Thank you for the compliment.
Thank you for the compliment.
"I'm not going."
"You must go."
"I don't want to."
"The carriage is already prepared."
"Smash it."
"Yesterday, Saint-nim broke the bedroom wall as well, so the repair costs are considerable. Please exercise restraint."
"Then I can just kill the coachman. Coachmen are cheap, after all."
"That is also out of the question."
I ducked my head to dodge the platinum vase flying at me.
Jjaenggeurang!
The platinum vase that grazed past my head struck the wall and shattered into pieces.
With less than ten minutes left before the meeting, Elisia did not seem to have any intention of leaving her bedroom yet.
No, it wasn't that she didn't seem to have any—she simply had none.
She was glaring at me while lying slanted across the large bed.
"I'd rather sleep than go to the meeting and listen to the old geezers' bullshit."
"If you do that, the cardinals will decide even Saint-nim's share however they please."
"If I don't like it, I can just kill them later."
"It's because you resolve things like that that there isn't a single person on Saint-nim's side in the religious order besides me."
At my cold truth, Elisia's blue eyes gleamed coldly.
"You're not on my side either."
"An aide is on Saint-nim's side. Did you not know?"
"I don't know whose orders you followed to become my aide, but cut the bullshit. I know everything."
What do you even know?
I really am on your side, though.
Without hesitation, I approached the bed, grabbed her wrist with my Authority activated, and pulled her up.
Elisia's smooth arm squirmed in my hand.
Divine power poured forth immediately, but my hand, wrapped in Authority, had already pulled Elisia to her feet long before.
"Let go."
"Please get up."
"Rhea."
"Yes."
"If you drag me there by force, I'll burn down the entire meeting hall."
"Then I will tie Saint-nim to a chair."
"...Try it."
Is that a provocation?
Taking advantage of the gap while she was momentarily pacified by the conversation, I tugged her wrist.
Elisia's upper body was drawn forward easily.
Her voluminous silver hair rippled like waves, beneath which her smooth shoulders and ample breasts tilted toward me.
At that, Elisia grabbed my shoulders to steady her balance.
Thanks to that, her red lips approached right before my eyes along with the scent of cold roses from the early morning.
"You really must want to die."
She whispered chillingly in my ear.
Her voice was sweet, but her fingers were digging into my shoulders as if to crush them.
Because my Authority had run out, I felt a bone-shattering pain, but without showing it on my face, I wrapped an arm around her slender waist and stood her straight up.
"Please kill me after the meeting is over."
"Are you serious?"
"No."
As if I'd ever want to die.
Lowering Elisia off the bed, I neatly straightened her rumpled Saint robes.
Elisia's brows twitched at the natural physical contact that occurred while touching the fabric.
"Don't lay a hand on my body."
"It cannot be helped."
"No such thing."
"There is now."
"Are you really my aide?"
"I will take that as a compliment."
After fitting Elisia with her veil and Saint's Crown, I headed to the conference room.
.
.
.
The moment Elisia entered slightly late, the seated cardinals rose to their feet in unison.
"We greet Saint-nim."
It was an utmost show of respect, but Elisia did not even offer a reply.
In fact, being next to her, I could even sense a faint trace of disgust.
I knew why she acted that way too.
Because more than half of them were rotten bastards.
Elisia naturally took the seat of highest honor and leisurely crossed her legs.
I stood on her right side.
"Let us begin."
Cardinal Pedro, who sported a red beard, carefully unfolded the documents.
"The first agenda of this meeting is the Northern Crusade."
Crusade.
A major turning point in the early stages of Saint Maker.
Under the pretext that heretics had attacked border villages in the north of the Holy Empire, the religious order dispatches a large-scale subjugation force.
The surface reason was defending the faith, but in truth, it was a war to seize the Magic Stone Mines of Northern Hwankuk.
If the crusade succeeded, it would only end up lining Cardinal Pedro's pockets.
"If Saint-nim would personally bless the subjugation army, the soldiers' morale will rise greatly."
"I don't want to."
Elisia replied instantly.
This time, I was thinking the exact same thing, so I didn't stop her.
However, Cardinal Pedro's face hardened coldly.
He probably never imagined being rejected right to his face like this.
He still doesn't know Elisia very well, it seems.
Even though he was one of the bastards who made Elisia end up like this.
"Saint-nim. You must consider the believers suffering at the hands of heretics."
Cardinal Pedro continued speaking while holding back his temper, utterly enraged at being rejected by Elisia, who was far younger than him.
