Volume 9, Chapter 5 – Temporary Stay and Arrangements

“My Lord.”

Seeing that it was Yisi at the door, Laxy opened it and made way for her.

“This mansion is a guest house specially prepared for visitors. As there are no other guests at the moment, all you ladies may choose your rooms freely. In principle, aside from not being allowed to practice sword skills or magic in the rooms, you are free to do as you please,” the Divine Religion member who had accompanied Yisi to the door explained. Although her voice was very cordial, the black hood she wore and the black robe that enveloped most of her body made it impossible to see her facial expression, creating a sense of wariness. Most of the Divine Religion members Yisi had seen along the way were like this; even the guards simply swapped their hoods for metal helmets, as if their faces could not be known to outsiders.

“Alright. Please assign one room to each of my companions. If possible, we’d also like to borrow a kitchen.”

“Of course. I will wait here for all our guests to emerge.”

With a slight nod to Yisi, the female member in charge of guiding them stepped back to the side of the door.

Even her ability to read the situation seems professionally trained.

Yisi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. This woman’s duties in the Divine Religion were likely similar to those of a nun in the Ymir Church, but a nun from the Ymir Church would never be like her, proactively giving them space before Yisi could even say, “Give us a moment.”

Judging from her level of 13, this woman was probably not an ordinary person before joining the Divine Religion. In some remote small towns, level 13 would already be considered a trustworthy expert.

As for how the current situation came to be, it’s necessary to turn back the clock a little.

After agreeing to the conditions proposed by Pope Atwood, Yisi had asked him many other questions unrelated to the Gospel, such as the identity of the Imperial General named Gore Harile, the extent of the cooperation between the Divine Religion and the Empire, and who the members of the Divine Religion truly were. For most of these questions, Pope Atwood provided an answer, but for some that touched upon the core of the Divine Religion, he skillfully sidestepped them, and Yisi was unable to get a clear response.

According to Atwood, all followers in the Divine Religion were beings who had been saved by the Gospel. Since they were “saved,” it meant they likely had pasts they’d rather not revisit. This woman was probably the same. It was likely because she had experienced so many hardships that she possessed this ability to read people and situations. Yisi did not think this skill in serving guests was something trained by the Divine Religion.

Entering the room and waiting for Laxy to gently close the door, Yisi sat down on a wooden chair brought over by Camilla. This was a mansion in the noble district of the Ducal Capital of Chloe. It had originally been the residence of an earl of this country, but because the earl was unable to pay the taxes for living in the noble district, it was repossessed by the Divine Religion.

The air was filled with the fresh fragrance of chestnut wood furniture. Coupled with the quiet environment of the noble district and the sunlight streaming in through the window, relaxing on the balcony right now would surely be quite enjoyable. Yisi had a premonition of this. Back in the royal capital of the Hels Kingdom, the gloomy, overcast weather every day had soured everyone’s mood. Although she had seen the sun during the journey from the Kingdom to the Duchy of Chloe, she hadn’t been able to enjoy it due to the constant travel and lack of sufficient rest. Now, being able to sit down and pass the time properly, she felt relaxed in both body and mind.

As proof, her companions who had arrived before her had already prepared tea and snacks in the guest room. Mary, in particular, was unable to sit still. She had taken over what should have been a maid’s job, using a small brush to clean inconspicuous corners like the base of the low cabinet and the walls. This was a behavior Mary only dared to engage in when she was happy.

Without taking her eyes off an oil painting hanging on the wall, Edith nodded in appreciation of the exquisite brushwork while posing a question—or rather, a conclusion—to Yisi.

“How was your chat with the Pope? No, since they’ve arranged guest rooms for us, it looks like we’ll have to stay here for some time.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

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“How long do we have to stay?”

“…I don’t know. The Pope didn’t set a time limit. He just said we can leave whenever we want.”

“So, we leave tomorrow?”

“Even so, leaving tomorrow would be…”

It would be a little too shameless.

Only when she decides to leave will Pope Atwood tell her everything she wants to know. And not only has he not set a time limit, but he’s also treating her with extreme generosity. This felt like bargaining between acquaintances. If A says to C, “Name your price, I’ll accept anything,” unless C is a completely oblivious and petty person, they would never set the price too low. I am in C’s position right now. No matter what, I can’t bring myself to say we’ll only stay for a few days. Besides, since the initiative is in my hands, I wouldn’t do something like forcibly snatching the Gospel. It would be better to just tell the Pope on the spot that I want to leave and have him give me the Gospel.

Edith let out a light snort.

“I knew you’d say that.”

“Onee-sama, water.”

