Father Reiss The Forgotten

Ard was not detained for long. The Marquis and Thomas soon dismissed him to get some rest. As he left the room, Ard glanced back with a wry smile.

How could he possibly know the heretics’ true goal? In his past life, after the disaster that had nearly destroyed the kingdom, the Grand Holy Church, who had taken charge of the matter, had sealed most of the information, releasing only vague, ambiguous official statements. Ard, who had been a powerless nobody at the bottom of society, had no way of accessing the truths known only to the upper echelons.

All he could tell them was that the cult was planning something big in the kingdom, and that the next flashpoint was likely to be the capital—uncertain intelligence at best. This was the official story that had been released in his past life, so it was probably not a complete fabrication. But Ard didn’t know how his own interference, the flap of a butterfly’s wings, would alter the course of history. In his previous life, the Grand Holy Church had intervened very late in the conflict. This time, they were already clashing with the cult head-on.

Thomas, sensing that Ard had nothing more to tell, thanked him and sent him to rest. Ard’s information was most valuable in one respect: the next flashpoint was likely the capital. Thomas had already suspected the cult had further plans; an operation involving at least three Cardinals was no small matter. They would not give up so easily. Ard’s words had only confirmed his suspicions. If that was the case, then he alone was not enough. He needed to request reinforcements from the Sanctum as soon as possible.

With that thought, Thomas turned to the Marquis and said with grave formality, “Your Excellency, I request the Sanctum’s permission to establish a church in Pekoin City. I will have the Sanctum submit an application to your kingdom’s royal court.”

The establishment of a Grand Holy Church was no simple matter of building a place for prayer. It meant establishing a garrison, a fortified outpost for their armed forces. Therefore, an application had to be submitted to the local authorities beforehand, otherwise it would be an infringement of their sovereignty.

The Marquis, of course, was overjoyed. “I will also submit an application to His Majesty. Thank you, Commander Thomas.”

Thomas saluted the Marquis. “It is my duty. There is no need for thanks, Marquis. Please, go and rest. I will stand guard here.”

“I’m in your debt, Commander.”

After seeing the Marquis off, Thomas stared into the distance. He had a feeling a much larger storm was brewing.

The next day, it was nearly noon when Ard was groggily shaken awake. He opened his eyes to see Yexi’s cold, indifferent face standing by his bed. He was so startled that he frantically checked his entire body to see if a new knife had appeared somewhere.

Yexi’s pleasant voice drifted over. “Relax. If I wanted to kill you, you’d have died a thousand times over by now. I’ve prepared washing supplies for you. Hurry up and get ready. It’s time for lunch.”

Ard looked at the basin, towel, and toiletries that had been prepared in the room. He was stunned. “Have you finally had a crisis of conscience?” he asked in disbelief. “Do you feel guilty for the many atrocities you’ve committed against me?”

Yexi (-_-#): “Lie back down.”

Ard was confused. “Huh?”

“Go back to sleep and wake up again when you’re lucid,” Yexi said coldly. “I’d rather not have a rumor spreading that sleeping in the Marquis’s house causes daytime delusions. At the very least, allow me to euthanize you to avoid bringing shame upon the estate.”

“I’m awake! I’ll wash up now!”

Ard immediately jumped out of bed, but the sudden movement sent a sharp pain through his chest, and he collapsed into a crouch. Even with the best physician’s care, a stab wound to the heart couldn’t possibly heal overnight.

“Sigh.” Yexi pinched the bridge of her nose and helped him to a chair. “Your intelligence is truly worrying.”

As the pain subsided, Ard, still puzzled by Yexi’s sudden attentiveness, asked, “Why are you serving… sorry, slip of the tongue. I mean, helping me prepare these things?” He quickly corrected himself under her sharp glare.

Yexi sighed. “It was the Lady. I was a step too late yesterday. Elienla told her what she saw, with many… unnecessary embellishments, and the Lady misunderstood.”

“You didn’t explain?”

“Of course I explained. But it was useless. Our position was a bit too… compromising. I should have just been more decisive yesterday.” At this, Yexi shot a glance at Ard, who was pretending to wash his face. “Whether I killed you or let you go.”

Ard breathed a sigh of relief. He was lucky Yexi had hesitated yesterday. If she had been more decisive… he would most likely be dead. A decisive Yexi wouldn’t have listened to his rambling.

“You know, if I killed you with my own hands right now, the misunderstanding would be cleared up, wouldn’t it?” Yexi mused.

