Reincarnated in the Same World for the Nth Time - Chapter 14

Following Ianfel’s guidance, Aquila’s group headed to a room located deep within the temple.

A carpet as plush as the one in Reshenhardt’s mansion was laid out, and the white furniture looked luxurious at a glance.

The carefully decorated place had an almost immaculate cleanliness, with not a speck of dust to be seen, but signs of life could be glimpsed here and there.

Although not as extravagant as a noble’s room, it was clean and spacious.

Aquila scanned the room, focusing on a conspicuous ornament placed in one corner, and then became dumbfounded.

‘Why is that here…? More importantly, this is where Ianfel lives.’

He had been here a few times in his previous life.

There were fewer ornaments, and the furniture seemed newer than before, but it was definitely the space where Ianfel resided.

At that moment, Ianfel spoke.

“This is the room where I’m staying, I’m sorry for bringing you to such a place, but there isn’t a quieter space to have a conversation right now.”

Ianfel smiled with a face that showed no sign of apology.

But that statement allowed Aquila to understand his current situation.

‘It seems he hasn’t fully settled himself in the Great Temple of Port Plum yet.’

When Aquila was affiliated with the Great Temple of Port Plum, Ianfel was already being promoted as the most promising candidate for the next Pope.

No one could match his divine power, and from the start, he was famous to the point that there was nobody who didn’t know him.

He was the one who succeeded in praying to the Sun God for the longest time of two months after ascending the Path of Trials at the age of twelve.

Although he didn’t drink a drop of water, the story of Ianfel, who, when he came out of the Path of Trials, looked no different compared to the first day, and rather, had a radiance shining from behind him, was famous even among commoners.

‘He’s a guy with ambition. His moves during this period are unclear, but he’s probably doing work behind the scenes.’

During this period, Ianfel had not yet officially announce to be in the position of Saint, nor had he been nominated as a candidate for the next Pope.

His fame alone was already considerable, though.

“Then, I’ll take my leave now…”

Chelsea, who had finished guiding them, lowered her head deeply.

Aquila briefly glanced at her with his eyes.

‘That’s the priestess who used to serve Ianfel. Not like there would only be one with that hair color.’

He hadn’t paid much attention to her face back then, but now he noticed her hairstyle was very similar to Yuzelia’s.

“Alright, Chelsea. If anything else happens, please let me know immediately.”

“Yes, Sir Ianfel.”

However, Chelsea couldn’t turn around immediately and looked at Yuzelia.

Judging by her expression, she seemed to want to say something to her, but Yuzelia remained silent despite the gaze.

“Chelsea? Is there anything else you want to say?”

“…No. It’s nothing. I’ll be on my way.”

When Ianfel asked gently, Chelsea seemed to realize that she shouldn’t linger and bowed once more before continuing her steps.

Aquila watched her leave and turned his attention to Yuzelia.

She couldn’t take her eyes off Chelsea as she walked away.

It wasn’t strange that Chelsea and Yuzelia knew each other since they belonged to the same Great Temple of Port Plum and seemed to be of similar age, but the atmosphere was strangely cold.

Shen, also noticing that, rolled his eyes and glanced at her.

“Well, let’s not stand any longer and sit down, shall we? Come this way.”

Ianfel said simply, resolving the awkwardness, and led them to where the table was.

Though Aquila still had questions, he didn’t feel the need to know into Yuzelia’s personal matters, so he didn’t pay any more attention and followed him.

“So, you heard about the Right Hand of Halo being in the basement of the Great Temple from a priest there?”

Before Aquila could even sit down on the sofa, Ianfel asked in a light tone.

Suddenly being called out, Yuzelia shook her head with a flustered expression.

“No. I didn’t…”

“I wasn’t asking you, but rather the third son of the Reschenhardt family. I’d like to hear the answer from him, so please be quiet for a moment.”

Despite his gentle smile, Ianfel’s words felt like a warning.

Yuzelia, who was moving her lips as if to speak, couldn’t find the words and eventually closed her mouth.

‘Still the same old jerk.’

His personality was still terrible in the same way as ever.

Aquila clicked his tongue inwardly and slumped onto the sofa.

“I believe I explained it briefly when we spoke through the crystal orb.”

“Yes, the dragon that guards the Reshenhardt family told you such a thing. Even now, it remains quite an interesting story.”

“Aside from finding it interesting, it seems something is bothering you.”

“Ah. Am I wearing my emotions so clearly on my face?”

Ianfel replied playfully.

‘It seems like he’s still hesitant because he wants to lead the conversation.’

Aquila wore an indifferent expression under the hood he hadn’t taken off yet.

“If you’re suspecting me, I can swear that my words are true.”

So, Aquila deliberately mentioned an oath.

Ianfel, who had a solid faith even if he looked like that, was the type who didn’t doubt the absoluteness of oath.

He might not let it slide if it was used too often, but he would overlook it a few times in the beginning.

“An oath… It’s good to prove your truthfulness, but there’s no need to be so grand.”

As Aquila had expected, Ianfel’s expression softened slightly as soon as he heard the word “oath”.

“Of course, I’m not doubting the greatest and most noble dragon in Delbion’s history. How could I, when faith is the very reason for my existence?”

As he said that, he placed his hand on the brooch on his left chest and showed a kind smile.

It was such a beautiful face that anyone who saw it would have sent praises to the Saint at that very moment.

‘All talk, though.’

