In the vast, silent sanctuary, stillness hung heavy.

The round table was set with tableware for seven people. Perfectly cooked steak and vegetables were laid out, accompanied by red wine placed next to the plates.

-Clink.

"..."

-Clink.

The sound of cutlery scraping against plates began to echo softly through the silence.

-Crunch, crunch.

From someone who enjoyed eating, the rough sound of a knife cutting into food resounded awkwardly.

-Slice... hmm...

Meanwhile, those observing decorum made only quiet noises as they ate.

And then—

"Is Temperance absent again this time?"

From the unoccupied seat, no sound emerged.

The man seated in the northwest direction of the round table wiped his lips with a handkerchief as he spoke.

"What has happened to Temperance?"

The man's gaze, questioning the empty seat, shifted to two individuals.

"The Apostle of Compassion."

The elf who had succeeded the late Apostle of Compassion.

"And Serenity."

The Apostle of Serenity, Elicia.

The man's emotionless eyes settled on the two women, awaiting a response. After all, his alias was practically synonymous with patience.

"Are you not planning to answer?"

Under his scrutiny, Elicia responded with a tense expression, delivering the answer they sought.

"I do not know."

"You don’t know?"

"Since the failed mission, Temperance’s whereabouts have been unclear."

"As I recall, Temperance was with both the Apostle of Compassion and the Apostle of Serenity during that mission."

"That’s correct."

"Then... why do you claim ignorance of Temperance’s whereabouts?"

At the pointed questioning, Elicia replied plainly, her tone steady, befitting her position as an Apostle equal to him.

"I offered to buy time."

"You sacrificed yourself for Temperance?"

"Someone needed to stall for time before the Knight Commander and other forces joined the battle."

"...There were three Apostles present. Not one, but three. Even if the Imperial Knight Commander was there, stopping three Apostles should’ve been impossible."

"A third party appeared. Someone equivalent to the Archbishop... no, someone comparable to an Apostle."

The man stroked his chin at her answer and asked further.

"Was it the one who killed the previous Apostle of Compassion?"

"I wouldn’t know that either."

"Then it makes sense."

"..."

"The Imperial family kept it tightly under wraps, so I couldn’t find them. But for such a variable to appear from an unexpected place..."

"..."

The man nodded thoughtfully before returning his attention to his meal.

"Thank you, Serenity."

"You’re welcome."

"You look much better now."

"It must be thanks to deeper faith."

-Clink.

-Clink.

...

...

After Elicia had left, the man, staring coldly at the empty seat, muttered.

"It seems faith has turned away."

*

Today at the peaceful Hamel Estate.

"They seem to have realized."

At Elicia’s sudden visit, I nodded, listening to her report.

"...They figured it out later than I expected."

"It’s my fault. If I’d hidden it more thoroughly, this wouldn’t have happened."

"No, it’s fine. I anticipated this to some extent."

"...Still."

"It might be best for you to stop attending their meetings from now on. Even for you, Lady Elicia, facing multiple Apostles would be overwhelming."

-Knock, knock.

"I brought tea."

"Thank you."

In Hans’s basement, of all places.

Accepting the tea Hans brought me, I glanced around.

"..."

The basement had expanded significantly since I last paid attention to it—large enough now to house a giant door.

Almost like a dungeon...

"You shouldn’t go beyond this door."

"...Why not?"

"I want to show it to you when it’s complete! Oh, and don’t worry—it won’t affect the mansion’s security or barriers. In fact, this construction is to strengthen the mansion’s defenses. But if you’re really curious, I can show you now—"

"No, it’s fine."

Staring at the ever-expanding basement, which had grown beyond my understanding, I sipped my tea with an awkward smile.

"..."

Looking at it this way, it might be better than the mansion itself.

"Ahem!"

Clearing my throat, I met Elicia’s gaze directly, steering the conversation back to the main issue.

The discovery of a spy planted within their ranks was no light matter, easily dismissed with a few words.

"May I ask what makes you certain?"

Without hesitation, Elicia began to explain.

"Because the Apostle of Diligence has spoken."

"The Apostle of Diligence... that complicates things."

"..."

"If Diligence has spoken, it’s likely the other Apostles are also becoming aware."

Elicia nodded at my words, confirming the growing gravity of the situation.

"Diligence is known for being tight-lipped."

The Apostle of Diligence—one of the most troublesome villains in the novel. Unlike Temperance, who restrained and crushed enemies quickly, Diligence slowly corroded opponents over time with a painstakingly meticulous power.

"..."

If Diligence moves, things get exhausting.

With a faint sigh, I began sorting through my increasingly complex thoughts. Neither Mikhail nor the other protagonists were yet strong enough to confront an Apostle.

"Lady Elicia."

"Yes?"

"How much do the heretics know about me?"

Elicia, with an expression meant to reassure, replied without hesitation.

