CHAPTER 92……………………………………………….
My earlier worry that the money might have disappeared turned out to be completely unnecessary—all of it was intact.
Amtein’s delivery worker, specialized in handling such matters, carefully stacked the safes.
He placed ten safes in front of me and approached, handing me a pre-prepared pouch after confirming that all the safes—except for the ones intended for Chwi—were there.
“I’ve added more than usual.”
The delivery worker nodded, tucked the pouch into his coat, and disappeared in a flash.
As expected of one of Amtein’s top couriers, he was both discreet and fast.
“What was all that for, making us wait like this?”
Kichev, irritated, jumped off his horse.
He walked over and opened the lid of a safe. His mouth opened slightly.
Inside were gold coins, piled high. That wasn’t all—the adjacent safe contained glittering precious gems.
“…What is all this?”
“It’s the result of living honestly,” I replied.
To be precise, while working for the count’s household, I took my fair share and ran a side business.
The side business involved collecting honey from extravagant beehives.
In other words, I had profited from tolerating the bragging of wealthy people who flaunted their riches.
In short, it was stolen goods.
‘The reward for saving the Heren siblings was quite substantial, too.’
“How on earth?”
Kichev asked again, but I didn’t need to explain the details.
“Didn’t I say? What I have, I will use for the prince.”
I smiled and gave Giovanni a subtle nod.
‘I am fully on this side now.’
If Giovanni flourishes, I flourish; if he dies, so do I.
Kichev, who would be both a colleague and rival in the future, muttered,
“Well, this is enough to qualify as part of the Aicion Desert, I suppose.”
I ignored him.
But Kichev’s complaints didn’t end there.
“Still, it’s so bulky that I can’t carry much. Do you realize how far Doberacan is? You’d need at least two carriages to transport all this…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.”
I waved my hand casually, like shooing flies. Kichev’s eyes twitched.
It didn’t take long for his skeptical gaze to shift into curiosity.
A middle-aged man, with an unremarkable appearance that you’d likely forget upon passing, examined each safe in the line and finally straightened his knees.
“Are you really selling all this for that price?”
“Yes.”
“Really? You were trying to squeeze me dry, and now this?”
“Because it’s the last transaction.”
“Hmph. That’s a shame. There hasn’t been another client like you.”
“Then pay a bit more.”
“Thanks for the good deal!”
The man smiled widely and handed me a large pouch.
“These are gems that are worth more for their size. They’re not as profitable as selling your safes at full price, but I made sure it’s fair.”
Then he leaned close and whispered in my ear.
“Besides me, no one else could turn stolen goods into cash this fast.”
I chuckled.
“I know. Thanks.”
“I should be the one thanking you.”
“Keep our deal secret. Trust, right?”
“Is gold,” he replied solemnly, then immediately chuckled as if he’d never been serious.
Humming happily, he loaded the safes onto a black carriage.
I stopped him before he left.
“Why? There’s still work to do?”
I pulled a few old envelopes from my coat. Among the items Jenny had brought were the pieces I valued most, including a jewelry box.
Inside the jewelry box were Leo’s raw gemstones and…
“Take care of this too.”
“This?”
His eyes widened at the contents.
He glanced around and whispered into my ear.
“This belongs to the Lorenset family’s villa. It’s prime stuff. You want me to deal with it?”
“You can sell it without issue, right?”
“Well, yes…but why suddenly? Weren’t you basically part of that count’s household?”
I could understand his reaction. I had likely seemed like a loyal dog of the Lorensets all this time.
“It’s fine. This is how I repay a favor with a measure of vengeance.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
“But handling this will take some time. I’ve already given you everything I can access immediately.”
“You don’t need to give it to me. Use it as a donation.”
“What?”
I smiled at his surprise.
“You know I’m aware, right? The organizations you support.”
I tapped his shoulder lightly.
“Use it to help the needy.”
“Hah, how did you know?”
He chuckled wryly and tucked the envelopes into his coat.
“May luck be with you.”
This time, he said it solemnly before boarding the carriage.
Click-clack, click-clack!
After the carriage vanished in a hurry, I turned around.
“All done. Shall we go?”
