Chapter 3 of Maknae Ontop (3/299)

‘Well, it’s none of my business anyway.’

Because we don’t know whether the Duke found his daughter or not.

The last time I heard a rumor, he hadn’t found her.

‘But he might have found her since then.’

What a pity.

If I had known about the information regarding the Duke of Noischarhel’s daughter, it would have been a great help.

I clicked my tongue in regret.

“I hope the Duke finds his daughter soon. He’s already come here several times, and I can’t help him...”

“Many times? (A lot of times?)”

“Yes. He came hoping to receive an oracle.”

“...”

‘There’s no saint in the Artemis Temple, so he can’t receive an oracle.’

I didn’t say this fact to avoid making Randel sad.

The Duke of Noischarhel must know this, but he still came here several times, probably hoping for a miracle.

‘...Do I have parents too?’

I’m not sure.

I’ve never seen them.

“Sae?”

Randel’s call brought me back to my senses.

Looking up, I saw him looking at me with concern.

‘Oops.’

To show Randel that I was fine, I let go of his hand and started hopping down the corridor.

The wind brushing against my forehead was fresh, and the sunlight wrapping around my body was warm.

It felt like the divine power embedded in the temple was greeting me warmly.

Seeing me hop, a smile bloomed on Randel’s lips.

I felt so good that my steps naturally quickened.

Then my toes caught on a sunken spot.

“Ouch?”

My young body couldn’t maintain its balance and fell forward.

At that moment.

A firm hand suddenly lifted me up.

“...!”

My field of vision suddenly widened.

My hair tickled Randel’s forehead.

“Be careful.”

Randel let out a sigh of relief and tapped my forehead.

It was unexpected.

Randel, who is pure and clean from his appearance to his demeanor, a priest of blessings, had surprisingly good reflexes and strength.

‘...Indeed, he’s not just a priest.’

“Thank you.”

After greeting him, he put me down.

Then he started walking, holding my hand tightly.

He must be worried that I might fall again if I go ahead.

“Be careful and watch the floor.”

“Okay.”

The temple floor was cracked and had many fissures.

It’s an old building, and they can’t afford to repair it.

To be honest, I’m worried it might collapse at any time.

When Randel and I entered the office, the priests welcomed us.

“Welcome, Randel-sama.”

“Sae is here.”

“Hello!”

After a deep bow, the priests smiled warmly.

They don’t know that I appeared with the divine power of Parmenas.

That’s why they are very friendly to me.

While Randel was talking with the other priests, I sat quietly and opened a fairy tale book.

“Sae can already read letters.”

“She’s very clever.”

The priests smiled at me and then started their work.

I tilted my head, watching them from behind the fairy tale book.

After spending a few days with Randel, I felt that he was a more remarkable person than I had expected.

Yet, he is doing my chores instead of his original duties—

‘Indeed, he’s a surveillance role, isn’t he?’

It seems that Randel, who is trusted by the High Priest, was assigned to this task.

‘It’s not a bad thing for me, though.’

No one who knows that I appeared with the divine power of Parmenas would treat me as well as Randel does.

Randel is a good person, so he might have volunteered to take care of me.

I organized my thoughts and read the fairy tale book quietly.

The fairy tale book was interesting.

The angel pictures were beautiful.

How much time had passed?

“Are you hungry?”

“Children need to eat well.”

It seemed to be break time, as the priests came to talk to me.

“I did, I ate a lot. (Sae, I ate a lot.)”

“Let’s see... Here, have a cookie. A believer gave it to us.”

“Let’s eat together! (Let’s eat together!)”

“I don’t like cookies.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t like them much either.”

The adults were lying.

As a child, I decided to go along with it.

“Thank you, Morgan-sama! (Thank you, Morgan!)”

After greeting Morgan, who gave me the cookie, he chuckled and poked my cheek.

The cookie was soggy.

It was clearly saved.

He probably intended to give it to the trainee priests when they returned.

I glanced up at the office.

The priests were working so hard that they couldn’t even drink coffee or tea.

What do they drink, then?

Just... hot water.

“...”

‘This won’t do.’

I tried to stay quiet.

After all, I am a target of suspicion now.

‘But I can’t just leave it as it is.’

For my grand plan to conquer everything, the Church of Artemis needs to improve.

Fortunately, I have a good excuse.

I gripped the fairy tale book tightly.

‘Let’s achieve something!’

Some people might suspect me more, but others will also start to have a favorable view of me.

And I might get to see the face of our highest authority, whom I haven’t seen since the first day.

Most importantly—

“Is it good? How does it taste?”

Morgan and the other priests looked at me with hopeful eyes.

Randel was smiling, watching us from behind.

I took another bite of the cookie.

It was still soggy.

But.

“Yes!”

It was very, very delicious.

* * *

After signing today’s documents, Randel took me out of the office.

“Everyone, goodbye.”

Waving my hand, the priests looked disappointed.

“Grr... I should have been in charge of Sae’s education.”

“I’m so envious, Randel-sama...”

After lunch, there’s a class.

Until the other trainee priests return, I receive basic education from Randel.

That means I have free time until lunch.

“Randel.”

Pulling on Randel’s clothes, Randel smiled and looked down at me.

“Let’s play an exploration game! (Let’s play an exploration game!)”

“An exploration game?”

“Yes. From a book. Treasure appeared! (Yes. From a book. Treasure appeared!)”

I spread my arms wide like a child and clenched my fists.

“I’m going to find treasure. (I’m going to find treasure.)”

“Do you want treasure?”

“Yes!”

I nodded vigorously.

“What do you want to do with the treasure?”

“I’ll find treasure and give meat to Randel. (I’ll find treasure and give meat to Randel.)”

Randel, who was chuckling, paused and looked down at me.

