Chapter 57: Leo talks to the guardian of the beads (1)

Leo was bewildered.

As he stumbled through the grand cathedral, led by a firm grip on his arm, he was taken into a small, secluded space deep within the sacred structure.

This was a prayer room, where only one window faced east and the remaining three walls were draped with sacred cloth. The space was designed for those who sought a quiet place to pray without the distractions of the world, or for spiritual leaders who wished to avoid eavesdropping on private conversations.

(Oh no… this is definitely one of those situations where I’m about to be scolded or humiliated…)

Time had passed since the light spirit had disappeared. Safita and the other spiritual leaders and priestesses stood in shock, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. Slowly, they began to share their confusion with one another.

One of the priestesses of Weitz made a comment that could be interpreted as insulting about the spirit’s appearance. But instead of becoming angry, the light spirit laughed it off and even promised them blessings. Then, it abruptly left.

It was an unprecedented turn of events in history.

Even Leo realized that something wasn’t right about the situation and that he might somehow be to blame. He felt cold sweat trickle down his spine as he stood frozen in place.

“Weitz’s priestess, come this way.”

Safita approached him purposefully, grabbing his arm. His respectful demeanor from the previous night was gone, and he forcefully led Leo to a particular location. That is where they are now.

Priestesses from different nations who were waiting outside the cathedral, along with their attendants and guards, burst through the doors, and he heard Gustav shout “Harkenberg!” But before Leo could turn to look, the doors to the prayer room closed behind him.

Now, Leo was face-to-face with a stern-looking Safita in this dimly lit, narrow space.

Was he about to be reprimanded for insulting the spirit, or even blamed for its sudden departure? Either way, it didn’t seem like anything good would come of this.

(Please, let me off easy…)

He had no ill intentions. He would bow down or apologize however was necessary, just to be forgiven.

Leo bore the weight of Weitz’s reputation on his shoulders. Being sued for defamation and asked for compensation was the last thing he needed.

Additionally, the night-time cathedral, especially the prayer room, triggered some traumatic memories for Leo.

Once upon a time, he had been enticed by the promise of good pay if he joined the choir. The prospect of doubling his income if he could perform as a soprano was too good to resist. So he followed an unscrupulous spiritual leader, only to end up on an operating table in the prayer room.

The room was enclosed by thick walls that muffled his screams. Had Bruno not come to his rescue, Leo might have lost a cherished part of himself forever.

(Oh no… the shivers…)

During the day, he could handle the situation, but coming to such a place at night sent chills down his spine.

He reminded himself that this was not the time to dwell on those memories but rather to focus on higher matters such as faith and diplomacy. Leo suppressed his fear with all his might.

Meanwhile, Safita lit a candle on a nearby candelabra. Observing the trembling girl with a solemn expression, he thought as much.

At this point, their plan could neither be deemed successful nor a failure.

While they succeeded in eliciting an insult from the girl towards the spirit as planned, the spirit unexpectedly took a liking to her instead of becoming upset.

Challenging the perfect spirit’s appearance could have easily led to anger, even death. But instead, the girl was blessed.

This made Safita question the girl’s true intentions.

Perhaps she spoke the insult not as a thoughtless remark but with a specific goal in mind. And maybe the spirit saw through her intentions and accepted her.

Otherwise, it didn’t make sense for a person of sound mind to make such bold statements.

(If she were truly an inexperienced girl, she might have made such reckless remarks out of carelessness… but not this girl.)

Her fearless demeanor, exceptional praise skills, and lack of reaction to her own beauty revealed that she was more intelligent than the average person.

Her graceful and poised manner in the face of her own appearance—an experience that usually overwhelmed young girls with excitement—showed no sign of being flustered.

(While she may be an ambitious and calculating young woman, her superior intellect is undeniable. Her seemingly virtuous performance is impressive, but I must remain vigilant.)

This girl was unlike the beautiful but foolish women he had encountered before.

Safita’s cautious attitude was a result of this realization.

He needed to uncover the true intentions of this mysterious girl.

With a strong resolve, he finally spoke.

“Weitz’s priestess, even though the light spirit forgave your transgression, you must understand that your earlier words were a grave disrespect.”

“Yes… I deeply apolo—”

“Speak. What was your goal? What were you thinking when you spoke those words? Depending on your answer, I will not hesitate to take action against you.”

Safita interrupted her apology, taking a step closer to the girl.

She flinched, her small frame trembling.

Her appearance was undoubtedly innocent, which heightened Safita’s suspicion of her deception.

“No… nothing at all, I just blurted out my thoughts… It felt like the light spirit no longer looked like the light spirit…”

“What do you mean?”

“Um… it looked more like a golden spirit…”

“Absurd!”

He sharply dismissed the girl’s mention of an unknown spirit.

He knew all the spirits listed in the sacred books, and being misled by a random name was a direct insult to his intelligence.

(I’ve been underestimated…)

Safita scowled, taking another step forward.

The girl was soon cornered against the wall in the confined space.

He trapped her in his arms and demanded, “Speak. What were you thinking?”

The girl looked up at him with pleading, amethyst eyes, confused.

“No! I mean, I just said what I thought…!”

The girl’s wide, gem-like eyes reminded Safita of a rumor he had heard.

