriage.
She only informed Alice of the pattern of the seal this time. It was in order to accept the letter if there was any real contact from the priest.
Of course, it was very unlikely. It’s because she doesn’t really give it to be used for sealing.
This seal was equipped with an elaborate device.
When she shows it to the priest, she has pressed the other decorations first so that the pattern changes safely.
Instead, if anyone just pressed one of the decorations that Artizea had taught, the stinger was supposed to pop out. It was thin and short like iron hair, and it was like a thorn that was difficult to find even if it was stuck in the hand.
If he is lucky, he will survive. If he believes that Cedric will deal with this properly and forget about today, the priest can live.
If he puts the seal deep in the drawer and never takes it out, nothing will happen.
However…
‘Maybe, you’ll not survive.’
Artizea thought so.
The priest will surely try to contact her. It was a matter of faith.
It is difficult to believe even if he swears to keep a secret, but he was the one who had contacted Artizea because he zealously thought that he had to inform her of this fact even in difficult circumstances.
He will surely try to inform the Temple about the Karam crop. He will eventually die. What’s the point of leaving a ray of possibility of survival?
‘Because it’ll become an alibi.’
Artizea thought of an excuse.
At the moment the priest dies, she herself will be in the capital. No one can connect her with that death.
Actually, it didn’t mean much.
This poison barely leaves any trace. If they performed an autopsy, it will just determine the cause, which is poisoning.
However, there is no one who will do so just because a single priest died suddenly here.
So anyway, this was all Artizea could do for her own emotional comfort.
It was like relieving guilt and pushing responsibility to the victim, saying that it wasn’t her responsibility they died, but their fault.
“Thank you very much for your consideration. I’ve been thinking for a long time whether or not I should talk to you, but I think I did the right thing.”
The priest said with a somewhat relaxed face.
“Believe in His Grace and wait. I hope that the priest will keep the faith in people as much as the faith in God.”
Artizea said so.
Then she put a pretty thick letter from the priest in her bag and came out again.
“Go in, Priest.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
The priest bent down to his waist and bowed deeply.
Artizea turned around.
She suddenly remembered what Cedric said.
[When we go together, we will be able to find the right way.]
When he said that, what would be the right path he was drawing in his mind?
She guessed it vaguely.
Moreover, Artizea knew that he didn’t seem to be able to go to the capital with her.
‘I have to go back to the capital.’
She thought blankly.
Anything like a person’s life can be used as a chess piece, a pocket of gold coins or a place where a plot is made can be used to take one step closer to the throne.
That is where she will be.
In the capital, she doesn’t have to feel this hesitation anymore. In a one-eyed world, only the one-eyed is normal. Her ugliness will also blend in among the countless despicable ones.
Rather, she hoped so.
***
The first thing Artizea did when she returned was to take the priest’s letter out of her handbag and read it.
There was little to keep in mind.
There was a story about the fact that some of the Evron Grand Duchy’s vassals had attempted to grow Karam crops using the residents and the fact that a Karam mixed blood was living there.
The priest added his usual thoughts to the end.
[There are many people here who are pure and sincere, but far from the Word of God. The vassals of the Grand Duchy are also loyal and courageous, but they don’t seem to know what’s important.
The Grand Duke has been away many times, so there are many places where his eyes cannot reach.
Not a few of the people here sympathize with the devil’s seed. Sometimes it is mixed with ugly and dirty blood, and excommunication alone is not a sufficient punishment.
There are not enough temples in Evron Grand Duchy. That is why people are wandering even more without knowing the right path.
In order to take this situation into account at the Great Temple, please send several priests to discipline the people and teach the doctrine to knights and officials…]
Artizea read through and threw the letter into the fireplace. The letter burned in the fire in a flash.
She picked up the fire poker and meticulously scattered the ashes. It was a habit.
Perhaps there is no one in the stronghold who could pick up the remaining pieces of paper from the fireplace and match the letter. If there was such a person, she wanted to recruit them.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Artizea replied plainly. She had called Alice, so naturally she thought Alice had come.
However, the door did not open right away. Artizea wondered and stood up.
When the maids knock, they will say ‘it’s Alice’, but she can’t hear them say anything.
Is it someone else?
“Ah. “
The door opened before she opened it.
Artizea was startled and almost jumped. Cedric was smiling with an awkward expression across the door.
As if he had just come from the outside, his cheeks, struck by the cold wind, turned apple-colored.
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