Chapter 89
At that time, the High Priest was in the Imperial Palace.
Thanks to the grave matter of the missing holy relic, he had been able to obtain the Emperor’s permission to arrest Eligia Semperion. Unfortunately, he himself could not go in person.
He had to remain in the palace to deliver additional reports.
More precisely, he had to stay behind to subdue the factions opposing the investigation, which had already been authorized.
Naturally, the House of Semperion had risen up in outrage over the matter, and most of the noble factions who followed the Duke demanded the withdrawal of this sudden “special investigative authority,” claiming it was an abuse of power.
Thus, the Emperor’s condition had been that the High Priest must personally remain in the palace to calm the opposition.
“A shame I can’t go myself.”
He was curious to see Eligia Semperion’s reaction.
Still, even without him there, things were unlikely to go awry. The holy relic’s power was absolute. It had already been confirmed before the party left the temple—the relic’s light pointed toward House Semperion.
That meant the relic was surely there now.
Even if Eligia did not have it on her personally, it was grounds enough for suspicion.
“Your Grace, our priests have already confirmed it. Lady Semperion’s hair was discovered inside the sealed building, and the holy relic that was there has vanished.”
“…Impossible.”
By his side, the Saintess, Frillien, let out a sigh.
As mentioned, this meeting was for additional reports. He was not alone. With him were Frillien, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, a few representatives of the Mage Tower, and—
“Duke, do you have nothing further to say?”
“……”
The Duke of Semperion was there as well. He had sat in silence, glaring murderously since the beginning.
In fact, the main reason the Emperor had convened this meeting was precisely because of this: the Duke of Semperion had personally come to the palace. The Emperor clearly wanted the High Priest to deliver the facts directly to the Duke, rather than mediating himself.
“He’ll have nothing to say, surely.”
After all, this was a matter that could easily escalate into high treason. For the Duke, the wisest move was to avoid being implicated. Treating it as the foolish mistake of a reckless young daughter was perhaps the only way he could survive. If he defended her too strongly, it might look as though the House of Semperion had intentionally stolen the relic.
Then the Duke finally opened his mouth.
“…There must have been some kind of misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
The Emperor replied.
“I understand your wish to protect your kin, Duke. But this cannot simply be brushed aside. Your daughter’s hair was discovered there.”
“She may have lost her way and wandered in by mistake.”
“That may explain her mere presence. After all, it is not unheard of for lost pilgrims to stray into restricted buildings. But this case is different. A holy relic is missing.”
“……”
“An investigation must be conducted.”
The Emperor lowered his voice as though trying to soothe the Duke.
“If the investigation proves that Lady Semperion does not possess the relic, then the matter will be resolved.”
“Yes. Our investigators have already been dispatched. We should have the results shortly.”
The High Priest nodded.
“Though whatever the result, she won’t be able to escape.”
It was possible that Eligia Semperion had realized she held the relic. But even so, it was far too late to dispose of it. As a holy relic, it could not be easily destroyed or concealed. Any attempt would leave traces and only worsen matters.
The High Priest was waiting calmly for the results when—
“Y-Your Majesty! The temple investigation team has arrived—with Lady Semperion as well.”
“So soon?”
The Emperor’s brows rose in surprise. It had barely been any time since they departed the temple. For them to arrive this quickly implied they had gone straight to the Duke’s manor and then directly here. The High Priest, however, nodded coolly.
“So the evidence must have been clearer than expected.”
They must have found the relic right away and arrested her immediately. The fact that Eligia herself was brought confirmed it.
“Let them in.”
At the Emperor’s order, the doors opened. The priests walked in, and at their center, Eligia Semperion strode confidently forward.
“…Walking?”
The High Priest’s face twisted in shock. He had expected her to be bound and dragged in chains. Instead, she led the priests, walking tall and unrestrained.
He quickly signaled to one of the priests behind her, demanding an explanation with his urgent gaze. But the priest merely shook his head with a troubled look, as bewildered as he was.
“Well? What were the results of the investigation?”
“Th-that…”
Glancing nervously at the High Priest, the priest raised his staff near Eligia. At once, a light emerged—
—and pointed directly at the center of her forehead.
“W-what is this?!”
The High Priest shot to his feet in panic, shouting at her in disbelief.
“Did you—did you swallow it? Eat it?!”