The young marquis’s daughter, who had recently become the fiancée of the empire’s crown prince, was rumored to possess the Harkenberg purple eyes that could see the truth.

(At first, I thought it was a fabricated story to elevate her status, but…)

The girl’s stunning beauty and her aloof demeanor towards worldly matters gave him pause.

She might indeed possess the so-called eyes that see the truth.

If so, it was even more crucial for him to uncover her true intentions.

Safita turned and picked up a small incense burner from a shelf in the corner of the room.

With a rough gesture, he lit the incense and let it smolder in his hands.

The girl seemed relieved at the distance between them, but she then tilted her head in curiosity at Safita’s strange behavior.

She didn’t seem to recognize the incense burner, so Safita gave her a cold smile.

“Do you know what this is, Weitz’s priestess?”

“No…”

“This is used during confessions. Once you inhale its aroma, all deceit will vanish, and no secrets will be kept.”

Safita roughly grabbed the girl’s thin arm and forced the incense close to her face.

“Oh…!”

The girl gasped, her body trembling as she accidentally inhaled the smoke.

The jewel-like purple in her eyes began to blur, and a soft sigh escaped her slightly colored lips.

(Oh no! What is this…? My head is spinning…)

Leo was startled by the hazy sensation and quickly braced himself against the wall.

The dizziness faded quickly, leaving him with a light and buoyant feeling as though he had drunk strong alcohol.

His mind felt foggy, and he found himself wanting to talk non-stop.

(This is the incense for confessions…)

He hadn’t lied earlier, so there was no fear of contradicting himself, but he worried about slipping into Weitz dialect or slang.

Leo internally reminded himself, “Stay in Elrand language! Speak politely!”

Unaware of Leo’s efforts, Safita closed the distance between them again.

He cupped Leo’s chin and locked his blue-gray gaze on him.

To be unexpectedly subject to a foreign “chin lift,” and with the fear of causing an international scandal, Leo’s fear was at its peak.

But now, the fear seemed distant.

“Now, you can speak freely. Tell me, what were you thinking earlier?”

“Earlier…”

Leo repeated the words, trying to recall his thoughts.

Earlier…

What had he been thinking?

“Um… so… No, you see, the spirit looked like a golden spirit, and the hair color was different…”

“Are you serious…?”

Safita was unsure if the incense was not working or if the girl genuinely believed in the “golden spirit” nonsense. He furrowed his brow.

(Why? Why is she speaking as though it wasn’t the light spirit that appeared…?)

The true intentions were completely elusive. Safita intended to press for answers and once again made the girl inhale the incense.

“Speak. What are you thinking? What on earth are you thinking?”

“Thinking… what I am… thinking…”

Leo muttered vaguely.

What was he thinking? It was, of course, about money. He thought about money all day, every day, both when he was awake and asleep. The only thing that stirred his heart was the shimmering glint of gold.

(Oh, but I think I felt a different kind of tremor just now…)

What was it again? His thoughts were unclear. He felt there was a different intention behind the question, but Leo pondered the question, “What was I just thinking?” and murmured a word.

“Ah… Tama.”

He stared blankly into the void with his purple eyes, muttering as if receiving a revelation.

“I was thinking about Tama. What would happen if I were to lose it—how deep the despair would be.”

“What!?”

It was Safita who was astonished. In this sacred place, the word Tama could only refer to a spirit gem. As expected from someone reputed to see the truth, he cast his mysterious gaze and then mentioned the treasure of Elrand. Moreover, despite being covered in cloth, she seemed to have grasped that Elrand was on the verge of losing it to corrosion.

The purple eyes of Hakenberg that see the truth. Witnessing their power firsthand, Safita trembled. Seeing the strong reaction on Safita’s face, the girl seemed to snap back to reality. She covered her mouth with her hand, whispering, “What have I said?”

She was likely flustered that her ability to see the truth had been revealed.

(Oh no! Did I just blurt out something indecent in front of the prince?)

No, that wasn’t it. Leo was simply ashamed of uttering indecent words in front of the solemn prince. This wouldn’t have been a problem if it had been among his friends in the lower town, but the person he was facing was the former prince and grandmaster. Leo frowned in embarrassment, covering his mouth with both hands.

“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to say anything like this—”

“Are you talking about the treasure, the gem?”

“Treasure…!? Oh, of course, Tama is precious—it’s more like a secret treasure. …Wait, oh…! That’s not what I meant to say…!”

Despite his intentions, indecent words spilled out of his mouth, causing him to tear up. However, to onlookers, he appeared as a devout priestess forced to confess the truth she wanted to hide.

(Ah, ah, ah! Why am I spouting indecent words in front of someone like a prince?)

He didn’t particularly excel in such topics, yet he couldn’t help himself. And Safita’s serious response made him even more uncomfortable. It was difficult to handle.

While Leo blushed and strangled his own throat, Safita took an even more unexpected action.

“Ah…!”

He threw off his robe, revealing a malevolent smile and let out a raspy scream as if to attack.

“Then you have seen it! The tainting and corruption of our treasure!”

“What…?!”

(What’s happening?!)

The sudden turn of events left Leo speechless.

[T.N: Tama can mean Treasure, Pearl or Spirit/Soul depending on the context.]