But Aquila had no intention of uttering a single compliment in front of him.

Because he knew Ianfel’s true nature.

Aquila nodded his head and continued speaking indifferently.

“Yes. So, what are you curious about?”

When Aquila didn’t show any reaction other than that answer, it was Ianfel who was questioning him.

He tilted his head.

It was as if Aquila was the first to show such a reaction to his face.

But that was only for a moment, and soon, Ianfel smiled softly and answered kindly.

“I was wondering if the priest there had heard something from Bishop Martio.”

“Yuzelia’s here. I’m not sure why Bishop Martio is being mentioned here.”

“Hmm? Didn’t she tell you? Bishop Martio has children he brought in specially, and she’s one of them.”

Ianfel turned his gaze to Yuzelia.

“She grew up under the bishop, calling him father.”

Father?

Surprised by the unexpected words, Aquila immediately turned to look at Yuzelia.

Yuzelia was moving her lips as if she wanted to say something right away, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak, as if recalling Ianfel’s warning.

‘So that’s why she was so obedient to the Bishop’s words was nothing special.’

Yuzelia, who had lowered her head deeply, tightly gripped the hem of her robe, causing wrinkles to form.

Various emotions flashed across Yuzelia’s face all at once.

The clearest emotion among them was disgust.

As if she hated being tied to the bishop in that way.

Aquila noticed what emotions were on her face but pretended not to know and continued.

“What does that have to do with my story?”

“You always seem to want to tell your family something special, don’t you?”

Ianfel asked teasingly, clearly aware that Yuzelia was sitting right across from him.

Still, the saintly Ianfel seemed to have a deep dislike for Bishop Martio.

Judging by how he was trying to confirm whether there was a direct connection or not.

‘The reason I never heard Martio’s name when I was affiliated with the Great Temple of Port Plum. It may be because Ianfel dealt with him directly.’

“He doesn’t seem like such a family-oriented person to me.”

“Even if he seems like that, he’s quite dedicated to his own people.”

“Ah. Is Bishop Martio’s mouth… a little too cheap?”

At the sudden remark, Ianfel paused for a moment, but he pulled up the twitching corners of his mouth and smiled again.

“…He’s a person who often surprises others. I’m often surprised too.”

“Yes, well. Seeing him earlier, he seemed like the kind of person who should wear pants on his face.”

Yuzelia, whose expression had been bad as soon as Martio’s story came up, bit her lip tightly at those words, and Shen, who had been quietly keeping his place, wore a shocked expression.

Aquila leaned back against the backrest.

“The Great Dragon said that a relic in the form of a chalice could help me. When I told Priestess Yuzelia about it, she simply mentioned that it could be the Right Hand of the Halo.”

“If it’s a relic in the shape of a chalice bestowed by the Sun God Rasphallara, then the Right Hand of the Halo is indeed the most famous one. But is there a reason you chose Port Plum from all the Great Temples?”

“I just thought it was Port Plum because it was said to be nearby. This is the only Great Temple close to Igrail.”

“And what were you planning to do if it wasn’t here?”

At that, Aquila replied, openly sounding bored.

“Ah. Let’s not do hypotheticals. I was sure it was here when there was a commotion beyond the crystal ball.”

As soon as he spat out words he’d heard before, Ianfel laughed out loud, which was rare for him.

Seeing him laughing so happily for some reason made Aquila feel inexplicably annoyed.

“Enough of the pointless search. Let’s get to the point.”

Not feeling like humoring him any further, Aquila continued speaking immediately.

“Since the topic of the Bishop came up, did you know that I threw up blood a few days ago and returned to Igrail?”

“Yes. I heard the story that Bishop Martio went there with a priestess to treat you.”

“Did you hear what my illness was from the bishop when he returned?”

“I wondered why that lazy bum was moving… No. He only said that your condition had improved when he saw you, but I didn’t hear anything else.”

As he said that, Ianfel turned his head to look at Yuzelia.

“It seemed like he came back quite quickly, but he said that he left a priest he could trust behind, so she would take all responsibility. He said that it was no longer his concern from then on.”

Aquila clicked his tongue lightly.

He said something similar before leaving Reshenhardt’s mansion, and it seems he reported the same to the temple.

‘Even if the Curse of the Deadly Posion can’t be solved, it’s still the death of a noble. Someone has to take responsibility.’

In any case, Martio was planning to remove himself from the situation in some way and pass everything on to Yuzelia.

It was an obvious move.

“I thought it was an obvious lie, but seeing you, it doesn’t seem like it was entirely a lie.”

It seemed Ianfel had a similar thought, but his thoughts seemed to have changed after seeing Aquila speaking perfectly fine.

“It’s a lie. I’m better now.”

“Aha. So now I see. You need the relic to fully heal your body. If that’s the case…”

“Ah, no need for that anymore. I’m getting tired of this absurd situation.”

Aquila felt annoyance rising within him.

Conversations with a face he didn’t want to see, watching obvious tricks being played, and seeing innocent people caught in the middle of it all.

Everything felt ridiculous, which made it even worse.

Aquila pulled off the hood he had been wearing deeply until now.

The bright red hair, called the blessing of Reshenhardt, emitted an intense light.

With a healthy complexion untouched by illness, Aquila’s sharp black eyes stared straight at Ianfel.

“Let’s stop the search and get to the point. I’ll give you something good, and you get rid of some people for me.”