He knew as well.
He had witnessed all the atrocities committed by the “sole suppression user.”
However, since one must never offend the High Priest, he was currently pretending not to see or know anything.
“Anyway, because of my condition, it seems difficult for me to go to the library. I’m sorry, but could you bring me a map of the empire?”
“Ah, of course. That is no trouble at all.”
“I would like a map that details every village throughout the empire.”
“Yes, I understand. But why a map all of a sudden…?”
The High Priest asked, tilting his head as curiosity got the better of him.
“I cannot tell you in detail, but it is for the sake of the empire.”
“For the empire?”
“When the time comes, I will speak of it through a revelation.”
“Ah, yes! I will bring all the detailed maps of the empire immediately!”
As soon as the word “revelation” was mentioned, the High Priest turned and hurried out.
Since the temple was a place where people who considered themselves messengers of God gathered, revelations were the most significant part of their lives.
Of course, being a High Priest didn’t mean one actually received separate revelations.
However, in the original story, the arrogant Raha had once lied about receiving a revelation, and through that episode, he had snatched the congratulatory speech for the Harvest Festival away from the newly appointed Edrion.
Although it was later revealed to be a lie, the High Priest himself stepped in to cover it up.
This was due to the funding coming into the temple and the public’s attitude toward the institution.
So, the word “revelation” from Raha’s mouth gave the High Priest excessive hope.
For the time being, thanks to that “revelation,” he would be able to do whatever he wanted in the temple without much difficulty.
‘I’m sorry, but I’ll have to use the word ‘revelation’ effectively until I leave this place.’
Raha thought again that he should first find a place to settle and then save money.
‘Saving money shouldn’t be too hard. If push comes to shove, I can just steal the gold coins at the bottom of the Holy Water Spring…’
If he took all the gold coins people threw in to make wishes, he probably wouldn’t live in poverty.
Furthermore, since he possessed the light attribute known as “Divine Energy,” he could even sell it if necessary.
People are fundamentally weak to superstitions, so if he started a rumor that being covered in Divine Energy brought good luck, he would surely become filthy rich.
Raha’s lips curled up as he realized that as long as he had the light attribute, he would never starve.
Then, a much better idea occurred to him.
‘Right, aren’t there people already using my abilities for free?’
And all five of them were the wealthiest nobles in the empire.
The original owner of this body, Raha, had already bought their resentment through his behavior.
It didn’t seem like his reputation could sink any lower if he asked for money in exchange for suppressing their rampages.
Besides, from the Crown Prince to the Northern Grand Duke, Dukes, Marquises, and Margraves—they were people with overflowing wealth.
It was unlikely they would refuse a request for money.
‘The Crown Prince might actually welcome it with open arms. Since what I wanted from him in exchange for treatment was excessive physical contact, he must be miserable right now.’
Since the main lead was entering the temple anyway, he had to distance himself from the five male leads.
That was the only way to avoid clashing with the main lead and escape his tragic death ending.
Raha recalled the five nobles he treated on a weekly rotation and wondered what day it was today.
‘Coincidentally, today is Sunday.’
Looking at the uniquely designed calendar on the nightstand, he realized the person coming to the temple tomorrow for treatment was the Empire’s Crown Prince.
Blizan Teidor de Arteia.
He was the person the original owner of this body had crushed on for a long time.
And until the possession, the owner of this body had been hitting on Blizan aggressively, even trying to kiss him.
While the kiss had failed, the harassment under the guise of treatment was ongoing, so Blizan’s guard would surely be sky-high tomorrow.
‘And of all people, only this guy gets treatment for two days.’
Monday and Tuesday were reserved solely for Blizan, a result of Raha’s greed to touch him for longer.
Raha decided that when he met Blizan tomorrow, he would reduce the two-day treatment to one day and ensure it didn’t exceed two hours.
After all, he had no ulterior motives toward Blizan, so he wouldn’t intentionally drag out the time to touch him.
Thus, there would be no unnecessary waste of time.
‘Blizan probably hates staying long more than anything, so he won’t complain if I finish the treatment early.’
Raha planned to lower Blizan’s guard as much as possible and then demand money as payment for the treatment.
In this current situation where he was already hated, they probably wouldn’t give him much if he just asked for money point-blank.
‘Right. If I’m going to pull out the sword, I might as well cut a golden radish.’
If he could collect treatment fees from all five nobles, their immense wealth meant he’d be rich even if he only took a little.
However, since he couldn’t stay here long, he figured it was best to rake in as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time.
Once he settled on a place to live, he was determined to save up and vanish.
Besides, Edrion also possessed the ability to suppress rampages, so his disappearance wouldn’t be a problem.
Even before Edrion appeared, and in previous generations, there had only ever been one High Priest at a time capable of such feats.
With that in mind, Raha resolved to prepare step-by-step to escape the original plot.
The Next Day
Raha enjoyed the flavors of this world’s food, ignoring the puzzled looks of the priests who watched him eat a leisurely breakfast.
On his first day of possession, he had been unconscious after being strangled by Theore.
On the second and third days, the shock of being in a novel and the stress of planning his survival had robbed him of his appetite.
It was only after studying the maps provided by the High Priest and finding a quiet place to hide that he finally relaxed enough to eat dinner.
After discovering how delicious the food was, he had seated himself at the table the moment he woke up the next morning.
He savored every dish filling the table.
Back in his original world, he rarely ate breakfast and worried he wouldn’t have much of an appetite, but such concerns were a luxury in front of this feast.
“Um, High Priest. His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince, is waiting for you.”
Unable to watch any longer, Pago—the young priest attending to him—approached and spoke cautiously.
In the original story, Pago was a pitiful extra who eventually quit the priesthood due to Raha’s tyranny.
“Yeah? Why did he come so early?”
Raha’s brow furrowed in annoyance. His peaceful breakfast was being interrupted by Blizan’s early arrival.
Pago looked at him with a bewildered expression.
“…Did you not say that if he came even a little late, he would have to stay overnight at the temple?”
“Ah.”
Raha put down his fork and knife.
Thinking back, because of the original owner’s obsession, the Crown Prince had to cancel all his appointments on Mondays and Tuesdays to be with him.
Consequently, Blizan had to cram his imperial schedule into the rest of the week, often losing sleep.
‘Better fix that first.’
Raha took a sip of water, stood up, and headed quickly toward the reception room.
As he opened the door, a red-haired man sitting on a sofa by the window filled his vision.
The man turned at the sound—he was breath-takingly handsome, with red eyes that matched his hair.
Being a fire-attribute user, he was several times more handsome than the novel had described, causing Raha to pause for a moment.
“You’re late.”