“……”
The Duke’s face turned deathly pale. The Crown Prince, dazed, muttered blankly:
“Elly does eat a lot, but… surely not that much.”
“What does he take me for, exactly?”
Eligia cast him a sidelong glare, folding her arms. One of the priests cautiously spoke up in her stead.
“N-no, that can’t be it. If she had eaten it, the light would point to her stomach. Since it points to her forehead… well, theoretically, it can happen in someone with extraordinary divine power, such as a saintess.”
“But I heard Lady Semperion has no divine power?”
Priests could generally sense divine energy. The one beside her nodded.
“Yes… at this moment, I sense no divine power from her at all.”
“Of course not.”
Eligia inclined her head. Without equipping the right skill, even someone with divine stats would not show any outward signs. Just as her mana had gone undetected before she revealed her magic, so too did her divine energy remain hidden now.
Currently, she had no divine-related skills equipped. Even if she had divine energy, it would not manifest.
The priest, clearly troubled, spoke again.
“Perhaps it simply hasn’t awakened yet? She could even possess potential on par with the Saintess… which would explain—”
“I think not.”
The High Priest cut him off sharply.
“If that were the case, the relic’s light would have shone upon House Semperion long ago. Lady Semperion has lived her whole life without any such sign.”
“That… is true.”
“Therefore, some unknown anomaly is at work here.”
He fixed Eligia with an intense stare, as if he wanted to split open her forehead and peer inside.
“Lady, where is the relic?”
His tone implied certainty that she had hidden it. Eligia frowned.
“How should I know? I’m just a silly young noblewoman.”
“A silly young noblewoman does not so easily slay monsters.”
“Well, I did do that.”
“Lady, this is not some childish quarrel! A holy relic has vanished! Did you really… hide it in your head?”
“He’s rattled.”
Eligia smirked inwardly. For him to question her so desperately—it was suspicious.
Was the High Priest himself the one who had handed her the relic?
“Lady, do you truly know nothing about the relic?”
“I know.”
She forced herself not to smile. Did she know where it was? Of course. More than that—
…She had it herself.
Inventory.
She recalled checking her inventory before changing clothes in her room. There it had been—
Item:
Pendant for Guests of the Temple of Phrynys
Granted to guests approved by the Saintess. Contains weak divine energy.
Can be used as justification for temple access.
It had been a gift from Frillien, sent in a letter.
But now, it had changed—
Item:
(Holy Relic) Pendant of Phrynys
Special • Rare
One of Phrynys’ holy relics.
Can disguise any aura or appearance.
However, effects may be limited by the wielder’s divine power.
“So she sent me a relic disguised like this?”
The Pendant of Phrynys possessed the peculiar ability to mask its very form and aura. It could appear as a mere “guest pendant,” perfectly concealing its divine energy. Even Eligia herself had not suspected it was a relic.
“Who in their right mind sends a holy relic by mail?”
Perhaps protective or tracking skills had been placed on it, hidden by its disguise. Even with her ability to see item effects, she had believed it ordinary. That was the relic’s power.
What led her to uncover it later were certain clues.
First, Howell’s question:
“After training, while walking… did you ever pick up something shiny, like a jewel, just because it looked pretty? Think carefully.”
If the relic could disguise itself as a pendant, it would make sense to think she had simply found a trinket by chance.
Second, the words she’d overheard in the basement:
“The Saintess gave… careful… it’s a trap…”
“And it really was a trap.”
That suspicious warning had pushed her to recheck the gifts in her inventory.
She glanced at Frillien beside the High Priest, who kept darting nervous looks between them. Her trembling eyes seemed genuinely unaware, but… was she truly uninvolved?
“Whatever the case, it’s too late to undo it now.”
Eligia recalled the system prompt she had once seen:
“Discard one of the gifts!”
Had she chosen to throw away the pendant then, none of this would be happening. The system had even promised to erase all effects, which would have nullified its relic properties and revealed its true form.
“Strange… maybe the system was giving me a chance to avoid this trap. Is it actually on my side?”
But at the time, she had chosen to keep the gift.
And now—
Warning! This item is now bound to the user.
It cannot be discarded or transferred!
Which meant…
“In the end, I guess I’ve become the holy relic myself! Surely this is all the will of the gods, don’t you think?”
Eligia answered brazenly.
Now the relic was hers, and there was no giving it back.
