WWDNND Chapter 47

Do You Perhaps Associate with Demons?

“Ugh… it hurts… sniff…”
“Dia…”

Pretending to be in pain, I even let big tears fall down my cheeks.
Veronica, completely fooled, looked at me with pity.

[Master, your acting is incredible! Even I was almost tricked!]

Hehe…

The fever was just from overexerting myself with the demons.
It would go away on its own with time.
Besides, Claudia’s body was already weak, which made recovery slower.

The direct Winstons didn’t know that, so they were panicking for no reason.

Well, I have been unconscious for three days, so maybe it’s not entirely an overreaction.

But seriously, how is Claudia’s body so weak despite being the child of a swordmaster and carrying Winston blood?

Clicking my tongue internally, I continued putting on my best “sick little girl” act.
It worked. Soon, the decision to send me to the temple was made.

I didn’t think I’d get to the temple this quickly.

Though I’d received an invitation from Marianne before we parted,
I knew the Winston family wouldn’t have let me go easily.

Ironically, collapsing from unexpected illness turned out to be a blessing.

“We should move her immediately.”
“I’m going with her.”
“Veri, you stay here.”
“No. I’m going too.”
“…”

Marianne was at the temple.
The temple itself wasn’t fond of the Winstons either,
which is likely why the duke wasn’t thrilled about Veronica accompanying me.

“Mommy…”
“Yes, Mommy’s right here.”

But Veronica was firm. She would never send me alone to the temple.
Not that I would actually be alone anyway.

I gave up trying to convince her this time and closed my eyes.
Maybe it was the combination of fever and keeping up the act,
but I was starting to feel genuinely exhausted.

“Ugh…”

My head grew foggy. I felt like I was floating.

“…Huh?”

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a completely unfamiliar place.
At first, I was simply confused, unable to process what had happened.

[M-Master… ugh…]
[Maaasteeer…]

What’s wrong with you guys?

Desmond and Vivi whined in voices that sounded like they were dying.
I looked around, but I couldn’t see their dolls anywhere.

Then I remembered—before I lost consciousness, we were heading to the temple.

So I hadn’t been able to bring their bodies, which I usually carried like cherished toys.
Luckily, I still had their jewel accessories, so I could still hear their voices.

[I’m going to die…]
[We’re really going to die here…!]

Hmm…
Looks like I really can’t use demons in the middle of the temple.
This could ruin my plans…

Then, a deep voice cut in.

[Tch. Pathetic things. Cowering at a little holy power.]

…!

The low, commanding voice was unmistakably different from Desmond or Vivi.
I widened my eyes in shock.

Dollens!

[It’s been a while, Master. Have you been well?]

Dollens—the third demon I discovered, and Dantellion’s proxy contractor.
Unlike the others, he refused to take a physical form, saying he preferred staying inside the jewel.
He remained formless, his voice echoing directly in my mind.

How are you even here?

[Because my contractor is here, of course.]

Dantellion’s here too?

[Indeed.]

Dantellion was in the temple too?
Wasn’t he supposed to be busy ascending the throne?

In the original story, Dantellion despised the temple—especially the Empress Dowager’s side—
so he never once set foot in it.

Well… I guess the original plot doesn’t matter anymore.

I shook my head, not thinking too deeply.

The surroundings were still and quiet.
I was lying alone on a wide platform.

A red cloth was laid beneath me, so it wasn’t painful,
but judging from the hardness, the platform was probably made of stone or marble.

Above, the high ceiling was painted with images of gods and angels.
White pillars and stained glass filled the grand space.

Unconsciously, my lips parted as I gawked around in awe.
That’s when the door creaked open.

“You’re awake.”
“…?”

A man in white priestly robes entered.
With long lavender hair flowing down, he smiled softly at me as I sat up.

I should have felt wary of this stranger—
but oddly enough, I didn’t.
His gentle face made all my tension melt away, and my body relaxed.

“We treated you with holy water, but your body might still be too weak to move.”

“Ah…”

At his words, I glanced down.
Since I’d been lying on my back, I hadn’t noticed it—
but shallow water reached up to my ankles under the platform.

So this was the holy water he mentioned.
Apparently, my body hadn’t responded even to divine power,
so they’d resorted to soaking me in holy water—something illegal to remove from the temple.

I understood the situation immediately,
but I couldn’t show that in front of someone I was supposed to be meeting for the first time.

Putting on an innocent child’s face, I asked:

“Ah… Mister, who are you?”

“…Mister…”

For a moment, the man looked shocked.
His beautiful turquoise eyes trembled slightly.

“Ahem… I’m called Diandre, little lady.”
“Diandre…?”
“Yes, I’m the High Priest of this temple.”
“High priest…?”
“Mm, I’m the most important priest here.”

He gave a sheepish smile, holding up a thumb.
I guess it’s hard to explain titles to a child.

But I knew exactly who he was.

Diandre Benedict—
High Priest of the temple and the successor to the current pope.
A man of tremendous divine power and influence.

He was the temple’s most powerful figure,
and a staunch supporter of Saintess Marianne.

Even if the original plot was no longer reliable,
he was still someone Winston needed to be wary of.

Not to mention that despite that gentle smile, he’s the most radical figure in the temple…

Currently, the temple was split into two factions—
the moderate faction, led by Pope Raphael Luciano,
and the radical faction, led by his successor, Diandre Benedict.

It was the radicals who created Nathaniel, the temple’s final weapon.
So the man in front of me…
He was the mastermind behind Nathaniel and the one who destroyed the Winstons in the original story.

…Dollens.

[Yes, Master?]

I tilted my head slightly, pretending to look confused as I called Dollens in my mind.
He was probably the only one who could navigate the temple’s interior without being affected by angelic power.

I quickly asked:

There’s a young boy trapped in the basement of this temple. Can you find him?

[…]
…?

But Dollens didn’t reply.
Did I offend him with such a trivial task?
He did have a prideful aura compared to the other demons…

[To think I can finally be useful to Master!]
Huh?
[I’ve always only taken orders from my proxy contractor… this is such a touching moment!]
Uh… yeah…

Even though I could only hear his voice,
I could clearly imagine Dollens crying his heart out.
That’s how deeply moved he was.

I was actually a little flustered.

Anyway, I’m counting on you.

[Understood! I shall complete the mission without fail!]

…Yeah.

With that bold declaration, Dollens vanished.
I didn’t have to worry about Nathaniel anymore.

“Haha, I’m just a priest of the temple, young lady.”
“Mm-hm.”
“Now that you’re awake, you’ll be able to see your family soon.”
“Okay~.”

Perhaps giving up on trying to explain things properly,
Diandre narrowed his eyes and smiled.

He’s a squinty-eyed type… even more suspicious now.

Whenever he smiled, his eyes curved into slits.
If I hadn’t read the original novel, I might have fallen for his charming looks.

Spending any more time near someone like him was dangerous.
I took his words as a cue and began to slowly push myself up.

“But young lady…”
“Yes?”

“…Do you perhaps associate with demons?”

“…!”

Before I realized it, Diandre had come right up to me.
He whispered the question softly,
and I instinctively swallowed hard—
his cold turquoise eyes glinting through the narrow slit of his smile.