Chapter: 20
San Miguel Castle.
Charlie let out a disbelieving laugh as she told the squad about the absurd thing she had witnessed that day.
“I’m serious. They called the old man from the blacksmith shop the Saintess and took him away.”
“You didn’t get drunk somewhere and start seeing things, did you?”
“How could I drink while attending to the young lady? I’m telling the truth.”
The Antonio Squad tilted their heads as though they had just heard someone claim to have seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Unable to believe it, they even asked me.
“Is it really true?”
“They definitely called the old blacksmith the Saintess and took him away.”
After answering, I fell into thought.
But was that old blacksmith really the Saintess?
Had they misinterpreted the prophecy and assumed the chosen one was female, so they simply named the position “Saintess”?
Maybe the title had already been decided, so even if the chosen one turned out to be a sixty-eight-year-old man, they still called him the Saintess…
No. That doesn’t make sense.
Even in the game’s opening cinematic, they proudly showed the silhouette of a woman after the prophecy.
The developers knew perfectly well how disappointed players expecting a holy maiden would have been. There was no way they would do something like that.
The conditions were simple.
The Divine Wave on the third day of last month.
And the person had to be a member of the clergy.
The only one who fulfilled both conditions was…
As the realization hit me, I shut my eyes tightly.
No matter how I think about it… it’s me.
The third day of last month was when I lifted Danju’s curse.
And on that day, I had seen this message.
Second Advancement Successful!
[Purifier]
This system has been reconstructed using a familiar interface for user convenience.
The class before becoming a Purifier was Priest.
Which meant that, except for the “Holy Gate,” I fulfilled every requirement to become the Saintess.
So that’s why the Saintess never appeared in the game.
I must have had my organs stolen by the protagonist and died before ever becoming the Saintess.
In other words, this was a hidden route that only existed if I survived.
I had suddenly leveled up from an extra to the protagonist’s rival, but I wasn’t happy at all.
Considering this game’s habit of giving every bit of luck, love, and happiness to the protagonist…
The ending was obvious.
I’ll serve as the rival… and then die.
Ha…
What a crazy game.
I smiled with the face of someone who had attained enlightenment.
Then I clenched my skirt tightly.
But I’m not going to die so obediently.
I have a rabbit-like mother I have to protect.
I’m going to survive.
Whenever bad news comes, good news follows.
At long last, the ducal castle had sent the official appointment notice for pages.
Though the person who delivered it was rather unexpected.
Huh?
Charlie and I looked at each other.
The man holding the appointment letter was none other than the middle-aged man I had seen at the blacksmith shop.
“Yustea of San Miguel, kneel and receive the grace of the Duchy.”
The middle-aged man spoke.
I stepped forward and knelt before him.
It wasn’t because he held higher personal authority than I did.
It was simply the proper etiquette for receiving an official document bearing the Duke’s seal.
The man began reading the appointment notice.
After the usual formalities, he finally reached the line that made the appointment official.
“Yustea of San Miguel is hereby appointed to serve the Imperial Family. Carry out this command with utmost sincerity and devotion.”
I lowered my head.
“Yustea, daughter of San Miguel, humbly accepts this command.”
I restrained myself because we stood before Escarotte’s administrator, but inwardly I wanted to leap for joy.
I wasn’t the only happy one.
The Vice Commander, who had been worried whether I would truly be accepted as a page, looked deeply moved as well.
But then something felt strange.
The administrator didn’t immediately hand me the appointment notice.
I couldn’t stand until I received it, yet he deliberately dragged things out.
I glanced up at him.
His expression was overflowing with arrogance.
He’s doing this on purpose.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
The Vice Commander’s bright smile gradually stiffened.
“How much longer do you intend to keep the young lady kneeling?”
Unable to endure it any longer, the Vice Commander finally spoke.
Only then did the administrator say, “Ah,” before handing me the document.
After I accepted it and stood, he stroked his beard.
“The servants of San Miguel are excessively loyal.”
The Antonio Squad puffed up proudly, thinking their loyalty had been praised.
But the Vice Commander reacted differently.
His face froze instantly.
Of course.
That wasn’t praise at all.
He was mocking them for making such a fuss over nothing more than an adopted daughter being forced to kneel.
It was an open insult directed at me.
As someone who worked at the heart of a great house like Escarotte, the administrator wasn’t some fool who spoke carelessly.
He knew exactly what he was saying.
Yet he remained shameless.
“Show us to the rooms where the Saintess and I will be staying. Hold a banquet to relieve my men’s fatigue from the journey. Ah, and be sure the wine has been aged at least thirty years.”
He had merely come to deliver the appointment notice, yet he was already demanding extravagant hospitality.
Even Antonio’s face twisted in anger.
“‘Thirty-year-aged wine,’ my ass…!”
Just as he was about to shout, members of the Vice Commander’s squad grabbed hold of him.
They had only just earned the opportunity to approach Duke Escarotte.
