~Chapter 53~
Hardin quickly added,
“Sestia was always the worst student. There’s a reason I didn’t bring her here! She’s a hopeless child with no talent…”
Sestia muttered in an annoyed voice,
“Just do it already. You’re taking too long.”
When the High Priest met Sestia’s eyes, he felt an indescribable pressure from her.
‘T-this…!’
He had been High Priest for a very long time. That meant he hadn’t had a superior in years. It was easy to be lazy without anyone above him.
‘This feels like when I was just a trainee priest…!’
“Hurry up.”
As soon as Sestia said that, holy power burst out of his hand without him realizing.
The result of the measurement was known only to the High Priest. It was a brief moment, and Hardin didn’t notice because Delphina was pushing his head down as he rambled.
So, he kept talking, desperately insulting Sestia.
“Sestia was the worst student! She was pathetic. That’s why I—”
Then suddenly—
“You bastard, how dare you!”
The High Priest glared at Hardin and shouted,
“How dare this worthless fool insult the Saintess!”
“S-Saintess?”
“This girl is definitely the Saintess!”
The change in the High Priest was shocking. He no longer looked hopeless. He looked fierce and full of strength as he cursed Hardin with wild eyes.
“How dare you spout such nonsense to the Saintess, you filthy bastard! I’ll XX you and XXX you!”
“High Priest, what are you doing?”
“You’re excommunicated! That means you’re no longer a priest!”
“W-what?!”
The High Priest’s loyalty to the Saintess was overwhelming.
Delphina realized Hardin and the noble faction must have been aiming for the High Priest’s position. She watched as the High Priest mercilessly stepped on Hardin.
“How dare you speak such disloyal words to the Saintess!”
Sestia cheered him on.
“Step on him even harder. Harder than what Lady Delphina had to endure!”
“Yes, understood!”
Sestia muttered with her hand over her mouth,
“How dare he glare at Lady Delphina like that? Make him bow his head too!”
She was now fearless with power on her side.
Ahin whispered quietly,
“Um… Lady Delphina only hit him, but it’s Hardin who’s getting destroyed…”
No one answered. Nobody cared about Hardin’s feelings.
The High Priest who had once meekly obeyed Hardin was gone.
Delphina frowned slightly as she watched.
‘The High Priest’s behavior reminds me of when I was in the Rikaion family… Is there a connection?’
<That’s a question I cannot answer.>
Delphina sighed and looked away. Solving Sestia’s situation was more important right now.
Sestia glared at Hardin with contempt as she pressed down on his leg with her foot.
“How dare you touch Lady Delphina’s hand.”
It seemed like Sestia’s hatred was for a different reason than Delphina expected, but she let it go.
Ahin muttered as he watched,
“The temple people are in big trouble now…”
Meanwhile
Kassen was talking with his close friends and Prince Piaze.
Piaze suggested,
“Why don’t we follow the High Priest and Hardin?”
“That sounds like a good idea. We need to see what they’re discussing,” Kassen replied.
“Yes, and check if things are wrapped up nicely.”
Even as he answered, Kassen kept scanning the area. Piaze seemed pleased that the Saintess hadn’t been found, but Kassen didn’t care about that.
His only concern was Delphina.
Since meeting her in the North, he wanted a chance to speak with her properly, but Elcayan was always by her side.
It was the same at this banquet.
‘Finally, Elcayan and Delphina are apart, but why won’t this 2nd Prince leave me alone?’
Kassen grew impatient. Elcayan acted like he truly had feelings for Delphina. Every time he smiled at her, the young ladies at the banquet sighed in admiration, which irritated Kassen to no end.
Right now, Elcayan was talking with Johannes and Kalix. Piaze muttered irritably as he saw them,
“Why is Kalix with them? Didn’t he leave saying he heard the god’s words? What happened out there?”
“I’m not sure. But it seems related to Lady Delphina. Kalix followed her, calling her name,” one of their friends said.
“Followed her?” Piaze stared at Kalix.
Kalix was eating food at the banquet table with a happy expression, but after each bite, his face fell.
“This isn’t Lady Delphina’s cooking. It doesn’t taste right…”
His grumbling could be heard even from a distance.
‘How in the world did they win Kalix over?’
The noble faction had tried to recruit Kalix many times, but he never wanted anything—neither power nor wealth interested him.
‘Strange. What is the Rikaion Duke even doing? If Delphina is in his hands, Kalix should be loyal to him too… but he isn’t.’
Piaze decided they needed to keep a close eye on her.
Meanwhile, Kassen was still desperately looking around.
‘I need to find Delphina…!’
But he couldn’t see her anywhere.
Piaze interrupted his thoughts,
“Kassen, what are you searching for? Come on, let’s head to the garden.”
Kassen hesitated but answered,
“Alright.”
He and Piaze began walking, passing by Elcayan.
As they did, Piaze muttered,
“Doesn’t the Grand Duke and Delphina seem closer than we thought?”
Another friend added,
“Kassen, I guess it’s really over between you and Delphina.”
Kassen felt irritated for no reason.
“Delphina kept sending me love letters even after we broke up. That means she couldn’t forget me.”
It was a complete lie.
In reality, it was Kassen who had kept sending letters after they broke up.
The shocking statement drew interest from the others.
Talking badly about the Emperor’s chosen allies was allowed if done discreetly, so the nobles joined in.
“I couldn’t help it. Even when I told her not to, Delphina just wouldn’t stop,” Kassen said smugly.
Piaze chuckled and agreed.
“Delphina always had that side to her. Don’t tell me she acted in the North like she did at the Academy?”
The other nobles added,
“Yeah, she always clung to Kassen even when he pushed her away.”
“She’s still the same? That’s surprising.”
The nobles’ words were full of mockery—they all remembered Delphina’s past behavior.
Kassen finally smiled.
“Ha, even after I got engaged to Ivelina, she was so clingy it was annoying.”
