Chapter 22

"Razette has brought a man in!"

Geist, who had doubted his ears at the child's out-of-place voice, was about to yell at the speaker due to the severity of the content, but froze when he realized the speaker was the heir of the Kleinzelt family, who wore an innocent smile.

Leaving the two stunned people behind, Sora turned and beckoned down the corridor.

"Hurry up, it's interesting. It's two grown-ups, two grown-ups!"

"S-Sora-sama! No, you mustn't interfere!"

A flustered maid came from the corridor and caught Sora. When her eyes met Geist's, she forced a smile and disappeared down the corridor with Sora.

"Why? Isn't the best part coming up? Hey, why? I want to see the rest. I really, really want to see it!"

"No! This kind of thing isn't fun unless you watch it secretly, so please be patient?"

"Speaking of which, the window was open. Let's watch from the garden."

"If you say it out loud, they'll notice. Besides, it might be over before we get there. Let's listen carefully at the end of the corridor—"

It was a complete failure.

Geist, who had been deflated, sighed. The tension he had carefully built up was ruined, and Razette seemed to have regained her composure.

"What will happen if I send a message to the village is up to your imagination, Razette-san. I really wish you would use your intellect under me, though."

He didn't forget to add a final threat.

In any case, this time it was enough to buy time until the lord's army moved. The unit that had been guarding the lord on his return from the capital would act immediately.

Once the lord's army was on the move, it would be highly likely that a request to deliver a letter would be refused. Ordinary people's letters were delivered by merchants, but they didn't want to be caught up in the lord's army's plundering.

Moreover, Geist had already placed lookouts around the lord's mansion. He intended to eliminate all means of communication one by one.

"Sora-sama! You mustn't enter the room—"

Sora slipped past Geist as he left the room, and the maid's outstretched hand flailed in the air. Sora clung to Razette's legs, turned to the entrance of the room, and showed a mischievous smile. When her eyes met Geist's, she tilted her head and waved goodbye with a small hand. Geist also showed a good-natured smile and waved back.

Razette, who knew they were both acting, felt a chill at the peaceful illusion being played out before her.

"Well, there's nothing I can do. Razette, I'll escort the guest to the front door, so please take care of Sora-sama. Lunch will be late, so please play with Sora-sama until I come to call you."

The maid, who had been chasing Sora, offered to escort Geist, taking over from Razette. She had said this thinking Sora wouldn't let go of Razette, but it inadvertently helped Razette as well.

Geist, who had achieved his goal, had no objections and was led to the front door by the maid. He thanked the maid and turned his back on the mansion. He walked a little and turned into a back alley. The long-neglected space, with the smell of garbage, was a difficult environment for the cleanliness-loving Geist, but he couldn't complain considering the benefits.

Fortunately, a dirty-looking man soon called out to him.

"Sir, are you done with your business?"

It was the same man he had used to steal firewood from homeless children. He was strong but not very smart. Geist actually liked his lack of intelligence. According to Geist's theory, it took some effort to get a fool to follow instructions, but once you got used to it, they were easy to use.

"My business is done. You and your men should continue the surveillance. Look for a sixteen-year-old girl with a round face. She has light brown hair tied up at the back of her neck. If she leaves the mansion, let me know."

The man acknowledged Geist's instructions and returned to the shadows of the building.

On the main street, he could see young boys who looked like apprentices from the merchant guilds running around in a panic. Each guild needed to inform the merchants they were close to so they wouldn't be caught up in the lord's army's departure. Those boys would probably sleep soundly tonight, exhausted from running around the inns.

"The response was faster than expected. It might not have been necessary to delay them."

Geist felt in a good mood, sensing that his plan was proceeding smoothly. The long-term, stable profit from this deal would be a blessing for the church. The day when Geist, who had brought it about, would sit in the archbishop's chair was not far off.

Once he became an archbishop, he would either be dispatched to the territory of a noble who supported the mages, the forefront of missionary work, or assigned to the capital. Geist, considering his own abilities, predicted he would be assigned to the capital and had acted accordingly.

Dreaming of a promotion to the capital, he walked lightly through the back door of the church. This church had three second-class priests, two first-class priests, and two second-class bishops, including Geist. He often cooperated with his colleagues, but they were also rivals for the archbishop's position. Therefore, he had not informed them about the deal with the lord. To advance, he had to outmaneuver them.

Geist walked quietly down the dim corridor. The building was large, but most of it was occupied by the chapel, so the living quarters were small. He quickly reached his room but passed it by and headed for the chapel.

When he pushed the heavy wooden door, it opened smoothly, contrary to its appearance. When he had first arrived at the church, he had often hit the wall with a loud noise because he couldn't gauge the force needed. When Geist went to the capital, the next person would probably make the same mistake.

Imagining the flustered new arrival and smiling maliciously, Geist wondered if this was a tradition passed down by those leaving the church. He walked to the statue placed at the back of the chapel. A bird larger than an eagle was snatching a staff from a mage, and a young man was piercing the mage's chest with a sword. This statue, which depicted the divine punishment of a murderous mage, had a lock on its base. Using the key given to the two second-class bishops, including Geist, he opened the base and retrieved the reaction stone stored inside.

Geist, who planned to inspect the village for signs of magic use while guiding the lord's army, had already learned the basic method but was still skeptical. After all, he couldn't understand the logic behind it.

"It's been a month since I last saw her."

Slipping the reaction stone into his pocket, Geist left the church, thinking of the girl he was about to meet.