SNBF 10

Chapter 10

“A saint… at the temple?”
A cold voice cut through the air.
Isaac, the Emperor’s top advisor, felt his heart shrink instinctively. Even though the tone was calm, the immense anger behind it was palpable.

“I… I have no excuse.”
At times like this, there was only one proper response to a superior.
Bow your head.
The Emperor had been on the throne for a year, but Isaac had served him for nearly ten. Knowing exactly the angle of apology required, he bent at the waist with practiced precision.

‘Why does my boss have to be the Emperor?’
Honestly, if it were anyone else, making a mistake would at worst lead to scolding or dismissal. But with the Emperor, it felt like walking a tightrope between life and death every single time.

Of course, Emperor Theodore didn’t punish people without reason.
But every time he saw that angry face, fear made Isaac’s toes curl involuntarily.
How could a face as radiant and sunny as the personification of the sun drip with such icy menace?

“Is that all?”
“…Pardon?”
“Is that all the news your agents brought me? Surely it’s not just that you went all the way to Dermont and lost the saint right in front of you.”
The frozen sun seemed to chill the entire advisory team. Ironically, the Empire’s sun shone not by fire, but by freezing cold.

“The bishop of Dermont and the carriage carrying the saint… headed straight for the capital. We tried to track them, but by the time we realized, it was already…”
Isaac trailed off.
The lower-ranking men had failed, yet he, the advisor, was the one being scolded.
Answer: because he was the top advisor.

‘I’d rather work as a low-ranking officer even if it means half the salary.’
Isaac swallowed a desperate prayer. His back was beginning to ache, and his legs were starting to tingle. By the time the Emperor’s wrath subsided, his whole body would be cramping.
Good thing he’d asked the infirmary for muscle-relaxing herbs before coming.

“Why… did it have to happen like this?”
Meanwhile, Theodore couldn’t shake a sense of unease.

“Over the past two months, the Dermont temple hadn’t approached the saint first. In fact, that temple had more factions who despised her as a fraud.”
Wanting to clarify the connection between the temple and the saint, Theodore had instructed his men to bring her in and gather information directly from Dermont’s temple.

Yet unexpected information returned.
The temple despised the saint.

“Yes. So it seems she has no connection to the temple… yet why did she flee there? It’s hard to understand from any angle.”
The situation had grown even stranger.

Why flee to the temple? If she intended to seek protection there, why hadn’t she gone sooner?
Why, of all times, did she run to the temple right after the imperial court came looking for her? It was almost as if she had been ‘waiting’ for Theodore.
Perhaps she feared punishment from the imperial court for her fraud, which would be the most logical hypothesis.
But if she wanted to escape, she should’ve hidden, not run to the temple. And she even headed toward the capital where the Emperor resided.

It was as if she knew the Emperor might harm her, and that only the temple—and more specifically, the Grand Minister—could protect her.
She seemed like someone who understood the delicate tug-of-war between the temple and the Emperor.

“…Strange.”
“Pardon?”
“Isaac. Is it common knowledge among commoners that I’m at odds with the temple?”
Theodore seemed lost in thought. This was the moment. He tended to become calm when deep in contemplation.

Isaac straightened up, pain surging through him. A groan escaped his lips, but he clenched his teeth and held it in.

“No. The royal family and the temple have always been close… so perhaps the nobles, bishops, and priests know, but it’s not known to commoners. Even if the public knew of your conflict with the temple, it would sway public sentiment, so the temple doesn’t broadcast it either.”

“Exactly.”
Any leaks about the struggle with the temple would serve no one—not Theodore’s reforms, not the temple’s status.
But how did the saint know all this?
She may have never met the saint, and all this might be excessive suspicion.
Still, unease gnawed at him. Theodore’s instincts had rarely been wrong, despite his usual good fortune.

“Your Majesty!”
At that moment, the door flung open.

“R-Rumors, Your Majesty!”
“Hmm?”
Theodore sensed trouble instantly.

“The Grand Temple… officially recognizes the saint’s reincarnation. It hasn’t been publicly announced yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“…Smooth as silk.”
Theodore gave a faint, bitter smile.

“And the Grand Temple will hold a ceremony showcasing the saint to the public. Soon… all truths will be revealed.”
Everything regarding the saint was progressing at an unnaturally rapid pace, as if someone who understood all the world’s rules were orchestrating it.
It was truly… strange.

“Ah…”
Yes. This felt like a romance novel!
The dazzling capital streets, fountains shining like gold. The absurdly extravagant carriages, the occasional glimpse of beautiful dresses in salons.
Until now, in the provincial city of Dermont, I hadn’t realized it—but now it hit me.

We reached the Grand Temple and descended from the carriage, receiving salutes from armored paladins as we headed to the Grand Minister’s room.

