***
*Okay it’s confirmed that Knight Karen is a man, so I’ll use ‘he’.
***
I said I would scour the old books, but the books in the Grand Duchy were not quite enough.
Devan didn’t seem to have much interest in books.
Even if there were some, they were all about swordsmanship and military tactics, and if not that, they were all about politics.
Fortunately, the wizards hired by Devan had lent him a few old books on black magic, but they were also a collection of legends and nonsense hypotheses that didn’t seem to be of much use.
I roughly piled the books I had looked through on the window sill and let out a small sigh.
Temples and black magic, transcendent beings whose names I didn’t even know.
Temples used black magic, and its roots were whatever I thought they were.
After all, the temple and its existence were related.
The problem was the fact that in all the years I had spent in the temple, I had never once heard of black magic.
I had never even felt anything resembling a black shape.
So if they were using black magic in the temple, and even I, who lived in the deepest part of the temple, was unaware of it……
If that was really what was going on, it must mean that the temple was keeping this strictly a secret.
“My Lady.”
The door rattled open and the maid called out to me in a surprised voice.
She had just entered the room to clean and was surprised to see me.
“What’s the matter?”
“Have you eaten yet? Are you going to read? Shall I prepare tea and pastries for you then?”
She chatted with round eyes.
She had a beautiful face, but she was a burden and a bother. As I waved my hand, I suddenly thought of something and asked.
“No, thank you for that. Is there a place in the territory like a library or bookstore?”
Her eyes became more round.
“Well, there is a bookstore, but ……… I don’t think it has what the Lady is looking for. It’s mostly genre fiction.”
She said, glancing at the books I had piled up.
“Do you know how to read?”
“A little.”
She shrank her shoulders a little.
I didn’t know a commoner could read. Unless she had a lot of money at home or she was very smart, but seeing that she was working here so it seemed to be the former.
A clever servant would certainly help.
“Good. So, have you ever been to the imperial city?”
“The Imperial City? No….”
“Do you want to go?”
Her eyes, which I thought would never get any bigger, grew wider.
In this world, commoners were usually the ones who lived the rest of their lives where they were born. Living in the imperial capital was a new experience for many of them, and many of them had never even seen it.
“Ah, yes, My Lady!”
An unnamed maid said, clasping her hands. Her eyes were full of expectation.
I jumped up from my seat.
“What’s your name?”
“Eunice, My Lady!”
Yes, if the temple was keeping everything a secret, all I had to do was uncover the secret.
Whether they were really in league with the devil, or there was no such thing as black magic in the first place.
All that was certain was that the temple was hiding something.
So there was only one way to answer all the questions.
“Eunice.”
“Yes, My Lady!”
“We’ll go to the imperial city.”
I won’t run away anymore, I’m approaching them.
****
I ordered Eunice to pack and wandered irritably around.
I didn’t know how the job was progressing, and it was complicated enough to make my head spin. I couldn’t believe that the temple used black magic.
The book I read in my previous life didn’t contain any of this.
It was all about Cordelia breaking Devan’s curse and being happy together.
Although the ugly side of the temple was shown, the story was mainly about the abuse of Cordelia.
Cordelia.
I bit my lip tightly.
Going to the imperial city wasn’t just to find out about black magic.
Now that it was almost certain that the Temple had manipulated that demon to target me, it was also clear that Cordelia was still suffering.
There was no other reason for her to seek me out in the temple, since It was said I lost my divine power.
I had to save her. No, I wanted to save her.
It wasn’t simply that she was the heroine of the original story.
It was just that I was the only one who knew about her pain.
It may sound arrogant, but we were the only two people who could relate to that hurt. After sending Killian away a few days ago, I felt that way even more.
I had sent Cordelia, who was in the same situation as me, to her death, and when she lived alone she met Devan and even married him.
I didn’t have the right to blame him, because I was the one who fell into self-pity.
If I hadn’t intervened, she would be the one smiling happily here right now. It was all my fault.
So I had to save her.
I had to go to the imperial capital and face the temple directly. I had to find out what the hell they were up to.
Originally, the temple was a place to worship the gods and use their power to benefit the empire.