“I’ll also give soft bread. (I’ll also give soft bread.)”

“...”

“And I’ll give cookies to Morgan. (And I’ll give cookies to Morgan.)”

“...”

“And tea to the priests. (And tea to the priests.)”

“...”

“And, and...”

I said shyly.

“I’ll give all my treasure to the High Priest. (I’ll give all my treasure to the High Priest.)”

“Sae.”

“The High Priest let me live here. (The High Priest let me live here.)”

Randel’s eyes twisted as he looked at me.

“Then... (Then...)”

I clasped my hands together earnestly.

“Everyone will like me less, right?”

“...”

“Will they like me a little more?”

Even if they suspect me, at least a little.

Randel’s hand landed on my head.

It was very warm and large.

“Everyone will like Sae even without that.”

“...”

“Let’s play the exploration game if you find it interesting, not for those reasons.”

I looked at Randel quietly and then bowed my head.

For some reason, my nose felt stuffy, making it hard to meet his eyes.

‘...It would be better if Randel were a little less kind.’

Nodding slightly, Randel took my hand.

* * *

The treasure in the fairy tale book was real.

Of course, the story didn’t involve a treasure hunt.

It was a part of the Artemis Bible adapted into a fairy tale book.

‘But it was in the picture!’

The first edition of this fairy tale book was made several hundred years ago.

Naturally, the pictures reflected the appearance of the temple at that time.

No one thought that the small patterns drawn in a children’s fairy tale book could be related to treasure.

“Hurry! Hurry! (Hurry! Hurry!)”

“Yeah, be careful. You might fall again.”

As I opened the fairy tale book and pulled on Randel’s clothes, he laughed.

“This is the place shown in that scene. It’s a building that hasn’t been used for a while...”

I nodded, looking at the picture in the fairy tale book.

Randel guided me correctly.

But.

“It’s not here. (It’s not here.)”

Pointing to the pattern drawn on the temple wall in the fairy tale book, Randel asked.

“Were you looking for that picture?”

“It’s pretty. (It’s pretty.)”

“It seems to have been erased because it’s so old.”

No way.

It’s just not visible.

It was hidden by a former High Priest.

Because of the problems that arose from it.

And since then, the building has not been used.

‘It’s not hidden by divine power. If it were, a later High Priest would have noticed it.’

Priests tend to solve problems with divine power.

To catch them off guard—

‘It’s hidden physically!’

“It’s strange! It should be here! (It’s strange! It should be here!)”

I clenched my fist and tapped a part of the wall.

It seemed random, but it was planned.

From left to right, diagonally down, then vertically up. Then to the side, down.

The movements symbolizing the path of the God of Artemis.

“Sae, you’ll hurt your hand. Stop—”

At that moment.

Rumble...

With a low rumble, the wall moved.

And the pattern shown in the fairy tale book was revealed.

“It’s the treasure! (It’s the treasure!)”

I cheered.

Randel looked stunned.

“W-Why...”

Exactly.

Why is it moving?

I have no idea!

Randel reached out to the revealed pattern.

His divine power seemed to be sucked into the pattern.

“Huh?”

I tilted my head.

“What is this? (What is this?)”

In front of me, a shimmering gate was created.

And inside it.

“This is...”

The golden statues and gold coins of the Artemis Temple, which flourished in the past, were filled inside.

“You said you were going to find treasure, and you really did...”

I heard Randel’s amazed muttering.

Ahem.

Isn’t this a custom-made prophecy service?

‘I’m sorry, High Priest of old.’

I smiled beside Randel, who couldn’t speak.

‘Let me loot the warehouse a bit?’

* * *

The reception room was frozen with a cold atmosphere.

Black hair as dark as a slice of night.

Eyes bluer than the coldest Arctic water.

Cheeks and chin as if carved from ice.

But what made people shrink back even more was the man’s overwhelming presence.

This man was the ruler of the vast northern region, the Duke of Ferardin Noischarhel.

Everyone in the room was tense, unable to breathe properly under his authority.

Slowly, the Duke’s lips opened.

“Ultimately, I can’t learn anything about my daughter.”

“I, I apologize, Your Highness.”

“...It’s always the same here and there.”

The Duke clicked his tongue lowly.

The sound made people shiver as if it were thunder.

At that moment.

“I regret to say, but we can only give the same answer at the Artemis Temple.”

The door of the reception room opened, and a man in the High Priest’s uniform entered.

“High Priest Anatolio.”

If he were an ordinary person, he would have bowed his head and not dared to meet the Duke of Noischarhel’s eyes.

However, High Priest Anatolio faced him with an unperturbed attitude.

A glint appeared in the Duke’s eyes.

The tension in the reception room grew as the two men’s auras clashed.

“The reason is something you well know, Your Highness.”

There is no saint in the Artemis Temple.

How can an oracle be received?

“We have tried every possible means.”

“Therefore.”

“I will state it clearly. The Artemis Temple cannot fulfill the Duke’s wishes.”

Rumble—

A wave of energy rippled around the Duke of Noischarhel.

It was as if a gravitational field had formed, pulling and knocking over objects around him.

The Duke’s expression remained unchanged.

He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them, nodding to the High Priest.

“I apologize.”

“I understand your concern for your daughter.”

The calm attitude made a glint appear in the Duke of Noischarhel’s eyes.

But it was only for a moment.

The Duke stood up without hesitation.

Knock knock.

At that moment, a knock was heard.

High Priest Anatolio frowned.

No one would dare to disturb when the Duke of Noischarhel from the north was present.

“...What is it?”

Despite his stern face, the assistant priest who entered didn’t even notice.

“H-H-High Priest!”

The assistant priest, with a pale face, shouted with an expression that was hard to tell if he was laughing or crying.

“We hit the jackpot!”