"Since you’ve never officially appeared in any capacity, they don’t have any concrete information. From what we know, they’re only aware of a suspiciously strong swordsman."

"...And if."

"Yes?"

"If word spreads in the Empire that I am a Sword Master?"

"Hmm..."

Elicia shook her head before answering.

"That wouldn’t be a problem either."

"Really? I think they could easily deduce that the ‘suspiciously strong swordsman’ is me."

"They’d see it as two separate individuals. If a new Sword Master emerges in the Empire and remains shrouded in mystery, it might actually cause the heretics to act more cautiously. By spinning the narrative—claiming you’ve just reached this level ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) thanks to a hidden mentor—we could shape public opinion favorably."

"...That’s true."

"The one who defeated Olaf is the ‘mysterious swordsman.’ The one who took down Temperance is you, the Saint. Framing it like this could lead to positive outcomes."

Having someone so clever on my side made things much easier. If all else failed, I was ready to storm the heretics’ base and cause chaos.

Quietly observing, Hans raised his hand to speak.

"Saint, may I say something?"

Seeing the former Archbishop Hans speak up unexpectedly, Elicia smiled softly.

"Come to think of it, we have that friend, don’t we?"

"It's an honor to meet you, Apostle."

"It's an honor for me as well, Saint."

"Calling me a Saint instead of an Archbishop..."

Why were their eyes welling up with tears?

"Oh my... I was surprised to hear that you address Ricardo as ‘Saint.’"

"Haha... The Master said he didn’t like being called that."

"My goodness... How can you two be so alike?"

"It’s all thanks to the Saint’s grace, isn’t it?"

Between Elicia and Hans, something I couldn’t comprehend was forming. It wasn’t the sweet romance of lovers, but rather something that felt like a connection only zealots could share.

"..."

Before their conversation could deepen, I redirected it back to Hans and the original topic he wanted to discuss.

"So, Hans, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Ah!"

Hans glanced at Elicia and spoke.

"Apostle, what do you think of the mansion’s barrier?"

"Barrier...? Hmm."

Elicia shrugged, her expression one of mild confusion.

"I don’t sense anything."

"..."

"I do feel a very faint barrier... but truthfully, one of the reasons I came here was to strengthen the mansion’s defenses—"

Hans smiled.

"So, it’s undetectable even to an Apostle."

Why did his ominous smile feel so sinister? Looking like a mad scientist, Hans began speaking with a faint grin.

"Saint."

"Yes?"

"You can leave the mansion to me."

"...What?"

Hans launched into an explanation about the barrier.

"The barrier I created prevents anyone who isn’t authorized from entering."

"Oh."

"It’s not a simple physical barrier... it’s a byproduct of reconfiguring dimensional gaps using the quasi-grimoire of the Saint, stabilizing reality in a quantum-entangled state."

"Uh..."

"By breaking down the mana waves into immeasurable units and inducing harmonic resonance, it creates a closed loop in the mana flow at a specific point. This naturally prevents external interference..."

"..."

"Of course, you must already know all this, Saint."

My head hurt. Not a single word of Hans’s highly technical explanation stuck in my brain.

Elicia, whose eyes sparkled with interest, seemed to understand even less than I did.

"That’s incredible... With this level of sophistication, not even an Apostle-level intruder could easily break in."

"No, it’s still insufficient."

"I think I’ve found areas for improvement. May I share my ideas?"

"Of course, Apostle."

"Please, call me Elicia... or maybe Auntie."

"Would it be too much to call you ‘Sis’? You’re far too beautiful for the former."

"Oh my..."

Hans and Elicia chattered on for quite some time before Hans confidently pointed toward the door and smiled smugly.

"Anyway... I can confidently say there’s no need for the Saint to worry."

"...Ah. Sure."

"Because of this."

"And what is that?"

"A weapon imbued with the Saint’s grace."

"Wow... wait, what?"

"I’ve been crafting it little by little while praying."

"I’d appreciate it if you stopped praying to a living person."

Elicia clapped her hands, her eyes shining as if deeply moved.

"Oh my! Praying while working... Why didn’t I think of that? I’ve been separating work and prayer all this time."

"It’s fine. The Saint is generous, after all."

Letting out a sigh at how absurd the conversation was becoming, I decided to wrap things up.

"Shall we conclude this meeting for today?"

"That sounds like a good idea. I just had an epiphany."

Elicia raised her hand cautiously and addressed me.

"May I stay a bit longer to talk?"

"Sure, go ahead. Take your time."

"I’d like to have a conversation with the Saint."

At the sight of their increasingly fanatical expressions, I shook my head and sighed.

"Alright."

As I turned to leave, Elicia called out to stop me.

"Oh, by the way, Saint."

"Yes?"

"About the student named Yuria."

"...What about her?"

"May I meet her sometime?"

Elicia gave a faint smile.

"Divine power isn’t meant to be used like that, after all."