If it came to light that they were using black magic instead of divine power to control the demons.
If Cordelia and I were to testify there, and the many barbaric acts they committed at the orphanage were revealed….
Maybe we could change all that.
Then I would go away and live the rest of my life happily, and Cordelia and Devan would follow reason and love each other.
Saving Cordelia, that was the first step towards a perfect happy ending.
***
I told Devan that I wanted to leave for the capital first.
Since we were going to the wedding anyway, I wanted to get there first and investigate the black magic.
I was worried that he would stop me, but surprisingly he gladly accepted.
Not only did he accept, but he suggested that we go up together.
He, too, was feeling limited in his ability to gather information from the Grand Duchy.
The situation progressed quickly and we were in a carriage heading for the capital.
The capital and the Grand Duchy were quite a distance away and it would take two full days to get there by carriage.
The good thing was that the carriage was very big and we could rest and sleep in the nearby towns along the way.
Devan was looking at some papers in the carriage. The carriage was enchanted so it wouldn’t rattle, it was great for concentration.
“Isn’t there a big library in the capital?”
“There is an imperial library. Even though we didn’t have a wedding, we did take vows, so you’ll have access to it.”
He replied without taking his eyes off the papers.
“What are you going to do now?”
“We left in a hurry, so there were more than one or two things that needed to be dealt with.”
It seemed that Devan wasn’t lying when he said he was busy managing his territory.
My mouth agape, I skimmed through the papers and quickly lost interest in the paper-filled feast of numbers.
“The one I sent to the temple has contacted me. It looks like the wedding will take place next month.”
He shook his head again.
I thought it meant not to talk, but it wasn’t.
“Oh, really? Did you get permission from the temple?”
“What permission? They should bow at the honor, even that wouldn’t be enough.”
A sneer formed on Devan’s lips.
“But I’ve heard that even the royal family sometimes get turned down, especially those who are under the curse.”
“I’m sure they do. Isn’t that why we spent so much money for?”
I nodded absentmindedly and suddenly wondered.
As a member of the royal family, it was natural for him to have a certain amount of money, but if it was enough to be used heavily in the temple, it had to be more than the usual amount.
“I heard that the Grand Duchy was a barren territory, where did that large sum of money come from?”
“I was lucky.”
I stared at him with an expression that asked for an explanation, and Devan finally set the papers aside and crossed his legs.
“I’ve been really lucky. I discovered a mine. It’s been more of a blessing in disguise that the Imperial family has given me a domain that is the furthest away from the capital. The location of the mine is also halfway across the border, which made it difficult for them to claim ownership.”
“If it’s a border, then it’s Ellywoon?”
“Yes.”
“Then didn’t Ellywoon claim the right?”
‘’In any case, the entrance to the mine is my land. They must still be unaware of its existence.”
Devan smiled in satisfaction.
In a way, it was a vile method, but I liked that. The country has abandoned him, so what’s the point of trying for the country?
It was me who was sympathetic with that money, so I couldn’t help but like it even more.
“Anyway, it’s unexpected.”
Devan stared at me.
His still unaccustomed red eyes were beautiful on the one hand, and a little creepy on the other.
“What is it?”
“You suggested going to the capital first. I thought you were afraid of the temple.”
“I’m afraid……. It’s still scary. But …………….”
I turned my attention to the window.
We were going down to the south, where the capital was, and gradually I saw a lush forest.
When I thought of the temple, I naturally clenched my fist.
I didn’t even know if I was horrified or angry.
But… I didn’t even know if it was something I had been preparing for since I came back here.
Running away was not an option now, so I thought I should stand up and fight.
Devan was still looking at me, as if waiting for an answer.
I opened my mouth, facing the red eye with its shimmering black shape.
“I changed my mind.”
‘’You changed it? How?”
“Because you can’t solve anything by running away just because you’re scared.”
Devan didn’t reply, he just looked at me.
I turned to look at the window again.
The sunlight fell on the leaves and wrapped it warmly, and through the branches I could see the sky.
As I stared at the unrealistically blue sky, I brought up the name that had been bothering me the whole time.
“Devan.”
Instead of answering, Devan looked at me.
“…… Do you remember the girl, Cordelia?”