CHAPTER 09
“So this is what it feels like to plant a pillar and then enroll somewhere.”
As she walked down the long corridor toward the Archbishop’s office, Adele’s lips curved in a wide arc.
Even on that pillar over there—and on that one farther down—the eagle crest of the Yuden Merchant Guild was engraved at the base.
In Korea, it had been a joke among friends, but here, it was reality.
“My lady, I’m so nervous. I never imagined I’d step foot in Saint Fidelio during my lifetime. It already feels like I’m on my way to heaven.”
“That must just be a feeling.”
No matter how you looked at it, there were limits. With a conscience, you couldn’t expect to get into heaven after pulling something like this.
Jacqueline, who had been tearing up under a holy mural, now pouted, her emotion dulled. But Adele didn’t care either way.
‘This is why the investment was worth it.’
Using the word investment for a holy temple might sound blasphemous, but running a temple of this scale inevitably required massive funding.
Though the Empire officially managed these temples, the most they provided was barely enough for basic meals. No matter how noble the clergy, they still needed food and clothing.
There were easily hundreds of people affiliated with this place. All the extra expenses had to be covered by noble families or merchant guilds. Yuden, for its part, had never once refused.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch, Adele.”
Her father had been right.
Whenever Adele looked begrudgingly at the annual donations sent to the temples, the Count would just smile confidently and say:
“Out of the hundreds of priests and knights who receive these goods, ten will grow into influential figures. Five of those will dominate the South. And one will rise to shake the Empire itself.”
“That sounds awfully convincing… Didn’t you say the exact same thing at the Parque Temple last month?”
The month before that, it was the Tena Temple. Before that, the Medina Temple.
What kind of religious Pokémon gym challenge was he attempting? Her father’s theology had zero consistency.
He just wanted to cast as many nets as possible—pretty words, but the idea was obvious.
As Adele frowned, her father finally said something that truly hit home:
“Adele, a real businessman doesn’t pinch pennies.”
‘Your humble daughter now fully understands your deeper wisdom.’
And it wasn’t just temples. There were hardly any parts of the South untouched by House Sergio’s money.
Some might think they were just throwing money around—but no, the truth was, they genuinely had money to throw.
Even if they built dozens of temples like this, it wouldn’t make a dent in their colossal wealth.
No matter how much they spent, their money grew faster than they could use it. An unnatural and almost miraculous phenomenon—that was her family.
“Ah…”
Adele paused and closed her eyes, savoring the overwhelming feeling rising from deep within.
To spend endlessly and still have more—that was poetry beyond compare.
Though she tried to maintain a poker face befitting a guild heir, her past life as a girl from a dirt-poor background still haunted her, making moments like this all the more overwhelming.
“Ahem, Lady Adele.”
“Ah, yes, Vice Bishop.”
They had reached the end of the corridor.
As the Vice Bishop emerged from the Archbishop’s office, Adele folded her hands and maintained a polite expression.
“As I said earlier, the Archbishop is currently away…”
“But someone is inside, I assume?”
Otherwise, there’d be no reason to bring her this far.
Judging from the Vice Bishop’s uneasy expression, it didn’t seem like a lie—but Adele didn’t care whether it was the Archbishop himself or a stand-in.
Just like a school needed a principal to approve a student’s enrollment, she only needed to greet whoever was in charge and be introduced to a suitable husband candidate.
“Lady Adele, although he agreed to meet you upon my earnest request, I must warn you—‘he’ may not be what you expect. Please, whatever you see or hear inside, I ask you to keep it strictly confidential.”
“No worries. Confidentiality is a sacred rule in the Yuden Guild.”
What, was he hiding a dragon in there?
Even this stiff, stoic Vice Bishop was visibly nervous. Whoever was inside had to be a major figure.
Well, naturally. If he was acting as the Archbishop’s proxy, he was bound to be a prominent figure in the temple.
The Vice Bishop glanced at the door with a look more cautious than necessary.
“I think you may be startled, so may I tell you a few things in advance?”
“Of course.”
In business, everything must be clear and mutually beneficial. If he’d shown this much consideration, she could sit through a little sermon or two.
“If it’s a noble word from your lips, I’d be honored to hear it.”
“Good. There are just about fifty or so precautions you should know before going in—”
“Oh, Jackie! Didn’t you say earlier that you had something to ask the Vice Bishop about the sacred teachings?”
“Huh? Me?”
Yes, you.
Come on. You must have something. It’s not like you’ve lived that virtuously.
Under Adele’s intense stare, Jacqueline instantly transformed into a fervent believer and clung to the Vice Bishop.
With that fervor, she wouldn’t let go until she understood the mysteries of the universe, leaving the Vice Bishop genuinely flustered.
After pushing the two of them away, the corridor returned to silence.
