🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 27
I found myself nodding unconsciously at his strong, thick thighs.
“That makes sense. Then, tree pose!”
I stood on one leg, placed the other against my calf, and brought my hands together above my head. The Boss laughed at my attempt.
“Is the wind blowing? Why are you shaking like that?”
“Th-this is really difficult, you know?”
“What’s difficult about it?”
The Boss effortlessly took the pose. His sense of balance was remarkable.
“I lived like a weakling for two years, so why is your body in such good shape?”
He tried to mimic me but felt something strange, raising his eyebrows.
“Only two years as a weakling… who said I was weak?”
“Today, I’m eating a salad that naturally makes your body healthy. How about a steak salad?”
Seeing me change the topic, he sighed.
“Do as you like…”
On my way to the kitchen to ask for the steak salad, I also requested some dried plums. They were delightfully tangy.
I brought a simple meal to the table: a steak salad with balsamic glaze and honey, a savory baguette, a cheese plate, mushroom soup, and oven-baked potatoes.
It was quite a lot for two people, but the Boss, who’s been developing quite an appetite lately, ate it all. Only after seeing him eat did I pick up my fork.
As I savored the tender steak, I realized my salad already had no steak left.
Haha, that devil.
What a truly devilish guy…
A devil who, unbeknownst to me, had already devoured all the steak in my salad.
Seeing me chew the vegetables with a deadpan expression, the Boss swapped our plates. My steak was refilled.
“Boss… that’s so considerate.”
He silently poked at his vegetables. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Boss, it’s me.”
The Boss looked extremely unwilling.
“Should I lock the door?”
“Quickly.”
He said urgently, and I ran to the door, but Mr. Belt swung it open with a victorious smile, looking down at me.
“…”
“Well, I’ll come in. Could you move aside, Miss Tea Time?”
That…
“Boss doesn’t really want to meet Mr. Belt. He’s not feeling well.”
Even though he spoke casually, Mr. Belt adjusted his glasses and remained calm.
“That’s always the case.”
“…”
Poor thing…
“But today, you won’t be able to avoid me.”
Mr. Belt lifted a thick book.
“Boss asked me to research divine power, so I kindly organized everything.”
“Give it to me! I’ll pass it to the Boss!”
It’s meant for me anyway, so hand it over!
Mr. Belt raised the book higher.
“I worked hard on it for the Boss. Why should I give it to Miss Tea Time? I’ll personally place it in the Boss’s hands.”
“The Boss hates that.”
“That’s always the case.”
Despite it always being the case, the tireless Mr. Belt approached the Boss and handed him the book.
“I’ve heard that even a weak divine power can be awakened simply by visiting a temple.”
“A temple? Why?”
“Because that’s where the gods first set foot on human land. The divine energy is abundant, allowing ordinary people to regain some stamina, and priests to maximize their latent divine power. It doesn’t mean you can infinitely increase your divine power. The amount each person possesses is fixed.”
“Even someone who didn’t know they had divine power…”
“Usually, divine power manifests during prayer at a temple, and priests notice it.”
“Can someone live hiding their divine power?”
I slid over to sit beside the Boss. He was already reading the material Mr. Belt brought.
“It’s not difficult. Unless you’re very close, people usually don’t notice. His Holiness the Pope and the Saint have a wider range, but otherwise, it’s hard to detect unless you’re very close.”
“If divine power manifests at a temple, do all the priests notice?”
“About fifty-fifty. Some people’s power bursts out, alerting all the priests there, while others’ flows unnoticed until they touch a priest.”
Even as I asked unrelated questions, Mr. Belt never asked why I was curious. He seemed to wait until I was ready to tell him.
Maybe I should just tell him quickly. Mr. Belt seems trustworthy.
“So it’s a matter of luck? For those who have divine power but don’t want to be priests.”
Usually, that would lead to cults, but there’s no need to worry. Believing in another god nullifies the power immediately.
“Luck aside, there’s also a way to leave without being discovered even if you don’t have luck.”
“Even if the divine power erupts?”
“Yes. You can quickly gather it and escape.”
“…Is that easy?”
“If you hire our Eclipse Guild, it’s easy. We’ll transport you to your home swiftly and without being noticed.”
Did he already notice it was me?
Well, after saying this much, it would be strange if he hadn’t.
“If it’s someone from Miss Tea Time’s circle, I’ll give a discount.”
Mr. Belt is a strange person.
Running Eclipse but somehow oblivious—it’s truly odd.
“What kind of discount can we get?”
“Hmm…”
“Never mind. Make it free.”
The Boss casually turned the page, and Mr. Belt was stunned, covering his mouth.
“Living as if you didn’t even know the word ‘privilege,’ and yet you give privileges…!”
Clearly, Mr. Belt couldn’t see the sharp gaze behind the glasses.
Flap, flap.
Only the sound of turning pages echoed in the quiet room. I could hear Titia’s breathing as she slept leaning on Zervant’s shoulder.
As if her small head had no weight, he focused on the book.
What Mr. Belt brought were materials on divine power, the curse from Serael’s demon, and whether it could be healed with divine power.
Other demons aside, the curse from Serael’s demon wasn’t documented. Even the Saint couldn’t find it despite searching classified records, so Mr. Belt’s research had limits.
Thus, the divine power that could lift Serael’s demon’s curse… no.
‘There’s no trace that Serael’s demon even cursed anyone.’
Even the material from the Saint confirmed this, which is why I had given up on this curse. No matter how much I searched, nothing.
Honestly, what Mr. Belt brought was all information Zervant already knew.
Though Mr. Belt’s research was thorough, it lacked what Zervant wanted.
‘I was cursed by Serael’s demon, and this child’s divine power is undoing it.’
Something even the Saint couldn’t achieve.
The Boss pressed gently on Titia’s nose as she slept on his shoulder.
“What exactly do you have?”
“…I wasn’t asleep.”
Pulling her head away from Zervant’s shoulder, she said something implausible.
“How do you explain the drool on my shoulder?”
Titia quietly went to the wardrobe and handed him a new shirt.
“Did you find anything useful?”
Knowing she was subtly dodging the question, Zervant didn’t point it out and took the new shirt. As he unbuttoned it to change, he froze under her intense gaze.
Usually, one would look away or blush, but Titia stared straight at him with a surprisingly thick-skinned expression.
It wasn’t the first time, but since Titia was aware, Zervant didn’t know what to do.
He went behind a partition and changed into the new shirt.
‘…I’m not usually like this.’
Normally, he’d tease the other person, not cover himself, which was unlike his personality.
A glance.
Zervant watched Titia peeking near the partition, changed into the new shirt, and buttoned it calmly.
He felt he had to behave like this around her.
The intricately crafted arched ceiling was adorned with paintings of gods and angels.
Sunlight streamed through white windows, illuminating the main sanctuary brilliantly.
Tall doors lined the long corridor, as high as the ceiling, and worshippers and priests quietly moved about daily.
Seeing many ordinary people, the corridor seemed to lead to the prayer rooms.
I pressed my floppy hat deeper and adjusted my brown hair.
Just in case, I wore the most common brown wig. My dress was a popular pale pink dress.
The sleeves were frilled, and the ankle-length skirt was light enough to flutter in the wind.
Women wearing similar dresses were visible here and there.
With this, no one should recognize me.
Well, no one I knew was here anyway.
Better to be cautious
