Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 185

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 185

I glanced lightly at Lord Cheri and said to Leo.

“Leo, you shouldn’t learn things like that.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to inform you in advance?”

“Are you announcing that you’re going to cause trouble now?”

When I glared sharply at him, Lord Cheri seemed at a loss for words, opening and closing his mouth several times.

Then, like a loyal retainer who had no choice but to betray his lord, he squeezed his eyes shut and said.

“That’s not the case, but…”

Should I believe those words?

I surveyed the people who had come out to see us off, unable to shake off my uneasy feelings until the very end. Chaser’s figure was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t strange.

‘He’s no longer just a mage but the head of the Magic Tower. Of course he’d be busy.’

Though I often forgot because Chaser’s attitude toward me remained consistently casual, he was no longer leisurely enough to visit the Blanche estate privately.

I thought nothing of Chaser’s absence and boarded the carriage.

* * *

The destination Giuseppe described in his letter was Baliko, a port city along the Delman Sea.

What we had to do there was find certain people.

Why would they need me for finding people?

My question was immediately resolved as soon as I checked the following sentence.

We need fairy eyes for this task.

I’ll give you the details when we meet.

A task that requires fairy eyes.

I had vaguely sensed the situation from the moment I heard those words.

“You want me to find the headquarters of a dark mage organization?”

“Yes.”

To think it really was something related to dark magic.

‘So this is why they needed me to accompany them.’

The temple is a force that opposes dark magic, so they keep extensive records about dark magic.

It wouldn’t be strange if those records included a line or two about fairies being able to recognize dark mages.

“Did you bring a fairy?”

As if reading my thoughts, Giuseppe’s gaze, which had been examining documents, turned toward me.

Avoiding the golden eyes observing me from behind his glasses, I looked at one of my companions.

Cerberus and Suga were accompanying me on this journey.

Among them, Suga had been circling above his head and chattering away since earlier.

【Bel, this human smells like a pauper! He doesn’t have a single gold coin, right?】

Since I hadn’t infused Suga with mana, Giuseppe naturally had no idea about this.

I swallowed the laughter that was about to escape and answered.

“Yes. However, my fairy is very shy and doesn’t show herself to strangers.”

【Human, if you want to see Suga, bring out some gold coins!】

Ignoring Suga, who was demanding money from Giuseppe like a street thug, I asked more detailed questions about the dark mage organization.

“By the way, a dark mage organization? That’s the first I’ve heard of it. I thought dark mages operated individually.”

According to what I heard from Chaser, dark mages move according to personal goals and desires, so there’s no camaraderie among them.

Since their purposes aren’t aligned, naturally they don’t form factions to work together.

At best, not reporting each other could be called their only conscience.

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news, but disappearance cases that appear to be the work of dark mages have been occurring throughout the kingdom.”

Of course I know. One of them happened in Partel’s estate, nearly killing me during the Nobility Council meeting.

“Recently, the temple discovered that these dark mages all have something in common. They all belong to an organization that calls itself ‘Those Who Lift the World’s Veil.’ Following their traces, all leads point to port cities. Their headquarters must be there.”

“So my job is to use the fairy to find the dark mages.”

“Furthermore, if you could also prevent the tragedy scheduled for the port city, I would trust the Marquess even more.”

“Scheduled tragedy?”

“Since you’ve seen the future through dreams, don’t you know what will happen in Baliko? Shamefully, I can only read what’s to come, but I lack the power to change it.”

Giuseppe finished speaking in a light tone with a smile slightly deeper than usual, then lowered his gaze back to the documents he was reading.

The corners of my mouth, which had been forming a leisurely smile following his lead, trembled.

That bastard, this was his real purpose.

“Of course. Thinking of the High Priest who will bark ‘The Marquess is right’ no matter what I say after we finish this job is truly delightful.”

I huffed arrogantly and turned my gaze to the window.

I had fought back without being intimidated, but there was one problem.

‘So what exactly is going to happen in Baliko?’

The issue was that I didn’t know the full story of this incident, let alone its conclusion.

Of course, I had heard of Baliko before.

It was a place I visited when making a pilgrimage to shrines throughout the kingdom to see the High Priest ending in 【Hirome】.

However, I remember it wasn’t a place where any special quests or events occurred.

‘And what’s this about Those Who Lift the World’s Veil?’

I tried to list the information I heard from Giuseppe in my head, but strangely, nothing came to mind.

