CH 20

“I can’t believe you know that kind of information. I think you should be the Information Guild Master, not me.”

“……”

“Very well. As you say, we’re trying to make contact with the temple now, as they’re also a treasure trove of information.”

The man spoke calmly and fiddled with the paper. The younger man frowned slightly and smiled wryly at the absurdity of it all.

‘I deliberately wrote with my left hand so that you wouldn’t be able to recognize my handwriting,’ Livia thought with satisfaction.

If he was a master of the Rune Information Guild, he should be able to find people by their handwriting alone. 

“But what’s in it for you, then? You don’t seem to want money, and are you really trying to make a donation, or…….” His voice trailed off, and he smiled meaningfully. “Has this family committed a mortal sin against you?” 

Livia looked at him with a calm gaze. 

The paper in his hand contained the details of the Akavan’s distribution and the information of the family that smuggled it. She had only learnt of the family that smuggled the Akavan when she regained her memories of the original.

She needed to figure out where the present time was, and naturally noticed that the attempted poisoning of the emperor took place around this time. 

The investigation is supposed to be led by Eden Aquilium, the Captain of the First Order of the Holy Knights, the paladins of the empire and a second male lead. He would live up to his reputation as the Sword of the Temple, catching the culprit exactly one year later. 

At the same time, Eden Aquilium and the Temple gain recognition and are revered by the people.

However, what appears to be a simple case of Eden Aquilium and the Temple coming to the rescue actually holds an enormous secret. 

That is: the Temple was responsible for the poisoning.

The Empire was once held tightly by the priesthood, but the balance of power has been tipping for generations. While the Temple is still powerful, it was clear that power would eventually shift to the emperor. 

That doesn’t mean the Temple actually tried to poison the emperor. 

They were just using the power of the saint to emphasize their own importance and to force the imperial family into debt.

‘Though in truth, the family was used.’ 

They may have smuggled the Akavan on the Temple’s orders, but they had no idea it would be used to poison the emperor.

That’s how the Temple engineered the whole thing in the first place. In short, the family is the Temple’s tail. And a very tiny one at that. 

Livia was just trying to speed up the process.

Well.

‘It is a bit radical.’

Livia mentally shook off any doubts. She really was only trying to speed it up.

It was going to happen anyway, even with or without her. By the god they believe in so much.

And now they’d be looking for her, the informant.

She looked at the man before her.

The master of the Rune Information Guild, the best guild in the Empire. 

‘You’ll make an excellent shield.’

The anonymity of the informant is the first priority of the Information Guild. 

That’s right. Who would buy or sell information without anonymity? Information is the only thing more dangerous than force.

“Haha…….” 

As if reading her thoughts, the man let out an absurd laugh.

“I think I might be possessed.”

Pretending she hadn’t heard his muttering, Livia stood up. 

“I’d like you to pass on that information as soon as possible. Perhaps you can get in touch with the person directly.”

And even if he couldn’t, the search would begin tomorrow.

“Of course. But as it is, I feel we’re being a bit unfair, so instead of accepting your offer, I have a condition.”

Livia looked down at the man with emotionless eyes. 

“Don’t look at me like that – I’m hurt,” he said, sounding a little wounded. 

Livia was soft hearted, but not soft enough to believe she had hurt his feelings.

He smirked. 

‘You don’t even show your face.’

Besides, the master of the Rune Information Guild, a man whose feelings get hurt with a look? A passing dog would laugh.

Livia knew full well how this guild had come to be.

If everyone got to know the explicit details of that process, <Everyone Loves the Saint> would be an R-19 novel instead one for readers of all ages.

“Here’s the deal: once a month from now on, you meet with me.”

Livia let out a small laugh at the man’s words.

“Meeting the master of the Rune Information Guild in person? Isn’t that too good for me?” 

Even the Emperor had to work pretty hard to get this guy to show up. 

If it weren’t for the original information that the Information Guild only accepts requests on the third Wednesday of every month, she wouldn’t have met him either.

