CHAPTER 08
While staring at the Devil card, something I had completely forgotten suddenly came to mind.
“Ah!”
“What is it, Ria?”
“I forgot…”
I looked at Robellina with a blank expression.
‘I was supposed to help with your love life!’
Jacard had suddenly changed the subject and picked a fight, and in the chaos I had completely forgotten my main mission.
Worse, I had just thoroughly ruined my relationship with him.
That meant it would be much harder to pair him up with Robellina.
‘Or… should I just change the male lead?’
The original story had already gone off track anyway. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to give the male lead position to one of the other candidates.
After all, I had already seen the version where Jacard was the true male lead.
Watching a different route might be interesting too.
“Hehe. Rinaaa…”
What do you think about switching male leads?
I swallowed the rest of that sentence and clung to her arm, rubbing my cheek against it.
Even with my cute act, Robellina narrowed her eyes.
“Ria, did you cause some kind of trouble again without me knowing?”
“Rina! Do you think I’m some kind of walking disaster? It’s not that!”
“Then what is it this time?”
It hurt that she only thought I acted cute when I was at a disadvantage.
Not that she was wrong.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and spoke seriously.
“This is about a friend of mine. She has a man who’s supposedly her destined partner. But that guy is a complete jerk.”
“That bad? So?”
“And she happens to have a lot of better men around her. Do you think it would be okay for her to try dating someone other than her so-called destined partner?”
“Hmm.”
Robellina thought for a moment.
“If he’s her destined partner, does that mean God chose him?”
“More or less.”
The author did create this world, after all.
“Then maybe there’s no need to look elsewhere.”
“What? Why?! I told you he’s a jerk!”
I nearly shouted.
She hurried to explain.
“I—I mean, if God chose him, there must be a reason.”
“Ugh…”
“…But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to meet other men too.”
“Right?”
“Yes. If destiny truly exists, then even if she dates someone else, she’ll eventually return to the one she’s meant to be with.”
My raised smile slowly dropped.
That was not the answer I wanted.
“Ria? Are you upset?”
“No… I just realized how devout you are.”
“Huh?”
She blinked at me.
I sighed.
‘Fine. At least she thinks meeting other men is okay.’
Whether destiny changes or pulls her back, we’ll see.
I smirked to myself while she muttered, “Why are you like this again?”
First, I needed to let her meet the other male leads.
Then I could subtly push her toward the one she liked most.
That was when—
“Hello.”
“Huh?”
A voice came from the side.
I turned toward the balcony connected to the outer garden.
A man was kneeling casually on the railing.
Silver hair fluttered in the wind.
Purple eyes met mine.
The blood drained from my face.
“W-Why are you here?!”
“Haha.”
Nine smiled lightly.
“This time, I found you both.”
“Both?”
“The Saint.”
He pointed at me with a long finger.
“And the priest who tricked me.”
“Gasp.”
“I waited until you left the temple. If I had known you were the same person, I wouldn’t have wasted so much effort.”
His violet eyes sharpened.
“Isn’t that right, Saint Elia?”
“I had no choice at the time—”
“A saint who sees the future still finds herself in situations she can’t handle?”
“Of course! I didn’t even know I was the Saint yet!”
“Go on.”
He rested his chin on his hand as if granting me permission to speak.
I poured everything out in frustration.
“I thought Robellina would become the saint! Then suddenly it was me! If I had known, I would never have lied to you! It’s not my fault the relic chose me!”
“Wait. You were the one who told this mage that I was the Saint?”
Robellina finally caught on.
I nearly burst into tears.
“Yes, that was me…”
“I said continue.”
“Aaah!”
Even now, he showed no mercy.
Eventually, after explaining everything in painful detail, I felt completely drained.
“…And that’s what happened.”
I wanted to go home.
Nine, of course, did not let me off so easily.
“So you didn’t trick me on purpose.”
“Of course not! Why would I?”
“Still, you made me waste my time.”
He let a bit of mana rise around him.
As a saint and priest, we immediately felt the opposing energy.
Robellina stepped in front of me.
“Stop. If you harm the Saint, you will not be forgiven.”
“I wasn’t planning to bully her, but hearing that makes me want to.”
His purple mana swirled playfully.
I stepped forward carefully.
“How can I calm your anger?”
“Hmm.”
He thought for a moment.
“Maybe if you become my playmate.”
“Such disrespect—!”
“Okay.”
“Ria!”
Robellina stared at me in shock.
I smiled awkwardly at her, then asked Nine,
“What does being your playmate involve?”
“Just one rule.”
He raised one finger.
“When I call, you come and play with me. That’s all.”
“That’s it?”
“You’re agreeing awfully easily.”
“If it calms your anger.”
I smiled sweetly.
For a split second, something flickered in his eyes.
Then he laughed.
“I’m Nine. Stop calling me ‘Mister Mage.’”
“Alright, Nine. I’m Elia. And this is my friend and Holy Attendant, Robellina.”
Robellina glared at him.
I quickly stepped in.
“If you need to contact me, go through Robellina.”
“Why?”
“I’m the Saint, after all. It’s less suspicious that way.”
“Hmm. Fine.”
He stood up. He was tall.
“Then I’ll be going. Don’t ignore me when I call. I might just flip the temple upside down.”
I swallowed.
“Don’t say such scary things.”
“Haha.”
With that, he disappeared using teleportation magic.
Only the lingering trace of mana remained.
***
‘This Saint is pretty funny.’
Standing atop the palace after teleporting, Nine looked down at the corridor where Elia and Robellina were arguing.
‘And maybe a bit stupid.’
His threat about flipping the temple had been pure bluff.
Even as the Magic Tower Master, he couldn’t touch the Saint.
He had only pushed her to see what kind of person she was.
And he was disappointed.
She hadn’t even considered her position and had agreed to be his playmate.
What he didn’t realize—
Was that he was smiling?
“Idiot,” he muttered before teleporting away.
****
‘He’s probably thinking something like that right now.’
I smirked at the spot where he had vanished.
‘Why do you think I agreed to be your playmate? It’s all to pair you up with Robellina.’
That was why I had involved her as our contact point.
‘You’re a fish in my pond now, Nine.’
Robellina was the pond.
Nine was the fish.
And I, as the manager, would take care of both of them.