“So… this is the place.”
Adele whispered quietly to herself and brushed her fingers lightly over the door. Hopefully, he was someone she could reason with.
She raised her hand to knock—
Clack.
Before her knuckles even touched the door, it opened on its own.
Surely no one had opened it manually… Was it some sort of divine power?
A devout believer would have been moved to tears, but Adele couldn’t exactly call herself that.
She wavered somewhere between devout and nominal, depending on business needs. So to her, this was simply… fascinating, like watching magic.
‘So this really exists, huh.’
Though the guild occasionally dealt with visiting mages, this was different.
What kind of person would be inside?
She had already met the Vice Bishop, so she gave up hope of meeting a movie star. That ship had sailed.
If he could stand in for the Archbishop, then… Maybe someone pope-like?
Her impoverished imagination went that far and no farther.
Despite being polar opposites, for someone raised in South Korea, top religious figures came down to two categories: Kang Dong-won or the Pope. The Archbishop surely fit the latter.
She envisioned a benevolent, elderly man in white robes and a red cap standing before her—
“…”
…but he did not appear.
This wasn’t a matter of “Is it Kang Dong-won or the Pope?”
‘You can’t choose if there’s nothing to see!’
The room was not just dim—it was pitch black.
Was this what the Vice Bishop meant when he said she’d be startled?
There was a faint light, but all the curtains and windows were completely closed.
Adele, now hesitating slightly, knelt down respectfully.
“I greet the representative of Enes, guardian of the sun and moon.”
Her voice betrayed no nervousness. As an heir to a merchant guild, concealing emotions was second nature.
“I am Adelaide, eldest daughter of Count Sergio. It is an honor beyond words to meet the representative of the divine.”
“You may rise.”
A soft resonance. A calm yet weighty presence.
Truly a voice that suited the Grand Temple. It sounded divine, like it could deliver prophecies at any moment—but younger than Adele expected.
“I heard you came from far away.”
“Ah… I apologize for visiting unannounced. I was told Saint Fidelio doesn’t accept visitors, but I couldn’t help myself and committed this rudeness.”
“It must be for an important matter, then.”
A subtle warning: It had better be.
Already intimidated by the mere voice, Adele swallowed hard.
Since coming to this world, only her father had ever made her feel so small.
‘Who is this guy?’
She had glimpsed the Archbishop from afar before, but never met anyone memorable besides him. Most of the Empire’s religious events were held on national holidays.
Her father, as the guild’s representative, attended the Grand Temple while she handled business at the second-largest one. That was the norm.
‘If I’d known, I would’ve come here myself.’
Couldn’t her father have mentioned there was someone this young and imposing here?
She bit her lip. In the darkness, it felt like the man’s gaze was piercing directly into her.
“I heard from the Vice Bishop that your family has greatly supported the temple.”
“…It was nothing. That sort of thing isn’t important.”
“So, what is it that you want?”
“…”
Wow. Straight to the point.
His blunt question caught her off guard. She couldn’t just blurt out “Marriage!” right away.
As Adele hesitated, the man’s tone grew sharper.
“Most people come to the temple for the same reason.”
“…Pardon?”
“Is it power that you want?”
“…”
Excuse me, what?
Adele’s brow twitched. She had been playing polite, but now she wasn’t sure what this was.
Was this some kind of divine axe test?
The man’s voice was much too young for a deity, but the tone definitely screamed get to the point and leave.
“I asked if you desire the power to rule the world.”
“No!”
Startled by his now icy voice, Adele quickly denied it. He was moving things along fast, but he was also wildly off track.
“I have no interest in such things. Why would I get involved in worldly affairs when they’re already complicated enough?”
“Then is it money?”
“Money?”
Please. I already have more than I can spend.
Adele looked up fully now. She was still cautious, but not as stiffly polite.
And as for this misunderstanding—she could clear it up in a single sentence.
“I appreciate the concern, but… I’m from House Sergio of the South.”
That might sound vague, but no explanation could be clearer.
There was even a saying: Don’t bother counting money when dealing with House Sergio.
If she claimed to want more money now, she risked angering the gods and walking away with a curse instead of a blessing.
As the silence stretched, Adele began to regain her composure.
“If not power or money, then is it magical power to rule the tower?”
“I’m already busy with my current job.”
“Is it to harm someone?”
“Why would I?”
That’s more my younger brother’s specialty.
With Kayden around, there was no point in asking for something like that here.
Besides, Noella’s fate after hurting others had been a good enough warning for her. She had no intention of following that path.
Adele knew well how to wrap all these complicated emotions in a respectable package.
“As the god Enes says, life is precious.”
“…”
“And to clarify in advance, I don’t want eternal youth, noble status, or peace after death either.”