The man brightened at her words. 

“Will you accept it then?” 

“No,” Livia answered unquestionably.

The man’s expression turned sullen at her firm refusal, like someone who had just been turned down for a marriage proposal. 

‘I can’t even see his face, but I can tell what he’s thinking.’

That’s why it is even more dangerous. When you put yourself out there, it shows that you’re confident. 

“Like you said, it doesn’t sound like a bad deal, so why are you turning it down?” 

“Because I don’t like constraints.” 

“Constraints. All I ask is that you meet with me once a month, and it doesn’t have to be for an information deal. We can have tea, or we can play chess.”

“Well, you’re saying I have to see you once a month anyway, so why would I make a commitment when I don’t know what’s in it for me?”

“Geez…… I’m pretty popular after all these years.” He lowered his eyes surreptitiously. 

Livia looked at such a man with indifference. 

But…….

She thought about the man’s proposal again.

The suggestion of having to meet him once a month could be a constraint, so she declined. 

‘He is the master of the Rune Information Guild. If I can make a connection, it might come in handy later.’

Livia continued to mull it over. The man seemed to know what she was thinking and gave her a moment of silence. 

Soon her lips slowly parted.

“How about this?” 

“You name your conditions.”

“Let’s make a bet.”

“You mean ……..a bet?” 

The man’s eyes lit up in surprise at the word “bet”. 

Livia nodded calmly.

Initially, she couldn’t think of any way to get the upper hand on this guy. Even if he came to her as unguarded as he did today, she’d have to give him more than she wanted.

He’d figure out that she was the one who’s desperate in the end.  

In other words, in the form of a bet, she was making sure she had the upper hand. 

Of course…….

She did have to win. It was a gamble, with a high probability of losing. 

“Hmm, a bet. Sounds fun……..”  The chuckling man paused, studying her mood. “It’s also a bit of a hassle. If it’s a bet, there should be a prize, right?” 

“The information you want most.” 

At that moment, the temperature around them dropped a little. The man who had been smiling the whole time stared at her with eyes that seemed to hold a knife.

Suddenly, his lips twisted. 

“The information I want most. You do realize that I am the Master of the Information Guild, don’t you? What information do you think I don’t know?” 

His tone was still light, but his voice was icy cold.

“I wonder.” 

“……..Are you kidding me?” 

Livia knew why he was being so sensitive.

It was part of his nature. This was the only way to deal with him.

“So, are you going to take me up on my bet? If you think it’s bullshit, you can either accept it or we can be done here,” Livia enquired in a stern tone.

But she had no intention of stalling any longer.

He smirked, then, leaning his upper body back, he crossed his arms and asked, “Okay. I’m really curious to know what you know. And if you win, what’s in it for you?” 

“That’s…….”

She lifted her gaze and locked eyes with his green ones. Then she smiled softly. 

“I’ll tell you when I win, because whatever I tell you won’t be worth more than ‘that information’ to you.” 

” ……What’s the bet?”

“A wager.”

“A wager?” 

Livia nodded. 

“Three months from now. You try to find me. And I’ll try to find you. Whoever does it first wins.” 

“Haha, that’s fun, a game of tag.” He laughed out loud, sounding genuinely amused.

Livia stared at the man in silence.

“Very well, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“But,” she added, “You can’t put someone on my back – that’s cheating.”

The man nodded in agreement. Then he straightened his shoulders and said., “But isn’t that a little unfair? Because you seem to know me quite well……”

He ran his fingertips over the damp surface of his teacup and grinned.

“I don’t know anything about you.”

“That’s only fair. I’m a commoner and you’re a Master of the Information Guild.” 

Livia clicked her tongue inwardly as she replied firmly. 

She didn’t like the fact that he was trying to take advantage of her in any way possible.

When his moves didn’t work, the man shrugged as if he had no choice. 

“Okay, then we’ll come up with a password.”

She wondered what would be good. 

He rubbed his chin and pondered, then slammed his fist into his palm as if he had an idea.