Making a scene here would accomplish nothing.
The Vice Commander sighed heavily, suppressing his anger.
Then he told the butler,
“Show them to their rooms for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
The butler led away the middle-aged man, the administrators, and the knights.
Only then did Antonio, finally released by his comrades, grumble furiously.
“Why are we even giving that arrogant bastard a room?”
“For now, the best course is to host them quietly and send them away.”
As the Vice Commander spoke, I interrupted.
“I don’t think a banquet is what they really want.”
“Hm?”
Naturally, that middle-aged man was in a position where he could throw his weight around.
San Miguel was a territory incapable of surviving on its own.
If the Irregulars hadn’t desperately poured in the money they earned from missions, it would have gone bankrupt long ago.
That meant we absolutely had to stay on the good side of the officials from the capital who controlled the budget.
But this is far too rude.
It was almost as though he was deliberately demonstrating that he had the authority to behave this way.
In other words…
He wanted us to curry favor with him.
And in a poor territory like San Miguel, there was only one way to do that.
“He’s asking for money. That’s a very common way of demanding a bribe.”
Antonio’s face twisted.
“Even back-alley thugs extort money more cleanly than that. Do we seriously have to pay that fat pig?”
“If we don’t, it’ll only get worse.”
“What if I secretly kill him?”
At that, several members of Antonio’s squad quietly drew their weapons with sinister expressions.
I hurriedly waved both hands.
“Absolutely not. If a government official is murdered, the capital will intervene.”
If we made one wrong move, they might even discover that San Miguel was a nest of Irregulars.
Antonio looked dejected.
“So we really just have to pay him…?”
“Not necessarily.”
“Huh?”
I looked toward the Vice Commander.
“Would you leave this matter to me?”
“You can… but…”
His expression clearly said,
“How are you planning to solve this without paying him?”
The administrator of Escarotte, known to Yustea simply as the middle-aged man, was named Godin.
Leaning back in a bubble-filled bath while sipping wine, Godin sighed contentedly.
“Nothing tastes better than drinking with someone else’s money.”
Especially when it came from pitiful fools who couldn’t even talk back.
One of his subordinates, attending him, asked,
“Are you sure it’s alright to waste time here? Prince Gaspar will be furious if the Saintess arrives late.”
Godin sneered as he swirled his wine.
“Who cares? It’s not like she’s the real Saintess anyway.”
Even Godin didn’t believe that sixty-eight-year-old man was actually the Saintess.
He was simply pretending to obey the prince’s command.
The moment Prince Gaspar arrived at Escarotte, he had issued two orders.
1. Find the source of the Divine Wave.
2. Bring back anyone who possessed divine power and had been near the source on the third day of last month.
“I’ve brought someone who fulfills the conditions. What can he possibly complain about?”
“But if the prince is angered and the Duke becomes displeased with us…”
“The Duke wasn’t interested in the Saintess to begin with.”
Escarotte was powerful enough that it had no need to rely on either the Imperial Palace or the Holy Church.
If anything, it was those two who desperately wanted Escarotte under their influence.
“That may be true for Escarotte, but we’re only administrators. If we anger the prince, we’re finished.”
“Which is exactly why we should bring him a fake Saintess.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we hand Prince Gaspar the real Saintess, won’t we earn the resentment of the Church of Teretsa and the other princes?”
Only then did the subordinate nod enthusiastically.
“As expected of Lord Godin.”
He truly was a man who had risen to his position through political maneuvering alone.
The subordinate laughed.
“Please continue teaching me in the future.”
Then he lifted another bottle.
“Another drink?”
“No. It’s about time we enjoyed the banquet. I wonder just how magnificent it will be.”
He was also looking forward to the heavy pouch of gold coins he’d receive afterward.
The two men chuckled as they left the bath.
Outside, the corridor was packed with the rest of Godin’s attendants.
All of them wore excited expressions, eagerly anticipating the feast.
As Godin slipped on his jacket, one of the knights approached.
“Thanks to you, Lord Godin, we’ll finally be eating well again.”
“Haha. Enjoy yourself while you have the chance.”
“The castle’s awfully quiet. Surely they didn’t forget to hire dancers?”
“They’re not that stupid. Good wine should always come with beautiful scenery.”
“Exactly.”
Serving a foul-tempered superior like Godin had its advantages.
To show off his own generosity, he always let his subordinates enjoy some of the spoils.
After spending a leisurely day resting in San Miguel, they headed toward the banquet hall.
Toward what they expected would be a grand feast filled with beautiful dancers, expensive wine, and luxurious food.
Then they confidently opened the doors…
“…What?”
“Wait… where’s the food?”
There wasn’t even a single dish.
Forget wine.
The instant Godin’s eyebrow twitched—
A voice came from outside.
“So you’ve arrived before us.”
It was Yustea, the girl selected as an imperial page.
Godin turned sharply toward her.
There were no dancers behind her either.
