The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 231

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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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Part 2, Chapter 78

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The Second Temple of the Elamuz Strait.

Amidst the gentle sound of bells, the footsteps of people coming and going from the temple naturally harmonized with the sounds of prayer.

The Parthenon Temple, which was the first and representative temple, was still rebuilding the structures damaged by the explosion.

Naturally, the entire party from the Holy Kingdom, including the Temple Knights, stayed at the Second Temple.

“Shouldn’t we return to the Holy Kingdom now?”

“Yes. The High Priest said we would return once this memorial service is over.”

Knight Commander Leonor nodded his head.

“Captain, have you seen the Saint?”

At that moment, one of the Temple Knights approached and whispered to Knight Commander Leonor.

“What do you mean? Weren’t you supposed to be guarding the Saint’s side?”

The Knight Commander’s face instantly turned grim.

“Well, the Saint said she was in the prayer room and wanted to get some fresh air outside, but when I checked again… she wasn’t there.”

The Knight Commander’s demeanor instantly became menacing.

“You call that an excuse! Knowing how many enemies are targeting our Holy Kingdom, how could you let your guard down!”

“What could I do when she insisted she absolutely had to go out? Reports about Masu that need handling keep coming in. It’s not like we can lock up the Saint like a three-year-old child.”

The knight who had been on guard duty couldn’t hide his sense of injustice.

“She is the Divine Healer. Refrain from such disrespectful words!”

Leonor sharply warned.

But his eyes also held deep, unspoken conflict.

Lately, the Saint’s minor transgressions had become frequent, and the workload for the Temple Knights assigned to guard her was increasing.

Between the sense of duty to protect the Saint and the reality that her behavior was becoming increasingly difficult to control, Leonor could only swallow heavy sighs each time.

“First, Captain. Let’s check inside the temple, starting with the prayer room.”

As Theo calmly gave orders to calm the Captain’s anger, High Priest Paulo entered from inside.

“Everyone was gathered here.”

“Saint!”

Behind him, Rachel’s golden hair could be seen.

“Saint, didn’t we repeatedly tell you that you must take us with you wherever you go?”

“Don’t blame the Saint. I was the one who escorted her outside from the prayer room.”

Before Leonor could protest, Paulo intervened.

“You’re still troubled by the memorial service preparations.”

“After all, this might be the last gift I can give to the people of Valdina. I want to do my best.”

The Saint’s face in the prayer room looked a bit pale. It must have been from exerting too much mental energy in prayer.

“Hmph, considering how hostile these Valdina people were to the Saint, you’re showing such generous grace.”

Rachel approached the Temple Knights and offered an apology.

The closer she got, the stronger the subtle lily fragrance in the air became.

“I’m sorry, knights. It’s my oversight. I keep causing trouble for you all.”

“The Saint has no need to apologize. The Temple Knights exist for the Saint’s sake as well.”

Before the Temple Knights could say anything, High Priest Paulo blocked her with a stern expression.

Even though many suspicious things had happened regarding the Saint, Paulo still couldn’t completely abandon his faith, or hope, in Rachel.

And he scolded once more toward the women in white priest robes standing behind Rachel’s shoulder.

“You must watch carefully so the Saint doesn’t overexert herself! She mustn’t consume too much divine power either.”

“Yes, High Priest.”

As if responding to Paulo’s words, five white priests bowed their waists.

White cloths covering the lower half of their faces hung over them, showing only slightly lowered eyebrows.

A colleague next to Theo leaned slightly.

“High Priest, who are they? I haven’t seen their faces before.”

“They’re attendant priests dispatched to assist the Saint. They’ll accompany us everywhere from now on, so you should familiarize yourselves with their faces.”

“Attendant priests? We haven’t received any reports from the Central Temple…”

At the Knight Commander’s point, Paulo waved his hand dismissively.

“Some aren’t affiliated with the Central Temple, so that would be why. Rather than affiliation, I selected those who emit divine power with similar wavelengths to the Saint’s. That way the Saint can feel more comfortable.”

“I’m always grateful that the High Priest takes such detailed care of me.”

Rachel turned toward the Knight Commander and the Temple Knights and made a request.

“Knights, please take good care of these people. They’re grateful individuals who came running from far away for my sake, so I hope you’ll treat them with special consideration.”

For her, this was essentially establishing the hierarchy of her personal priests within this group.

Since they were priests who emitted divine power with similar wavelengths to hers, these people would likely establish themselves as the Saint’s close associates.

Creating close associates meant expanding her own influence within the temple.

‘It seems the Saint intends to step into the temple’s power struggles.’

The Knight Commander read her intention and made a slightly strange expression.

Perhaps he was a bit bewildered by the ambition shown by someone who hadn’t even been awakened for a full year.

“Yes, we will do so. Please don’t worry, Saint.”

However, since they were all affiliated with the same temple anyway, there was nothing particularly wrong with it.

Rather, since they needed to build close relationships going forward, the Temple Knights accepted the priests without issue.

“…”

However, one person, Theo, felt an inexplicable unpleasantness from the Saint’s close priests.

The dazzlingly white priest robes felt strangely jarring instead.

As if they were very thick curtains made to hide something black and ugly inside…

“Sir Theo?”

Rachel asked Theo again, not having received an answer.

He nodded belatedly.

“Yes, as the Divine Healer wishes.”

“Thank you. Sir Theo never disappoints me.”

Rachel smiled slightly and patted the shoulder of the bowing Theo, as if praising him.

“Saint, please come this way. We need the Saint’s approval for the memorial service preparations. I’ll escort you to the Main Temple.”

It was the moment Rachel, led by Paulo’s hand, took a step forward.

A thick, fishy stench that had risen sharply stabbed at Theo’s nose.

‘The smell of blood…’

Theo stiffened.

If he hadn’t maintained his vigilance, it was such a foul smell that he would have unconsciously contorted his entire face.

“What’s wrong?”

Only the Temple Knights noticed Theo’s silent reaction.

“It’s nothing.”

“What on earth made you so startled?”

“Well… didn’t you smell something strange?”

“A smell?”

“Theo, are you giving me grief for coming here without washing after training?”

A senior Temple Knight nearby sniffed at his own armor and glared at Theo.

“…You must have exerted too much mental energy lately. Go inside and rest first today.”

The Knight Commander advised with worried eyes.

While he was tracking the evil traces discovered at the Parthenon Temple, he had assigned Theo the responsibility of protecting the Saint and keeping watch for signs of Masu waves.

He wondered if he had burdened his chosen successor with too heavy a load out of desire to develop him.

Meanwhile, the stench had disappeared from the air as if it had never been there, and only the clear lily fragrance circulated again.

“…Yes.”

Theo clenched his fist.

The attendant priests were already following Rachel, showing only their white backs.

But a strange impulse arose.

An extremely cruel, unbelievable impulse to rush into that white group moving away and swing his sword.

“I’m going crazy.”

Perhaps, as the Captain said, he had exhausted himself too much in suppressing Masu.

Seeing how he couldn’t distinguish between species and suddenly felt murderous intent toward innocent humans of his own kind.

Theo frowned and rubbed his gaunt face.

However, no matter how much time passed, he couldn’t shake off the strange bloody smell that had settled at the tip of his nose.

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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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