“Ah, thank you, Camilla.” After accepting the teacup from Camilla with a word of thanks, Yisi looked at Edith, who had her back to her while admiring the painting. “Well, although I don’t know how long we’ll be staying, it won’t be more than three months, otherwise I’ll start growing attached to the land. If Pepe gets bored, you can go back to the Pescia Territory for a visit first.”

“To be able to visit the southern part of the continent is something many northern nobles of the Blood Clan never get to experience in their lifetime, even Father. Most lords spend their entire lives in their own territories. I am not a short-sighted person. I have no reason to be dissatisfied with the opportunity to see more things. It’s just that.”

“Just that?”

Yisi’s question made Edith turn around. She walked step-by-step until she was in front of Yisi, her face so close their breaths could be felt. Her exquisite, doll-like features were filled with seriousness. The proximity made Yisi a little shy.

“Just that you shouldn’t focus too much on the Book of the Gospel and be bewitched by it.”

“Ah? I-I will.”

Yisi couldn’t help but quietly let out a sigh of relief, yet a certain indescribable regret stirred restlessly in her heart.

The embarrassment of overthinking made Yisi cough lightly twice.

“Why would you think that, Pepe? You haven’t even seen the Gospel.”

“The Divine Religion gives me a very bad feeling. Although they seem fine on the surface, I always feel that’s because the Gospel hasn’t given them any orders. Why do they act according to the instructions of a book? It’s completely incomprehensible. The only possibility is that the Gospel has controlled their minds.”

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No, it’s actually because they were all saved by the Gospel, which is why they believe in it.

As she was about to say the words, a thought flashed through Yisi’s mind. If these people believe in the Gospel because they were saved by it, isn’t that also a form of mental control? It’s just that the Gospel didn’t interfere using mental magic, but rather manipulated them with the threads of what is called fate.

“Faith is just this kind of baseless thing. The Gospel is merely a tool without self-awareness; it does not possess personal emotions like a human. Otherwise, the Angels of the past would have long been manipulated by it. These followers voluntarily follow the Gospel because they have witnessed its miracles with their own eyes. They are just like the humans who believed in the Gospel in the old Kingdom of God. I do not think they should be regarded as enemies, at least not until the Gospel turns its spear against My Lord.”

Two completely different interpretations…

What Laxy said was not without reason. The only difference was that Pepe didn’t believe in the miracles of the Gospel, while Laxy did.

So, do I believe in the Gospel?

If Cynthia and Alice hadn’t met me, the Gospel’s plan would have been completed by now. Alice would be dead, and Cynthia would have raised the banner of rebellion. It’s absolutely impossible for one person to understand another’s principles and bottom lines in such detail. Only something miraculous like the Gospel, which can perceive people’s hearts and formulate plans based on their personalities, could achieve that. After witnessing the Gospel’s plans, it’s hard for me to say I don’t believe in it. The miracles of the Gospel do exist.

But if that’s the case, why didn’t Pope Atwood want to eliminate me, the one who ruined their plans? Did the Gospel tell him about my strength? But if the Gospel knew of my strength, why did it allow me to disrupt the plan? Or was this also part of the Gospel’s plan?

Falling into a vicious cycle again, Yisi frowned in annoyance.

Wasting time on such matters is just looking for trouble. I should be alone for a while and sort out what I need to do next. Since I’ll be staying with the Divine Religion for a period of time, I need to think about what to do to pass the time… Observing what kind of beings the members of the Divine Religion are is undoubtedly an excellent topic. According to Atwood, besides not being able to command the members, I have almost the same authority as Lin, able to enter any part of the Divine Religion’s facilities, including the treasury, and I can even seek out Atwood at any time to discuss things I don’t understand.

“Mary, you all haven’t picked your rooms yet, have you?”

“Eh?” Mary, who was lying on the carpet using a small brush to clean the dust from the dead corners of the low cabinet, looked up. “No, we haven’t.”

“Laxy, take Mary and the others to choose their rooms first. I want to think about some things.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Call me if you need anything. Refina and I will be right next door.”

As if reminded by Edith’s words, Camilla, who had originally intended to stay by Yisi’s side, suddenly stood up.

“Camilla?”

“Uh, it’s nothing, Onee-sama. I’ll go pick a room first. If you need anything, just call me anytime. I’ll choose the room on your left.”

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“Okay.”

Once she was alone in the room, Yisi stood up from her chair and let out a big yawn. Having been on watch for the second half of the night, she wasn’t feeling very energetic. If it weren’t for the intense novelty of the Divine Religion, drowsiness would have long since made her find a place to lie down and sleep. She walked towards the soft bed in the center of the room and, facing it, plunged headfirst into the covers.

