Chapter 6
These days, there was one ghost story that had taken the Grand Temple by storm.
“They say Yoidel came back alive.”
The vast Holy Kingdom ruled by Yulisius was divided into four major districts.
Seventy percent consisted of ordinary towns and residential areas.
Twenty percent was occupied by the enormous Grand Temple, sprawling like several villages combined.
Ten percent was the Holy Palace where Yulisius resided, located within the Grand Temple itself.
And then there was the unofficial fourth district—
Yoidel’s territory.
Because everyone avoided him, every path around him was conveniently empty.
“How can someone come back alive after being sentenced to death?”
“His Holiness showed mercy. To think he would spare someone who tried to harm him… He’s simply too kind.”
Everyone had assumed Yoidel would finally—regrettably, though perhaps inevitably—meet his end on the execution platform.
They had offered silent prayers for his soul.
None of them had actually wanted him to survive.
Everyone felt the same.
“Now that he’s escaped death, won’t he become even more violent?”
“My knees still ache every time it rains from when Yoidel smashed them.”
How could such a small body possess such terrifying strength?
The trainee priests were educated separately by gender.
Even among a training hall full of boys his own age, Yoidel’s brutality had been unmatched.
Granted, it had all started because the others mocked his small stature.
But somehow…
Everyone had conveniently forgotten that part.
“Good morning, everyone!”
Just then, the supervising priest who taught the trainees entered the training hall.
“Oh my…”
His eyes widened.
“Who woke up before dawn and polished the floors of Training Hall Three until they were shining? It’s spotless!”
During all his years of teaching trainee priests, he had never witnessed such a miracle.
Whoever this exemplary trainee was, he had to know.
“Such consideration for others! Wonderful!”
He smiled brightly.
“Come now, raise your hand!”
He looked around expectantly.
Instead, every trainee merely exchanged puzzled glances.
No one stepped forward.
Then…
Someone timidly raised a hand.
“Oh! So it was you!”
“N-No, Instructor…”
The young trainee swallowed nervously.
“I woke up early this morning and happened to see…”
“Take your time.”
The instructor nodded kindly.
“Good deeds should be shared. Don’t be shy.”
“It was Trainee Priest Yoidel!”
The child practically shouted the words.
“…What?”
The entire hall froze.
The person who had cleaned this enormous training hall…
Was Yoidel?
“Everyone! Step away from the floor!”
Shuffle!
Every trainee immediately leaped away from the polished ground.
Fear filled their faces.
None of them believed Yoidel had done something out of kindness.
Because…
Yoidel was absolutely not a good person.
Even if he’d somehow returned from the dead…
There was no way someone like Yoidel could suddenly become kind.
The instructor’s eyes bulged.
“Analyze the cleaning solution immediately!”
“I’d bet anything there’s something suspicious mixed into it!”
“Hurry!”
Why is everyone avoiding me?
Lying on her bed, Yoidel reflected on the day’s events.
She had woken up early and cleaned the entire training building.
Instead of gratitude…
Everyone had reacted with visible unease.
No one dared come within five meters of her.
They looked at her as though she were a venomous snake.
Cleaning is just my hobby…
While I’m cleaning, all my worries disappear.
And afterward everything looks so nice.
I thought it would make everyone happy…
But it had the exact opposite effect.
She thought about why…
Then gave up.
She already knew what daily life must have been like for someone infamous as a villain.
“…Sigh.”
Yoidel absentmindedly touched her short pink hair.
It still felt awkward having to wear the illusion ring that disguised her appearance all the time.
Only yesterday, Yulisius had granted her a one-year reprieve.
Before leaving, he had given her very strict instructions.
“Outside, we are strangers.”
“You are never to acknowledge me. Understood?”
That part actually suited her.
Unfortunately…
He hadn’t finished.
“I will treat you no differently than any ordinary trainee priest.”
“However, you must answer my summons whenever I call.”
“…Huh?”
“But you may never approach me first.”
“You may not even speak to me.”
Yoidel had asked why the arrangement was so unfair.
Yulisius had looked at her as though the answer were obvious.
“It’s embarrassing.”
That’s what he’d said.
Yoidel let out another long sigh.
“I thought he was supposed to be a gentle male lead…”
“…Something’s definitely wrong.”
Her mind was heavy with worries.
Actually…
Being alone wasn’t all that unfamiliar.
She’d grown up alone in her previous life too.
The day she had been found abandoned in front of the convent had become her birthday.
Her habit of waking at six every morning to clean before sleeping promptly at ten every night came from helping the nuns with their daily chores.
Cleaning had simply become part of life.
She had never done it hoping to be praised.
Though…
She secretly had liked the warm smiles and gentle pats on the head.
Yet here…
People treated her like a dangerous criminal simply because she’d cleaned.
Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks.
“No…”
Sniff.
“I’m okay.”
Yoidel fanned herself with both hands.
I’m not crying.
I’m not sad.
This is nothing.
She wiped away her tears with her sleeve before climbing into bed.
“It’s okay.”
“Even if things are like this now…”
“We’ll become friends eventually.”
“I can always make friends later.”
But life rarely goes according to plan.
“I’m scared.”
“I made eye contact with Yoidel again today.”
