How to Survive in a Good Small Guild - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Survive in a Small-Scale Guild
Chapter 103
“Ow!”
I was drifting off to sleep when something struck my head.
I opened my eyes and looked around, only to realize that the pillow I’d been resting my head on had fallen from above and hit me.
“Ah, I can’t control it….”
Perhaps because I’d obtained the Ability through such an unnatural method, I couldn’t control it properly.
After that, objects kept moving to strange places. Indoor slippers I’d been wearing moments before ended up in the bathroom, or I’d fill a cup with water intending to drink and go to bed, only to have it spill across the floor.
“Do I really need to practice to control this?”
I wondered if the other High Priests had gone through the same process as I muttered to myself, turning my head to search for the scattered items.
Suddenly, I noticed the Purple Ring sitting on the small table by my bed.
“Wait.”
“You’ll need it.”
Those words came back to me, and I immediately slipped the ring onto my finger.
The moment I did, the chaotic energy raging inside my body seemed to settle.
I looked around with anxious eyes. Whether it was working or not, objects no longer moved of their own accord.
“Ah, I see….”
This ring that Etienne had given me appeared to have the power to help regulate my unstable Ability.
Now that I thought about it, Aria was wearing a Yellow Star-Shaped Hairpin, Seraphine had on a Blue Hairband, Etienne was wearing a Sky-Blue Earring, and Matthias had on a Green Necklace.
I’d wondered if they’d all matched some kind of friendship items, but thinking about it more, that didn’t make sense….
They were all regulating their abilities through these Sacred Stone Items.
‘I should ask tomorrow whether this is a dangerous Sacred Stone Item.’
For now, I’d put it off until tomorrow and went to sleep.
***
“Ah, Odret! Are you all ready?”
“What’s the deal with this?”
“Hm?”
“That ring.”
“Haha, I was helpful, wasn’t I?”
Etienne smiled with satisfaction.
“Abilities originally belong only to the High Priest. The side effects come from forcing someone else to obtain an Ability! That’s why we have trouble controlling them freely!”
“That jewel….”
“It’s a sacred object imbued with the power of the High Priest’s Miracle. If you possess that sacred object, you can regulate your abilities.”
“Ah, I see….”
I’d need to report this to Sedrian later.
I hadn’t called him yesterday because I was planning to contact him after the promotion ceremony today. Though he might be flustered when he finds out I’ve developed a Transmission Ability.
“Well then, let’s go conduct the promotion ceremony!”
“Yes….”
I trudged along behind Etienne.
Hiding behind the curtain backstage, I peeked out just enough with my eyes to survey the scene beyond the stage.
It seemed all the priests of the Temple had gathered.
“Ah….”
I kept getting hit with waves of reality about why I was even here doing this.
“Well then, let me proceed!”
With that energetic call, Etienne took the stage.
“Now, dear family of the Temple. We’ve gathered here on this important day!”
While Etienne proceeded like a fish in water, I waited backstage for my turn. And then….
“Hereupon, I announce that Odret Lavendel has become a new High Priest.”
Following the sequence I’d heard beforehand, I took the stage.
There was no set dress code at the Temple—there was no such thing as official priesthood robes, in other words.
However, considering the nature of a promotion ceremony, I’d worn the most presentable black dress I owned.
The moment I stepped onto the stage, thunderous applause poured down.
I glanced down at the audience below, but it felt overwhelming, so I looked away again. The way they were gazing at me with such reverence was… rather cultish, I’d say.
“They arrive.”
Etienne spoke in a more solemn tone.
“The High Priest arrives. Everyone, please bow your heads.”
The heads of all the priests below simultaneously lowered.
Then, through the steps, the High Priest approached me. Unlike yesterday, they wore a hood.
“Odret Lavendel.”
A soft voice emerged from beneath the hood.
“Having confirmed your loyalty to the Temple and your competence, I hereby promote you to High Priest.”
He removed the Intermediate Priest Badge from my chest and cast it to the floor.
