Are you still waiting here to see the answer, brother?

This little incident didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the job seekers at all.

This bunch of dimwits still hadn’t realized what kind of shady business was going on in today’s interview.

I don’t even need the script to prove anything.

Just from the way that fat guy ended the waiting period the moment Long Taor appeared and immediately started the “interview,” it’s obvious there’s some shady backdoor deal happening here!

Unfortunately, the interview had already started, and I didn’t have any other choice but to bite the bullet and stay.

“This is the only official priest qualification certificate that the headquarters has issued to the local church recently! With this, you’ll be able to receive formal training as a priest and enjoy the divine rights granted by the goddess!”

And it would also let me cling to Kephir’s thigh—I silently added that in my heart.

Under the pressure of the situation, the fat priest who clearly wanted to just hand the certificate directly to Long Taor in the first place finally clicked his tongue and put it away.

“The next part of the interview will be a test of your ‘talent.’ People without talent are unworthy of becoming honorable priests! I will now ask you some questions—scenarios that haven’t actually happened but have already been predicted by other priests. Everyone will answer based on instinct. Whoever answers quickly and accurately the most will be deemed qualified!”

This was clearly a contest of who could BS better.

But precisely because of that, this kind of interview was full of loopholes.

If it weren’t for the need to “go through the motions,” that fat guy in charge of the interview probably would’ve just handed the certificate to Long Taor—the son of the local lord.

And what happened next was exactly what I expected.

“First question: What will our town’s harvest be like next year!?”

The other applicants still had confused looks on their faces, not even having time to think about the answer, when Long Taor confidently gave his “prophecy,” clearly having been given the answers beforehand.

“Next year’s harvest will be the same as this year’s!”

“As expected of Lord Long Taor! That level, that speed—he’s clearly got the potential not just to be a priest, but a high-ranking one!”

The shameless flattery made Long Taor very pleased.

He looked around at the remaining interviewees with a smug expression, as if mocking their naïveté.

A few more interviewees started realizing something was fishy, but they couldn’t do anything about it.

All they could do was mutter under their breath and leave in frustration.

Seeing this, Long Taor was so pleased he couldn’t even be bothered to act anymore.

“Next question: In the coming days…”

“The weather will be sunny.”

“As expected of Lord Long Taor! His prophetic talent is so strong he’s answering before the question is even finished.

Looks like this qualification certificate is all yours~”

The flattery-filled priest turned to look at the remaining applicants, including me, wearing an expression that clearly said, “Why haven’t you peasants left yet so I can hand over the certificate already?”

Finally, even the most naïve of the remaining honest folks realized something was wrong.

“Priest! Isn’t he cheating!?”

Cheating? This is basically an open-book test!

If Long Taor still managed to get it wrong, that wouldn’t make him a background character—it’d make him an idiot!

But even though it was obvious to anyone with eyes, what could these random folks do by pointing it out?

“Cheating? Do you have proof?”

Long Taor sneered, full of the arrogance of a winner. “Commoners shouldn’t dream of rising to the top. Go back to farming like you’re meant to.”

The fat priest immediately followed with a stern reprimand: “You’re making baseless accusations! Your interview qualifications are revoked! Get out! The church doesn’t welcome you!”

This was clearly just a way to kick people out.

Even though they were furious and on the verge of retaliating, the few remaining honest applicants were intimidated by Long Taor’s burly lackeys.

They had no choice but to leave with unwilling, heavy steps.

In the end, I was the only one left causing trouble.

And the Long Taor who had never even bothered to look at me until now finally recognized me.

“You’re the guy from yesterday…”

“Hello.”

The moment he remembered my face, his expression turned sour.

“Damn it, I almost got killed yesterday because of your tricks, and now you have the guts to show up in front of me again!?”

He rolled up his sleeves like he was about to hit me, but the fat priest gave him a subtle warning glance, and he barely held back his anger, letting out a snort from his nose.

“Hmph, whatever. I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t bother with you. Get lost already and stop wasting my time. Can’t you see what’s going on here? You think you can still be a priest?”

Then Long Taor beckoned to the smiling fat priest, who obediently walked over.

“Let me be clear, I’m just here to go through the motions and collect my certificate. If you know what’s good for you, scram.”

The priest, the church, even the dog-like henchmen around him—all of them were clearly on Long Taor’s side.

Earlier, the priest said this was the last priest qualification certificate available for a while, so Long Taor clearly believed it was already his and didn’t even care about yesterday’s incident.

…We’re all villains, and you still want everything for yourself?

“Lord Long Taor, with your status, do you really need to compete with us lowly commoners for a priest certificate? Doesn’t seem like it’s of much use to you.”

“Tch, commoners are just commoners. For you, the certificate is just a meal ticket. For me, it’s a valuable asset!”

Long Taor laughed proudly. “Once I get this certificate, I’m going to serve as the personal priest for the noble lady of the empire’s Mary Sue family! You freeloaders can’t even begin to compare!”

Huh?

“Hahaha, look at you! Scared, aren’t you? Well, that noble lady’s someone you’ll never even get to see in your life! Know your place and get out already!”

Long Taor waved at me like he was shooing away a stray dog.

I stood there stunned.

His “grand plans” actually gave me a bit of a fright.

I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of reaction he’d have if I told him, “I was literally sleeping in the same bed with that goddess of yours this morning.”

I took a deep breath, shaking off the wild thoughts in my head.

I just wanted to quietly get a certificate so I could legally cling to Kephir’s thigh.

But this unexpected curveball from Long Taor made things more complicated.

I didn’t want to cause trouble, but if I walked away now and couldn’t get the certificate, wouldn’t that mean I couldn’t cling to Kephir?

That’s literally a matter of life and death!

“Hey? Why are you still standing there?”

“Yeah, aren’t you called… Lide, right? Hurry up and leave, stop being a nuisance in the church.”

They thought I was too scared to speak.

Not just Long Taor—now even the fat priest was “kindly” urging me to scram.

“Priest, are those all the questions? Go ahead, ask the next one.”

“Wha… You ungrateful brat!?”

Long Taor’s face bulged with veins, but the fat priest stopped him.

“Forget it, forget it, Lord Long Taor. This fool still thinks he has a chance. Let me ask another question so he’ll finally give up.”

Wearing an annoyed expression, the fat priest halfheartedly asked,

“Ahem! Third question, in our church currently…”

Long Taor’s face lit up, ready to steal the answer again, clearly thinking I was a complete idiot.

But the next moment…

He froze.

Because the one who answered wasn’t him—but me.

“114,514 people. Next question. There are 810 senior priests. And the question after that—the saintess recently caught a cold, so she won’t be coming to the Empire.”