* * *
Ranshel shook his head from side to side.
‘Get a grip.’
Danie was still standing before him.
Pressing firmly over the cloth that covered his wound, Danie spoke slowly.
“…It’s not enough.”
“What?”
“Your reasoning for knowing the lady is the Saintess… it’s not sufficient.”
Oh, so you do want me to spill more?
Ranshel looked up at Danie with an incredulous expression.
The other man remained as emotionally unreadable as ever, speaking in a flat tone.
“If there’s a flaw in the situation, we need to identify it to guard against potential dangers. Since I am tasked with protecting the lady, I must be wary of all abnormalities. I ask for your understanding.”
“Ah… yeah, sure…”
Despite being dispatched for an assassination, the words he spoke made it clear—his target wasn’t Frey.
If Danie saw himself as Frey’s protector, that worked in Ranshel’s favor.
One way or another, Zavad needed Frey.
And now that Zavad had received his blessing, Frey wasn’t likely to betray him.
Ranshel let out a sigh and opened his mouth again.
“You avoided the meal, didn’t you? You couldn’t sit at the same table. Because the Saintess of the Great Temple is forbidden from killing.”
The banquet had been filled with greasy roasted meats.
For a Saintess who couldn’t eat meat or fish, it would have been unbearable.
Just seeing it would have made her nauseous.
‘It was the same in the game.’
If the Saintess committed a killing, she would lose her status.
Even consuming food gained through killing had the same effect.
She wouldn’t lose all her divine power right away, but her strength would be severely weakened by losing the god’s favor.
And with power that diminished, a whole set of new problems would arise…
Frey was born with legs frozen stiff due to a curse from the demon tribe of the snowy mountains.
He probably would have been able to use his legs again after receiving a baptism and awakening his holy power.
The curse might not have been completely lifted, but at the very least, he should’ve been able to walk….
“…Wait, hold on. Then why is he in a wheelchair?”
“…Because he had to hide the fact that he received the baptism.”
So he was scamming everyone from the start.
Ranshel furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes.
Danie, who had shown no emotion until now, added with a slightly sheepish look:
“You also used a wheelchair even though poisons don’t work on you, didn’t you?”
“…We brothers help each other out, right?”
“I’ll keep it a secret this time.”
Always trying to act generous.
Ranshel let out a faint chuckle.
It wasn’t like either of them could afford to have their connection to Nameless exposed.
“Then you’d better explain everything now. Why did you put us through all of this?”
Why did he make us suffer like that?
Ranshel needed an answer now.
Danie glanced at Ranshel’s sulking face and let a faint smile appear.
“…As you guessed, it was to see if Lord Zavad was worthy of receiving divine protection. It’s a power that could be dangerous in the wrong hands… and more than anything, the young lady needs a reliable ally.”
So basically, they’d been observing them, putting them through tests, even a personality evaluation—without permission.
‘From the sound of it, Zavad passed, at least.’
They needed allies just as much as we did.
The process was rough, but the outcome wasn’t half bad.
“Since Lord Zavad is not the Empress’s biological son… his position in the Imperial Court is very weak. The Pomel Dukedom likely puts more support behind Lord Stein, who is still studying abroad.”
Support? Try survival.
Zavad, who never left the castle, was considered less important than the eldest son who had been away for years.
He hadn’t come up in conversation before since they’d never crossed paths, but Stein was the first son, born from the late first duchess of House Pomel.
He was likely to inherit the dukedom and its assets upon his return from his leisure tour across the continent—while Zavad struggled just to stay sane.
‘…Seems like she doesn’t know the full story.’
Ranshel felt like his guts were twisting, but kept a neutral face.
Danie paused for a moment, then continued.
“The young lady is also… in an unstable position right now.”
“……What? Why? The Grand Temple would support any Saintess who received the baptism.”
“That very temple is the problem. A faction inside refuses to recognize Lady Frey as the true Saintess.”
…That’s news to me.
Ranshel tilted his head slightly.
“They claim that the sacred ground is corrupted, and the prophecy that led to her selection was false. Even though she was baptized by the Holy Sovereign, they say she was a mistake from the beginning.”
“…That’s blasphemy. Isn’t that a serious crime?”
“Normally, yes. But the people raising these objections include the Archbishop—second only to the Holy Sovereign—and the monks loyal to him. If they’re interrogated carelessly, the entire temple could split in two.”
So the Grand Temple was fractured into factions, just like the imperial family—split between supporters and opponents of the Empress.
“…So you sided with the Empress?”
“Yes. She’s the one who advised the young lady to form a friendly relationship with Lord Zavad. She believed they would understand each other.”
Ha…
Ranshel ruffled his hair roughly.
So it was all connected.
The Empress had maintained power with the absolute support of the Holy Sovereign, the leader of the old Grand Temple.
But now, a faction had risen to challenge her, questioning the sanctity of the previous Saintess.
They claimed the current Grand Temple had received false prophecies and refused to acknowledge Frey, the newly baptized Saintess.
They even sent enforcers to the Pomel estate to drive Zavad—who bore the Empress’s blessing—into madness.
All to prove that the current Saintess was a fraud and strip the Empress of her power.
In effect, the Empress had commanded Frey and Zavad to eliminate the enemies threatening her rule.
Unless they removed those enemies, Zavad would continue to be targeted, and Frey could lose her position as Saintess at any time.
‘…All while she just sits there in the palace, untouched.’
Ranshel didn’t like how the Empress was keeping her hands clean, but he didn’t have much choice.
The people she marked as enemies were the same ones stealing Zavad’s accomplishments and putting him in danger.
The rival royals wouldn’t act directly; if the temple re-stabilized, they’d lose their edge.
The real problem was the Archbishop and monks who denied Frey.
Now, Ranshel was the one who had to remove them from the “contribution” list.
…Somehow, it felt more overwhelming now that he knew who the villains were.
As he stared blankly into space, Ranshel suddenly noticed Danie’s torn skirt hem and asked,
“By the way, Danie hyung.”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“Danie-nim, then. Why are you dressed as a woman?”
Nameless only recruited and raised boys.
After a certain incident, female assassins had been raised exclusively by other families.
Danie answered in his usual flat tone.
“…Because I had to become Lady Frey’s maid.”
Ranshel narrowed his eyes.
A personal maid would basically function like a dedicated attendant.
So he stayed by Frey’s side all day—dressed like that?
Hovering around a growing girl?
Before Ranshel could ask, Danie spoke first.
“And also, I’m someone who doesn’t have those functions.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I was castrated when I was very young—before I was sold.”
…Castrated? As a child?
* * *