The water Ard was rinsing his mouth with shot out in a spray, and he started choking. “Cough, cough! Don’t even think about it! That might clear up one misunderstanding, but it would create a much bigger problem! And what if it’s a case of love turning to hate? Wouldn’t that be a terrible loss?”

“Love turning to hate? For you?” Yexi looked him up and down with disdain. “You’re not just a no-name, no-brand, no-quality product. You should stop having such unrealistic fantasies.”

“I actually think my looks are above average.”

“If I judged men by their looks, you would have been abandoned the moment Commander Thomas appeared.”

“…” Ard couldn’t refute that. The man met all the criteria for tall, rich, and handsome. But to be so thoroughly insulted by Yexi… he felt a little unwilling to accept it.

“Hurry up. Stop dawdling. I have to take you to lunch. The Lord and the others are waiting.”

“Oh, oh, right. I’m ready.”

Ard followed Yexi to the place where the Marquis’s family was having lunch. It was no longer the main estate, of course. The residence was currently undergoing extensive repairs and was uninhabitable. Fortunately, there were guest houses in other parts of the town for important visitors, and the Marquis and his family were now staying there.

As Ard descended from the city wall, he saw that the residents had begun to return to the city. People were cleaning up their shops, and soldiers were helping with the restoration work.

“Have you thought about that matter?” Ard suddenly asked Yexi on the way. He didn’t know what kind of answer he would get after a night’s consideration, and he felt a little anxious.

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“Huh?”

“I was too tired yesterday. I fell into a deep sleep as soon as I got back. When I woke up, I had to help arrange the Lord’s family’s move. After all that, I had to come and wake you up. I haven’t had time to think about it. But,” she added, “if you can convince the Lord and Lady, I don’t really have a problem with it. It’s only for three years. The lifespan of an ordinary person in this world is about a hundred years, and the powerful can live up to two hundred. And I’ve been a bit stressed lately because of all this. A change of scenery might be nice.”

Ard had thought he would have to do a lot more persuading. He hadn’t expected it to be resolved so easily.

“So casually?”

“The problem isn’t complicated, so the solution is just as casual. But you have to convince the Lady.”

“That, I don’t think will be difficult,” Ard teased. “I’ll just beg her to let us be together…” He trailed off, seeing the look on Yexi’s face. “I was wrong. Please, I will explain it to her very seriously.” Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as Yexi pressed a single finger against his chest, right over his heart.

“Don’t speak so carelessly. Do you know what it feels like to wish for death? When I became an assassin, interrogation was a required course. I got a perfect score. Do you want to know how?”

Ard shook his head frantically. “Not at all.”

Yexi lightly tapped his lips with her finger. “Then guard the vocal organ on your head. Otherwise, you’ll only be able to speak with the one below.”

“Understood, Lady Yexi!”

“Good.” Seeing his quick understanding, Yexi let him off the hook.

They arrived at the guest house and entered the bright dining room. The Marquis’s family, along with Thomas and Seleu, were already seated, waiting for him. Yexi led him to his seat. “I’m sorry,” Ard said apologetically. “I woke up too late.”

The Marquis said kindly, “It’s no problem. If you hadn’t protected the teleportation crystal, Pekoin City would have been in grave danger. It’s only natural to be exhausted after everything that’s happened. And we’ve only just sat down ourselves.”

“Hee hee, it took Xi-chan so long to wake our guest. What were you two doing all that time?” a teasing voice chimed in. It was, of course, the Marchioness. Elienla, standing beside her, also looked at Ard with curious eyes.

Since the question was directed at Ard, Yexi couldn’t overstep her bounds to answer. But her murderous gaze was fixed on him. It was clear that if he dared to say anything flippant, he was done for.

“Nothing, nothing at all. I’m just a bit of a heavy sleeper and slow to get ready, so it took a little time,” Ard said, his survival instinct kicking in as he took all the blame.

“Is that so?” The Marchioness was clearly unconvinced, her eyes darting between Ard and Yexi.

The Marquis came to his rescue. “Since everyone is here, let’s begin.” He nodded at Yexi, who then went to arrange for the servants to bring out the food. A dazzling array of dishes was served, no less grand than the previous banquet. It was likely arranged by the Marquis in consideration of his honored guests, Thomas and Ard.

During the meal, Ard felt like something was missing. When his eyes inadvertently swept over Seleu, he suddenly remembered. “Um, where is Father Reiss?”

Seleu paused, her fork hovering in the air. She feigned confusion. “Who?”

“The one you buried alive. You… you didn’t forget to dig him up, did you?”