MLBR 39

It must be because what was happening felt so unreal, so far removed from reality.
And it wasn’t just me who was startled — not a single person cheered at the scene that had just unfolded, that dramatic, novel-like moment where Whistler rescued Mille.

…Not even Herais’s surprises could top this one.

If even I, a side character in the story, felt this way — what must the nobles, actual inhabitants of this world, be thinking?
Especially since they were people who blindly believed in so-called “Western prophecies,” or whatever they called them.

The noble sitting next to me muttered blankly, his face pale.

“The Saintess… didn’t deliver the prophecy.”

This was bad.
Utterly, disastrously bad.

While my mind instinctively began to run through possible scenarios of how things might deteriorate, the High Priest of Pureist rose swiftly to speak.

“The Holy Mother is not a god who walks among us at every moment,”
she said calmly, despite the chaotic scene.
“It seems that our wishes and convictions did not align with Her will.
Perhaps that is because we, gathered here, have failed to face the truth of the present.”

The elderly priestess’s composed tone, completely devoid of panic, soothed the nobles somewhat. Murmurs rippled through the crowd as they nodded hesitantly.

She continued explaining — that the problem lay with the priests, that the staffs they used might have been flawed, that the failure had a mundane explanation.

While the High Priest of Pureist worked to restore order, Whistler carried Mille in his arms and descended from the platform. He disappeared further inside the building, seemingly heading toward the underground area.

Just before he passed behind a pillar, someone came running up to him — a woman, eyes filled with concern, rushing to tend to Mille.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to read her lips.

“Ah… Lady—”

In that fleeting moment, her face caught the light — and my eyes widened.
It was someone I knew.
Someone I’d seen not long ago.

Melissa.

Melissa — the very same woman — had just called Mille “my lady.”

That meant… my pen pal’s “lady” was none other than Mille herself.

…Is that a good thing?

At least it gave me an excuse to approach Mille later — for the sake of my future with Herais, of course.
But I was too stunned to think clearly. My brain short-circuited, and for some reason, an image of an elephant trumpeting loudly flashed through my head.

I didn’t even have the mental space to wonder why it was an elephant.

The High Priest of Pureist stayed behind for a while, reading passages from scripture to lessen the impact of the failed ceremony.

Seeing a high-ranking official struggling to repair such a hopeless situation stirred a faint sense of pity in me.

Out of sympathy, I prayed harder than I ever had before.

Of course, not everyone shared my empathetic disposition.
Some nobles left in outrage, their faces red with indignation.

“I’m not foolish enough to believe such lies! How could this even happen?”

“Exactly! I had a bad feeling since the ceremony began. The Holy Mother must be angry with us! It’s hopeless!”

Their sharp, hateful gazes followed the direction Mille had disappeared in.
Those thorn-like eyes felt familiar — I’d once been on the receiving end of the same when I was branded a villainess.

Mille, huh…

Honestly, I didn’t know what to think of her.

At first, I’d decided not to care — I had my own survival to worry about.
Then today, curiosity and rivalry had pushed me to dig into her background.
But somewhere along the way, I realized she was my one and only friend.

I’ll think about that later.

Right now, I needed information on Mille. I could sort out my feelings afterward.

There was something more important to focus on:

Why did the prophecy fail?

Normally, Mille was supposed to float in midair and transcribe the Holy Mother’s words into a book. But this time, she dropped her quill the moment she picked it up.

It couldn’t have been the priests’ fault, or an issue with their staffs.
If something so trivial could stop divine possession, the prophecy would have failed countless times before.

There were plenty of people who would benefit from the hero’s downfall — if they could’ve stopped this ritual, they would have done so long ago.

This world is still the novel’s world. The characters and settings still exist.

That doesn’t mean it can’t change — it means that if it has changed, there must be a reason.

Sure, maybe it was all coincidence.

But how would I know?

I wasn’t a god — not the Holy Mother, not omniscient.
Just a transmigrator with no clue how to solve a problem like this.

Dwelling on an unsolvable puzzle would only give me a headache.
Recalling the lessons I’d learned in my past life, I stood up slowly. The other nobles were also preparing to leave.

“Hm?”

Something slipped off my knee and fluttered to the floor — a rolled-up piece of paper, as if meant for my eyes only.

“Ah!”

My frown melted away. The situation instantly clicked.
It was easy to guess who had sent it.

I pressed a hand to my chest, heart pounding.
Even so, I had to whisper it aloud to believe it.

“…It’s from Herais.”

Who else could it be?

“He’s planning a surprise.”

Something that would overshadow even the failed prophecy — something worthy of tomorrow’s front page!

“We’ll be on the front page again.”

Oops. I’d said it out loud. Too excited to guard my tongue.

I quickly covered my mouth and glanced around, pretending nothing had happened. Taking advantage of the chaos, I unrolled the note and read it.

[Meet me here. I’ll be waiting, Philena.]

Along with the short message was a small, detailed map — drawn with precision only a temple insider could manage.

It showed a hidden underground passage leading to a storage shed in the forest — a place no ordinary noble would even know existed, much less that it belonged to the temple.

“Herais… you really planned this out.”

I took a deep breath and reread the note several times to be sure.
Even after three passes, it was unmistakable — this was his handwriting.

All I had to do now was simple:
As Herais’s perfect business partner, I needed to reach that shed as quietly as possible.

Following a narrow path through the forest, I soon reached the small storage shed.
I scanned my surroundings like a spy before creeping toward it on tiptoe.

Creaaak.
The door groaned as I opened it — an awful, nails-on-chalkboard sound. The smell was foul, the dust suffocating.

“Ugh— cough, cough!”

Trying to stifle the sudden coughing fit only made me wheeze louder.
I waved my hands frantically, as if that could save me.

Thankfully, when I looked around, there was no one else nearby.

Wrinkling my nose, I closed the door behind me. Darkness swallowed the room whole.

“Guess this place hasn’t been used in a while.”

I tried to recall what I’d seen before stepping in. The shed wasn’t just old — it didn’t look like the temple had used it in years.

Still, the location suggested it was temple property.

“These things wouldn’t sell for a coin…”

How had Herais even found such a place?
It was secluded, perfect for secret meetings — ideal for a plan.

And maybe…

If the story wanted to trap me here somehow, this was exactly the kind of setup it would use.

“Huh? Wait — this might actually be it.”

I tried to suppress the grin tugging at my lips, forcing my cheeks to stay still.
Despite my efforts to look composed, my mouth wouldn’t stop curling upward.

Honestly, I couldn’t help it.

For the first time, I’d anticipated Herais’s surprise before it happened — and even deciphered part of his plan.
I, who had always been so bad at reacting and hated unexpected situations, was finally improving.

It was something to be proud of.

“I don’t know what’ll happen, so I’d better hide until Herais gets here.”

Just as my eyes began to adjust to the darkness, I heard it —

Click.

The sound of a doorknob turning.

“…!”

Instinctively, I lunged forward and grabbed the handle from my side, pulling it tight with all my strength — determined not to let whoever was outside open the door.