ABSVW~03

Chapter 03

My lord, the Duke, narrowed his eyes at me.

“How did you know I invested in the Miracle Trading Company?”

I couldn’t not know.

In my previous life, most nobles had invested in the Miracle Trading Company. It was all because of that so-called “elixir.”

They had even revived dead flowers with it.

“House Sladeyche wasn’t the only one. Duke Baikalos invested as well.”

That’s how I know.

Tomorrow, that company will file for bankruptcy.

Because it turns out it was all a fraud—nothing but a paper company.

Even the flowers they showed the public weren’t revived by an elixir, but simply had their time reversed with magic.

Knowing everything, I answered confidently.

“I uhm… saw it… wuz ma-jik uze… all lie.”
(“I saw it. They used magic. It’s all a lie.”)

My slurred words sounded like nonsense, but the Duke seemed to understand.

He glanced at the handsome young man standing beside him. The man nodded and disappeared for a moment.

A few minutes later, he returned.

“…They are indeed preparing for bankruptcy, my lord.”

The Duke looked down at me with an unreadable expression.

“Sell all our shares.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Right now, Miracle Trading Company’s stock was soaring. If they sold now, they would make a massive profit.

My eyes lit up as I looked at him.

“Were you sent by the Imperial Court?”

“…Pardon?”

“Or the Mage Tower?”

Oh no. He thinks I was sent by another faction.

“N-no!” I quickly shouted.

“I-I’m just a usef… uh… useful priest!”

“…So what is it you want, priest?”

The Duke, at least, was easy to talk to. Maybe I could strike a deal.

I smiled brightly.

“To be… a deputed priest… for the du… duchy!”

A “deputed priest” was someone stationed within a noble household rather than a temple.

If I could become part of the duchy, maybe I could live under the Duke’s protection…

But even that might have been too much.

The Duke’s face hardened.

“The priests who enter this place… leave it in pieces. And you want to be a deputed priest?”

My body trembled slightly.

His eyes grew darker. The silence stretched, and my anxiety swelled.

Don’t cry… I can’t cry.

But fear made tears well up anyway.

If I cried, he might stop listening to me…

I clutched my robe instead of his sleeve, my small hands trembling.

“I… I can be a usef… useful priest…”

“If needed… I can give divine power… and even clean the floor like this…”

“….”

“R-really…”

I couldn’t look at him while crying, so I lowered my head.

Then—

“Ha!”

“What… a fluff ball… or a cotton puff?”

I gasped as I was suddenly lifted into the air.

My wide, startled eyes met his.

The Duke held me effortlessly, staring down with a blank expression.

“How did you know that? Is it the Golden Eye ability?”

The Golden Eye was an extremely rare gift mentioned only in ancient scriptures.

A blessing from the divine—closer to intuition or foresight.

How does he even know that?

Those scriptures were only read by high-ranking priests.

But I didn’t have such an ability.

If I told a lie that would be exposed later, my whole plan would collapse.

I shook my head gloomily.

“N-no… God just told Nana secretly…”

“…What else do you know?”

“Your… your foot size.”

“….”

“7.5 luti.”

The Duke’s brow twitched again.

“S-sorry… I read it in a novel…”

But that much should still be true, right?!

Fortunately, after staring at me for a moment, he slowly set me down.

With a calm voice, he said,

“Fine. Go back. If you come again… I’ll really kill you.”

“You… how are you still alive?!”

The coachman who came to pick me up said exactly that.

…Good question.

I don’t know either.

Maybe the Duke really was considering my request to become a deputed priest…?

No, impossible.

I sulked as I climbed down, but the coachman didn’t even stop at the orphanage.

“Huh?”

“We were ordered to take you to the academy. If you were still alive.”

The academy?

It was where one had to go to become a proper priest. Mostly noble children studied there.

But instead, I was dropped off in front of the academy building.

Then the coachman left.

“Hmm… they probably think Sladeyche already donated the offerings…”

Whatever. I’ll just sneak in through the back and take a little from the donation funds.

I had done it before—just a tiny bit when security was lax.

I clenched my fist.

As the only child in the orphanage with golden eyes, I sometimes came here to study.

Of course, since I couldn’t manifest divine power, I was always sent back.

But the moment I stepped inside…

“Isn’t that the Golden-Eyed kid?”

“What? That trash from the orphanage?”

Why… why is everyone looking at me like that?

The senior trainee priests surrounded me in shock.

“Hey—s-senior—”

I need to go see the teacher! No, the back door!

“Wait, wasn’t she taken to House Sladeyche?”

“She’s alive?”

“She really came back to the academy?”

That’s a bit too much… did they really think I’d die?

My eyes stung a little, but I decided to endure it.

Move aside, please…

My plan needed to be completed before that person found out.

“Ah—”

But the older trainees blocked my way completely.

“Ow…”

My cheeks were squished.

“So what’s your name again?”

“The tiny orphan kid… Nana, right?”

“Nana. Let’s talk for a bit.”

Before I could react, I was lifted into the air.

No—no!! If I go to the supervising priest like this, I’ll be punished for not bringing donations!

I struggled desperately, but my four-year-old body had no chance of escape.

I stared blankly at the feast placed before me.

Bread, chocolate, sweets… everything I had only dreamed of.

While orphanage kids survived on plain porridge, academy kids ate this?

“How did you survive House Sladeyche?”

“Tell us and I’ll give you bread.”

“Is it true there’s miasma near the ducal estate?! Kids are supposed to die instantly from it!”

I quietly hid a piece of chocolate in my pocket.

This way, even if “that person” found out, the punishment won’t be so bad…

“Nana?”

A familiar voice came from behind.

Reina.

She was a girl from the orphanage who always clung to noble kids here.

And then—

“So you didn’t even bring back the donation money?”

Patrick, the largest trainee priest, sneered.

Reina whispered something into his ear, and his expression turned smug.

“Ohh… so you’re a useless failure who couldn’t even get donations?”

He stepped forward, looming over me.

“Hey. Tell me about House Sladeyche. I’ll go next time and bring back the donation myself.”

In my past life, Patrick had always stolen the donations I barely managed to bring back.

And sometimes… he hit me too.

“Say it. Hurry up.”

But I only stared at him quietly.

Then I spoke.

“No.”

“…What?”

“I don’t want to.”

I enunciated each word clearly.

“I said I don’t want to tell you.”

I’m not afraid of you anymore.