TVIOWHFW 89

The expressions of the priests darkened at Erich’s stern warning.

“How should I handle this?”

“No matter how holy he is, if we openly oppose Duke Blanchet…”

The sharp reprimand from Erich made the priests shrink back, like hunted prey cornered.

At that moment, Cardinal Simon appeared and responded confidently.

“Don’t worry. Where are we? This is no ordinary temple, but a temple directly dedicated to the Holy Lady herself. Lord Blanchet won’t need to rush; we’ll handle it properly.”

“Car, Cardinal Simon!”

Cardinal Simon had been away briefly, attending to the Holy Lady, who had collapsed from overexertion while being treated.

“Good job, everyone. Now, Lord Blanchet, I’ll handle this.”

The other priests looked at Simon with respect and, as if waiting for his cue, quickly fled.

Erich glared at Cardinal Simon with narrowed eyes.

“Those who said they would handle it well—why haven’t they come up with any solutions yet?”

“Because rushing won’t solve anything, even if Lord Blanchet urges us. Everything has its proper order. My divine power has been restored, so I will examine the Duchess Blanchet once more.”

Despite his relaxed tone, Simon’s expression as he looked at Estelle was strained.

‘Why isn’t she waking up?’

They had forcibly used divine power not only on the Holy Lady but on all priests capable of using divine energy.

Yet, Estelle’s condition hadn’t improved at all.

‘I heard she was healed once through the Holy Lady’s divine power…’

But neither the Holy Lady’s divine power nor anyone else’s seemed to work now.

‘Why is it different this time?’

Honestly, it was so bizarre that it was hard to keep a clear mind.

The problem was, this wasn’t something that could just be brushed off as unresolved because divine power couldn’t fix it.

‘As Lord Blanchet said, Duke Blanchet will never stay still.’

If this matter reached His Majesty, things would become complicated. They had used the Emperor’s official seal on the letter calling for the Duchess Blanchet, which could cause trouble.

‘I never imagined it would escalate to this point.’

The look Erich shot at Cardinal Simon was becoming more and more intimidating.

“Why aren’t you treating her now—”

“…I’m controlling my emotions. I will pray first.”

Simon quickly began a devout prayer.

“O merciful Goddess Athena, grant me your grace.”

Simon was the highest priest beneath the Emperor. He had risen to the rank of cardinal at a young age, possessing great divine power.

In this temple alone, he was second only to the Holy Lady in divine strength.

‘My divine power isn’t working at all.’

A radiant white divine light emanated from Simon’s fingertips, gently seeping into Estelle’s sleeping body.

‘Divine energy is definitely entering her.’

Simon watched Estelle intently. Lying on the guest bed in the temple, with her hands clasped and eyes closed, Estelle was as beautiful as the rumors suggested.

‘She looks like an angel from the scriptures.’

Perhaps because of her long white eyelashes and shimmering platinum hair, she exuded an even more sacred aura than Stella, the stunning blonde with blue eyes.

Unconsciously, Simon’s gaze lingered on Estelle’s pink lips, and he blushed.

‘This isn’t the time for that.’

Simon recalled his training days and refocused his divine power. But he sensed something strange about the divine energy flowing into Estelle’s body.

‘Is divine power not working?’

He had heard of her being a special case. But this was different. If her divine power simply couldn’t enter, it would have been repelled entirely.

‘I heard that when the Holy Lady heals, she gets better.’

But Simon’s divine power was passing through Estelle’s body and leaking out somewhere, like pouring water into a broken jar.

‘I need to understand this better.’

Simon grasped Estelle’s hand more tightly, concentrating even more.

‘I am the Cardinal of the Holy Realm! There’s no problem I can’t solve!’

He closed his eyes and focused on the area where divine power was about to disappear. As he had predicted, a massive hole was present inside Estelle’s inner spirit.

It was so large and deep that it was hard to believe she was still alive.

‘This isn’t just a leak… it’s connected somewhere—’

Simon deliberately injected divine power into the hole to uncover its true nature.

‘Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.’

The moment he peered into the hole, he was suddenly engulfed by an overwhelming darkness, feeling cold and terrified.

‘What is this?’

Simon snapped his eyes open, forgetting everything else. But what he saw just moments ago—Estelle, whom he was holding, and Erich, who was glaring at him—were gone.

A chill ran down his spine.

“W-what’s happening?”

Simon looked around frantically, trembling with fear.

From his feet, an eerie darkness rose and slowly erased his body. He lost all sense of direction. He felt himself fading away, piece by piece.

As he struggled, a sinister, giggling voice echoed in his ears. His body was disappearing. He was being completely erased.

“No… no—”

“Cardinal Simon?”

A familiar sensation touched his shoulder. A junior priest looked at him with concern.

“Cardinal Simon, I’m sorry to call you while you’re treating her, but your condition looks terrible…”

“What?”

Simon, pale as if possessed, asked his junior with trembling lips.

“Where am I right now?”

“Huh? You were just treating Duchess Blanchet…”

“Cough, I thought as a cardinal of the Holy Realm I’d be different, but what’s going on now? The lady isn’t waking, and… can we really heal her?”

Erich’s irritated tone jolted Simon back to reality. His priestly robe was soaked with sweat.

“I apologize, Lord Blanchet. But… did anything happen just now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Darkness, strange laughter…”

The priest looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Was the treatment too difficult? In that case… I…”

“No! I mean…!”

Simon raised his voice without realizing, wiping sweat with a towel, and swallowed hard. He glanced back at Estelle.

‘Was what I saw just now an illusion?’

But how could he mistake that during treatment?

Knock knock.

Someone was knocking outside the guest room. The Holy Lady, with a tired but gentle face, was smiling.

“I think I’ve recovered enough to see the Duchess again… Oh, Cardinal Simon. How did it come to this?”

The Holy Lady approached Simon, who looked faint and about to faint himself, tears brimming in her eyes. She gently wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, acting as kindly as an angel.

“It’s all my fault. I should have healed her as the Holy Lady.”

The priests around her comforted her.

“No, Holy Lady, how could you resolve everything alone?”

“If that were true, we wouldn’t be here. Isn’t that right, Cardinal Simon?”

“Y-yes…”

Simon, habitually nodding, tensed up. An unsettling sensation prickled from head to toe—yes, from the Holy Lady herself.

‘Is this just my imagination?’

As the atmosphere grew more praising toward the Holy Lady, Erich shook his head, breaking the mood.

“Shouldn’t we focus on treating her instead of wasting time? Is the problem with the temple, or is the whole realm falling apart?”

“Don’t worry too much. She’ll wake up soon.”

The Holy Lady smiled gently and held one of Estelle’s hands with both her own.

“Though I wasn’t prepared earlier because it was unexpected, now I’ve come fully prepared.”

“Prepared?”

“Yes, I’ve prayed to the gods. Asking for the grace to fulfill my duty as the Holy Lady.”

Erich crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.

‘Something’s definitely off here.’

The fact that Simon, who had started the treatment, looked like a dying man, and the Holy Lady suddenly returning calm and composed—something was wrong.

‘There’s definitely something going on…’

Erich observed Simon, filled with concern.

‘I need to find out what he’s hiding.’

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.

See you then!!