Chapter 210

While walking inside the temple following the Priest of Time, Yoon Yeon whispered to me.

“Hey, by any chance, are you personally close with the Priest of Time?”

“Close? What do you mean?”

“She’s oddly friendly towards you. I thought it was just during the training facility, but this time, what’s going on?”

‘Damn it, I don’t know either.’

As if I would know why she’s being friendly towards me. But…

‘It must be related to the higher-ups in some way.’

The problem was that Yoon Yeon asked me quietly with a suspicious look on her face.

“You… don’t tell me you have something going on with that woman?”

“…What are you even talking about? Did you eat rat poison or something, Yeon noona?”

It was the first time I saw that woman during the training facility, and this is only the second time.

“Hmm… It’s strange. Something’s off…”

While Yoon Yeon and I were whispering, the Priest of Time spoke up.

“You’ve gained quite a reputation in less than two years.”

“…Ah.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve heard about your exploits related to the Eternity Clan and Lee Yun-seong in the Holy Kingdom as well.”

“Ah, is that so? I’m embarrassed. It’s not really something worth calling exploits, haha…”

Honestly, talking to this woman itself was uncomfortable for me.

‘Wave of emotions.’

It was because of her unique trait—constantly sensing the emotions of those around her.

“You’re humble. No one else could have achieved the same in less than two years.”

“…Thank you for saying that.”

“By the way, I heard that you came to the Holy Kingdom for business, Lee Yun-seong-nim.”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

“…Is it to meet Aitas-nim?”

At her words, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks.

“…How did you know?”

As I stopped and asked, she also stopped and turned her head towards me.

Even though she was blindfolded, it felt like she was looking straight at me.

“…Who knows?”

‘Again…’

The same answer as during the training facility. Her vague response annoyed me.

“…Hah, you’re giving the same kind of answer as before.”

Without realizing it, my voice carried irritation.

The group was looking back and forth between me and the Saintess, wondering what was going on.

“…I apologize if my answer displeased you. It’s just a difficult question to answer.”

“…..”

“Aitas-nim will answer the question you asked, Lee Yun-seong-nim. Please, let go of your anger.”

Since she was the one bowing first, it seemed necessary for me to change my attitude as well.

“…No, it’s fine. I apologize for speaking with irritation.”

‘Right, that means she’ll let me meet him, right?’

“Thank you for understanding. Please follow me for now. I’ll guide you to the accommodations where you’ll be staying.”

The accommodations provided by the Priest of Time weren’t luxurious, but each person had their own room, and it was more than sufficient.

“Though it’s humble, I hope you can rest comfortably. Take today to unwind from your fatigue. I’ll visit again tomorrow.”

“Humble? Not at all. I’m just grateful.”

Right after the Priest of Time left, Yoon Yeon spoke up.

“This is weird. She’s being unusually submissive.”

She stared at me intently, as if she thought I knew something.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. It really seems like there’s something between you two.”

“What could there possibly be? I don’t know why she’s acting like that either.”

“…By any chance.”

I sighed internally. She was probably going to make some weird assumption again.

“Does that woman have feelings for you?”

“…How on earth did you come to that conclusion?”

“There’s no other explanation. You said you’re not close with her, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

‘It didn’t feel like that.’

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t get that vibe from the Priest of Time. Yoon Yeon was probably just mistaken.

Honestly, I think I know why the Priest of Time is being so considerate, even if not to the point of being submissive.

‘It’s just a guess, but unlike other gods, Aitas doesn’t want to be on bad terms with us.’

When you think about it, both me and the gods above share a common goal.

Putting aside the minor details, the top priority is making Yoo Ju a Transcendent Being to protect the continent.

Of course, Yoo Ju isn’t the only one who could become a Transcendent, but currently, as a Returner, she has the most potential.

And the only person who can fully control Yoo Ju on this continent is me.

‘Given the situation so far, it’s highly likely that Aitas will cooperate with me.’

While my value in terms of military power isn’t significant, the fact that I can control Yoo Ju skyrockets my worth.

‘If I were to die, Yoo Ju would lose her will.’

It’s not that Yoo Ju has a weak will.

Of course, as a Returner, she’s been through many events, and those trials must have strengthened her spirit.

But no matter how strong someone’s mental fortitude is, there’s always a weakness that can make their will falter.

It’s just that for Yoo Ju, that weakness is me.

“…Anyway, stop talking nonsense. Why would the Priest of Time have such feelings? This is only the second time I’ve met her.”

“Well… true. Honestly, it didn’t seem like that to me either.”

“Then why did you say that?”

“I was just testing you. I thought there might be something between you two that I didn’t know about.”

I was speechless at her saying she was just testing me.

“Since when did Yeon noona care about stuff like that?”

“……”

‘What?’