“Tina is back at the castle, Shinku and Fran have returned to Margaret with the soda, the World Dragon is with Evelyn, and the trigger-activated magic weapons have been given to Andrea. There’s nothing to worry about on the home front for now. All that’s left is seeking change…”

What on earth is Pope Atwood thinking? This was the question Yisi had been pondering ever since she left the main hall. The Divine Religion, with its Book of the Gospel, only needed to follow its instructions and run forward without stopping, and sooner or later, they would achieve their goals. But Atwood had spoken to her of ‘seeking change.’ She really couldn’t figure out what he was up to.

Has he betrayed the Gospel? But that would undoubtedly lead to him being purged by the Gospel. No matter how strong Atwood was, he couldn’t fight against a miracle. He was, after all, only human. Moreover, the Divine Religion was different from the Ymir Church. If the Gospel were to one day say that the Pope must be killed, the followers of the Divine Religion would surely carry it out without hesitation. One could tell from Lin’s attitude that her respect for Atwood was far less than her loyalty to the Gospel.

But if he isn’t betraying the Gospel, then what is Atwood trying to do? The only condition he set was for me to stay in the Duchy of Chloe, and in return, I could borrow the Gospel. Atwood didn’t even specify what I needed to do. He could have easily ordered me to bring about change, but he didn’t. This could hardly be considered a fair trade. To put it more bluntly, it was almost as if Atwood himself didn’t know what he was trying to do.

Incomprehensible.

“Huu.”

The warm breath hit the soft quilt and then puffed back into her face. The unpleasant sensation made Yisi frown slightly.

“Mmm… I’ll take a nap first.”

Sleep is one of the basic needs not just for humans, but for Vampire Princesses as well.

The breeze from the balcony blew into the room. The cool sensation made Yisi slowly close her eyes, her consciousness drifting into the clouds.

…

However, it wasn’t long before she was awakened by shouting from outside the window.

“Get out here! You brat!”

The sound was coming from directly below her window. Her room was on the side facing an alley. It must be some kind of argument. Yisi turned her body, shifting to her side. She pressed one ear into the pillow and used her free hand to cover the other ear that wasn’t blocked.

But the annoying voice didn’t disappear. Instead, it got closer to the window.

“Don’t let me catch you! Give me back my stuff!”

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“Tsk.”

Clicking her tongue in annoyance and letting out a low hum from her throat, Yisi felt the urge to throw something down to shut the man up. But because she likely wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep after getting out of bed, Yisi chose to endure it and wait for the man to leave.

Unfortunately, the noisy voice continued.

“Get out here now!”

“This guy…”

I was too naive to expect this guy to just leave. Unless I shut him up directly, he’ll probably keep shouting.

“This is the noble district, for crying out loud.”

Determined to teach the man a lesson, Yisi suddenly sat up in bed. After briefly straightening her hair and wrinkled clothes, she walked out onto the overhanging balcony.

Below was a young man in his twenties. Probably out of breath and exasperated from running for a long time, he was leaning over with his hands on his knees, breathing in short gasps, his face flushed. His clothes were not very respectable; like any other passerby in the Duchy of Chloe, he wore clothes made of coarse linen. Yisi had tried wearing clothes made of coarse linen once before but had no desire to repeat the experience. The fabric was so rough it would prick your hands even if you were making rope with it; clothes made from it could easily rub the skin raw.

“Get out here!”

“What are you doing?”

“Eek!?” Startled by Yisi, who had suddenly appeared beside him after jumping down from the second-floor balcony, the man nearly fell on his bottom. It was only after he clearly saw that Yisi was not a ghost or some other apparition that he let out a relieved sigh, still shaken. “Wh-Who are you?”

“The person who lives here. You woke me up.”

“Lives here?” Following Yisi’s gesture, the man’s face turned deathly pale. His gaze started to dart around, and his hands and feet began to tremble. “I… I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to come into the noble district… My Lady, my money pouch was stolen, I was chasing the thief! If… if you don’t believe me, you can ask a black-haired girl. I asked her to help me find the thief!”

Is it a crime for a commoner to enter the noble district in the Duchy of Chloe?

The man’s panicked expression somewhat quelled Yisi’s anger. She opened her [Omniscient Map]. Since there weren’t many people in the noble district, finding the person who stole the man’s money pouch wouldn’t be difficult—she just had to look for the fast-moving dots of light.

Immediately, Yisi noticed a point of light that caught her interest.

“Eh?”