Chapter 8

“It seems my companion has quite a poor memory.”

The way he let out a quiet chuckle was terrifying.

His smile was as radiant and beautiful as the sun shining in a pitch-black sky.

But she knew.

That was the smile he wore whenever he was angry.

And the way he deliberately emphasized the word “companion” was intentional, too.

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

The tall man brushed back his flowing silver hair as he looked down at the pink-haired youth.

Curled up on the floor and trembling, Yoidel looked like a pitiful little animal.

No…

Considering the trouble she’d caused, perhaps “beast” was more appropriate.

Clank.

Just then, the prison door swung open, and the guard hurried inside.

“Your Holiness, are you certain you wish to question her alone? Trainee Priest Yoidel is…”

“It’s fine. Ensuring that not even a single innocent priest is wrongfully punished is also part of my duty.”

The guard was deeply moved by the Holy King’s kindness.

To think he would personally investigate even disputes between trainee priests…

“Ah, Your Holiness! I understand your noble intentions. If anything happens, please call for me immediately.”

Ulysses smiled at the departing guard like an angel.

But the moment the door shut…

The smile transformed into that of a devil.

His eyes grew cold, as though asking who had dared to smile in his presence.

Unable to bear his gaze, Yoidel quietly looked away.

She heard him click his tongue.

“I told you not to give people reasons to be ashamed of you. Yet you couldn’t even wait a little longer.”

That was right.

Yoidel had ended up in prison once again.

She quietly looked up at Ulysses.

He didn’t seem disappointed.

Nor did he look particularly angry.

If anything…

He looked amused.

You’re actually smiling right now?

She wanted to ask.

But it wasn’t exactly his problem, so she didn’t feel she had the right.

When Yoidel remained silent, he smiled gently.

“Well then… let’s see exactly what you’ve done this time.”

His long, elegant fingers flipped through a stack of documents.

They stopped on one page.

“Yoidel Yobohilde. Punishment: three hours of confinement. Time of incident: approximately one o’clock this afternoon. Details: At the Grand Temple dining hall, Trainee Priest Theo’s foot…”

Curious, he narrowed his eyes and brought the report closer.

Then he looked up and met Yoidel’s crimson eyes.

For someone who had supposedly committed such a serious offense…

She looked remarkably dejected.

“…I didn’t do it on purpose,” Yoidel mumbled quietly.

Watching her, Ulysses narrowed his eyes.

Is she bold… or timid?

Making sure she heard every word clearly, he deliberately read aloud,

“…Crushed the top of his foot.”

“W-Well…”

“Recovery period: eight weeks.”

“What a masterpiece.”

“…Yes.”

“I did.”

Yoidel admitted it honestly.

That was why she was sitting in prison.

She had jumped…

And smashed fellow trainee Theo’s foot to pieces.

She had only been trying to avoid him.

Instead, she’d seriously injured him.

Usually, in situations like that, people just jump over the obstacle.

Unfortunately…

That only worked in imagination.

Reality wasn’t nearly so cooperative.

Ulysses quietly observed her.

Given the countless offenses she’d committed in the past, even a minor incident now earned her severe punishment.

He had already looked into Theo.

The priest’s reputation wasn’t much better than Yoidel’s own.

If this had been the old Yoidel…

He would’ve naturally assumed she’d stomped on Theo’s foot intentionally.

But now…

Things were different.

Truthfully, even before their pairing, Yoidel had never been much of a threat to him.

If she had been, he would’ve eliminated her long ago.

He’d simply left her alone because she wasn’t worth dealing with.

Yet strangely enough…

The calm, quiet Yoidel of recent days attracted his attention far more than the troublesome girl she’d once been.

Besides…

From what he’d observed…

There was no way someone as timid as this would break someone’s foot for no reason.

Theo had obviously tried to trip her.

There were witness statements, too.

The trainee priests Lucini and Antonio had unexpectedly submitted testimony defending Yoidel.

They insisted it had been nothing more than an unfortunate accident.

They also claimed she saved Antonio’s life with a rather unusual method.

So why…

Why wasn’t this pink-haired girl making a single excuse for herself?

The more he thought about it, the more frustrating it became.

Ulysses rubbed his forehead.

“Fortunately, you’re under special observation.”

“Otherwise, this report would never have reached me.”

He sighed.

“If Theo provoked you first, you should have said so.”

“Why are you quietly sitting in prison instead?”

Had he not personally come to question her…

She might even have been whipped.

Conflicts between priests were subject to disciplinary punishment.

I truly don’t understand.

If someone had hidden his own wrongdoing and slipped away…

Shouldn’t she have hunted Theo down and broken his other foot as well?

Instead, she’s quietly accepting punishment for breaking just one?

For a brief moment, Ulysses’ smile became chilling.

Seeing it, Yoidel instinctively shrank back and covered the back of her neck.

“W-Why… why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

“If you’re planning to cause another disturbance, however, do let me know in advance.”

“You haven’t done anything else, have you?”

Yoidel quietly reviewed everything she’d done.

Not really.

She’d worked hard cleaning…

And…

“I met a bouncy egg.”

“An egg?”

“There couldn’t possibly be such a strange egg in this temple.”

He looked at her as though she were insane.

Then something suddenly occurred to him.

His eyes narrowed sharply.

“…Don’t tell me.”

“Are you referring to the Divine Beast’s egg, Lady Yoidel?”

