Chapter 76

“Berg Cichen.”

At Adelia’s call, Berg turned his head and looked at Adelia moving. After a while, he thought that the cause of this situation was Adelia, and asked in a sharp tone.

“What kind of sorcery are you doing?”

“Sorcery?” 

Adelia shook her head with a fake smile.

“What do you mean sorcery? You think you can stop time with nothing but sorcery.”

“I can’t believe you stopped time….”

Berg’s face was stained with shock. He looked around again, turning his eyes around in disbelief.

It was a familiar response for Adelia.

“Think about it. Whose power is time?”

At the relaxed voice of Adelia, Berg muttered unknowingly.

“Time is… Vishna’s power… Wait a minute!”

Berg’s fierce gaze turned to Adelia.

“Who are you?”

Adelia responded with a strange smile to the wary question. Berg frowned when she couldn’t get an answer from Adelia.

“Bishop Berg. You still don’t know?” asked Eustaf, who had been silent.

Berg’s fierce gaze shifted to Eustaf.

“No way… is this woman the real….?”

Eustaf did not give a clear answer as Adelia did. They just gave him time to realize it himself. As time went by, Berg’s expression grew more and more serious.

Actually, Berg also had doubts about the saint. Her divine power was great, but in the end, the miracle she showed was just an explosive elicitation of that great divine power.

Since he was a child, he has thought about what a saint is and what the true power of a saint is. But Hestine Valkyr was nothing short of normal.

Hestine Valkyr. The Saint behind the Duke of Valkyr. The Saint that Berg imagined was not that kind of woman.

Yeah, the saint I was thinking of….

Berg looked around once again.

Life and death, and time.

It was a power controlled by Vishna.

Berg, who had been tight-lipped for a long time, moved his lips slowly.

“Are you… the true representative of God?”

Adelia’s eyes curved softly.

“You just have to judge what you see.”

It was a vague answer, but it was enough for Berg.

Judge what you see. 

In his eyes, the one in front of him appeared to be the true representative of God.

Berg immediately got up. There was no aggression in his actions. So, despite his sudden movement, Ivan did not swing his sword.

He knelt before Adelia. An unquestionable attitude of obedience. Adelia’s eyes shook for a moment, but she soon regained her composure.

I didn’t expect you to kneel down. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, as bringing him by my side is nothing short of a success.

But I still have to make sure.

Adelia squinted her eyes and asked Bishop Berg a question.

“But I have one question.”

“Ask me anything.”

“Is Bishop Berg involved in Hestine becoming a saint?”

“Not at all.”

Berg answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Can I trust that there’s no lie in that answer?”

“Of course. I can swear on all my sacred powers.”

The doubts deeply embedded in Adelia’s mind vanished at the words of betting his divine power. For priests, divine power was like vitality. So, risking divine power was like a life-threatening oath.

“Okay, I’ll trust you.”

Berg’s countenance soon brightened with Adelia’s acceptance.

“However, I belong to… No, among the bishops of the faction to which I belonged, there are some who were suspicious.”

“If it looks suspicious….”

“Yes. They looked like they wanted the Valkyr to be a saint.”

A Saint is someone that humans dare not decide.

Berg belatedly realized his stupidity.

Yes, I should have suspected it from the beginning. Why am I realizing it just now? There was something strange about their behavior.

However, what he has not noticed so far is that his mind has been concentrated in one place.

Berg looked at Eustaf.

Facing the sudden gaze, Eustaf did not panic. Instead, they just looked at each other face to face.

“Tsk.”

“…just in case, we’re in the same boat now. So please refrain from unnecessary checks.”

At Adelia’s words, Berg rose and spoke.

“I’m not going to do anything stupid anymore either.”

Berg took a deep breath. As if making a big decision. He bent down at once.

Not to Adelia, but to Eustaf. Eustaf’s eyes opened wide. He didn’t seem to have expected this behavior of Berg either.

“Bishop Berg…?”

“I’m sorry, Cardinal.”

A stiff voice delivered an apology. Adelia saw Berg’s expression through his disheveled blue hair.

A slightly angry expression. Adelia swallowed a smile inside.

I think they still have a long way to go.

But it was never a bad situation. It was because of Vishna that he bowed his head like this and so is his pride. His faith in Vishna was proven.

