Reincarnated in the Same World for the Nth Time - Chapter 18

The disparaging remarks toward Martio continued for about ten more minutes after that.

Then, at some point, the topic abruptly changed to the situation inside the Great Temple of Port Plum, riding a different wave.

This was also because Bishop Martio was involved.

Yuzelia said with a sigh.

“The current Great Temple of Port Plum is divided. Like waterways branching out in several directions from one pond.”

In what could be considered both a long and short amount of time, Aquila was able to gather a lot of information from Yuzelia.

The most notable point among them was definitely that the inside of the Great Temple was largely divided into two factions.

Bishop Martio’s side and Saint Ianfel’s side.

Of course, there were also neutrals, but Yuzelia explained that their natures were all different, from priests who had no interest in the secular world and only prayed for God, to those who didn’t want to be grouped under the name of a faction, or those who were still watching.

“Which side are you on, Priestess Yuzelia?”

“Me? I don’t particularly want to take anyone’s side. I’d rather pray more than participate in a fight.”

“You would never side with Bishop Martio, would you?”

“Of course not!”

Yuzelia shook her head as if she was tired of it and continued her explanation.

Within the Great Temple, there were many views that saw Martio’s behavior that looked unfavorably, but because of his position, they couldn’t speak up directly in a loud voice.

In that situation, a group arose that followed and supported Martio, and from that time on, a strange war of nerves took place between the people.

Even so, it was like a line that had slightly stuck out inside the temple, and they weren’t severe at first either.

However, the group following Martio began to show actions that deviated from common sense little by little from about half a year ago.

And around that time, Saint Ianfel was assigned to the Great Temple of Port Plum and came to the temple.

“Half a year isn’t as long as I thought.”

“Yes. But his influence has been really strong since the day he first came. He hasn’t received a separate position, but he’s also famous from the start…”

“It must have bothered Bishop Martio.”

“Ugh, don’t even mention it. He’s been so irritable these past six months! It felt like walking on thin ice!”

Yuzelia frowned as if she had been tormented.

The fact that the Ianfel vs. Martio rivalry had arisen in only half a year showed the greatness of the Saint, but it could also be said that the dissatisfaction towards Martio had grown to that extent.

Ianfel was affiliated with the Vatican before coming to the Port Plum Great Temple, Aquila had heard from the Saint himself in the previous playthrough.

The Great Temple of Port Plum is the second largest Temple of the Sun in the continent besides the Vatican.

The situation inside the Great Temple must have been heard by the Pope.

So, is that why Ianfel came to Port Plum?

Aquila, who had gotten up again while listening to Yuzelia’s explanation, tilted his head slightly.

“Has he always been like that? So, if I follow the priest’s words, Bishop Martio is…”

“Has he always been stupid and careless? Yes! He seems to think he’s smart, though! But as young master saw, he’s not at all, is he?”

Yuzelia immediately gave a scathing evaluation of Martio.

“But it hasn’t been long since he acted so openly. Now, it’s probably been about three years.”

“Three years…”

This time, Aquila searched his memory.

He might have struggled a little more if it were normal, but because he had talked to Ianfel right before this, he could easily recall it.

The year the Reshenhardt family’s third son died was Delbion year 713.

If we go back three years from now…

‘It was when Lady Friadel lost her life due to the Curse of the Deadly Poison.’

Aquila frowned without realizing it.

Three high-ranking nobles had died from the Curse of the Deadly Poison even before a year had passed since Lady Friadel’s death.

Seeing that it had only happened between fallen nobles and local nobles before that, it was definitely a noticeable case.

After Lady Friadel’s death, there must have definitely been some connection between the high-ranking nobles and the Dark Guild.

Of course, investigating the curse would naturally reveal family succession disputes, power struggles, and various hidden dark schemes.

Yuzelia, who had finished thinking, nodded firmly this time.

“It’s definitely been three years since it was the year I had my coming-of-age ceremony. Since then, he’s been sending priests here and there to receive increased support funds. He mainly sent us…”

Yuzelia immediately became depressed because she was reminded of the suffering patients when she thought of that time.

Until the method of lifting the curse was announced, the aristocratic society trembled with fear.

Because they never knew when that curse would kill them.

Moreover, since the Temple of the Sun had not found a solution, the anxiety among the nobles was beyond imagination.

And Aquila was well aware of how great the ripple effect of the venomous curse was.

During this period, they tried to call high-ranking priests even if they had only a slight fever or showed abnormal symptoms.

Since they didn’t know how the curse was made, each family increased their private soldiers and tried to find and bring in skilled wizards.

The military force that had been restricted while watching each other suddenly increased.

As a result, the imperial family was suffering.

They were distracted by the Curse of the Deadly Poison at the moment, but at some point, the tip of the sword could be directed at the imperial family.

And this was also the time when priests could accumulate the most wealth.

Even if Martio was not directly involved in the incident three years ago, he could have been blinded by greed after making a fortune after that.

To that extent, the amount paid to call a priest during this unstable period before the method of lifting the curse was announced was unimaginably high.

Aquila silently watched Yuzelia, who couldn’t continue speaking and was wiping her face.

He asked in a clear voice.

“It’s difficult to call a priest during this period. Have you ever thought about using this opportunity?”

“……What?”

“I’m asking if you’ve ever raised the price of money under the pretext of treatment.”

