Unbeknownst to Me, I am Secretly Dating the Emperor - Chapter 122

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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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Episode 122
After Kyle came Ibeta.
I explained the situation to her in broad strokes.
“So I’d like you to check if there’s anyone suspicious among them, Ibeta.”
Yudaph had leaked even this meager information to sow confusion in the Imperial Palace.
Since we couldn’t afford to deal a serious blow to the Temple, the information Yudaph had passed along was likely true, but it wasn’t the carefully prepared gambit of the Vice High Priest.
‘They must have investigated how the people from the Poorhouse sold to the Blue Hawk survived.’
If anyone among the Poorhouse people was connected to the Temple, the Blue Hawk couldn’t have missed it.
Besides, the Temple hadn’t had enough time to meticulously erase their past.
‘Though I did volunteer to go in person to set my mind at ease.’
Realistically, the probability that the Vice High Priest’s close associates—those who could help uncover identities since I possessed certain information—had infiltrated was low.
So I was forming a hypothesis: if there was a Temple spy among the Poorhouse people, they might not have been subjected to Brainwashing Magic.
The Vice High Priest’s Brainwashing Magic could reduce someone to a complete loss of reason, turning them into a machine that merely executed commands, but it could also be used to place prohibitions—preventing certain actions or compelling them.
‘The Vice High Priest mistrusts humans so thoroughly that he wouldn’t be the type to rely on mere bribery or threats.’
Ibeta’s Sacred Power specialized in Healing Power.
It would be effective at detecting Abnormal Conditions as well.
Even if she couldn’t undo the Brainwashing Magic itself, if we identified who the spy was, we could at least isolate them until the Vice High Priest died.
Of course, assuming they’d been coerced against their will.
‘I’m sorry to make her suspect friends and siblings she grew up with.’
The sooner we excised the rot, the better.
Ibeta’s expression darkened as she listened to my explanation.
“If it’s too much of a burden for you, someone else can go instead.”
It would be less efficient than having the Saint accompany us, but there were Artifacts for determining Abnormal Conditions.
Kyle would provide one if I asked.
But Ibeta shook her head.
“No. I’m coming with you.”
Ibeta added with a blurred smile.
“If I can’t find the spy the Temple has hidden, the other children living with us will be in danger.”
The people from the Poorhouse whom the Blue Hawk had recruited were divided by their shared years together and housed in different Safe Houses, with each group in separate locations.
A spy could report the Safe House locations to the Temple, or use the other residents as hostages to coerce Ibeta.
“And if the Temple forced them to do this against their will, I need to save them too.”
Ibeta had steeled her own resolve.
After our conversation in Ibeta’s room, I prepared to leave, and that’s when I ran into Bes.
“Where are you going?”
Bes puffed out her lips, thinking Ibeta and I were going out to have fun without her.
When I explained it wasn’t about having fun, her expression fell just as quickly.
“Then I want to come too!”
Instead, she cried out to come along, didn’t wait for a reply, and dashed into her room saying she’d prepare to leave.
Ibeta and I locked eyes and laughed softly in unison.
“Looks like she’s coming with us.”
“Guess so.”
Still, Bes’s presence had eased much of our tension.
We decided to visit the place where the oldest people had gathered first.
‘Though “oldest” really just meant a few years older than Ibeta.’
If the Temple had planted a spy, the oldest group had the highest probability.
‘After that, there are about twenty people between sixteen and eighteen, similar in age to Ibeta, and another twenty or so between thirteen and eleven, similar to Nancy.’
I gave Ibeta a heads-up just before we descended from the carriage at the first Safe House.
“I heard the Temple collects Ancient Magic. They justify it as research into the Ancient Language, but there are rumors that some of these practices are questionable.”
Black Magic was a concept that emerged after Ancient Magic declined.
But Ancient Magic itself contained some spells similar to what survives as Black Magic today—ones that could be used with harmful intent.
‘Like the Brainwashing Magic the Vice High Priest uses.’
