* * *
Zavad left immediately after the ceremony to return to training inside the seminary.
Ranshel walked him to the door.
He worried about what to say if asked why he was wearing a veil, but Zavad said nothing until the carriage departed.
Ranshel let it go.
More than that, he had to keep an eye on Baha’s movements.
Thankfully, Baha hadn’t done anything insane like immediately attacking the Saintess’s fiancé, but Ranshel still couldn’t rest easy.
He had no confidence in predicting the thought process of a lunatic.
Each day, he performed his holy duties with a sense of unease.
The peaceful days felt like the calm before a storm.
With weapons hidden all over his body, he was always ready for any sudden threat.
He had to avoid a repeat of the last time—facing Baha unarmed was the worst possible scenario.
Even if they weren’t evenly matched, having weapons meant he could create openings to escape.
Then came the day Zavad finally graduated from the seminary and underwent his coming-of-age ceremony.
He was now of an age where he could be called a man.
In the Empire, many young couples got married immediately after their coming-of-age.
Especially among nobles, it was common to choose partners of appropriate status through family arrangements.
“A relationship born from genuine affection like Zavad’s is much rarer in this society.”
There was to be a major worship ceremony, and more people than usual would be gathering in the Grand Temple.
Naturally, the Holy Legion would be stationed inside to maintain security.
They were conducting inspections in the corridor leading to the archbishop’s prayer meeting—indicating the Holy Legion stood on the archbishop’s side in this matter.
“I need to gather more intel, no matter what.”
With the crowd gathering, there was much to do.
It was a particularly busy period for the clerics.
Ranshel tried to pick up bits of information during his duties by chatting with other clerics.
This coming-of-age ceremony was no different.
As soon as the service ended, Ranshel was summoned to help prepare food for the priests, then distributed the meals once the overseer had verified everything.
Graduates from the seminary were to have a light meal in a separate area of the temple.
Even the picky Zavad planned to attend to socialize with fellow noble heirs.
So once Ranshel’s duties were over, he would wait until their gathering ended and return with Zavad to the Pomel family’s villa.
Once the clerics finished distributing food to the monks, they began tidying up to go eat their own meals.
Ranshel, stomach growling, stacked the trays and soup pots.
But just as they were about to leave, a sudden commotion broke out in the dining hall.
“Someone collapsed!”
“Are you okay? Please stay with us!”
One by one, the monks who had been eating at the long table began foaming at the mouth and collapsing.
“It’s poison! The food was poisoned!”
The normally silent and solemn space was instantly thrown into chaos.
“What’s going on here!”
Startled by the noise, guards stationed outside rushed in.
The overseer quickly approached them.
“An incident threatening the lives of monks has occurred inside the temple. Inform the Holy Legion at once.”
The guards moved with practiced efficiency.
Ranshel, scanning the room, suddenly turned pale.
“I’ve been set up.”
All the monks had eaten the same food, but only some had collapsed.
Specifically, the ones who had eaten at the table where Ranshel and his group of clerics had distributed meals.
The Grand Temple had no prison, but there was a secluded fasting prayer room used to guide rulebreakers to repent in solitude.
The Holy Legion took Ranshel and the nine other clerics responsible for that table to this facility on the temple’s outskirts.
“Please remain here until we fully understand the situation.”
The Holy Legion didn’t treat them like criminals or drag them away forcibly.
On the contrary, they were courteous and calm.
Since the truth hadn’t been uncovered yet, they were careful not to mistreat valuable clerics.
“Starting with the person closest to the door, please come out one by one.”
The clerics quietly followed the instructions.
All watched the door with anxious eyes, uncertain when their turn would come.
While their attention was elsewhere, Ranshel, who stood at the very back, moved swiftly.
One by one, he removed the hidden weapons from his body.
A cutter the size of a finger, a steel hook, and thin needles—each carefully concealed in his clothes. He flung them into different corners of the room.
It didn’t matter if they were discovered later during a search.
There were nine others in the room besides Ranshel.
Pinpointing who they belonged to would be nearly impossible.
And accusing all ten clerics of collusion would be a serious issue.
If it had been one or two, maybe—but with this many involved, news would inevitably leak.
And with the temple already suffering from a chronic staff shortage, punishing everyone over a few suspicious items would only harm the temple’s own interests.
No one would want to volunteer as a cleric again.
“Lastly, the one at the back—please come out.”
At the call, Ranshel rose from the floor and walked toward the door.
The nine who had gone before him had already returned—it hadn’t taken long.
It seemed they weren’t being subjected to intense interrogation, as mistreating a servant of the gods would be unthinkable.
The Holy Legion members were gathered in the reception room outside the prayer hall.
Ranshel walked to the central table.
Between the rows of Legion members standing with hands behind their backs sat their commander.
“Damn it… what are the chances…”
All that effort to avoid him—and yet here they were, face to face again.
Ranshel sat down across from Baha, working hard to keep his expression neutral.
“If you have any sins to confess under the name of God, now is the time to speak and seek forgiveness.”
Baha, wearing the mask of a sane man, spoke calmly.
Ranshel shivered, rubbing his arm with his palm.
“…I have nothing to say. I didn’t do it.”
“Poison was found in the food distributed by the Holy One. If it’s discovered that you gave false testimony to escape punishment, I swear on the Commander’s honor that you’ll be severely punished — not just for the original crime, but for perjury as well.”
Go ahead and keep pecking. Let’s see who takes the bait.
Ranshel shook his head somberly and replied in a subdued tone,
“I truly know nothing of this. If I’ve committed a crime, then I will accept my punishment, but I have nothing more to say.”
Baha, who had been listening silently, pushed his chair back and stood up.
He approached Ranshel slowly and came to a stop just before him.
“We’ll inspect your belongings. Please stand up.”
Ranshel stood up calmly and met his eyes.
He had left anything suspicious back in the chapel.
They wouldn’t find a shred of evidence on him.
‘They can’t just arrest me in front of the others without cause.’
He just needed to get through this moment.
Once he left this room, he had someone who could help him.
Ranshel stood with his arms slightly raised, waiting for the search to end fruitlessly.
But then — Baha’s hand, which had been sweeping down his back over his clothes, suddenly slipped underneath his jacket.
Ranshel struggled to keep his face from twisting.
Baha’s fingers moved slowly along Ranshel’s spine.
Ranshel winced at the touch, a frown creasing his brow — then froze.
Something’s wrong.
This isn’t a search… it’s—
“…Lock the door.”
* * *
