<Chapter 21>
Theodore let out a scoff, one corner of his lips lifting in disbelief.
“Your Majesty, the Saintess says she received a revelation… Please, just listen to her. Yes?”
The Marchioness pleaded in an eager voice.
Everyone watched Theodore expectantly.
“…This is infuriating.”
He muttered irritably and abruptly stood up.
“Fine, let’s go. Saintess.”
Theodore smoothed his clothes with his large hand and gave me a cold look.
“Your Majesty! Thank you, this old woman is so overjoyed that I could cry.”
“Is that so, Marchioness.”
Theodore replied perfunctorily to the Marchioness and took a step forward.
His actions spoke volumes.
He hadn’t agreed to my request because of the atmosphere or the Marchioness. He agreed because he was angry with me.
I had dared to deceive the Emperor, and I was undoubtedly terrified, yet I requested a private audience. How audacious.
He must be curious about what such a woman had to say.
“Marchioness, may we use the garden? It’s stuffy inside.”
“Of course!”
With permission granted, I rose from my seat.
Good. The open garden was better than the stuffy room. There weren’t many places to hide, and even if there were eavesdroppers, it would be easy to catch them.
Anyway, things were going my way, but…
‘I’m scared…!’
I was terrified.
Theodore’s invisible emotions… anger, irritation… I felt like they were piercing me.
Theodore remained silent as we walked to the garden. I looked at his back, so much taller than mine. Looking at his broad back, I thought, ‘How can it be so wide?’
And observing his physique, I occasionally felt a surge of fear. I felt like I would be knocked out with a single blow.
We remained silent even as we arrived at the gazebo in the garden and a small tea table was set up.
Theodore finally spoke after the tea was poured.
“So, why did you want to see me, Saintess?”
His low, resonant voice sounded both gentlemanly and beastly.
I fiddled with my teacup and glanced around. The Marchioness’s attendants were still present.
“Make sure there isn’t a single rat within a 10-meter radius.”
Theodore, keenly aware of my intent, dismissed the attendants.
“Now tell me. Maria?”
He smiled, using my alias.
To explain, I had to talk about my intentions and persuade him first.
I pondered how to start, how to make this impatient man sit still and listen, and then spoke.
“Actually, I want to bring down the Maelta religion.”
Getting straight to the point was the best, right?
Theodore’s face hardened instantly at my words.
“And I want to join forces with Your Majesty to achieve my goal.”
I continued without hesitation.
Theodore didn’t reply. He just stared at me with those icy blue eyes.
His cold gaze met mine, as if trying to see through my heart.
I didn’t avoid his gaze, wanting to convey my sincerity. It was quite an ordeal.
The man’s eyes, seemingly kind yet exuding a chilling aura, were incredibly sharp.
In short, it was scary and overwhelming.
But I persevered in the staring contest with Theodore.
“Are you serious?”
Theodore finally spoke after a long while, asking a question.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Did you think I would believe you?”
“You definitely won’t.”
“And yet-”
“You’re curious.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that why you granted my request for a private audience? Besides, a Saintess wanting to bring down the Maelta religion. How intriguing. Isn’t it interesting?”
I spoke, modulating my voice like a seasoned storyteller. Theodore didn’t react.
He was incredibly stubborn.
“…Intriguing.”
The corner of Theodore’s lips curled up. His icy gaze now felt like a burning flame.
Was he angry…? He looked different from before, but he was still scary, so he was probably angry.
“Very well, let’s hear it.”
He agreed…!
I spoke again before he lost his patience and stormed off.
I briefly explained my connection with the gods, how I learned about the corruption of the world after the connection, and then,
“I learned that Your Majesty also wants to eliminate the temple.”
His eyebrows twitched slightly at my words.
It was well-known among the nobles that Theodore was a non-believer, but wanting to eliminate the temple was something he decided on his own.
‘He must be surprised. Haha.’
I knew his intentions.
This was proof that I was using some kind of mysterious power!
