"I don’t even want to call him father... but seriously, why the hell is he like that?"

Ethan sighed and crossed his arms.

The Aden Principality was where Felide and Monica had been banished nine years ago for colluding with the Temple.

They were supposed to reflect while working in a factory... but instead of repenting, they were just up to no good.

"They’re never going to repent. So we’ll use them, Ethan."

"We’ve lost all contact—how are we supposed to use them?"

"There’s Roystan. Let’s use him. But you’ll have to stick close to Roystan and throw your weight around a bit. Do you think you can handle that?"

"What are you talking about, Rosie? I’ve been counting the days until I could finally lord over Roystan."

According to Rosie, Murlock and Roystan were probably scheming to betray the Noart Count Family as well.

Now that Julian was back and growing strong again, there was no way for them to become the heirs of the Noart Family.

Obviously, they wouldn’t change their ways and would try to bring in enemies from outside. It was certain they’d reach out to the Temple through Felide and Monica.

So Rosie set a trap—she deliberately sent Roystan with Ethan to the Aden Principality, making sure Roystan could meet Felide and Monica directly.

And sure enough, a few hours later, the servant Ethan had assigned returned with a report.

"Lord Roystan met with Lord Felide and Lady Monica behind the Orten factory."

Just as expected, but no less bitter.

"Lord Felide and Lady Monica received a message from the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Temple a few days ago—it was the first time in ages."

"A message from the Temple?"

Ethan’s voice turned grave.

At this point, Felide and Monica were so useless, the Temple shouldn’t even have needed to contact them.

"They said, if anyone has seen a child who’s been unable to learn to read for a long time, they should report it..."

"A—a child? Someone who can’t read?"

Ethan’s heart dropped.

"Yes. And not just Lord Felide and Lady Monica—this command has gone out to anyone secretly connected to the Temple."

The servant continued his report.

"There must be plenty of dumb kids like that, so I don’t get why they’re asking such a pointless question... but anyway, they mentioned Lady Rosie’s name."

Now Ethan’s face turned pale.

Sensing that something was very wrong, the servant quickly added,

"Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean Lady Rosie is one of those dumb kids!"

"...Y-yeah, whatever. Got it... A-anything else? What else did they talk about?"

"Lord Roystan told Lord Felide and Lady Monica that he wanted to make connections with the Temple. He said he could definitely provide useful information to them... He handed them a document."

Ethan let out a deep sigh and slumped into a chair.

The document Roystan handed over was a trap anyway, so that wasn’t the problem. But Ethan’s hands were shaking, realizing who the Temple must be looking for.

"I have to warn her right away... Sure, there are plenty of kids who are slow to learn to read, so it’ll take them time to find Rosie—but still, we can’t afford to relax."

After sending the servant away, Ethan grabbed his quill and hastily began writing a letter to the Noart estate.

* * *

Late at night, in the Temple’s courtyard.

Aietar, who had secretly gone on a journey a few days ago, still hadn’t returned.

Yuta had gathered a few priests who guarded key routes and ordered them to pray all night after giving them a sermon. It was all to buy Zahid more time.

'Aietar usually doesn’t leave the Temple like this... Why is he gone so often lately? Not that I’m complaining.'

Then, as he turned onto a deserted path, a vine quietly wrapped around Yuta’s foot.

Yuta stifled the laughter that escaped him, looked around, and unfolded the note.

It was from Rosie, as expected.

I’m going to try to approach Linna Idra. I think there’s some kind of secret at the Idra Duchess’s villa.

Yuta paused, eyes narrowing in thought.

Linna Idra...

She was emotionally unstable but had followed the Temple’s will for a long time.

Yuta knew that Aietar had forcibly made her inherit her Divine Beast and was now controlling her to suit his needs.

Still, Linna had walked into the Temple on her own and left on her own. That meant she was cooperating.

Beyond that, Yuta didn’t know much. Despite being the most favored child, there was a lot he didn’t know—something that struck him as oddly funny.

'The Duchess is very ill, so they’ve stationed a lot of priests at that villa... Holding her sick mother hostage—that’s the most logical explanation.'

Outsiders wouldn’t know, but the Temple would definitely do something like that.

Either way, Linna wasn’t someone Yuta wanted Rosie to get tangled up with.

If Linna had ever come to the Academy, he never would’ve allowed the two of them to be assigned as roommates.

Yuta sighed and continued reading the note.

I’m planning to meet up at the ‘Otaz Hotel’ in Reta Village next Thursday. My brother said that unless something urgent comes up, you should stay nearby and be on standby 24/7 just in case.

Yuta smirked, guessing that underlined part was Julian’s handiwork.

But after that, something else was written in a different colored pen.

Oh, and I have a question.

Is it possible for someone to use the power of their Divine Beast to order it to kill them?

Like, for example, could Zahid tell Fire to burn him to death?

Yuta stared at the last part of the note in silence. It was obvious that Rosie had added that when Julian wasn’t around.

'Rosie... why the hell are you asking something like this?'

After a brief hesitation, Yuta slipped the note into his pocket, tapped the vine lightly, and started walking. He made his way through a secret passage.

The complex maze led him to the prison where Zahid was being held.

"Arf, arf, arf, arf!"

Only Fire was inside, drinking water.

"Huh."

Yuta tilted his head, holding Liri in his arms.

"Working overtime, huh... He should be here by now. I can’t even pay you extra, but here you are, our passionate thief... no, passionate duke."

"Arf, arf, arf, arf!"

About ten minutes later—

Zahid appeared from another passage. He was covered in dirt from wandering through the Temple’s secret corridors.

"You’ve had a rough time."

Yuta handed over the water bowl Fire had been using and gave a cheerful smile.

Zahid sighed deeply and grabbed the cup next to it.

"Ugh, you didn’t fall for it..."

Yuta looked disappointed as he took the bowl back and gave it to Fire again, while Zahid gulped down the water and spoke quietly.

"Yuta."

His gaze was more serious than ever. There was a weight to his shadowed face, a sense of resolve.

"Yes?"

"I need to get out. Tell His Majesty to move up my release as soon as possible."

"What? Why? All of a sudden?"

Aietar was away, making this the perfect time to search the inner temple.

Why leave now?

Yuta’s eyes widened, but Zahid spoke in a low voice.

"The Sacred Relic of Power is gone."

At those words, Yuta’s face turned completely rigid.