“Bishop Berg.”

“Yes, saint.”

“I’ll give you one mission.”

“Please tell me.”

Adelia had a fuzzy smile around her mouth.

“Please act as a spy.”

Berg’s face became tense at the word spy. He asked back in a surprised voice.

“Spy?”

“Yes, Bishop Berg, please approach the Duke of Valkyr and see if there is anything suspicious.”

Adelia’s hunch was shouting. The Duke of Valkyr is hiding something.

“I’ll be sure to bring you meaningful information.”

As soon as Berg swore and put his right hand over his heart, a pattern shone on the back of his hand.

Adelia, Eustaf, and Ivan noticed the pattern at once. The same pattern as the one carved on Adelia’s clavicle.

The true symbol of Vishna.

“This is…”

Eustaf stared at the back of Berg’s hand with a look of disbelief. 

“What is that?”

Eustaf carefully answered Ivan’s question.

“Maybe it’s an imprint.”

“… imprint?”

A mixture of surprise and joy came to Berg’s eyes. 

“I have heard of it. It is said that the pattern of God is imprinted on a prophet who has been called by God….” 

“To be more precise, imprinting is a kind of contract.”

After the words of Berg, Eustaf continued his explanation with a serious face.

“Contract?”

“Yes, in this case, the owner of the imprint is Adelia, and the person who is subordinate to the imprint is… You could view it as Bishop Berg. The subordinate must follow his master.”

Astonishment spread across Adelia’s face at Eustaf’s explanation.

Absolute subordination and loyalty

Isn’t it like a relationship between a hound and its owner?

“It’s an honor, Saint.”

Berg’s face was full of joy, perhaps it was not empty words.

“I can’t believe I became your first servant. It’s an honor.”

Eustaf refuted Berg’s remarks.

“It’s a useless order.”

One of Berg’s eyebrows raised, perhaps not liking what Eustaf said.

“I guess the cardinal did not get imprinted.”

Sadly, Eustaf was unable to refute anything.

“Stop playing childish ranking battles.”

Adelia nodded in affirmation at Ivan’s voice.

“Now that we’re done talking, let’s go back in time.”

Adelia put her hand on her chest, feeling a lot heavier than before.

“Oh, that’s right, Bishop Berg. It’s not yet known to the outside that I am Saint, so please be careful with the title.”

“Of course.”

Adelia turned back time immediately after hearing Berg’s answer.

“Achoo! Oh, I’m sorry. For some reason, my nose is itchy…”

Melinda sighed softly at Zen’s sneeze.

Adelia could see that time had returned safely to its original flow.

I’m so tired.

More fatigue came than deciphering the Bible.

Ivan, who noticed Adelia’s exhaustion, said with a short tongue clicked.

“It’s getting late. I want the uninvited guests to disappear from my mansion.”

At Ivan’s words, Berg and Eustaf nodded mildly. The knights escorting Adelia opened their eyes wide at the sudden change of attitude and quizzed among themselves.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

“Whatever. They’re leaving by themselves.”

“Well, our mission is to be her escort.”

Other guards nodded at Melinda’s words.

“I’m leaving now. And I’m sorry I came suddenly without your permission.”

Eustaf politely bent over and apologized to those who blocked him. The employees nodded awkwardly at the friendly apology of the cardinal. Two men in white left and Adelia headed straight to the bedroom.

Ivan followed her.

Adelia approached the bedroom and apologized to Ivan.

“Sorry, I don’t think I can read with you today.”

Ivan asked in a worried voice.

“Are you tired?”

“…well, a lot of things happened today.”

“Did you use too much energy?”

“Yes. That seems to be the case.”

Ivan sighed at Adelia’s honest answer and approached Adelia. He said, embracing Adelia’s waist gently.

“I hope you don’t overdo it.”

Adelia smiled quietly and pushed him away. Ivan looked disappointed, leaving a short good night kiss on Adelia’s forehead.

“Take it easy. It’s enough to have complicated thoughts when you’re awake.”

“Thank you, really.”

Adelia was truly grateful to Ivan. If he hadn’t been around like this, she might have gotten tired quickly and never stood up again.

Is this love?

Adelia hurried into the bedroom, leaving behind her question and jumped right into the fluffy bed.

Her tired body fell asleep as soon as she lay down.