Of course, it was useless since I couldn’t use the ability in front of him. But the important thing was to make him listen to me.
“Your Majesty’s goal and mine align.”
“So?”
“I want to cooperate. The gods want it too. I became the Saintess to meet Your Majesty. Because I was a commoner.”
“So you used the temple because you thought you could meet the Emperor if you became the Saintess…?”
“Yes.”
It was easy to converse with him since he was quick to understand.
“Well, I don’t understand.”
“Pardon?”
“If God wants to eradicate the corruption within the temple, why ask you? They could do it themselves. Those all-powerful gods.”
Hostility was evident in Theodore’s voice. As expected, he became negative when the topic shifted to gods.
“The temple’s corruption has ruined the devotees’ faith. With the loss of faith, the gods have also lost their power.”
“Then they can just deliver a revelation or something. They did it recently, didn’t they?”
Theodore leaned forward. A bittersweet woody scent emanated from him as he drew closer.
“That damned, unmanipulatable blue flame.”
Theodore snapped irritably.
“…That’s…”
I gulped.
The pressure emanating from him as he drew closer was immense.
A large, well-built man dressed entirely in black.
He exuded a composed and dignified aura, but within, it felt like a predator was lurking, yawning languidly.
“…because they know the temple will manipulate it.”
“Manipulate?”
The conversation had reached this point.
Now, I had to say the most difficult thing. Mentioning the incident that had become Theodore’s trauma.
What would happen if that predator heard my story?
Would he explode in rage, baring his fangs…? I felt fear, but I also mustered my courage.
“The temple… meddled with the oracle. Sixteen years… ago.”
Theodore’s expression remained unchanged.
But I could tell. His heart must have clenched.
Theodore’s reply came very late.
His eyes were still sharp, and his lips were firm, but he looked as if he was struggling to speak.
“The temple.”
He barely managed to utter a single word and took a deep breath.
“Manipulated… it.”
His low, resonant voice sounded almost mournful.
“Yes. The epidemic started in a place where the temple engaged in human trafficking, abused people, and neglected the sick.”
“…An illness… created by the temple.”
“Yes. God knew this, so they delivered an oracle to prevent the spread of the epidemic. But the temple manipulated and announced it as they pleased, collecting donations and tributes.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
His voice wavered for the first time. But it was a story he couldn’t ignore.
Theodore didn’t trust people easily and needed a reason for everything. So, in the end, it was a story only I could tell.
“That’s why they haven’t delivered an oracle since then. They were… greatly shocked by the temple’s atrocities… and they knew it wouldn’t be conveyed properly anyway.”
Agatha had indeed been powerless for 16 years due to the shock of that incident. The absence of oracles proved it.
Of course, it was all over if Theodore didn’t believe me.
I finished speaking and waited for Theodore’s reply.
He had his eyes closed. I could see the veins bulging in his jaw as he clenched his teeth.
“Can you… take responsibility?”
He asked me, his eyes still closed.
“Pardon?”
“Responsibility for the words you’ve spoken to me.”
The tendons in Theodore’s clenched hand on the table stood out.
“It seems you don’t even realize what you’ve touched.”
I could sense a murderous aura emanating from him. This threatening atmosphere was far more intense than when we encountered each other at the Grand Temple.
A pressure that felt like he would snap my neck at any moment.
I felt a sense of danger.
‘Calm down, calm down.’
Despite his rage, the fact that he closed his eyes and asked a question first meant he was willing to listen to me.
“I didn’t say it for you to believe me. I just answered your question.”
“…”
“I thought I had to be truthful to request a cooperative relationship with Your Majesty.”
I looked directly at him.
‘Dorothy, you can do this. You can.’
While hypnotizing myself.
Theodore, who had been listening to me, finally opened his eyes.
‘My words… worked.’
I clasped my hands tightly to prevent myself from getting excited and calmly delivered my final words.
“If Your Majesty asks me what I know, I will answer. That’s… the duty of someone requesting cooperation.”
His blue gaze pierced me. An intense, almost viscous gaze.