A Divine Beast’s egg?

It hadn’t looked nearly that impressive.

She demonstrated its size with her hands.

“It was pink.”

“About this big.”

“It had little spots all over it.”

“It kept bouncing around as if it understood everything I was saying.”

“So… I guess that really was the Divine Beast’s egg.”

“…You said it bounced?”

Impossible.

Even when he spoke to it…

The arrogant thing never reacted.

That insolent lump ignored him completely.

And yet…

It responded to a mere trainee priest?

“Yes.”

“When I touched it, it rubbed against my hand like a puppy.”

For a moment…

He was speechless.

That insolent thing followed this little rookie?

The creature that hadn’t moved an inch before?

He looked at Yoidel.

She simply blinked at him innocently, completely unaware of why he was staring.

She communicates with the Divine Beast…

She sees the future…

She even accurately exposed Priest Geram’s corruption.

Ulysses bent down until they were eye level through the prison bars.

“Lady Yoidel.”

“You’re a trainee priest.”

“And a trainee priest is not an official priest.”

…Is he saying I’m not even a real priest?

Instinctively, Yoidel clutched her neck and trembled.

Please don’t tell me you’re going to get rid of me because of that…

“I know.”

“You only become recognized as a proper priest after being promoted.”

“Exactly.”

“You’ve remained a trainee for six years now.”

“That’s quite a long time.”

After a moment of thought…

Ulysses smiled brightly.

“I believe it’s time to change your residence.”

“And your assignment.”

Tap.

Tap.

“Did you hear?”

“Yoidel crushed Theo’s foot.”

The next day, the Grand Temple was in an uproar.

The whole incident had unfolded like this:

Yoidel had attempted a graceful leap.

Unfortunately, she’d greatly overestimated her own athletic ability.

She thought she’d clear Theo with ease.

Instead…

Crack.

His foot broke completely.

His scream had been so loud that even people outside the dining hall entrance heard him crying.

Theo now walked with crutches.

And, of all places…

He sat down to eat at the table right beside Yoidel.

“Sigh…”

But that wasn’t what was troubling Yoidel.

She couldn’t even take a single bite before letting out another sigh.

“I heard Yoidel’s been appointed caretaker of the Divine Beast’s egg.”

“Looks like she’s finally becoming an official priest.”

“What? Wait… there?”

“Oh…”

“So it’s basically exile.”

On the surface…

Becoming caretaker of the Divine Beast sounded prestigious.

Reality was another story.

“It’d be wonderful if the Divine Beast finally hatched, but…”

“It hasn’t hatched in the last three hundred years.”

“Why would it suddenly hatch now?”

“It’s a fancy title for a dead-end position.”

The caretaker worked alone in a dark storage chamber.

Their only duty was maintaining the perfect environment for the egg.

It was a lonely, isolated assignment that everyone avoided.

Like being sentenced to endless solitary meditation.

“Besides, it doesn’t even belong to one of the four divisions.”

“Which division would Yoidel even be assigned to?”

“The East Wing?”

“Probably not.”

“She won’t be studying records in the East…”

“Nor training as a Holy Knight in the North…”

“Nor researching or healing in the South or West.”

“The previous caretaker couldn’t stand it and ran away. The position’s been vacant ever since.”

Of course…

If the Divine Beast ever hatched…

Everything would change.

The caretaker’s rank would immediately rise.

Honor and prestige would follow.

And the position would remain theirs for as long as the Divine Beast lived.

But…

The egg had remained unhatched for over three hundred years.

The chances were almost nonexistent.

“Even famous summoner and spirit-contractor families failed to hatch it.”

“Yoidel’s career is basically over.”

Some pitied her.

They thought she’d been condemned to spend her life clinging to false hope.

But no one disliked the situation more than Yoidel herself.

Out of nowhere…

Ulysses had ordered her to take charge of the Divine Beast’s egg.

His command had been simple.

“Hatch it.”

That was all he’d said.

He admitted he wasn’t particularly fond of the idea.

But if there was even the slightest chance the Divine Beast could be born…

It would benefit the Holy Kingdom.

The problem is…

He’s expecting me to actually do it…

Naturally…

Ulysses hadn’t forgotten to threaten her while wearing that pleasant smile.

If the egg took too long to hatch…

He joked that he’d turn it into one gigantic omelet.

If she wanted to protect her precious first friend…

She’d better work hard.

His smile had looked absolutely devilish.

He’s so cruel…

How could anyone turn something that adorable into an egg dish?

But an even greater shock awaited her.

A secret no one else knew.

“I will promote you from trainee priest to official priest.”

At first…

She’d been delighted.

Once she became an official priest, she’d be assigned to whichever branch best suited her talents.

East, West, South, or North.

Most importantly…

It meant she would no longer work near Ulysses, who usually remained in the Grand Temple’s Central Hall.

Her heart raced with excitement.

“Then where will I be assigned?”

“Since I’ll be studying the Divine Beast, will I go to the West Wing for biological research?”

“Or perhaps the East Wing, since it’s academic?”

“Anywhere is fine, Your Holiness!”

“Are you that happy?”

Seeing her sparkling eyes, Ulysses smiled as though he’d seen straight through her thoughts.

Yoidel grinned foolishly in return.

Then…

His smile suddenly turned cold.

“From this day forward…”

“Your affiliation will be under my direct command.”

“The Central Hall.”