“If the Temple planted a spy, they might have used such magic as a safeguard. Please focus on checking for that specifically, Ibeta.”
“Yes.”
Ibeta nodded firmly, clenching her fists.
“Want to practice once?”
Detecting an Abnormal Condition required handling Sacred Power more delicately than simply unleashing Healing Power.
From what I’d observed, the Divine Power class was making decent progress, but practical training was still lacking.
I extended my hand toward Ibeta.
Ibeta, who’d tilted her head in confusion, took my hand and her eyes widened as she activated her Sacred Power.
She must have sensed the Mana Oath we’d sworn when joining the Blue Hawk.
The Mana Oath was a form of prohibition too.
“This isn’t… dangerous, is it?”
Ibeta asked with worried eyes.
“It just forces silence if you try to reveal secrets. Since the other party to the contract learns that you attempted to break it, the price is paid afterward.”
Hearing that it was merely difficult to undo but not severely restrictive, Ibeta relaxed.
After practicing on Bes, who was also a Blue Hawk member, we headed toward the Safe House.
The moment we stepped through the entrance, Ibeta spread her Sacred Power wide to scan, then turned back to me and gestured with her eyes.
There was nothing suspicious.
‘So with her abundance of Sacred Power, she can even do Wide-area Detection like this.’
Truly the way of a Saint blessed by the divine.
Ibeta’s expression grew noticeably lighter.
Hearing the door open, people poured out from inside.
“Ibeta!”
“Hey, you should call her the Saint.”
“Your Holiness, how long it’s been.”
They were several years older than Ibeta—people who remembered her as a baby.
After being sold away, they’d suffered greatly; even dressed in fine clothes now, the marks of hardship remained like scars upon them.
Yet their expressions were bright.
Unexpected fortune had touched their lives.
Bes and I observed their demeanor from a little distance away.
Ibeta, delighted to see her older companions after so long, was beaming widely.
News of finding the former Poorhouse children had been shared sporadically, but meeting them in person was a first.
Before long, we’d moved into a spacious Dining Room and were cheerfully exchanging childhood stories.
Given the Vice High Priest’s nature, they must have grown up in hardship just as much, yet all of them glowed as though recalling yearned-for memories.
Fortunately, no one seemed suspicious.
Everyone was kind to Ibeta and merely marveled at her as a grown woman.
“You used to be this small.”
A woman with brown hair brought her hand to about her calf, laughing.
“That’s not right, I’ve grown taller!”
Ibeta, flustered by the teasing, trembled with indignation.
The Dining Room filled with laughter.
Bes and I waited, giving Ibeta plenty of time with her long-lost acquaintances.
By the time we left the first Safe House, the sun was already setting.
“The next Safe House would take an hour by carriage, and considering travel back, should we go in the morning?”
Visiting only one place a day like this would take four or five days just to check them all, but I wanted the reunion to remain a cherished memory for Ibeta.
“That sounds good.”
Ibeta, her cheeks still slightly flushed, agreed with my suggestion, saying we should leave early tomorrow morning.
Buoyant with excitement, Ibeta was reluctant to return to the Imperial Palace.
“There’s a Tea House near here with amazing Earl Grey Cake. Should we stop there before heading back? All the other cakes are delicious too.”
Bes, who’d waited patiently for Ibeta, also didn’t want to return as is and made the suggestion.
“Sounds perfect!”
We headed to the Tea House Bes had mentioned.
The knights accompanying us, concerned about security, rented the entire second floor.
With a generous tip and ordering “everything from here to here” on the menu, the Tea House owner became even more attentive.
Just as Bes had said, the desserts were truly excellent.
As we were busily eating cake, another carriage pulled up right in front of the Tea House.
Then a woman—her face pale and ashen, supported by attendants—entered the Tea House.
“Wait, isn’t that Princess Bellot?”
Bes murmured upon seeing the woman.
“What’s wrong with her?”
The Princess looked so frail she might collapse at any moment.

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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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