<Chapter 30>

‘Seems like their body was pushed too hard, and they’ve snapped.’

Temenos felt a twinge of regret for having been too harsh. Even so, he came to a conclusion.

‘Both their body and mind have grown fragile. Reinstating them to the knight order is out of the question for now.’

Since no one could properly stand on their feet, Temenos decided to end the training session for the day.

“Starting tomorrow, the Knight Commander will oversee your training separately. No complaints. Anyone who falls behind can forget about reinstatement to the order. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“We will pass the test without fail!”

The overly enthusiastic gleam in their eyes was almost overwhelming. Feeling uneasy, Temenos left the training ground.

‘What on earth did Inosensia do to these guys…?’

Restoring their broken bodies went beyond mere healing—it was a miracle. But even so, the burning fervor of so many, eager to repay their debt, struck him as odd.

Thinking back, this seemed reminiscent of something he’d read before…

‘Ah, zealots.’

When Temenos discovered that the form he was born with was a punishment from God, he scoured every theology book he could find in the northern lands and devoured them all.

It was then he came across accounts about zealots.

Zealots: a term for individuals who become ensnared by God upon witnessing a miracle so extraordinary it could only be described as godly.

This “ensnared” wasn’t the same as admiration, reverence, or devotion. A zealot lost their sense of self and purpose, living only for the deity.

The reason zealots became a problem was their tendency to justify all sorts of chaos and crimes “for the sake of God.”

Three hundred years ago, when three out of the four Great Temples fell and God’s influence in the empire waned, zealots stopped appearing altogether… or so it was said.

‘This is the first time a Saintess has left the Great Temple. The odds of zealots appearing around her may be high.’

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

Indeed, the Saintess leaving the Great Temple is unprecedented.

Given the potential consequences of such an anomaly, shouldn’t Inosensia be sent back to the capital as soon as possible?

‘No.’

The sudden notion made Temenos stop in his tracks, startled.

What unsettled him more was that this thought had sprung from his own true feelings.

No matter how much he pondered, his answer remained the same. He did not want to send Inosensia… back to the capital.

As he questioned why he felt that way, a rational answer soon came to him.

‘If I send her back, the Emperor will just send someone else here as the fourth bride.’

In that case, Inosensia is the better option.

Whoever comes as the fourth bride won’t obediently sign the marriage agreement like she did.

‘Whatever variables arise, I’ll handle them.’

Inosensia is a Saintess cherished enough by God to receive personal divine oracles.

Even if trouble arises, God will protect her. And if it doesn’t, He will deliver another oracle as before.

If she lives in the north instead of the Great Temple, the worst that could happen will be zealots.

‘Judging by how those guys act, Inosensia won’t suffer any harm… Still, I’d better confirm it.’

Temenos turned toward the library, intending to locate the book where zealots were mentioned.

Asking the librarian would have been faster, but Temenos, who grew up surrounded by people who couldn’t meet his eyes, didn’t consider that an option.

Sneaking quietly into the library, Temenos roamed the shelves, trying to recall the title of the book he had read.

‘It definitely had the word “sacred” in it…’

His gaze, scanning the spines of the books, stopped at one.

History Is Made Even in the Midst of the Holy War

‘Is this it?’

He flipped through the book hastily. Depictions of battles appeared, along with terms like “Saintess,” “Holy Knight,” and “corruption.”

‘Corruption?’

That was a word he hadn’t noticed before.

It seemed this book wasn’t the one he’d read, but it caught his attention.

Could it be a record of a precedent where a Saintess became corrupted due to events caused by zealots?

‘Could it relate to the divine punishment I received?’

Temenos’ heart raced slightly at the thought of uncovering a hint in such an unexpected place.

Resolved to stay up all night if necessary, he left the library with the book, unaware that it belonged to an entirely different genre than he had assumed.

*  *  *

Healing countless people with God’s help is great. Truly.

‘But to think Monica had an entirely different reason for refusing to treat them.’

Of course, she had also wanted to shoulder their dissatisfaction on my behalf.

Yet there was something more important to her.

“Prospective Duchess, if you don’t start moving now, you’ll be up all night again.”

“Huh? …Oh, right! I only had one hour of free time!”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already sent word to delay the lesson schedule. But now, you must go.”

Competent Monica adjusted my schedule flawlessly without any need for reminders.

Thanks to her, I didn’t miss a single obligation. Yet, here I was, collapsing onto my bed at 1 a.m.

‘The wedding… Can’t we just hold it tomorrow and get it over with?’

I was tired, so much so that it kept me from sleeping.

Lying there, staring blankly at the dark ceiling, I figured I might as well call for a divine oracle instead of wasting time.

BEST
NoahItsAuntie

This guy’s 100% the male lead LOLLOLOLOLOL

ㄴCake7thLayerConqueror

100% the male lead, 222222222. I swear! Anyone can tell he’s the male lead, even if his face isn’t visible or he changes his voice and tone LOLLLLLLLLLLL

Alright, let’s think this through.

‘First of all, both of them are laughing. It’s not a serious situation.’

His face was hidden, and both his voice and tone were distinctly changed.

This brought to mind Temenos from the novel, chasing Beatrice into the forest.

But in such a scenario, people wouldn’t be laughing this lightheartedly.

‘Whatever it is… maybe I can relax a little this time?’

The first oracle warned of danger to my life. The second warned of danger to someone else’s life.

So, I’d assumed this third one would also be some kind of grave warning…

But life-threatening situations didn’t happen that often.

The Emperor’s spies had all been rooted out, and the so-called “monster” male lead was still perfectly stable. On top of that, I’d healed dozens of retired knights.

They called me “Saintess” and swore they’d repay my kindness. If anything happened, they wouldn’t abandon me.

‘And the wedding’s just around the corner… This must just be another ordinary event.’

Relieved, a question crossed my mind.

Why would the male lead hide his face and change his voice?

*  *  *

“Your Grace, this is the evaluation report from the Knight Commander regarding the retired knights’ training.”

“……”

“Your Grace?”

“……Ah, yes.”

Temenos flipped through the documents, his expression dour. David, noticing the dark shadows under his lord’s eyes, couldn’t hide his concern.

‘He was just as out of it this morning…’

Should I ask if something’s troubling him?

After some deliberation, David decided to feign ignorance instead.

A very wise choice.

Had he asked, Temenos’ face would have flushed as red as the book cover he’d unwittingly read.
 

<To be continued>

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