Nor was the lord of the territory hurrying after her.
Only the knight commander and the handsome knight named Antonio accompanied her.
Godin frowned.
“What happened to the banquet?”
“Oh dear. There seems to have been a misunderstanding.”
“There is no banquet.”
His eyebrow twitched again.
“I distinctly requested one.”
“You certainly requested it.”
“But we never agreed.”
Well, look at that.
What an arrogant attitude.
Godin let out a mocking laugh.
“It seems you’ve misunderstood your position, young lady.”
The handsome knight called Antonio immediately lunged forward in fury.
Yustea blocked him with an arm before he could reach Godin.
She still wore a smile.
“Have I?”
“What has made you so arrogant? Your past as Andres’s eldest daughter?”
“…”
“Ah, don’t be surprised. Surely you didn’t think we would bring someone into Escarotte without investigating them first.”
“…”
“But you see…”
Godin stepped closer.
“You’re no longer Andres’s daughter. You’re merely one of San Miguel’s household.”
“I’ve been legally adopted as the daughter of the Lord of San Miguel.”
Godin chuckled.
“Indeed. The Lord of San Miguel must have been desperate. He needed someone to send to the capital as a page, after all. Though choosing…”
This time, not only Antonio but even the Vice Commander clenched his fists.
Godin paid them no mind.
“I suppose the Lord of San Miguel believes you once formed deep connections with the princes.”
“…”
“Surely you don’t believe that yourself?”
“…”
“Here’s some advice. Don’t attach too much meaning to the princes accepting you as a page.”
Escarotte had certainly been surprised when the princes requested Yustea.
But no one believed it came from genuine affection.
“If the princes had truly cared about you, would they have allowed you to wander the streets and end up working as a kitchen maid?”
No.
This was simply entertainment.
Watching someone who had fallen to the very bottom.
Like a circus monkey.
“I heard you visited the princes when they traveled to Escarotte.”
“And even then, all you did was cook in the kitchen.”
“…”
“Think about it. If they truly pitied you, would they have let a noble lady’s hands be stained with kitchen work?”
He had already concluded that there would be no consequences for treating her however he wished.
Who did she think she was standing up to him?
After a long silence, Yustea finally spoke.
“Would you come over here for a moment?”
Godin smiled broadly.
“So you’ve finally understood your place.”
She must have realized she couldn’t oppose someone like him.
Perhaps she intended to discreetly hand him a sack of gold.
His subordinates behind him grinned, thinking the same.
Godin flashed them a satisfied smile before approaching Yustea.
The next instant—
“AAAGH!”
BAM!
She smashed her knee straight into his.
As he bent over instinctively to grab his leg—
She drove her elbow directly into the back of his neck.
“Ghk!”
Already off balance, the second blow sent him crashing face-first onto the floor.
Yustea immediately planted her foot firmly on the back of his head.
With her free hand, she grabbed a flower vase from a nearby cabinet.
“Lord Godin! What are you all doing?!”
At his subordinate’s shout, the stunned knights hurriedly reached for their swords.
Yustea spoke coldly.
“Don’t move.”
“Unless you want to watch this man’s skull get smashed open.”
“…!”
“…!!”
The knights froze.
Pinned to the ground like a frog, Godin shouted,
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Self-defense.”
That’s not what I meant!
Godin trembled with rage.
“Release me immediately! If the capital hears of this, not only you but all of San Miguel will suffer terribly!”
“Then report it.”
“You lunatic…!”
“But are you the only one capable of making accusations?”
What?
Yustea grabbed his hair and forced his head upward.
Her golden eyes gleamed with the sharpness of a hunting beast.
For a moment, Godin was too startled to speak.
But he quickly recovered.
“What nonsense are you—”
“The Territory of Ason.”
“The Territory of Kanya.”
“The Rolheiser Merchant Company.”
“And Director Skasi Hospital.”
“…!”
Godin froze.
Even more completely than when she’d threatened to smash his head with the vase.
Because…
Every single name she had listed belonged to people who had bribed him.
Some of them weren’t even connected to Escarotte at all.
They were places even his own family didn’t know he had accepted bribes from.
But… how could she possibly know that?!
Godin turned deathly pale, his mouth hanging open.
Watching him with an amused smile, Yustea thought,
Because I saw it in the game.
The scandal would be exposed before long.
Naturally, he’d be dismissed from office and left awaiting execution in an underground prison.
Crouching down until they were eye to eye, Yustea smiled sweetly.
“So…”
“Who is it that needs to understand their position?”
“…P-Please spare me! Please spare me! Please spare me!”
Godin rubbed his hands together desperately as he begged for mercy.
Everyone else in the room simply stared blankly.
Godin’s subordinates had never seen their superior like this before.
As for Antonio and the Vice Commander…
“That was freaking awesome.”
Antonio said it aloud.
And the Vice Commander, who normally would have smacked him on the back of the head for talking like that, silently nodded in agreement.