“Saint… will you really help me return?”
The bishop of Dermont whispered.

The Grand Temple held the power to protect me against the Emperor. Dermont’s temple could not.
So I needed to appeal my presence to the Grand Minister and place myself under their protection—and for that, I needed the bishop’s help.

According to the novel’s info, bishops overseeing each region had the right to request an audience with the Grand Minister—a privilege ordinary priests didn’t have.
They were a truly power-obsessed group.

“Of course.”
I smiled faintly.
I wasn’t really planning to help the bishop, but I played along—for now. As someone necessary to meet the Grand Minister, I didn’t want to make unnecessary enemies.
Once I achieved my goal of meeting the Grand Minister, the bishop couldn’t harm me.
After all… I was going to be a saint.

The Grand Temple, meant to honor the gods, was as lavish as a royal palace.

[Every time I come to the Grand Temple, it feels… complicated. It’s so different from before…]
Agatha muttered gloomily.
[Sigh. How did our name end up being used like this?]

Her frustration made sense. If someone ran a tiny restaurant under your name without permission, you’d be angry. Agatha’s stolen name now affected the entire Empire.

“We’re here.”
Before I knew it, we arrived. I stepped inside.

“Ugh…”
I squinted.
Shimmering ivory marble, pillars, countless crystal chandeliers…
Even the smallest objects, the pillars, the floor tiles—everything was trimmed in gold.
This was truly insane luxury.

“Bishop. It’s been twenty years.”
A deep, resonant voice vibrated.
My gaze followed it. At the center of this splendor, a golden chair sat.
A middle-aged woman, hair pinned up, crossed her legs with an arrogant poise.

“G-Grand Minister…”
The bishop knelt hastily.

“I recall telling you never to be seen again… Was my command amusing?”
To lead such a large organization, maybe that level of charisma was necessary. Despite her soft voice, it was sharp enough to pierce like a blade.

“N-No! Not at all! I… I just came to inform you of the saint’s reincarnation…!”
“Saint?”
Her gaze shifted to me. Curiosity… and contempt flickered across her face.

“Ah. The fraud who made the front page of the newspapers.”

“Hello, Grand Minister.”
I bowed lightly. She smirked.

“A country bumpkin pretending to be a saint? God must be furious.”
This… person couldn’t even hear the voice of God, greedy as she was… calling herself a priest in name only.

I swallowed my anger and spoke.

“I can make you believe I am the saint.”
“Hmm.”
“And I can show you the benefits of working with me.”
“You’re a brazen girl.”

Her eyes blazed as if ready to devour me. This was frightening—a predator in human form.

“You… wanted to check the Emperor, didn’t you?”
At that, her face stiffened instantly.
But I was not afraid.
Though I would fear the Emperor wielding God’s power, anyone else with Agatha by my side posed no threat.

“Bishop, leave. Priests, you too, everyone. Make sure no one hears a sound from this room. No one.”
She waved her hand, dismissing the attendants. The room was vast; I hadn’t realized how many served her.
Once the murmuring died down, only the Grand Minister and I remained.

“What can you do?”
“I can hear God’s voice.”
“In what way?”
“I can know anything I want. For example, the location of your treasured secret vault.”
“Secret vault, huh? You’ve got an imagination. People in my position often face such slander.”
She responded nonchalantly.

“You have a separate residence, correct? Its name is Miguel. It masquerades as a small tavern, but underground there’s a massive secret vault. My goodness. What could you possibly do with all that?”
Agatha and other gods had gathered information by visiting the Grand Temple.
Some information could only be learned by being close to a person.

I’d deliberately chosen the info most likely to unsettle the Grand Minister.

“You… you knew that…”
“Isn’t that right, Grand Minister? The pseudonym you used for the vault is Judith. Quite a cute name!”
“How… did you—”
“How did I know a place even the Emperor wouldn’t find? Hmm…”
Her face went pale.

“Grand Minister. I am a saint. I can communicate with Agatha and the other eight guardian gods.”
“Impossible. Communicate? Even priests receiving divine prophecies cannot do that. God wouldn’t give such detailed knowledge.”
Her mouth moved, shaking her head in disbelief—as if shock itself were a living being.

“I can help you in your struggle. I can even lead it to victory. The reincarnation of a legendary saint… this could also benefit the temple.”
Even I thought it sounded like a devilish whisper.

“Also… before I came here, the Emperor sent people to find me. You could check. In this situation where the Emperor is after me, will you let me slip away?”
I was luring her, planning to use her as a shield for Theodore, then bring down the temple. Morally, it felt despicable.
But Agatha approved, so no divine punishment would come. Living with gods made it easy to discern such things.

“…Saint. Your name?”
“Dorothy.”
A strange light flashed in the Grand Minister’s eyes.

To be precise, it was a light filled with greed.