The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 53

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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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The Husband Who Should Have Died Returns Episode 053
Then, steady footsteps began echoing through the corridor. Hayden’s ears perked up. These days, I could recognize that sound too. Hayden pushed my hand away and wobbled toward the corridor.
In Hayden’s small hands was that scrap of paper from earlier.
He was still holding it.
Sure enough, Hayden’s room door opened.
It was Cherez. He hadn’t come in last night, and now he’d returned. Seeing his gaunt face, I couldn’t help but sigh. Even his decadence was captivating now. I swallowed and fidgeted with my forehead. I still had no immunity to Cherez’s beauty.
Hayden blocked his path and stretched both hands forward.
“Dadadada!”
Cherez stopped.
“Will you hold me?”
“Dadadada!”
Hayden thrust his hands forward more forcefully. He wanted Cherez to take it. Not understanding the signal, Cherez looked at me.
“It’s a gift.”
Cherez looked down at Hayden again. He seemed to be thinking for a moment, then bent his waist to meet Hayden’s eye level. Cherez accepted the gift.
“Thank you, Hayden.”
Hayden giggled. He waved both hands like a pinwheel. Cherez lifted the child up with ease.
Watching the child pat Cherez’s cheeks, I let out a hollow laugh. Even that national-treasure-level face crumbles endlessly before a baby.
I saw Cherez put the paper he’d received from Hayden into his pocket. As if it were something precious.

* * *
The next day.
Cherez also hadn’t yet obtained information about the Harmony Society.
The heavily sealed temple doors opened with a weighty creak. The temple’s security was stringent to protect the sacred relics. Strict enough to make even the lord of the Southern Region wait.
Cherez stepped inside. Borgus followed half a step behind.
“Security remains tight.”
“The surrounding forest was empty. Before war breaks out, select capable individuals and station them there.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The Southern Central Temple was the oldest structure in Bereidan Territory. Moss clung to the stone walls, and colored light seeping through the stained glass of the ceiling settled on the floor.
House Bereidan had been the temple’s patron for generations. The Previous Duke, and the dukes before him. This was why the High Priest himself came to greet Cherez.
“Duke, welcome.”
The High Priest bowed. His gentle expression was marked by a white beard and fine wrinkles around his eyes.
His name was Cassian. He was a person of deep faith and integrity. From Cherez’s perspective, he was also a very pragmatic man.
“It’s been a while. What brings you to visit today?”
Cassian led Cherez and Borgus to his chamber. As Cassian poured tea, Cherez asked directly.
“Do you know of an organization called the Harmony Society?”
High Priest Cassian tilted his head.
“The Harmony Society?”
“A charitable organization founded by immigrant nobles. I heard they volunteer here at the temple, working alongside the priests.”
The priest stroked his chin.
“Ah, yes, I do know of it. For the past two years, noble ladies have been coming to volunteer. They bring supplies and distribute meals to the poor. We’re grateful for their help at the temple.”
“Have you had any other business at the Temple?”
“None, Your Grace. He enters the Temple, but never leaves his post. In truth, when outsiders arrive, all the priests become vigilant. Even if they call themselves volunteers, we must prevent accidents before they occur. Besides, the time when the Otherworld Night’s gate opens draws near.”
Cassian didn’t seem to be lying to me. Borgus interjected.
“Do these volunteers ever gain access to the Temple Inner Sanctum during their service?”
The Priest shook his head.
“Only the Plaza, the Distribution Center, and the Prayer Hall. The Temple Inner Sanctum is off-limits to all but the priests and authorized personnel. It is our law.”
Cherez and Borgus exchanged glances.
Then what were they seeking here? The Prayer Hall contained only sacred statues and relics left by various saints. And the Plaza and Distribution Center before the Temple were open to all.
From the account alone, I could find nothing amiss.
“Besides the sacred relics, is there anything of particular value kept in this Temple?”
The Priest smiled. Then he shook his head.
“Nothing, Your Grace. This Temple exists solely for Saint Yurenis. We honor only her sacred relics with reverence. They are a great legacy still blessed with the goddess’s light. We possess nothing that could dim that radiance.”
Cassian answered as though it were obvious, speaking with the pious demeanor befitting a clergyman devoted to the divine.
I narrowed my eyes. Only the sacred relics remained in the Temple. Could that be their target? If so, what benefit could they gain from it?
I wet my lips.
“It seems there are those who covet the sacred relics.”
“What? Surely such a calamity cannot come to pass! The sacred relics are the pillars that support this Empire and the world itself.”
“Would they not know that?”
Cassian blinked his aged eyes. Even having severed ties with the secular world, he was not ignorant of how far people would fall for profit.
Cassian made the sign of the cross and murmured.
“Saint Yurenis, look upon us with mercy. I shall bring this matter before the Temple Council for deliberation and preparation.”
“Where is High Priest Cuspis now? May I see him?”
“If Your Grace wishes it, I as one bound to this land should rightfully comply. However, High Priest Cuspis entered a period of fasting prayer a month ago.”
“…I would prefer to meet with him before the Otherworld Night arrives.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Having concluded my business, I rose and cast one final glance around the Temple’s interior before stepping outside.
Borgus lowered his voice and asked.
“Do you believe the Harmony Society is after the sacred relics, Your Grace?”
“What else remains? I sense nothing strange about it. Rigid old men would never harm the sacred relics. It’s the only thing left.”
I narrowed my eyes and gazed upon the Temple.
“Search every institution under the Temple’s authority. Don’t overlook a single connection to the Harmony Society.”
Somehow, the puzzle pieces I was gathering seemed destined to form a picture of hell itself. A chill ran down my spine.