Yoon Yeon suddenly fell silent, and I couldn’t help but feel awkward.

‘Did I say something wrong?’





“Did you do it?”

Although it didn’t show on her face, Yoon Yeon’s mood seemed off, so I quickly continued speaking.

“Uh, what I mean is, it’s not what you’re thinking, Yeon noona.”

“…Ha.”

‘F*ck.’

Yoon Yeon’s sigh gave me an instinctive feeling that something was messed up.

“…I thought we were pretty close, but I guess not?”

“No, of course we’re close. Why would you say that…”

“Then.”

Snap—

“Don’t ever draw a line like that with me again. Got it?”

As Yoon Yeon grabbed my collar and spat those words, I unconsciously swallowed my saliva.

“Clan Master of Eternity Clan! What are you…!”

Wi Ho-yeon, who was beside us, tried to step in, so I had to stop her quickly.

“Ho-yeon, wait. It’s fine.”

“But…”

I strongly felt that Wi Ho-yeon shouldn’t intervene in this situation.

Yoon Yeon was still holding my collar, staring into my eyes.

“…Yeon noona, I’m sorry. I think I misspoke.”

“……”

“I mean it, seriously.”

“Sigh…”

Yoon Yeon, who had been staring at me, finally let out a sigh and released my collar.

‘…That scared me.’

…I guess I should watch my mouth from now on.

******

Clearly, there were four of us, and we each had our own rooms.

The problem was that two of them were my escorts. I managed to send Choi Ga-in to her room, but Wi Ho-yeon was the issue.

“Ho-yeon, just go to your room and rest…”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll stand guard outside the door just in case.”

‘I’m not fine.’

“…This isn’t the Eternity Clan, it’s the Holy Kingdom. Even so, we’re guests of the Aitas Church. There’s no way anything would happen to us.”

“That may be true, but still…”

“There’s no need for you to stand guard outside the door here. So, Ho-yeon, please go to your room and rest. The Church members might find it strange. No, it might even be disrespectful to the Church.”

“……”

“What do you think the Church members would think if they saw you standing guard outside my door? They’d think we don’t trust them.”

This was partly to get Wi Ho-yeon to back off, but it was also true.

From the Church’s perspective, if they saw Wi Ho-yeon standing guard outside my door even at night, they’d naturally feel offended.

They might misunderstand that we think the Church would harm us, or that we don’t trust their security.

Despite my words, Wi Ho-yeon hesitated, so I had no choice but to sigh.

“Sigh… Wi Ho-yeon, this is an order. Go back to your room and rest.”

“…Understood. If that’s what you wish, Lee Yun-seong-nim…”

Finally, after sending Wi Ho-yeon away, I could take out the crystal orb I had with me.

What I needed to ask Ruska wasn’t something I could ask in front of others.

“Ruska.”

– Ah, Master. Did you arrive safely in the Holy Kingdom?

I had already briefly informed Ruska before leaving for the Holy Kingdom.

“Yeah, I’m at the Aitas Church now.”

– I see. I wish I could have gone with you.

“You know it couldn’t be helped. It’s an official visit.”

If it were a secret visit, maybe, but since it was official, I couldn’t bring Ruska.

“Anyway, I have something to ask. Do you know anything about the Holy Kingdom?”

Baronia, Eastern Alliance, Tayos, Holy Kingdom.

Among these, I knew almost nothing about Tayos and the Holy Kingdom, so I needed to ask her.

‘At least in the first round’s records I saw, there was nothing about the Holy Kingdom.’

– About the Holy Kingdom… Judging by your question, it seems you don’t remember anything about the Holy Kingdom, Master?

‘What do you mean? That I don’t remember?’

“…What do you mean I don’t remember? Did I have any connection with the Holy Kingdom in the first round?”

– In the first round, there wasn’t a single nation you didn’t have a connection with. The Holy Kingdom was no exception.

“…..”

Well, I didn’t think I had seen everything in the Library of Records. Of course, there would be things I didn’t know.

“…So, what connection did I have with the Holy Kingdom?”

– It’s not something you necessarily need to hear… You might be shocked.

“What?”

‘Shocked? Why?’

“What are you talking about? Shocked? Why?”

– …Because you used the Execution Society to carry out various schemes.

“…I schemed against the Holy Kingdom?”

– That’s not all. You personally took the life of the Holy Kingdom’s Saintess.

I was left dumbfounded, unable to process anything.

Because Ruska’s words hit me like a hammer to the head.

‘…I killed the Saintess? Why?’

Everything Ruska said was nothing but shocking.

In this second round, the Priest of Time had been friendly towards me, so I never imagined that my relationship with the Saintess in the first round was like that.

“…Why did I kill the Priest of Time?”

– I don’t know that either. All I know is that something happened between you and the Saintess, and that you personally killed her.