Chapter – 06
“Um, Sir Lucian.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“What would happen if I refused Sir Ian’s proposal?”
Lucian smiled awkwardly, wrinkling the bridge of his nose.
“Most likely, the Commander would try to negotiate with you as much as possible, Saintess.”
“I suppose he would.”
“…And personally, I also hope you would accept Sir Ian’s proposal. I apologize for saying this.”
No.
I shook my head.
From Lucian’s perspective, that was only natural. He had spent nearly twenty years serving Ian alone — a truly loyal subordinate and his right-hand man.
If Ian failed to become a Cardinal, then not only Ian’s efforts but also Lucian’s decade of hard work would turn into nothing.
Becoming a Cardinal means becoming one of the highest authorities of the Church of Elune.
Which also meant gaining command over the Holy Knights’ military forces.
In The Saint Who Doesn’t Know Love, Ian becomes a Cardinal and immediately leads the entire Holy Knight Order to attack the Imperial Palace.
His revenge succeeded not only because of his personal strength, but largely because of the overwhelming military force of the Holy Knights.
“I understand this is an unreasonable request for you, Saintess. Wherever you go, people will whisper about you. Life will surely become difficult.”
“……”
“But this is extremely important to the Commander. Important enough that he was willing to stake ten million mars.”
“Sir… Lucian.”
“You don’t need to speak formally to me. Please lower your speech.”
“Ah… um… then… Sir Lucian.”
“Yes, Saintess. Go ahead.”
I decided to ask what had been bothering me.
“Has Sir Ian been completely eliminated from the Cardinal candidate list?”
“Yes. Most likely.”
Lucian nodded with a stiff expression.
“The law states that one who is not pure cannot qualify as the highest servant of the God Elune.”
“I see…”
My voice trailed off.
Lucian studied my expression and asked:
“Does it concern you, Saintess?”
“…Yes. A little.”
I admitted with a sigh.
“Honestly, until yesterday, Sir Ian was on a perfect path. The youngest Holy Knight Commander and the youngest Sword Master… everyone said he would become the next Cardinal.”
And in the novel, Ian did successfully become a Cardinal.
It was only natural. Elune, the main god of this empire, was the god of war. Naturally, believers revered strength.
The strongest Holy Knight becomes the Commander, and if he remains the strongest until the current Cardinal retires, he becomes the next Cardinal without dispute.
Lucian smiled warmly.
“Thank you for worrying about our Commander, Saintess. You must already be overwhelmed yourself. You truly are a kind person.”
That wasn’t it.
I just felt responsible.
Feeling guilty, I quietly avoided his gaze.
Lucian chuckled softly and continued:
“But you don’t need to worry too much. Even if the Commander cannot become a Cardinal, that position won’t be taken by someone else.”
“…What?”
I blinked.
What did that mean?
At that moment, a line from the novel flashed through my mind like lightning.
“The first condition to become a Cardinal: be the strongest.
The second condition: be a Sword Master.”
Normally, to be the strongest, one also had to be a Sword Master.
And during Ian’s era in the novel, there was something unusual:
There were almost no Sword Masters.
“Currently, the Commander is the only Sword Master on the continent. Therefore, if he cannot become Cardinal, the position will simply remain vacant.”
“I see! Wait… then what happens…?”
Ian only wanted the Cardinal position for one reason:
To gain military command of the Church of Elune.
But if there were no Cardinal…
Then naturally, the military authority would fall to the next rank below — the Holy Knight Commander!
My mouth fell open.
Now I understood why Ian wasn’t as furious as I expected.
He had a second plan.
Of course, I had still disrupted his plans.
His previously flawless image was now stained. And there were surely other authorities a Cardinal held besides military power that he would lose.
Still, he could retain control of the army as Commander.
No wonder he didn’t just try to kill me outright!
I let out a deep sigh of relief.
While talking, we had reached the end of a hallway.
At the very end stood a large door.
“This will be your temporary residence for the time being, Saintess.”
Lucian opened the door.
When I looked inside, my eyes widened.
Wow… it’s beautiful.
