That afternoon.

While everyone else was out doing their work, the three of them gathered in Laius’ office again, taking advantage of the quiet.

Arendt, who was staring blankly at Richt who had an uneasy expression, smiled and asked a question.

“It looks like there was something there?”

“…”

Silence was affirmation.

After a while, Richt let out a short sigh.

“It was already a famous story in the temple. They just kept it quiet so it wouldn’t spread outside.”

“There really was a problem?”

Richt nodded heavily at Laius’ confirmation question.

“They say that one of the priests suddenly disappeared. It seems that he was involved in something dangerous… perhaps this is what caused the two to quarrel.”

The situation was roughly like this:

The apprentice priests live in their respective temple dormitories and live together as a group, but one day, one of the apprentice priests disappeared without a word.

“It seems that his usual behavior was not that of a priest. For example, he was caught going to a gambling house several times.”

But the reason he wasn’t kicked out was because he continued his religious life quite faithfully, except for gambling.

Other than that, he was an exemplary person who did not cause any problems and worked hard in both volunteer work and study, so the priest in charge seemed to have treated him somewhat leniently.

“Other than that, there was definitely no problem, until he disappeared without any warning.”

The priest’s disappearance was a big problem. Given what had happened in the past, he might have been involved in something dangerous.

“They say that the police searched but found no trace of him.”

So the priest asked for help from his teacher, Priest Lumiel, one of the people in charge of the Great Temple.

And naturally, the news reached the ears of High Priest Theodore.

“But… the High Priest said that he should be excommunicated without even looking for him, while Priest Lumiel insisted that he should be found first, even if he would be punished later.”

“Aha, that exacerbated what was already a sensitive time.”

Arthur nodded.

Richt added a comment.

“To be honest, I understand what the High Priest said. A priest who frequents gambling dens… it is something that could tarnish the reputation of the temple.”

“Well, if it’s a gambling house, it might be involved in something dangerous. If that’s the case, the entire temple in the area could be embroiled in scandal.”

Arthur also matched the rhythm.

Little by little, the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

“I have one more thing to report. Priest Lumiel suggested asking the imperial family for help, but the High Priest was adamantly opposed to it.”

“Hmm…”

Laius let out a sigh.

To some extent, he could guess why the High Priest acted that way.

“He didn’t want the royal family to intervene.”

“But even so, isn’t that a bit too much? Someone is missing…”

“I don’t know if the priest left voluntarily or if something really happened, but I also have one question.”

Responding to Arthur’s words, Richt naturally turned his gaze towards Arendt.

“Why is this fact not known outside the temple yet? It could have been discovered so easily if only we had put our minds to it.”

Arendt met his eyes and shrugged.

“It’s easy. It’s possible because the timing and person are right.”

“They are right?”

“If Senior Arthur or Captain Laius had suddenly come and said the same thing, would Priest Benno have responded with a smile?”

Richt blinked blankly.

“Conversely, let’s think about what if Senior Richt had asked another priest the same question. Would we have gotten the answer we wanted?”

“That…”

“It was possible because devout senior Richt, who frequents the temple whenever he has time, went to talk to the gossipy Priest Benno. If that didn’t work, I would have tried another method.”

“…”

“If Priest Benno hadn’t been such a stubborn person, I wouldn’t have even thought of sending my senior in the first place. He has no sense, no flexibility, and he’s also really bad at acting.”

Before Richt could even feel resentful at the torrent of verbal abuse that poured out, Arendt was the first to change the subject.

“Anyway, it seems like we’ve gotten to the point where everything that’s important has been said, from the priest’s whereabouts to the gambling house.”

Arendt looked at Laius.

Laius could easily guess what he was going to say.

“We need to investigate the gambling dens in the area near the temple where the priest went missing.”

“The faster the better.”

“Now you are really blatantly manipulating the leader.”

Arthur let out a frustrated noise, but Laius himself nodded without paying any attention.

And exactly two days later.

A bundle of documents and a letter arrived for Cantares.

A satisfied smile appeared on Cantares’ lips as he checked the contents.

“Jen.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jereon, who was organizing other documents beside him, raised his head. Cantares gave a short order with a snicker.

“I need to send a letter. Secretly.”

“Okay, I understand. Who is the recipient?”

“Priest Lumiel.”

Jereon, who understood the entire situation with just that one word, also smiled and bowed his head.

The reply also came back quickly, less than a day later.

In this way, a private meeting between the Crown Prince and Priest Lumiel was arranged.

Tak.

The teacup made a small noise as it hit the saucer.

Priest Lumiel briefly savored the scent of the tea and then looked back at the young man in front of her.

He was by no means an easy opponent to deal with. He was the brightest star leading the empire and would soon become its master, so Priest Lumiel did her best to treat him with respect.

“Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“No. I appreciate your willingness to do this, even though you must be busy.”

Cantares also answered politely.

The refreshingly smiling face exuded confidence as a ruler without losing manners.

“Did you have a nice conversation with Arendt? He wasn’t being rude to you, was he?”

“He was a very interesting person. I enjoyed the conversation.”

She let out a small laugh.

Cantares also smiled quietly.

“That’s good. It seems he’s saving my face in a way that’s unusual for him. Well then, can we get straight to the point?”

At those subtle words, Priest Lumiel slowly closed and then opened her eyes.

The space she was invited to was the study that only the Crown Prince could use, and the only people there were the two of them and the Crown Prince’s confidant, Jereon.

It was obvious what the Crown Prince would say in such a secret setting. It was probably the suggestion made by the apprentice knight mentioned earlier.

She bowed her head and apologized.

“I apologize for asking such a rude favor, Your Highness.”

“No. I don’t think it’s time to talk about that yet, Priest Lumiel.”

Priest Lumiel, whose words had suddenly been cut off, blinked her eyes in puzzlement.

Jereon handed Cantares a folder.

Cantares asked the priest politely.

“First, I’d like you to listen to my story. Is that okay?”

“Yes? Yes. Of course. Of course.”

Even though she was confused, Priest Lumiel nodded her head.

“Last night, Captain Laius de Winfried was said to have caught the tail of a criminal group. The scale of their actions was so bad that even the security forces could hardly handle them.”

“…Is that so? That’s a big deal.”

Even though she still couldn’t grasp the context, Priest Lumiel continued to listen.

Cantares’ story continued.

“They keep their bases separate from the police and continue to operate. It’s a hideout for illegal mercenaries, and a playground for evil power brokers and the rich.”

“So that’s why the police can’t just mess with them.”

Priest Lumiel slowly nodded. It might be different for the Emperor’s direct knights stationed in the capital, but it was definitely too much for the police force to handle.

While talking like that, Priest Lumiel still had a calm expression, and Cantares observed her complexion and asked her a question.

“Do you know what their main source of income is?”

“Well.”

“It’s a large gambling house.”

The face of Priest Lumiel hardened.

Cantares tilted his head slightly.

“Coincidentally, there is a hideout near the temple where Priest Lumiel once served. Do you know anything about it?”

“…”

A disquieting light appeared on the priest’s once-benevolent face.

After a long pause, the priest opened her mouth.

“Was there a hideout?”

“It’s not surprising that you couldn’t find him. The place the missing priest Declan usually frequented was probably a small branch of the gambling house they were running.”

The moment the name Declan left the Crown Prince’s mouth, Priest Lumiel closed her eyes.

“That’s because places like that move their locations periodically to avoid detection. The police may have had higher-level information, but even if they did, they wouldn’t have informed the temple.”

Because the priests are not the ones who could handle it.

Priest Lumiel slowly raised her eyelids. The elder’s calm gaze turned to Cantares.

“First of all, would it be okay if I asked you the whole story?”

“It’s not that strange that this happened. Lord Arendt is too presumptuous to be called an errand boy or a messenger.”

“…”

“When the priest explained the situation with good words, that guy was thinking about this from the start.”

Cantares smiled bitterly as he looked at the priest who was blankly blinking, seemingly at a loss for words.

Three days.

It was only three days ago that she met and talked with Arendt.

She just assumed that he was thinking about the offer she made at that time, but she never imagined that he would make such moves behind the scenes.

What was meant to be hidden was easily exposed, just by involving one apprentice knight.

The priest, who had been mumbling quietly for a moment, soon let out a hollow laugh.

“It was my mistake. I think I took Arendt too lightly.”

“There’s nothing you could do. He’s beyond imagination.”

Cantares, who had given the priest a brief consolation, sat up straight.

“Now comes the main point, priest. Here is information about the organization that Priest Declan is involved with. This is what Director Laius collected after staying up all night for two days.”

“…”

“I could hand this over to Priest Lumiel right now, but I don’t want to. Priest Lumiel, this is beyond the temple’s ability to do anything about.”

Cantares waved the documents in his hand as if showing off.

Priest Lumiel responded calmly.

“If I look for a method, one will appear.”

“As you know, I am a believer and I do not disparage the temple, but sometimes force is more necessary.”

That was absolutely correct.

Priest Lumiel did not answer. The Crown Prince, who had been staring blankly at the old priest, began to speak again.

“I will mobilize the Imperial Knights to find that priest.”

“…Yes?”

At the words that came out of his mouth, the eyes of Priest Lumiel opened wide.

Moving the Imperial Knights?

Just because one priest disappeared?