The carriage ran without rest for four days.

Though I didn’t show it, every night I was actually seized by the urge to cut all the ropes tying up the horses.

It was such an exhausting journey without respite.

‘Ugh, it feels like every joint in my body is creaking.’

Late at night, when I finally got off the carriage that had arrived in Baliko and stepped inside the temple.

I could see a small group in the distance approaching us with lanterns.

When they finally came close enough for me to make out their faces, the woman at the front widened her eyes.

“Lady Belinda?”

Ophelia, who now carried herself with the dignity of someone in power, gestured to stop the group of priests following her, then approached Giuseppe and quietly scolded him.

“High Priest! How could you involve the Marquess in such dangerous work!”

“The Marquess also agreed to this.”

At Ophelia’s questioning gaze asking if this was true, I nodded in confirmation.

Well, yes. It’s not like I was dragged here by force.

‘Though I feel like I was somehow tricked.’

Ophelia, who had been observing the situation for a moment, sighed. Then she stepped away from Giuseppe and spoke in a louder voice than before.

“Then I will accompany the Marquess during her stay here.”

“Don’t you have other matters to attend to, Saintess? The Marquess is…”

“Priest.”

With a solemn expression I’d never seen before, Ophelia cut off Giuseppe’s words.

It was rude enough to make me wonder ‘Is that allowed?’, but I could understand her intention from what followed.

“I know you’re from the Grand Temple, but in Jenos Kingdom, my authority is second only to the High Priest’s. Besides, the High Priest isn’t in the Royal Capital right now, is he?”

Giuseppe’s brow furrowed slightly.

To avoid alerting the dark mage organization, Giuseppe was currently disguised as an ordinary priest dispatched from the Grand Temple.

As they say, to deceive the enemy you must first deceive your allies – whenever Giuseppe went out as High Priest, he always wore a mitre, so very few people knew his face.

In other words, among the people present, only Ophelia and I knew Giuseppe’s true identity.

Ophelia was using this fact to exercise her authority as much as possible.

“So please follow my instructions. If the High Priest were here, he would certainly have entrusted our precious guest to me.”

I didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly stood beside Ophelia, saying.

“I gratefully accept the Saintess’s kind offer.”

“Then please follow me, Marquess.”

We walked quietly through the temple corridors like distant acquaintances, heading to the dormitory where Ophelia was staying.

Thud.

As soon as the dormitory room door closed behind us, Ophelia opened her mouth.

“Did you see the High Priest’s expression earlier?”

“I did.”

The corners of our mouths curved up as we faced each other. The next moment, we burst into laughter without either of us taking the lead.

“Ah, that feels so refreshing. That’s what he gets for always ignoring what people say!”

“How dare anyone object to whose command that was.”

After laughing heartily together, we sat facing each other and began to chat. Our much more relaxed tone proved how much closer our friendship had become than before.

“Ophelia, are you eating your meals properly? Why have you gotten so thin?”

“Well, there have been various things going on.”

Though Ophelia didn’t say much else, I could read the suffering contained in those few words.

Last winter, Ophelia had headed north as usual, representing the Temple to help with demonic beast subjugation and repair the Barrier Forest.

People praised her when she returned safely after completing the subjugation, but in truth, the subjugation hadn’t been successful.

‘She returned after losing half the priests and holy knights.’

Only a few months had passed since that incident. Though she put on a brave face, the wounds from that time probably hadn’t fully healed yet.

Unable to bear the silence, Ophelia smiled awkwardly.

“I’m really fine, Belinda. It’s just… I missed my family terribly.”

“Ophelia.”

“I thought I had forgotten even my family’s faces during all this time. Thanks to the Barrier Forest’s illusions, I got to meet my family after so long. That’s how I barely managed to endure it.”

Ophelia, who had been gazing into space with the face of someone longing for people in a very distant place, shook her head to dispel her thoughts.

“Let’s stop talking about such depressing things and talk about something fun. Ah, Belinda. You probably can’t even imagine how desperately I’ve wanted to have this kind of conversation. Everyone thinks the Saintess doesn’t even gossip about others!”

I could talk all night about how much of a stubborn old-fashioned person the High Priest is!

I nodded, pretending to be fooled by her usual liveliness.

And so, forgetting even our fatigue, I spent a long time sharing the conversations Ophelia and I had postponed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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