* * *
I heard from Yureain that Cherez had visited the Temple. I wanted to hear that story directly from him.
I shared his suspicion that the Harmony Society might be connected to Petunia. So the moment he returned, I sought him out in his Study. Fortunately, he had come to the Mansion rather than the Knight Order.
“Did you find anything at the Temple? Did you learn anything about the Harmony Society?”
“Nothing at all. So I asked if there was anything that might be profitable, but that wasn’t it either. All the Temple has are sacred relics. Everything else is just antiques.”
Sacred relics.
Something caught in my mind. Five sacred relics were buried underground across the continent, maintaining their seals, and only this one in the Southern Temple was exposed to the surface.
In the original story, when one of these sacred relics was destroyed, the seal broke and a tragedy unfolded—a war that lasted seven years. The deaths from it had consumed Cherez.
“Could they be trying to do something with the sacred relic…?”
I broached the subject carefully.
I didn’t know for certain if the Harmony Society’s true purpose was the sacred relic. The cause of the relic’s destruction hadn’t been revealed before I possessed this body. I deeply regretted not having all the answers when I transmigrated here.
Cherez’s eyes narrowed.
“I’ve had that thought too. But the sacred relic kept in the Temple is an enormous bell. That’s why it couldn’t be buried underground. I have no idea what they’re trying to do.”
I swallowed hard. No one could imagine it. That bell, which had never ceased ringing since it began, would announce its end with one final toll.
But that day had come to pass.
I ran my tongue across my lips.
I didn’t know how to bring this up. If the Harmony Society left even the slightest trace, things would be easier. But there was nothing visible on the surface.
The sacred relic couldn’t be moved carelessly, nor could it be hidden. How could something that size be concealed? They said it was as large as the bell at Bosingak. I let out a sigh.
“I’ve ordered surveillance to be strengthened, and we’ve decided to investigate all Temple Affiliated Institutions. Something will turn up eventually. We have time.”
Unfortunately, that time didn’t exist. In four months, the Southern Region would become little more than ruins.
But there was no way I could tell Cherez any of this. A future that hadn’t arrived yet had become too burdensome to speak aloud.
I exhaled shortly.
Then something caught my eye between the folds of Cherez’s jacket. It seemed to have come from an inner pocket.
“Cherez, there. Something seems to be showing.”
Cherez lowered his head and muttered.
“It’s nothing.”
He quickly tried to put it back, but the moment his hand withdrew, it fell out with a soft sound.
My gaze followed it down.
What is that…?
“A gift from Hayden…?”
Cherez hastily shoved it back into his pocket. The tips of his ears had turned crimson.

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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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