Shen, who had been standing still, turned his head sharply to look at Aquila.

He knew very well how this question would sound, but Aquila deliberately brought up these words.

Because it was a question he had to ask.

Yuzelia’s face turned pale and then quickly turned red.

“How, how can you think of me like that…!”

“Priestess Yuzelia.”

Shen called her name and shook his head, as if blocking the anger that was about to burst out.

Shen’s green eyes turned elsewhere as if to guide her, and Yuzelia followed that gaze.

And she saw it.

Aquila’s black eyes, which were deeper and calmer than usual.

Only then did Yuzelia realize that Aquila had asked a simple question, not an insult.

It felt like the heat that had risen to her chin had cooled down in an instant.

She let out a sigh and took a deep breath for a moment to control her anger.

“…No. I swear, I have never done that.”

“Bishop Martio must have told you to raise the treatment costs.”

“How did you know…? Yes. As the young master said. But I only received the necessary, minimal amount.”

“Why?”

Yuzelia stopped speaking at Aquila’s question.

His question sounded purely innocent without any malice, but on the contrary, it sounded like a question to draw out her true nature.

But there was no need for Yuzelia to hesitate.

It wasn’t that she thought she was upright herself, but because it was just natural to her.

“Because I started walking the path of a priest to help people with this power, young master.”

There wasn’t a single lie mixed in Yuzelia’s voice.

Even though the radiance of God wasn’t circling around her, Aquila confirmed a firm root in Yuzelia’s face that wouldn’t shake.

Aquila had seen this expression before.

There was no need to search his memory for long.

Ark Batchel

It was the face that the hero, who said that it was natural to save people, often made.

‘So that’s why Martio tried to abandon Yuzelia. Because she wouldn’t have been helpful to him. But…’

Aquila, who had been looking at Yuzelia without saying anything for a while, let out a small breath.

“Much better than the Saint.”

“Pardon?”

“I didn’t know you had your coming-of-age ceremony three years ago. I thought you were twenty.”

“What did you just say…?”

“How old am I now, Shen?”

“Eighteen, young master. Oh! It’s less than a year until your coming-of-age ceremony now?”

Shen suddenly became excited and roamed around the bed where Aquila was sitting.

“What kind of clothes do you want to wear for your coming-of-age ceremony? Should we prepare red to match your hair color?”

“Wow. You’re really mature for your age, young master.”

“Right? When did our young master grow up so smartly?”

“……Is this an insult right now?”

The tense atmosphere was loosened, and Shen and Yuzelia became noisy.

“Still, if you wear red clothes with red hair, it’s going to be a bit much, right? It’s not like you’re a person with their whole body on fire?”

“You weren’t thinking of making him wear red pants too, were you? It’s a special outfit for a special occasion…”

What in the world were they talking about?

Aquila shook his head at the two of them and couldn’t help but smile.

It hadn’t been long since he had been with them, but this atmosphere felt like his original daily life.

Yuzelia, who was smiling in the softened atmosphere, let out a big breath.

“Phew! I feel a little relieved after saying all that.”

She said that as if deliberately changing the atmosphere.

As if she had shaken everything off, Yuzelia’s face was brighter and more cheerful than before.

“I’m sorry. The story got long because I got excited. I didn’t mean to…”

“No. It was me who did something that seemed to be probing.”

“I know what you meant by asking the question. So, I’ll keep that matter in mind just a little bit.”

Yuzelia playfully replied with a more comfortable face.

Aquila only smiled at the corner of his mouth because it was better than her being difficult.

“Now I really have to go to the Temple of the Sun. Don’t worry, I’ll ignore Bishop Martio even if he catches me and come back soon.”

Yuzelia clenched her fist tightly.

Shen, who clenched both hands into fists like her, offered words of encouragement.

“Yes! We’ll be waiting for you, Priestess Yuzelia. If that psycho gets in your way, pour out some insults like you did earlier! You’re really good at swearing!”

“Shen…”

Yuzelia pretended to glare at Shen but eventually burst into laughter.

“I’ll be back.”

Aquila waved his hand at her as she turned around.

The door closed quietly.

‘I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been in this kind of atmosphere.’

A feeling that one side of his heart was subtly warmer than usual.

It was a novel feeling.

Aquila stared at the closed door for a long time before lying quietly on the bed.

Since it was a break time anyway, he decided to feel relaxed, planning to check the skill he had obtained in more detail later.

Shen, seeing Aquila’s blank face, pulled up the blanket and covered him.

“Are you going to sleep?”

He wasn’t planning to sleep, but it seemed like it would be a good idea to take a nap until Yuzelia came back.

Aquila closed his already blurry eyes and relaxed his body.

His body, which had been shivering when it was all wet, now felt appropriately warm.

Besides, he would have to see Ianfel’s annoying face again tomorrow, so it seemed good to have this leisure.

“I’m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up later.”

“Yes, young master. I’ll wake you up when Priestess Yuzelia comes back, so we can eat together.”

“Okay…”

With the end of the quiet voice, he fell asleep as if he had been waiting.

His physical strength seemed to have weakened for sure.

Shen checked Aquila’s condition and then opened the door and went outside without a sound.

Like that, one hour passed.

Then two hours, three hours……

Until Shen came back from grocery shopping, Aquila woke up, and it became dawn like that.

Yuzelia didn’t come back.