Chapter 17

“Pwuh—”

She raised her head out of the water and swam in the direction of the flask of fragrant oil.

Ah, whatever. We’re gonna go our separate ways once he’s healed anyway, so let’s not bother too much.’ Kynemeia shook her head.

‘He said the injury can’t be healed, but just in case, it’d be better to call over a priest to check on it.’

Eian did say that time is medicine, but a solution might actually turn up if divine power was involved.

She’d finished washing up and was about to summon a priest when the maid Shane came to inform her of a guest’s visit.

“Oh!”

An old man with a greyed beard recognized Kynemeia as he approached her.

“Hoho, Lady. You’ve grown so much.”

Huh!

“Priest Andrea?”

“Greetings to the wings of Lyonne. Lady Kynemeia, it’s been a while.”

‘Priest. Speak of the devil!’ Kynemeia smiled slightly and skipped towards him.

“Long time no see, Priest. Have you been well?”

“I’ve just been grateful for the days that God has bestowed upon me. Lady, you seem to be getting even prettier.”

“Thank you.”

“As expected, just like your father, your beautiful… Uh… Beautiful…”

Andrea’s words petered out as he bit back his words. Kynemeia’s dad, Troy Lyonne, had conquered high society with his beauty and later died from a thrust of a knife during a fight of blind love.

“…”

“…”

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. Andrea drew a cross and offered a prayer for the deceased.

“Lady, I’m sure the previous Grand Duke has gone to a better place.”

‘Really…? Can he go to a better place even though he was the centre of a fight of blind love and got stabbed?’ But Kynemeia couldn’t give voice to the question that was on the tip of her tongue.

Let’s just believe it to be so.

“But, Priest, what brings you here?”

“Ah… That…”

As he slurred his words, she beckoned Shane who was watching them nearby.

“Ah, Shane. Prepare some refreshments in the parlour.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“Priest, please come this way.”

Andrea let out a hoho as he followed her.

“Pardon?! Ah—Hot!”

Hearing the news which was like a bolt out of the blue, Kynemeia burnt her tongue as she sipped on the hot tea then stuck out her stinging tongue.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. But what did you say just now? You’re retiring from the clergy?”

“I have gotten much older, after all. Since divine power is much like water in a bowl, someone of my age would have depleted every drop.”

“Ah…”

How sudden… Her eyes trembled. Having to see the priest who had been working for so long retire was indeed a pity, but truthfully, there was another reason why she was so stunned that she burned her tongue.

“Uhh… If you leave, Priest, when will another priest come to our temple?”

“Ah… Uhm…”

His expression crumpled into dismay.

‘I can tell just from that face!’

No one was coming. His was an expression that said there was a 99.98% chance of them coming. But this was simply the start; the priest suddenly dropped an even bigger bomb.

“I can’t say this with certainty, but…”

No way… She tried to erase the hopeless imagination from her mind, but the truth was much worse than she’d imagined.

“I’ve heard that the main temple is planning to shut down the temple in the Grand Duchy…”

“That means…!”

“Yes… I think the Church Order is thinking of pulling out from the Grand Duchy…”

Andrea stroked his beard, reflecting on their shamelessness.

‘But why!’

As Kynemeia turned stone-still like she just got knocked on the head, Andrea patted her head asking her if she was okay.

“…I’m… Not okay…”

I’m not fine! There’s no way I can be fine!’

“Hohoho…”

The man laughed awkwardly.

‘They’re suddenly pulling out?’

The Grand Duchy wasn’t even a territory that lacked money… She fiddled with the teacup as she cudgelled her brains. All of a sudden? Shutting it down abruptly like this? There must be a reason. After all, Lyonne pays the temple handsomely for the priests’ dispatch.’

“Priest. You know, about that temple shutdown…”

“Yes.”

“Could it be caused by Duke Rosaline?”

Andrea’s eyes darted left and right when she brought up Duke Rosaline.

“That, I’m not quite… Cough, cough! My throat feels dry… Cough!”

He gulped down the hot tea then started to heal his throat with divine power. She studied the spectacle before her with dim eyes. ‘It must be because he’s a priest that he’s not good at lying

Duke Rosaline was the most eminent of all the investors; he contributed the most to the temple. And as for his identity…

‘The father of Faery Rosaline, who yearned for Dad so much she broke her marriage!’

Faery Rosaline did not only bring dishonour to her house, but she also poured a plentiful amount into the investment project Troy Lyonne had proposed—an amount which vanished into thin air with his death…

I’m sure he despises even the sight of Lyonne now.

If he declared to the temple I’ll cease all contributions if you work with Lyonne’, then the temple would have no choice but to accept it.

Honestly, it wasn’t like Kynemeia couldn’t understand the Duke’s feelings. She did, but… If they suddenly stopped cooperating so spitefully, then who would heal the people of the Grand Duchy?!

The West Continent did not have well-developed medical practices owing to the existence of divine power; they had neither a clinic nor the means to diagnose an illness, nor did they know which medicine was best suited for which injury.

‘Then our fief will now… ‘Her face turned pale envisioning the terrible future that lay ahead.

“Hoho, my Lady. Please don’t grieve too much. I’m sure the Great God will lend a hand.”

As Andrea spoke words of comfort that didn’t feel reassuring at all, she stared at him vacantly. The priest then cleared his throat and looked away.

*

*

*

‘How could this be…

After she saw Andrea off, she sank down onto the sofa in the parlour. She was really hard on poor Andrea even though he had been defending the Grand Duchy until now. He must’ve protected the Grand Duchy even under Duke Rosaline’s threats because of the affection he’d fostered over the many years with Lyonne.

Hnng.

The tearful girl curled up on the sofa.

“Young Lady, are you okay?”

Shane asked with a gentle voice, but Kynemeia was too busy holding her tears back to reply.

‘Isn’t this a big problem?’

The poor inhabitants might not be able to leave the fief, but the rich ones could. Regardless of whether it’s the previous life or the current one, nothing is impossible when one possesses money. If so, would those people remain in the fief where there was no temple they could receive treatment from?

Of course, they would leave. And if that happens, then…

‘Lyonne will be empty…!’

Furthermore, when the rich tenants leave, the impoverished ones would Kynemeia trembled and hugged her knees.

‘I need a solution…!!

The first thing she thought of was engaging in a donation war with the Duke. Simply put, the plan would be to pour donations into the Church Order as if she was in an auction along with him until one of them gets tired and drops out!

‘Umm…!’

If she used the money her dad left behind and the tax from the fief, as

not be able to endure the complications that came with diseases. A vision of the tenants appeared in her mind’s eye.

‘Who’s to blame for the closure of the temple?!’

‘It’s because of that Evil Lady of Lyonne!’

‘Hang the Evil Lady of Lyonne!’

Guillotine!’

SLICE

A bitter ending well as the profits coming gradually from Behemoth… The scale in her mind started moving.

‘No matter how I look at it, it’s a crazy chicken game’, though…?’

Two of the empire’s grand nobles stuffing the Church Order exclusively.

‘It’s not feasible.’

She didn’t want to lay down a bed of roses for the people who were embodiments of mammonism; people who would neglect the ailing due to the sway of money and didn’t have

Chicken game theory: While the outcome is ideal for one player to yield, the individuals try to avoid it out of pride for not wanting to look like a ‘chicken’ even an ounce of mercy. Then the second solution would be to find a new blue ocean in place of divine power.

Speaking of a blue ocean…

“Someone who’s capable of healing.’

Kynemeia suddenly remembered the name of one Munchkin who would be a perfect fit.