How to Survive in a Good Small Guild - Chapter 52

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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 Guild
Chapter 52
When I reported to the Temple on the weekend, I sensed something different in the air.
‘What’s going on?’
The junior priests in the same office seemed to be watching me, and not in the usual way.
It wasn’t fear—more like they were looking at me as if I were some sort of strange creature.
I felt it instinctively. This was….
‘Someone’s been spreading rumors about me!’
That particular look in their eyes—it was the expression my coworkers made whenever they’d heard gossip about someone.
“Excuse me, Park. Why have you been staring at me like that since earlier?”
“Ha, ha, ha… well, actually, I heard you were retaking the college entrance exam and preparing for medical school?”
“What? I never—”
“The manager said so.”
“That’s nonsense! I went to see a movie called at the cinema this past weekend—that’s all! Come on, Park Geo-sung!”
That’s more or less how it went.
I was bracing myself to defend against whatever rumor came next when Charles strutted in.
“Hey there, Odret. Lije, the intermediate priest, is calling for you.”
“What?”
Lije was among the most authoritative of the intermediate priests.
After all, she was in charge of auditing the priests within the Temple.
‘What on earth is happening?’
I kept my guard up as I made my way to the Disciplinary Chamber. The very fact that she’d summoned me there felt ominous.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, I found a small room with two chairs facing each other across a table.
Beyond that was a door to another chamber, and for some reason, I had no desire to enter it.
Hiding my anxiety, I sat in one of the chairs and waited for Lije to arrive.
Soon the door opened, and Lije appeared, her brown hair tied up high in a single bun.
“Junior Priest Odret.”
“Yes, Intermediate Priest Lije.”
“Do you have any idea why you’re here?”
“I’m afraid not.”
She let out a sigh.
She slid a piece of paper across the table toward me.
“I hear you’ve been helping the Imperial Palace.”
“No—I was actually trying to cut off all connection to protect the Temple from getting involved—”
“Never mind that. Just look at this.”
She tapped the paper with her finger.
“Of course, you did help cut off the tail, didn’t you? The moment the incident broke, you contacted the Temple right away and told them that since there was no evidence, they should deny everything if an investigation team came around.”
“Yes….”
The Crown Prince had concluded there was no concrete evidence against the Temple this time around, so I’d decided to help the Temple instead in order to build trust in the long term.
When the Imperial investigation team was dispatched to the Hatfield Marquessate, I’d immediately contacted the Temple and told them to absolutely deny involvement—there was no evidence connecting them to the Hatfield Marquessate.
Thanks to that, the Temple managed to survive the crisis, but….
“Still, the fact remains that you did something beneficial to the Imperial Palace. Because of your actions, the Imperial Palace has crushed the Hatfield Marquessate and is quietly spreading word that there are those who dare to rebel against the throne.”
“….”
“Who is our true enemy?”
“The… the Imperial Palace.”
“Exactly. Yet you helped the Imperial Palace.”
I began to think of ways to smooth this over.
What skill from the Josho Strategy could I use….
As I was racking my brain, Lije spoke again.
“Helping the Imperial Palace deserves punishment. How could someone from the Temple aid them?”
“Regarding that matter….”
“By principle, you must perform Miracle Service for three days.”
“Miracle Service?”
It was something I hadn’t anticipated, so instead of defending myself, I asked Lije for clarification.
“You mean the High Priest’s Miracle?”
“Yes. You understand that a miracle requires a price, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
In the original story, the Temple’s sins originated from that very fact.
The High Priest needed sacrifices to display his Miracle, and to that end, the Temple committed countless crimes to gather them.
The process even included human trafficking, which ultimately led to the original heroine bringing the Temple to justice.
But wait—offerings were being brought inside the Temple too, not just from outside?
“There’s nothing to worry about. This is merely a trial of asceticism for a greater purpose. Once you’ve completed this task, even you, Odret, will deepen your faith in the Temple and strengthen your resolve.”
…….