Whenever she walked through the temple…
People scattered in every direction before she even reached them.
It’s okay!
It’s only been two days!
Despite trying to stay optimistic, her expression betrayed her.
Shoulders drooping, she aggressively scrubbed the temple floors as though venting her frustration.
Thunk.
“Hm?”
She stopped.
Was there a place like this before?
Looking up, she realized she’d wandered to the end of a dark corridor.
A storage room?
The old iron door…
The deserted surroundings…
It certainly looked like one.
Perfect.
I’m done cleaning anyway.
I’ll just put the broom away.
The heavy door creaked open with considerable effort.
Dust immediately billowed into the air.
“Cough…!”
As she looked inside…
Something strange caught her eye.
An egg?
The storage room was unexpectedly enormous.
At its center stood a raised platform resembling an altar.
And atop it…
Sat a single enormous white egg.
It almost seemed to glow.
It’s all alone in such a dark place…
For some reason…
It reminded her of herself.
Maybe I’ll take a closer look.
The closer she came…
The lonelier it seemed.
Unable to resist, Yoidel gently stroked the egg.
“You must have been lonely too.”
Clunk.
“…Huh?”
Did it just move?
Maybe she’d imagined it.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
Nothing had changed.
The moment she carefully withdrew her hand—
“Eh?”
“Shall I block your view, Your Holiness?”
A white-haired man addressed Yulisius.
Inside a carriage, Yulisius was returning after handling affairs outside the temple.
From the window, he had noticed Yoidel in the distance.
The pink-haired trainee wandered through the temple with slumped shoulders, carrying a broom.
Curious, he watched for a moment.
Then Yoidel quietly disappeared deeper into the temple.
Why is he obsessively sweeping things that don’t need sweeping?
And why does he look so depressed?
Perhaps it really had been the right decision to warn him repeatedly to keep quiet.
If anyone discovered that such a person was his paired partner…
It would be unbearably humiliating.
“…What do you mean by ‘block my view,’ Elder?”
“Well…”
The elderly priest smiled awkwardly.
“It seemed as though seeing Trainee Priest Yoidel was disturbing Your Holiness.”
Yulisius quietly closed the carriage window before looking at the middle-aged man sitting opposite him.
His name was Hail.
One of the three elder priests who constantly pressured Yulisius to marry.
This elder talks far too much.
“Did I appear that way?”
“Indeed.”
“You even frowned.”
“You never do that.”
“I’m worried that the existence of such a wicked individual may be harmful to Your Holiness’s mental well-being.”
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
“Weren’t you following Trainee Priest Yoidel with your eyes just now?”
Hail laughed heartily before tilting his head.
For some reason…
The air suddenly felt colder.
Perhaps it was only his imagination.
His Holiness still wore the same gentle smile as always.
“…Me?”
“I’ve heard that boy is exceptionally vicious.”
“I find him rather unsettling myself.”
“Surely Your Holiness was looking at him with similar disgust?”
Remembering Yoidel’s former obsession with Yulisius made Hail shudder.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
His Holiness’s destined mate…
What became of that incident?
Suppressing an eager grin, Hail spoke again.
The suspicious curve of his lips was impossible to miss.
“Come to think of it…”
“Were you all right after what happened the other day?”
“…What do you mean?”
“When that tremendous explosion occurred, Your Holiness vanished.”
“We were terribly worried.”
“Please tell us honestly.”
“What happened?”
“The three of us elders all felt something remarkably similar to the resonance of a destined pair…”
“Nothing happened.”
Yulisius’s smile deepened.
Hail immediately understood.
That smile meant:
Don’t ask.
“Rather than worrying about my marriage…”
Yulisius calmly closed his eyes.
“…Wouldn’t it be wiser to focus on reviving the Divine Beast’s egg first?”
It was an unmistakable refusal to continue the conversation.
The Divine Beast’s Egg.
Long ago, Divine Beasts had roamed the continent as sacred creatures.
Now they were extinct.
Centuries earlier, another nation had gifted the Holy Kingdom one of their eggs as a symbol of peace.
Hundreds of years had passed.
It had never hatched.
It had never even cracked.
People had begun wondering whether anything was alive inside at all.
Honestly…
It would be better if it never hatched.
His reasoning was simple.
A baby Divine Beast would only become another troublesome responsibility.
More importantly…
The egg made an excellent excuse whenever the elders pressured him to marry.
The future heir of someone with a long lifespan could wait.
The Divine Beast was supposedly the greater priority.
Of course…
Yulisius had tried hatching it.
It would undoubtedly be useful.
Unfortunately…
The arrogant egg refused to accept even his touch.
Yulisius understood Divine Beasts well.
Proud beyond reason.
Impossible to control.
They never obeyed humans.
And their arrogance knew no bounds.
Even so…
Most people eagerly awaited the birth of the Divine Beast.
“How can we persuade the Divine Beast to hatch into this world?”
Hail sighed deeply.
“If someone appeared who knew how to hatch that sacred egg…”
“I, Hail, would gladly carry them on my shoulders across the entire continent.”
He truly meant it.
Even if that person were the most infamous criminal alive…
He would welcome and cherish them wholeheartedly.
Of course…
There was no chance such a person actually existed.