The room was decorated neatly in white tones. It was not only beautiful but spacious.
As I looked around in amazement, Lucian said:
“Your official residence will be provided after the Saint verification process is completed.”
This is temporary?
How much better could the official one possibly be?
“Do you have any more questions, Saintess?”
“No, I think this is enough for now.”
“If anything else comes up, please call for me anytime. A young attendant and a guard will arrive soon. Please don’t be startled if they knock.”
Lucian left with a gentle smile.
Silence filled the room.
I’m alone.
The moment I realized that, all the strength drained from my body.
So many things had happened in just a few hours. I must have been more exhausted than I realized.
I staggered to the bed and collapsed onto it.
Wow… insanely soft.
It was the most luxurious bed I had ever laid on.
This was temporary?
I could live here forever.
I should think about Ian’s proposal…
But my eyelids quickly grew heavy from exhaustion.
This wasn’t the time to sleep.
I tried to force myself up, even pinching my thigh—
Then—
—Hello, Number 76.
A cold voice whispered beside my ear.
“Gasp!”
I grabbed my ears and spun around.
No one was there.
But a dark shadow flickered.
D-demon? Monster?
My heart pounded wildly.
“Wh… who are you?”
I forced myself to speak.
A strange chuckle came from the shadow.
—Don’t be afraid. I just came to tell you you’re doing well.
“……”
—But you haven’t been making reports.
The shadow slid toward me.
The black mist stopped right in front of my face and whispered:
—The higher-ups have high expectations of you. It would be wise not to delay.
“……”
—Hmm. You’re not having second thoughts, are you? No… that can’t be. After all, you have no family or connections in this world. We’re the only ones who took you in.
The closer the shadow came, the colder I felt.
My jaw trembled.
—Number 76. We expect good things from you. Don’t disappoint us. One scandal isn’t enough to ruin someone, is it? Finish it properly.
“……”
—Remember. Your life is in our hands. No matter where you go, you cannot escape us. Though I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, I’ll remind you.
At that moment—
A burning pain shot through my thigh.
“AAAAH…!”
—The curse we placed on you is still active. The deadline is, as you know, until the end of this year. Within that time, you must destroy Ian. Politically… or his life itself.
Good luck.
The shadow disappeared like smoke.
“Huff… huff…”
I gasped for breath.
Cold sweat poured down my body.
What… what was that?
The voice calling me Number 76…
It was the same voice from the memories I had recalled before.
A low, hoarse voice.
My hands trembled as I forced them into fists.
As expected… that voice has no intention of letting this body go.
And it said we.
Which meant my enemy wasn’t just one person.
This is insane.
I tried to calm my breathing.
But honestly—
I was terrified.
The image of the shadow standing like a human was horrifying.
If they could infiltrate a cathedral, they must be a highly skilled mage.
What should I do?
Should I ask Ian for help?
No.
Impossible.
There was no way he would believe I had suddenly fallen into another world into someone else’s body.
Not Ian.
Not anyone.
If I ask for help carelessly, I’ll only be proving I’m a spy.
There was no one I could rely on.
Helplessness and fear tightened around my throat.
Then—
Memories that weren’t mine flowed into my mind.
Please let me go. I’ll earn back the money my parents sold me for.
That was my voice.
The real Number 76.
“I” was begging someone.
Desperation filled my chest.
Your ransom? Don’t be ridiculous. The moment your parents sold you, you became our property forever. Try running if you want. You know what happens to traitors. Even your corpse will belong to us.
“I” was sad.
“I” was miserable.
Since childhood, I had been sold to a dark guild called Nine.
From that moment, my identity was erased.
I became someone who didn’t exist.
Less than a slave.
The guild used me like livestock.
I only carried out missions.
Over and over.
I couldn’t make friends. I changed appearances for every mission. No one knew my real face.
“I” was unhappy.
I wanted to escape this world.
To a new world.
A world without the guild.
Without the god who abandoned me.
So before starting my mission—
“…Gasp.”
I snapped out of the memory.
What was the end?
What did I do?
The memory ended in an unsettling way.