“Discipline is discipline—you won’t be cast out of the Temple. And those who complete a Miracle Service discipline won’t face demotion.”
So when Charles was demoted from mid-rank priest to lower-rank priest, he hadn’t undergone a Miracle Service discipline.
I considered whether I could use Aria’s power, but she didn’t seem like she’d help me.
Because Aria would only use me when she needed something, and the moment I became useless, she’d discard me without hesitation.
“The discipline will be overseen by High Priest Seraphine.”
“High Priest Seraphine.”
I’d never met her before.
To gather information about the Temple, I decided to meet High Priest Seraphine rather than smooth things over in the moment. Lower-rank priests didn’t get many opportunities to meet with high priests.
“Wait here then.”
“…Yes.”
Lije left, and I sat tapping the desk anxiously, waiting for High Priest Seraphine to arrive.
How had she been described in the original work again….
‘If Aria was the type to attack while laughing, Seraphine was the type with neither blood nor tears.’
At that moment, the door opened.
I reflexively rose from my seat and looked up at her.
Odret Lavendel’s body was of average height. Aria was shorter than me, so I had to be careful not to look down on her, but with Seraphine, there was no such concern.
She was very tall. And she had short black hair in a bob cut—a style difficult to pull off, yet she wore it well.
And just as Aria had mentioned, a blue ribbon was placed on her head.
Dressed in dark tones overall with heavy makeup around her eyes, she gave the impression of someone difficult to approach.
“Good day, High Priest Seraphine.”
I offered a proper greeting first, and she looked at me, then spoke bluntly.
“Never mind that. Let’s get straight to the discipline.”
“The discipline….”
“It’s your first time, I expect.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Go in.”
Seraphine pointed to the door behind her.
Well, that darkness beyond looked absolutely like a room I didn’t want to enter.
I opened the door with a sense of foreboding. A long, dimly lit corridor appeared before me.
…….
I kept my mouth shut and walked down the corridor. Seraphine followed behind me, urging me on.
Soon, I stopped before the door at the end of the corridor.
“Should I go in?”
“Yes.”
I opened the door slowly. And….
‘God! This is insane!’
I nearly screamed reflexively, but I managed to suppress it just in time.
No one was currently undergoing discipline. But from the traces in the room, I could easily infer what kind of discipline it had been.
‘This isn’t how Temple discipline works in the original story at all!’
As I’d mentioned before, draining blood, inflicting pain, using sorcery—none of that fantasy-style torment.
That wasn’t supposed to happen!
But unfortunately, the “Miracle Service” waiting for me was of a different kind.
I found piles of black—ink written so densely that barely any white paper showed through.
“The High Priest’s miracles manifest through everyone’s effort. So you need to provide that effort.”
“Effort, you say….”
“That’s right.”
Seraphine gestured for me to sit at the desk.
“You’ll write on a total of one thousand pages until no white space is visible. Font size must be under three points, and the content will be copying Sacred Scripture.”
…….
My face went pale.
This was a discipline I didn’t want to receive more than ever. Fantasy! I’d rather have fantasy!
My mind began racing. No, I should have arrived much sooner….
“I-I have evidence.”
I stumbled over my words reflexively, but I tried to speak as clearly as possible.
“I didn’t help the Imperial Palace….”
“High Priest Seraphine!”
Just as I was about to say that, the door to the Disciplinary Chamber burst open and Lije came running in.
“Someone’s brought a piece of paper, apparently—they say it must be delivered directly to Odret, the junior priest!”
“What?”
Seraphine turned her head with a displeased expression.
“Odret, the junior priest—whoever they are—aren’t you overseeing this? Outsiders aren’t permitted to enter the Temple.”
“Well, but… that piece of paper seems to be important.”
Lije, the intermediate priest, spoke hesitantly, gauging Seraphine’s reaction.
“They said his name is Sedrick, apparently. He claims he’s brought the Imperial Palace’s weakness, just as Odret instructed him to.”

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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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