"Why should I?"
"Saint-nim is the one who has received the greatest love from God. Therefore, sharing that grace with the believers is your duty—"
"It's the love I received, so why should I share it? How on earth is such a thing my duty?"
Divine power flowed from Elisia's fingertips.
Along the patterns engraved on the floor of the meeting hall, divine power began to blaze pure white.
At the blatant physical threat, the cardinals' faces turned pale.
"If you spout bullshit one more time, I'll rip out your tongue."
"S-Saint-nim!"
However, that old Cardinal Pedro didn't stop, as if even his brain had petrified.
At that, Elisia raised her hand.
At this rate, Pedro's tongue would truly be gone.
I grabbed her arm and slammed it down onto the table.
It was an action taken knowing that someone of Elisia's caliber wouldn't even get scratched by this level of force.
Kwang!
A section of the table caved in.
Elisia turned her head and glared at me.
Brushing aside her murderous glare, I stepped forward.
"I will handle it."
"...What?"
Leaving behind a questioning Elisia, I approached Cardinal Pedro.
Though he feared Elisia, he apparently didn't fear me, boldly lifting his head to stare at me.
I leaned behind the cardinal and recited a piece of information.
"The underground archives of Cardinal-nim's detached palace, behind the fourth bookshelf from the left. There is correspondence regarding a deal made with the Empire concerning the mining rights of Hwankuk, is there not?"
As I recited information that no one except him could possibly know, Pedro's complexion turned stark white.
It was a clue needed to expose Pedro's corruption in the game.
Information that could only be learned half a year after any Saint's starting point if played normally.
However, I had no intention of letting information I already possessed go to waste.
I had memorized everything down to which merchant guild the cardinals took bribes from, which mistresses they sent letters to, and which drawer they hid their ledgers in.
"Do you still wish to pursue the crusade?"
"No.... I shall withdraw it...."
Hearing Cardinal Pedro's response, I slowly surveyed the meeting hall.
The old men who had been trying to use the Saint as a political tool until moments ago were now stealthily averting their eyes from my gaze.
It was because Cardinal Pedro was like the ringleader of these bastards.
Since their boss lowered his head, they lowered theirs even further.
"Shall we continue?"
No one answered.
Instead, only Elisia, seated next to me, was staring intently at me.
Her gaze was brimming with deep curiosity, as if observing a beast she had never seen before.
Deciding to talk with her later, I continued speaking to achieve my objective.
"If you desire Saint-nim's blessing, there are conditions."
I tossed the documents I had prepared onto the table.
"Transfer the budget and personnel authority of the Saint's Palace to the aide's office. From now on, no events may be added to Saint-nim's schedule without my approval."
"That is far too excessive a demand."
"Shall I demand more?"
"...I will discuss it."
"Decide right now."
I smiled coldly.
Moments later, the signatures of all nine individuals were stamped onto the documents I had prepared.
It was blatantly obvious they were scheming to at least stay on my good side rather than be completely deprived of the Saint's blessing.
Not that I had any intention of bestowing Elisia's precious blessing just to fatten the bellies of rotten bastards, of course.
.
.
.
On the way back to the bedroom after the meeting ended, Elisia grabbed my wrist.
Her slender fingers wrapped tightly around it, as if determined never to let go this time.
"Rhea."
"What is the matter?"
"What on earth are you?"
There were only the two of us in the hallway.
Elisia pulled my wrist and pinned me against the wall.
My back touched the cold marble.
Her voluptuous body pressed against me as she drew close, our chests squishing against each other.
"There's no way a normal aide would know such things."
"Did you hear?"
"Yes. So explain."
"I investigated diligently."
"Lies."
Elisia caught my chin with her fingers and gently pulled it up.
It was the exact picture of returning the very action I had done during our first encounter.
Her blue eyes sank chillingly with suspicion.
As if trying to see who was behind me.
"I hate people who lie."
"Doesn't Saint-nim hate all people?"
"I especially hate people who lie."
"I merely investigated with utmost diligence. Please believe this aide."
It really is true.
It was just that I couldn't tell her I had searched and organized all the information on Saint Maker to conquer her route, but it was the truth.
Even the God who sent me here would acknowledge it.
Elisia eased her pressure and took the lead, walking toward the bedroom.
"Tch. You're seriously obnoxious."
"Thank you for the compliment."
I followed after such an Elisia as well.
Then, there was the very minor incident of having to expend Authority because I was almost hit by a sudden flying kick, but at any rate, I was safe.