Kichev, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
“What are you really?”
“Hmm… the prince’s loyal servant?”
Kichev stared at me in disbelief.
Giovanni chuckled, and Jenny smacked her forehead.
Well, it’s hard to explain in just one word.
So what should I call myself?
Thief, maid, con artist.
And a priest?
Tairin would probably say “spirit,” and maybe the ancient humans would call me “god.”
A few days later.
As Egrain and her party finished preparations and left the kingdom, a public hearing was held at the royal court.
It had been scheduled due to the severe drought. Even after the Egrain issue, which was cited as a cause, had been resolved, the hearing proceeded as planned.
Those who optimistically believed the drought would end once the witch left hadn’t expected much from the hearing.
Yet the hearing produced statements that caught attendees completely off guard.
“The power of priests may not originate from the blessing of gods.”
A moment of silence fell.
Someone gasped.
“…Good heavens, how can someone say such blasphemy?”
“Armand Dufeng! Were you a heretic?”
The audience erupted like a dam breaking. Dufeng adjusted his thick glasses.
He was a relatively young scholar in his forties, but his striped coat and large rounded shoes made him appear outdated.
Fans who imagined him as a sharp and cynical intellect, based on his papers (often presented through an assistant), had their expectations shattered.
Those who had flocked like clouds at the news of his attendance were now utterly dumbfounded.
Sweat dripping, Dufeng clearly felt the pressure, and quickly clarified.
“To be precise, this is not a direct cause. The power itself comes from the gods, yes, but maintaining that power is not a matter of divine will.”
“What are you saying? Priests embody the will of the gods.”
“That is not the case!”
Furrowing his brows, Dufeng pointed emphatically and had his assistant bring out a large frame.
It contained an evidently old painting.
Ten humans stood in the image, each holding a droplet over their hearts, looking up at the sky.
“I personally obtained this over ten years ago and studied it. Only recently did I determine that these figures were ancient humans who originally received the gods’ blessing.”
“What?”
“These ten ancient humans were the first priests.”
It was fascinating. Even those who had branded Dufeng a heretic fell silent, listening intently.
The hearing wasn’t just attended by his fans.
Nobles, priests, and even the king paid attention to his words.
“Until now, no common trait among priests had been discovered. But after tracing the ancestry and deeds of all known priests, I found one fact.”
“And what is that?”
“A shared bloodline.”
“Bloodline?”
Some frowned.
“There were hypotheses that priestly power passed through lineage, but there were many exceptions, right?”
“We couldn’t identify the original bloodline. It was impossible to investigate a thousand years of records, but by tracing available materials persistently, overlaps in ancestry appeared. Even a beggar girl could become a priest because her distant ancestor was one of the first priests.”
“……”
“No matter how diluted the blood, the priest’s power manifests through distant lineage.”
The hall fell silent.
It was Dufeng’s new hypothesis.
Marta was not the sole god. The desert wasn’t always a desert. Every time he presented such theories, theology was shaken—no one dared dismiss them lightly.
Someone raised their hand.
“How does this relate to today’s hearing?”
The topic was “Disaster Response Measures.”
“Ah, I will explain now.”
Dufeng gestured, urging patience, and continued without pause.
“The power of these priests—those blessed by the gods—has made Liorza fertile and lush. The current drought can be seen as a result of weakened priestly power.”
“Why? Were priests murdered?”
“No. The weakening has persisted for months. It likely began when a visitor from the desert arrived.”
Everyone’s thoughts immediately went to the empire’s Fifth Prince, who had recently left the capital.
“This was the first visit by the imperial family. Imperial and kingdom natures clash, and their gods’ attributes differ. I secretly observed the royal movements and noticed that the sun was hotter than usual and the land drier.”
“Are you saying this is because of the imperial visitor?”
Dufeng nodded.
“The state of the kingdom’s land is connected to priests. It’s not just the rain they summon—the mere presence of priests enriches the kingdom. Those who read my earlier papers will understand. I continued to observe to confirm, and I’m certain.”
His small eyes behind thick lenses glimmered like a hawk.
The tension in the room grew.
“The imperial family weakens the power of priests.”
Those words brought silence.