Then he fastened the High Priest Badge upon me—three stars interwoven in its design.
“…Thank you.”
“See that you remain ever faithful to the Temple.”
The High Priest touched my bowed head lightly, then descended the steps and vanished from sight.
Only then could the priests below the stage lift their heads. Their faces shone with admiration.
“I actually heard the High Priest’s voice!”
“High Priest Odret is incredible. Such a rapid promotion—she must have exceptional talent.”
“Let’s all strive to emulate High Priest Odret!”
Hearing those words, I squeezed my eyes shut.
No. Don’t follow my example. Please, don’t.
***
After the promotion ceremony, Seraphine guided me to my personal office and showed me which buildings I could now access.
This was the moment I’d been waiting for—the moment when, as a High Priest, I could access every piece of information.
“Where are the Temple’s historical records kept?”
When I asked Seraphine this, she answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Important ones are destroyed.”
“Destroyed…?”
“Any information that could pose legal problems for us—anything dangerous—is erased immediately.”
No. Could there truly be no evidence regarding the Empress Assassination Incident?
“Then… what duties should I undertake going forward?”
“You’ll learn in the council meetings. Your work will likely focus mainly….”
Seraphine’s dark eyes looked down at me.
“…on attacking the Nightingale.”
“……!”
In the Temple, “Nightingale” was a coded term for the Crown Prince. Then…
“Has the Temple been attacking the Imperial Palace in some particular way until now? And what is the Temple’s ultimate goal?”
I tried to extract information naturally. Fortunately, Seraphine answered without suspicion.
“Our ultimate goal is to transform this nation into a Theocratic State—to have the High Priest rule the country, to make all citizens trust us, to bring down the Imperial Palace. And to summon the Prophet.”
“…….”
“You have no idea how extraordinary the things we’ve accomplished are to achieve that.”
Seraphine revealed emotion—a rare sight. And then, from her lips, the words I’d been waiting for.
“To achieve that, we obtained the blood of the Imperial Family.”
“……!”
“We possess the Empress’s Blood. It’s not from the Imperial bloodline itself, but since the Crown Prince born from it carries an Ability, he became a research subject. Through studying him, we came to understand how the Ability is granted.”
“You mean to say…”
I asked, feigning shock.
“The Empress Assassination Incident from ten years ago was actually…”
“Our doing.”
Ah, she admitted it. She confessed it herself.
But what I needed was evidence. If I merely claimed the High Priests had confessed, the cunning Temple would find a way to escape responsibility.
“Did you assassinate her to experiment with the Empress’s Blood and such?”
“As a Sacrifice. Her death granted us power.”
“Then the records of it…”
“I already told you. There are no such records.”
Growing tired of the questions, Seraphine’s tone turned irritable.
“And I wasn’t even a High Priest back then.”
“…….”
“The only one of us who was a High Priest from that time is Matthias. Go ask him if you want.”
***
Following Seraphine’s advice, I visited Matthias’s office alone.
As I approached Matthias first among the four High Priests—the one with whom I’d had the least contact—I noticed curiosity in his eyes.
“What brings you here, Odret?”
“I heard about the Empress Assassination Incident and was shocked. I wanted to learn more about it.”
“It’s nothing special. We simply used the death of such a great figure—the Empress—as a Sacrifice for the High Priest’s ‘Miracle.'”
I wanted to unearth evidence of the Empress Assassination Incident, but it seemed unlikely that Matthias would willingly divulge anything.
Instead, he broached an unexpected topic.
“From that incident, we obtained a hint about how to summon the Prophet. We waited ten years for the right time, and this year is when we’ll test that method.”
“And this method is…?”
“Find a child born on a predetermined date with black hair and black eyes, and when that child turns ten years old, summon the Prophet into their body. It’s the method with the highest probability of success.”
“……?”
I knew who that child was. Wait—surely not….
“Stella.”
Stella, the High Priest’s daughter. The girl who wandered through the Temple with a radiant smile on weekends.
“That’s right. We’re going to make the Prophet descend into her body.”

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